Thanksgiving Celebration for 70 years of Marist presence in Vale Drummoyne
A Thanksgiving Celebration of 70 years of Marist presence at the old Drummoyne house. Originally a scholasticate, then the official residence of 10 provincials, A Marist School headquarter and a Province Admin Centre…but most of all a home for many brothers.
After seventy years of ministry, the community at Drummoyne Sydney, is closing, and the house and property sold: Originally a scholasticate, then the official residence of 10 provincials, A Marist School headquarter and a Province Admin Centre…but most of all a home for many brothers.
On Saturday July 4th, in a simple liturgy and lunch, these visitors and their hosts were remembered. Down seventy years, more than 120 Brothers were members of this community. Their ministry has now concluded.
History of the community at Drummoyne Sydney
In late 1950 was purchased a beautiful building constructed in the late 1890s, with the Parramatta River flowing past, The original intention was that the community would serve as the Scholasticate for the Provinces and Sydney and Melbourne. It did so, for a couple of years. During which time, the very first Solomon Islander Brothers studied there.
With the opening in 1958 of a large Scholasticate building at Dundas, another suburb of Sydney, the mission of the community shifted, and it became the Provincial House of the Province of Sydney. The first two Provincials were Hilary Conroy AG and Quentin Duffy VG. At a later period, it was the home of Charles Howard SG.
In the 1960s, with the rapid expansion of Marist Schools in the Province, support for schools was needed. A very small team of Brothers had Drummoyne for their base as they visited the schools, demonstrating lessons and encouraging teachers. Overtime, additional space was constructed on the Drummoyne site. But by this century, the size of the team supporting community and ministry in the Province of Australia had well out-grown the space at Drummoyne. The Province Centre moved to Mascot, near Sydney Airport, as did the Provincial.
As the residence of the Provincial for decades, the community focused on providing for him a welcoming and supportive home.
Similarly, the community provided welcome and hospitality to many, many visitors from overseas. A whole range of Marists down the decades, were welcomed and celebrated in this community. There are many who retain dear memories of meals around the Drummoyne dining table.