Year 7 Orientation: Learning About our House Patrons 

By Beth Doherty, Religious Education Leader 

On 23 November, Year 9 students dressed up as our House Patrons as a way of creating awareness for the new Year 7 students of our Catholic Ancestry at Hennessy College. 

Our Catholic Identity guides us to “live spiritually, learn dynamically and act justly, inspiring futures of hope”, and each of our students, through learning about their House Patron, is given a unique opportunity to recognise that they are a child of God.  

Majella McGrath dressed up as Monsignor Jerome Hennessy and gave the following speech: 

Hello everyone, my name is Monsignor Jerome Hennessy. I was born on the 2nd of May, 1855. The College is named after me. I was ordained a priest at the age of 26 in 1888. I came to Young in 1889. This was the very first parish I served in. I, Monsignor Jerome Hennessy, am remembered as a tireless worker for the advancement of the faith in Young in the early 20th century. I would visit the rich landowners in the morning and collect food, which I would distribute to the poor in the afternoon. I also once gave away my bed to a poor widower and her children. I am also credited with leading the building of many Catholic buildings in the Hilltops area. These include the Sacred Heart Hospital, Mount St Joseph’s Old People’s Home, Southern Cross Hall, the Kindergarten and Infants school, and the Christian Brothers’ residence. I died on the 3rd of April 1941. I am buried next to St Mary’s Church (the big one next to our school!). The cross above my grave is the cross on the College crest. The Hall here at the College is actually called “the Jeromedome”. 

Jack Apps dressed as Bishop John Gallagher, the first Bishop of Goulburn and gave the following speech:  

Hi, my name is Bishop John Gallagher, peace be with all of you. Gallagher House carries my name. I was born in Ireland 1846 and I grew up in Castlederg. I was ordained on the 1st of November, 1869 as a Catholic Priest and was named as the first Bishop of Goulburn in 1900. I laid the foundation stone of the church in Cootamundra. I championed education across the local area. The Gallagher House crest contains a Bible, as I was a man of God. Our motto “Noble Victory” is from a speech I gave in 1919 and it encourages the Gallagher students not only to strive for a victory but to live a noble life. The lion on the Gallagher House crest is from the Gallagher family crest and represents pride, participation and purpose. The house colour is yellow which represents the canola that grows in abundance in the local area. I died aged 77 in 1923. 

Logan Apps dressed up as Blessed Edmund Rice and gave the following speech: 

Good Morning everybody. My name is Edmund Rice and I was born on the 1st of June 1762 in Ireland to my parents Robert and Margaret Rice. I was raised on a farm in Callan, County Kilkenny. I started a business with my uncle in Waterford, it was a merchant business and due to not attending school very much my uncle hired me to work with him. In 1785 I married a wonderful woman named Mary Elliot. She later had a child in 1789 named Mary but sadly my wife died while giving birth, due to a fever. I was a Roman Catholic missionary and an educationalist. I helped the poor by creating schools specifically for those who did not have resources. I was the founder of two religious groups, which were named: The Presentation Brothers and Congregation of Christian Brothers. There was once a Christian Brothers school on this site. The red of the Rice House Crest is symbolic of the local cherry industry, the cross is a symbol of Christ and the vine has seven leaves that represent the seven original Pastoral Care groups. Seven is also a very significant number in the Bible. The house motto is made up of the words of Edmund Rice and challenges the Rice House students to lay strong foundations and pursue excellence in all areas.   

Anna Harden dressed up as Venerable Catherine McAuley and gave the following speech: 

My name is Catherine McAuley and I was born on 29 September 1778, in Dublin, Ireland. I was an Irish religious sister who founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy have always been associated with teaching, especially in Ireland, where the sisters taught Catholics at a time of persecution when education was mainly reserved for members of the established Church of Ireland. The Mercy sisters have been caring for the sick and elderly in Young and the South West slopes since 1911, running the local nursing home. The sisters also taught in schools in Harden Murrumburrah, Boorowa, Harden, Cootamundra and Grenfell. The house colour of sky blue represents the blues skies above and reminds McAuley House students that the sky is the limit. The Mercy cross is the symbol of the Mercy sisters and speaks to us of God’s mercy. The house motto - “Good today, better tomorrow” was a quote from Catherine McAuley and challenges McAuley students to continue to improve each day. I Died on 1 November 1841, Dublin, Ireland.  

Cybele Hewitt dressed as Venerable Nano Nagle and gave the following speech: 

My name is Nano Nagle and as I am the patron saint of Nagle house. I was born in Cork, Ireland in 1718. My sister and I ventured to France in 1730 to further our education at a monastery. In 1745, following my father’s death I returned to Ireland and began my journey helping the poor. During this time, laws targeted Catholics and I helped those who felt compelled to turn to crime, or were poor and mistreated. Following the great frost of 1737-1741 I also assisted those who suffered from disease and starvation. I founded the Presentation Sisters, which is now an international order of Catholic women who aim to enhance and bring Catholic Education to all. The Presentation Sister taught at this very site for 103 years. I was known as the “Lady of the Lamp” as I carried a lamp through the dark streets of Cork helping the poor. The book represents my passion for education as the key to a better life. The Shamrock is representative of the Holy Trinity and my Irish home. The green is also reflective of Ireland but also symbolises the Hilltops farming region and the crops that grow abundantly here. “Not words but deeds” is my family motto and Nagle House motto. It challenges the students of Nagle House not to just live by words but to put these into compassionate action through their deeds. I died in Ireland on the 26 April 1784. 

The students participated in this activity with reverence and curiosity, and we are grateful to our Year 9 students for their leadership.