The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are an international Congregation. The Sisters in Australia offer a three month International Community Experience programme to their young Sisters from other provinces.

This year, the programme will run from 1 November 2014 to 30 January, 2015 and Sisters will be coming from Senegal, Cameroon, Congo, Philippines, Kiribati Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.

Throughout this week many of us have been actively praying, either outside detention centres or within community, for people seeking asylum.

We take hope in the recent plea by the The Australian Catholic Bishops, to the Australian Government, to make their policies around asylum seekers more humane. Recently the bishops issued a statement that calls on all Australians to respect the rights of asylum seekers.

Our General Chapter took place in Rome from 24 March to 3 April 2014. One of the most important areas of business was the election of a Superior General to fill the vacancy caused by the premature death of our much loved and respected former leader, Sr Mary Fyfe.

We are pleased to announce that Sr Marife Mendoza of the Philippine Region is our new Superior General. She will be assisted by the following councillors— Srs Laurentia Piranti (Indonesia). Merle Salazar (Phillipines). Elly van Dijk (Netherlands) and Madeleine Ngoy (Congo).

You are invited to walk in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers...

In Melbourne and Sydney, there will be a Rally and March on Palm Sunday. The themes for the rallies are 'Walk for Justice' (Justice for Refugees & People Seeking Asylum) and 'Declare Peace on Refugees', respectively.

We are all well aware of the plight of refuges in our own country. One has only to pick up a paper or switch on the TV, to read or see something of the current thinking of Australians on the issue of refugees and people seeking asylum.

We, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, both here in Australia and throughout the world, are committed to welcoming refugees and displaced people.

Today, more than ever, there are millions of people suffering trauma and grief and extreme anguish and our charism calls us to alleviate suffering wherever we find it.

During our last General Chapter, our chapter recommendations stated that, as Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart:

‘‘We are working with, advocating for and empowering the poor and all who suffer, particularly women”.

This year we would like to share a few stories of our sisters helping to empower women around the globe.

PUBLIC STATEMENT

March 19, 2014

"At their recent Executive Committee meeting, members of the Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes in NSW [CLRI(NSW)] expressed dismay at the policies of both major parties that have condemned asylum seekers..."

pdf  CLRI(NSW) Public Statement regarding Asylum Seekers in offshore detention centres March 2014

This past week has been a time of great rejoicing as family and friends gathered with the OLSH sisters to celebrate the remarkable lives of eleven OLSH sisters.

On 11th January 2014, Sisters Mary McGowan, Maureen Brazel and Josephine O’Donnell celebrated 60 years of Religious Profession. On 12th January 2014, Sisters Anne Wood, Noelle Albert, Moya Hanlen, Elaine Troy, Helen Hearne, Maureen Carey and Caterina Merlino celebrated 50 years of Religious Profession.

On the 10th of January at OLSH Convent Kensington, a simple ceremony was held within the liturgy, to hand over the leadership of the Province to the new Provincial and her Council.

Members of the new leadership team are: Sister Elizabeth Little – Provincial Leader, and members of her Council: Srs Jennifer Kirby, Lorraine McCleary, Philippa Murphy and Pauline Richards.

Did you know that in Australia, June 1923, some events unfolded that were to change the life of Australians? Firstly, construction began on the Harbour Bridge, the second was Vegemite made its debut on Australian grocery shelves and the third and most important event, which was to bring hope and joy to the lives of many young boys and girls in Australia, was the birth of our own dear Sr Yvonne Mary Ellis.

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany; we were reminded that ahead of us is a star and when we follow that star we come face to face with the light of God … Jesus. In 1942 Sr Yvonne Mary made the decision to follow that star and she found herself in Bowral as a Postulant with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. After her first profession in 1944 Sister began serving as an educator in over twelve places throughout Australia.

Sr Mary Fyfe FDNSC died in Melbourne on 26th June 2013.  Sr Mary Fyfe was the Superior General of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart from 2005 to May 2013 and the Principal of OLSH College Kensington from 1984 to 1995. Thank you, Sr Mary Fyfe for your work, generosity and love for our congregation!

“I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation.”
Isaiah 61:10

Her sister, Barbara, has spoken about Mary’s family life and earlier religious life and ministry.  It is my privilege to share, with you, something of the woman Sr Mary Fyfe was and a little of her contribution to our congregation.
In her last letter to the sisters in our international congregation at the time of her resignation as Superior General, Mary wrote of her deep love of the congregation and the great privilege it was for her to be able to serve the sisters in this capacity. She concluded her letter by saying, You will always be in my heart and the joy of knowing every single sister within the congregation is surely one of the richest graces of my whole life.

2nd July 2013

Mary Philomena Fyfe was born here in Bentleigh on 21st July 1947, the fourth child of Daisy and Keith Fyfe.  Sid, our elder brother now deceased was eighteen years old; I was fourteen and Malcolm here was twelve.  In fact it was Malcolm who, after dad returned from serving in the Army during WW2 wanted “the stork” to call again at the Fyfe residence and he kept pestering Mum and Dad… and so a much loved and cherished new born baby girl named Mary Philomena completed our family - which included our grandfather, Mum’s dad who lived with us for twenty years.

Day 6

Today is a day of sightseeing in Sydney.

This morning we set off by bus for Circular Quay, where we saw the Opera House and Harbour Bridge….we had many, many photos! From there we went by bus to Darling Harbour and took a cruise around the harbour and surrounding suburbs. It was a great, sunny day and we made the most of the chance to be outside and to take in all the sights.

Day 5

Morning prayer was prepared by our participants from PNG. It included a hymn to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and spontaneous prayers from the participants.

The focus of today is ways of embedding the charism in our schools. Firstly we looked at the Stages of Development, in order that our practice be informed by the ways that people learn.