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Year 9s Follow Ursula

Ursula Frayne was an extraordinary woman.  A pioneer educator, welfare reformer, advocate, and policymaker. She was a person who led a group of courageous Irish women committed in faith to the pursuit of justice and compassion.

The legacy of Ursula Frayne continues as our Year 9 students retraced her footsteps when she first got to Perth almost 175 years ago. The Pilgrimage and Amazing Race of Mercy offered a wonderful way for students to engage with the story of the founding Mercy Sisters. 

STUDENT REFLECTIONS

Natalia Neates

Our Year 9 Reflection Day was continuously filled with fun, but my highlight was the boat trip. Not only did we get to experience how Ursula Frayne, and the sisters who joined her, traveled from Fremantle to Perth City, but we got to fully immerse ourselves in how the Sisters displayed charity and compassion. This boat trip really showed us what Ursula would have seen, thought, and felt arriving in Perth and how the sisters are great role-model for us today.  It gives us new challenges and teaches us how we too should constantly display charity and compassion to everyone. 

Sophie Muir 

The Year 9 Reflection was a truly unforgettable day. It was filled with exciting and educational challenges and team-building activities. From the Ursula Frayne reflection at Bathers Beach, the cruise along the Swan River, and to the race around the city, I can easily say we had an amazing day. Some of the highlights for our group included learning about the Catholic history of Perth and understanding the struggles Ursula Frayne and the other missionaries who travelled to Australia faced.

The main part we all enjoyed was the way we learned the information. Being outside the classroom and mixing with the real world challenged us to see a different point of view. This led to a better understanding of the content. We loved the Reflection Day and it was one of the best excursions I have ever been on.  

Zima Jade Henderson 

The Ursula Frayne Pilgrimage was a very interactive and fun experience for all students. Our group enjoyed the opportunity to venture out of the classroom and spend quality time with people we don’t usually socialise with. Putting us into random groups also gave us the perfect chance to work with new people and follow the clues as a collaborative team, hence allowing us to gain skills of cooperation and perseverance.

Furthermore, the combination of audio tracks and reflection before we started the competition enhanced our knowledge and gave us a great sense of our surroundings. We were able to visualise what it would have looked like in Ursula Frayne’s time. This interactive experience allowed our group to learn the background of the Mercy sisters and we would recommend it to the coming Year 9s. It was such an inspirational day and gave us the rare opportunity to learn about our school’s background and heritage. 

We had fun, smiled a lot, had a chance to relax, whilst also reflecting on the year and learning about the amazing journey of the sisters of Mercy when they arrived in Australia 175 years ago. 

Hannah Pike

We enjoyed having the freedom to roam around the city to visit a variety of places that were important to the journey of the Sisters of Mercy. Having the opportunity to learn about Ursula Frayne and the Sisters of Mercy was valuable to all of us as she was the main founder of our school.  

Ursula Frayne is an ideal example for our students as they are encouraged to be resourceful and merciful followers of Christ in the world. 

  • ConnectingLearning2Life, Featured, Respect

Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation.  Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world.  Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD.  We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.

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