St Mary's
The house colour is blue.
Mary of Nazareth was Jesus' mother. She was a Jewish woman who lived in the Holy Land (Palestine) over 2000 years ago. According to tradition she was the daughter of Anna and Joachim and in her culture, she would be named Miriam. She was married to Joseph of Nazareth. Dominic had particular devotion to Mary and this is often illustrated in images of Dominic with the Rosary (a special prayer to Mary which developed in the 1200's). There are several days in the church calendar which acknowledge Mary as a woman of faith
e.g. The Assumption (August 15).
Brooke Mokomoko,
Lauren Marr
St Catherine's
The house colour is red.
St Catherine of Siena is the patron of this house. Catherine was born in Siena in Italy in the 14th Century. She was one of a very large family, so very early in life she learned to share what she had with others. She
became interested in the Dominican Order early in life and although she did not enter the convent, she was closely connected with the work of the sisters and the priests. As the Dominican motto is "Truth", she was fearless in speaking out about the problems of the times. She defended the Church, the women of that age who were so badly treated, prisoners, the poor and the sick. Only two women have been called "Doctors of the Church". She is one of them because of the great wisdom of her writings. Her feast day is April 29.
Joan Sutcliffe,
Sela Ahio
St Rose's
The house colour is yellow.
Rose was born of Spanish parents in Lima, in South America, at the end of the 14th century. She was
attractive and intelligent, so she could have been very spoilt. The treatment that the South American Indians received from their Spanish conquerors caused her great sorrow. She decided to become a Dominican Sister so that she could help them by her prayers and hard work. She devoted her whole life to helping these poor people and, because of her determination, life became easier for them.
Her feast day is August 23.
Anika Espinosa,
Shayla Pati
St Margaret's
The house colour is purple.
Margaret lived in the 13th Century. She was the daughter of the King and Queen of Hungary. Very early in life she became a Dominican Sister and, although she had been used to the luxury of the court, she did not expect any privileges in the convent. She preferred to work among the poor. She was courageous and loyal and, in spite of many difficulties, she persevered in the life she had chosen.
Her feast day is January 19.