MARY’S MOUNT HISTORICAL WALK
Station I – The Grotto & 1952 Classrooms
In 1946 the Sisters and boys decided to build a Grotto for Rosary, prayer and outdoor Masses to honour Our Lady, The Immaculate Heart of Mary. This was built by hand from local rock and was a structure of at least two metres high in bush to the north of the two-storey school site…
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In 1946 the Sisters and boys decided to build a Grotto for Rosary, prayer and outdoor Masses to honour Our Lady, The Immaculate Heart of Mary. This was built by hand from local rock and was a structure of at least two metres high in bush to the north of the two-storey school site. A terrazzo altar was placed within the cave-like construction and a life size statue of Our Lady stood high at the side overlooking those who prayed there.
The Grotto was duly blessed and opened in 1947 with Holy Mass and all the boys, Sisters and local Catholics in attendance.
Photos show a grand occasion and the Grotto was a favourite place for praying the Rosary over the years until by 1996 it became hazardous, was crumbling away and had to be demolished. Many ex students have some interesting stories about the fun they had playing around and behind the Grotto!
By 1952 the day student numbers had grown, as Kalamunda and its surrounds became suburbs of Perth. The baby boomers were starting school! Four, purpose built brick classrooms were constructed on the northern side of the property for the older students in Years 6 and 7, who were now mostly day scholars. The name of the college was emblazoned on the arch over the verandah with the original school crest and the letters JMJE, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and Emilie. The crest carried the Latin words ‘Vigilate et Orate’, ‘Watch and Pray’. That crest is still visible on the building to this day.
The Sisters chose this motto because Joseph watched and prayed over the child Jesus and kept him from harm when the Angel warned him of King Herod’s plans. Also Jesus asked the apostles Peter, James and John to watch and pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Latin was the language of the Mass then and the boys were taught Latin as a subject in Years 6 and 7 so they would have been familiar with the meaning. A new crest was designed in the 1970’s still incorporating the double M but with the Christian symbol of the Fish and ‘Truth” as the motto.
With Vatican Two happening in the late 1960’s many changes occurred in our Church and vocations to the Religious life were less. Mary’s Mount day scholars were now around 400 and with Mazenod College about to be built in Lesmurdie, boarders could be accommodated there. So in 1970 the Sisters decided that the school should become a Parish school and Kalamunda, MaidaVale and Lesmurdie Parishes purchased it.
In 1971 the school was formally handed over to the Parishes, under the guidance of the Catholic Education Office and Sister Olivera welcomed an Ex Boarder and lay teacher John Downey as the first Lay Principal in 1974. The Sisters had tended to the needs of hundreds of boys over a span of 50 years and their little band of 17 students had grown enormously, with two streams of classes from Grade 1 to Grade 7. They had planted the seed of their Catholic Faith in Jesus’ name over the last fifty years within so many hearts.
