Sr Marie Mansbridge

Peer Year 1958

On behalf of the Emmanuel College community, we wish to congratulate Sr Marie Mansbridge for 60 years of service as a Sister of Mercy.

Sr Marie is a past student of St Ann’s College attending from 1955-1957, where she was inspired by the work and the lives of Sisters, particularly the kindness and teachings of a then young, Sr Philomene Carroll. In 1959 Marie entered her novitiate, along with another five St Ann’s girls, and her long held love of caring for small children lead her to pursue a ministry in education.

Marie comes from a large family (one of eight), growing up on a farm in Warrnambool. The farm has since become the home of the Gillin Park retirement village and the Home Maker Centre. Marie recalls “there were no houses between there and Warrnambool, and I can remember when Fletcher Jones was built.”

Commencing her schooling at St Joseph’s Primary School, when it was located in Lava Street, Marie went all the way through to complete her Merit Certificate (Year 8) before moving on to St Ann’s College. Sr Marie recalls, “I can remember there was a lovely old Sister, called Sr Berchmans, and she seemed to think it was her job to check to see if the girls wanted to be nuns. I can remember her tapping me on the shoulder and asking me had I ever thought of being a nun. I can’t remember what I said at that time.”

Sr Marie admits that entering a religious order wasn’t something that she had considered until midway through her secondary schooling. “I hadn’t thought of it until I was in Intermediate. In that year, the senior children of the school were taken down to Melbourne to an exhibition, it was called The Catholic Life Exhibition, and it was at the Exhibition Buildings in Fitzroy there. It consisted of almost every religious order that there was having a kind of stall with information about themselves. And that was where I got the first inspiration to want to be a religious and to look after the children.”

After first making the decision to join the convent, Sr Marie’s thoughts turned to working with young people. “I wanted to mind little children, because I loved babies.” After seeking some vocational advice she was encouraged to pursue education, as increasing immigration was putting pressure on the education system and teachers were increasingly sought after.

In 1963, with her appointment to a Grade 5 class at St Patrick’s School in Geelong West, a 35-year long service to various Catholic primary schools began. “I can still remember some of the names,” she comments.

From Geelong, Sr Marie was moved to a school in Kensington, then after only two years of teaching was appointed the Principal in Castlemaine.

“I really loved teaching in the Primary section. I loved the contact with the children and their families. I think I always had the ambition to make the schools I was in, welcoming and happy places.” Sr Marie reflects.

“I always admired the parents who were so prepared to make sacrifices for their children. That was one thing that really stood out.”

Sr Marie retired from teaching in 1998, creating a fortuitous opportunity to relocate to her home of Warrnambool. However, as Sr Marie describes, “You put down stones to carry bricks when you retire.”

Her service continued, seeing her as busy as ever. Sr Marie joined us at Emmanuel College where she was responsible for the Sisters community still living in the Convent, as well as working in the role of Home Liaison Officer - a unique role that all our families over the years have appreciated. Sr Marie’s impact during this time is still remembered by many of the families she worked with, as she is still often greeted in the street by them despite being retired from the role for 10 years.

Sr Marie treasured the opportunity to return to Warrnambool, as it allowed her to be alongside her mother during her final years.

Alongside her work with Emmanuel, Sr Marie has been very active within our Parish, as the Community Leader for the Sisters of Mercy, plus a number of community groups supporting families and the elderly, most notably her 22 years as the Leader or the Parish Bereavement Group.

Pre-covid lockdowns, she was also an active member of the Silver Notes Choir and a ukulele group, which she loved not just for the singing and the music, but the opportunity to meet new people. “I love being with people, especially the elderly.” She comments.

This Diamond Jubliee has given Sr Marie the opportunity to reflect on, what she describes as - a very happy life. “I found it to be a very humbling experience to look back over all those years and think of what you have done, and the people you’ve met, and the changes in yourself as a person.”

A visit to Baggot Street, the birthplace of Sisters of Mercy, was the moment in her life that Sr Marie describes as not just a highlight of her service, but of her life. She recalls walking into the building that Catherine McAuley had founded, and how impressed she was by both its presence and how active it was. “I was very, very fortunate to spend time at Baggot Street Convent.”

This refection on her growth from a young person, teacher and Sister of Mercy, to who she is today has led Sr Marie to appreciate a greater depth of spirituality and the opportunities that life has presented her with. She explains, “I have been a very happy person in my religious life. There have been difficulties, which there are in every life, but my life has been a very happy life and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

We thank you Sr Marie for all that you are and have been to our College community, and for the enduring example of Faith, Hope and Love you share to all within the Warrnambool community.