‘Places of encounter’: Sr Mary Sarah Galbraith OP on the value of Catholic schools

Catholic schools offer something that no money can buy, guest speaker Sr Mary Sarah Galbraith OP told those gathered at the most recent Melbourne Catholic Professionals (MCP) luncheon at Zinc at Federation Square on Thursday 17 October, emphasising the important role Catholic schools can play as places of encounter with Christ and of deep spiritual formation.

Sr Mary Sarah—who is the local superior of the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia and Principal of St Bernard’s Primary School in Bacchus Marsh—received a standing ovation for her inspiring speech on the value of Catholic education, her personal journey as a religious sister and educator, and the vital role Catholic schools play in shaping lives and communities.

The event, attended by 280 people, was marked by a lively, convivial atmosphere as Catholics from a broad range of professions and industries—including a large contingent from our Catholic schools—enjoyed the opportunity to share a delicious meal, meet new people and listen to an engaging speaker on a beautiful spring day by the Yarra.

After warm introductory remarks from Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, who spoke appreciatively of the important work and witness of Catholic leaders in a range of professions, Sr Mary Sarah began by expressing her gratitude for the overwhelming turnout and the support shown to Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).

She immediately captured the attention of her audience with her touching recollections of Sr Clarita Langenfeld, a 101-year-old nun who became a mentor to Sr Mary Sarah early in her career as a school principal in Chicago. Sr Clarita had retired as principal at Chicago’s Our Lady of Victory Parish in the mid-1980s, Sr Mary Sarah explained, ‘but even after nearly two decades, she still had the keys to every building.’

This elderly nun, who retained the respect of all around her, made her daily rounds of the school and offered words of wisdom to the young principal. Sr Mary Sarah remembered how Sr Clarita continued to inspire others, recalling the short but effective talk she gave at a neighbourhood parish in support of the Fund for Retired Religious: ‘Good morning, my name is Sr Clarita Langenfeld,’ she told the congregation. ‘I am 101 years old. I am the full-time sacristan at Our Lady of Victory Parish. Please give to the Fund for Retired Religious so that I can retire.’

Our Catholic schools have something to offer that no money can buy.

Raised in Kansas City, Missouri, in a family that was not particularly pious, Sr Mary Sarah admitted that her own path to religious life was not straightforward. ‘My family attended Sunday Mass, but we were not particularly devout growing up,’ she said. However, a ‘restlessness’ during her university years led her to visit and explore different convents, and eventually she found herself with the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. ‘Immediately, I had the overwhelming sense that I was home,’ she said, describing her first encounter with the community in which she would discover her vocation.

Sr Mary Sarah described how her vow of obedience has shaped her life in profound ways. ‘This means that we go where we are sent and we remain for as long as we are asked to stay,’ she explained. This vow has led her on adventures to various cities and roles, from academic dean to university president, and from serving in numerous towns and cities across the United States to her current role in Melbourne. This mobility, she noted, brings with it opportunities for growth and trust in God’s providence.

As the current principal of St Bernard’s Primary School, Sr Mary Sarah spoke fondly of her experience working with young children after years in secondary and tertiary education. ‘Many days, I feel like the mayor of Munchkin City,’ she joked, expressing her delight in being with ‘little people again’ and highlighting the joy and laughter that come with working in a primary school.

At St Bernard’s, Sr Mary Sarah has implemented various initiatives to deepen the school’s Catholic identity. She highlighted the celebration of feast days and the integration of religious lessons into everyday learning. ‘Our Catholic schools have something to offer that no money can buy,’ she said, emphasising the spiritual richness that Catholic education provides to students, staff and families alike.

A Catholic school is ... the sound of children singing the alphabet, the Santus, the school song ... It is the heavy peace that hovers after Communion when the Holy Spirit rests comfortably in tiny, uncomplicated hearts.

Sr Mary Sarah recounted a conversation with a family about why they were transferring their child from a state school. ‘The mother said, “We want God,”’ Sr Mary Sarah recalled. ‘I replied, “We have him.”’

In a particularly poignant section of her speech, Sr Mary Sarah delivered a powerful meditation on a question she had pondered for some time: ‘What is a Catholic school?’

‘A Catholic school is authority and guidance. It is love and inspiration. It is hope and assurance. It is staff, children, parents, the community,’ she began, providing a vivid description of the values and experiences that animate Catholic education.

‘It is the polished floors of a hilltop academy and the unfinished floorboards of a country schoolhouse. It is the wizened eyes of a veteran teacher and the bright enthusiasm of the graduate.’

Sr Mary Sarah painted a rich picture of the everyday experiences that define Catholic schools, from ‘the sound of children singing the alphabet, the Santus, the school song’ to ‘the heavy peace that hovers after Communion when the Holy Spirit rests comfortably in tiny, uncomplicated hearts.’ She spoke of Catholic schools as places where ‘the tiny finger of a child moves across the page as letters become sounds and sounds become words—words take on meaning, and life is never the same again.’

For her, a Catholic school is not only a centre of academic excellence but also a place of deep spiritual formation. ‘It is the door by which many first encounter Christ,’ she said, ‘and the door through which, please God, they will be prepared someday to meet the Father.’

Sr Mary Sarah also emphasised the integral relationship between Catholic schools and their local parishes, citing the Archdiocese’s MACS 2024 Catholic Mission and Identity Plan. ‘In the Catholic Church, the parish church and school have always existed together as an integrated whole,’ she explained, highlighting the collaboration between priests, principals and teachers in forming students both spiritually and intellectually.

Catholic schools must be centres of excellence, but first and foremost, they must be places of encounter with Christ, who is the reason for every Catholic school in our Archdiocese.

To illustrate this spirit of collaboration, she told the story of a Year 4 teacher who had come from the state school system without much Catholic formation. One day he called her when she was in a meeting and said, apologetically, ‘We’re in the middle of the Trinity right now and I’m getting some curly questions.’ Sr Mary Sarah laughed and said, ‘Wow, this sounds like a Trinitarian emergency!’ The teacher said it was, asking her to come and help him out. ‘So I went over and it was the highlight of my week.’

Addressing the challenges faced by modern Catholic schools, Sr Mary Sarah referred to Pope Francis’ metaphor of the Church as a ‘field hospital’ in a fractured society, reiterating the importance of grounding Catholic education in Christ. ‘Catholic schools must be centres of excellence, but first and foremost, they must be places of encounter with Christ, who is the reason for every Catholic school in our Archdiocese,’ she said.

In closing, Sr Mary Sarah returned to the theme of renewal in Catholic education, echoing Pope Francis’ call to discover hope in the signs of the times. She expressed her confidence in the Archdiocese’s leadership, including that of MACS Executive Director Dr Ed Simons, and the ongoing efforts to strengthen Catholic schools, offering a message of hope for the future.

‘In the Archdiocese of Melbourne, we have the blessed opportunity to begin again at the beginning, to start afresh from Christ,’ she said, quoting St Edith Stein: ‘The greatest figures of prophecy and sanctity step forth out of the darkest night.’

The audience responded with a standing ovation—a sign of how deeply Sr Mary Sarah’s wise and hopeful words had resonated with all who heard them.