St Patrick’s College Campbelltown History
Sr Kerry Macdermott attended the launch of Saint Patrick's College book launch “Our Legacy of Light – The History of St Patrick’s College, Campbelltown, NSW” celebrating 185 years. The book was written by College staff Francesca Musico Rullo and Joanne Cavallin, and it traces the growth of Catholic education in Campbelltown, from its beginnings as the colony’s first privately funded Catholic school to its transformation under the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and its enduring mission to educate young women. It is a beautiful book written with love.
During the launch, Francesca acknowledged Sr Kerry for her part in the Aboriginal Advisory Committee which provides support and guidance to the College and the Aboriginal girls. Our Lady’s Nurses offer 3 Eileen O’Connor Aboriginal Scholarships every year to students at St Patrick’s whose family need assistance. Francesca noted that through this work she has seen Aboriginal girls becoming proud of their rich heritage. The Committee also worked on the Aboriginal Education Policy and provides links with Aboriginal agencies in the community.
Eileen – Little Mother
Our Little Mother you truly are – given to us all from Heaven above
On earth you were in constant pain but never flinched in your care
Always there for the lost and the outcast, the suffering and despised
God’s love shone through you to the poor and the broken
Mirroring God’s compassion for all those in need. Help us dear Eileen,
To be there at the foot of the cross, like Mary was for Jesus
To comfort the dying, to give hope to the sorrowful
To lift the spirits of those who feel abandoned and alone
Eileen – Little Mother, Servant of God, we thank you
For all that you are and for what you have shown us,
One hundred years on, the needs are even greater
To reach out to the troubled – the forgotten ones
Those struggling to make ends meet and to those who have lost hope
and don’t know where to turn. Lead them to Mary their Mother,
who will take them to Jesus where there is no more fear or worry,
With gratitude to God dear Eileen – Little Mother,
we thank you for what you have done for us
Teaching us through your suffering and pain,
to reach out to others in their pain where we find Jesus,
who will give us the strength to follow in your footsteps.
Sr Kerry Macdermott OLN
10 January 2021, Minto.