Mary Gonzaga Barry IBVM, 1834 - 1915

Mary Gonzaga Barry was the founder of the IBVM in Australia. An inspirational leader, she initiated a philosophy of education that was noted for its foresight and comprehensiveness. Her interests spanned a wide field- from the first Catholic Teacher Training College for young women to the first free kindergarten in Australia.

Mary was born in Ireland in 1834, received the name 'Gonzaga' on entering Loreto at the age of nineteen and was asked to lead the first Loreto group to Australia in 1875. She firmly believed the world needed 'wise, loveable and well-educated women', was a gifted teacher, ensuring a broad education in the schools she founded, encouraging students to exercise leadership. She was loved by her students who had to speak to her through an ear trumpet because of her deafness and she organised her travels so that she would be able to share in school celebrations. She could, however, be formidable when ecclesiastical authorities interfered with her legitimate plans. On such occasions her response was strong, respectful and loyal but holding firm just as Mary Ward had done three hundred years before. There are many parallels between the spirits of these women.

Mary Gonzaga was a pioneer in the field of teacher training, developed a strong tradition of teacher inservice decades before the concept became popular and ensured that the latest in teaching resources from overseas was available in Loreto schools. She brought many groups to work together for those in need, e.g. the Ladies of Charity in Ballarat which grew to number five hundred, and the past pupils and some friends who formed a band of voluntary helpers, some of whom were always present to help the Loreto Free Kindergarten in Melbourne.

Mary Gonzaga believed that all things can lead one to God and wrote in this vein to students and past pupils in the "six monthly" school magazine 'Eucalyptus Blossoms'. Her letters describe the beauty she encountered in her travels and she encouraged her readers to store such scenes in a 'picture gallery' in their minds to recall the times of awe when their hearts had been lifted to God. Her letters also urged them to do what they could to relieve the poverty around them and 'to respect the poor as if they had influence and wealth'.

She had a global consciousness, believing that correspondence with the various Loreto schools throughout the world would widen the students' sympathies, as 'the girls learn to identify themselves with pupils the world over, to enter into their feelings and share their joys and sorrows'. Mary Gonzaga died at Mary's Mount, in Ballarat, having established communities and schools in every mainland state in Australia (see History).