125 years of service

The alumni of the Ursuline Convent School congregated at the St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral on Sunday for the climax event for the institution’s 125th anniversary.

The school was founded on May 12, 1894, when the Ursuline Sisters came to Barbados from Guyana. They opened a school next to the St Patrick’s Cathedral with six students and within three years enrollment grew to more than 90. Presently, the Convent Schools include St Angela’s, St Ursula’s and the all-boys school, St Francis, which was created in 2014.

From May 4 to 12, past and present students celebrated the milestone with a range of activities such as games evenings on the Collymore Rock, St Michael grounds, Ursuline Convent Open Day, St Ursula’s Art Show and hiking at Barclays. Celebrations concluded with a mass at the St Patrick’s Cathedral led in prayer by Monsignor Vincent Blackett and Father Clement Paul.

During his brief sermon, Blackett congratulated the nuns of the Ursuline Convent for their 125 years of dedicated service. He urged them to be proud of their achievements and contributions to the educational system in Barbados.

The Catholic priest urged the educators to carefully decide on how they will chart the way forward. Blackett instructed the educators to challenge themselves and ask “where do we go from here?”. He voiced that the world has changed and opposition to religious ideals was coming from inside and outside of the church.

“The world in which you live and the world in which you operate has changed subsequently, and it continues to change. Barbados has changed a lot,” said Blackett who called for the Sisters to think hard and seriously about the future.

During the mass, the Ursuline Sisters also recognised six teaching, ancillary and managerial staff members who have contributed to nurturing and educating the students at the three institutions. (KK)