Official Opening Day, 1925
Great excitement at the official opening day of Loreto Toorak, 15 February.
The Catholic Tribune heralded the foundation as a new centre for culture: ‘Mandeville Hall is a historic residence in Toorak, [and] has recently been purchased by the Loreto nuns, whose head house in Australia – Mary’s Mount, Ballarat – has long been a centre for culture for Catholic girls.’ The Advocate announced: ‘This magnificent Toorak mansion, well known as Mandeville Hall, has been purchased by the Loreto Sisters. Surrounded by five acres of land and in a central position in one of Melbourne’s most beautiful suburbs, this new college bids fair to become one of the greatest educational institutions in the Commonwealth.’ The school was officially opened and blessed on the Sunday afternoon of 15 February 1925 by the Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Bartolomeo Cattaneo. He was accompanied by Archbishop Daniel Mannix, who spoke at length about the work of Loreto educators, as The Advocate later reported:
The Sisters have taken on a very heavy responsibility. They were the only people who went light-hearted into big financial burdens. The large number present showed that there was a desire to help the Sisters to meet the heavy responsibility. The advent of the Sisters would supply a great want. They had convents and schools in the city and various suburbs, but there was a great want in this district, which would now be fully provided for.
Gathering for the official opening of Loreto Toorak, 15 February 1925
Front cover of “The Advocate” announcing the opening of Loreto Toorak, February 1925