Catherine Cecily O'Brien: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Short description|Australian Dominican sister and educationist}}

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{{Infobox person

| name = Catherine Cecily O'Brien, OP

| image = O'Brien Anselm.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1945|5|14|1893|10|25|df=y}}

| death_place = [[Moss Vale]], [[New South Wales]], Australia

| nationality = [[AustralianAustralia]]n

| other_names = Sister Mary Anselm

| occupation = {{plainlist|

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'''Catherine Cecily O'Brien''' OP (1893–1945) was an Australian Dominican sister and educationist who was known for her innovative teaching methods and for being an advocate of quality education for girls.

==Biography==

Catherine was born near [[Merriwa, New South Wales]], to James Thomas O'Brien and his wife Catherine Cecily, nee Gleeson.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0096b.htm|title=O'Brien, Catherine Cecily (1893–1945) – The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia|last=Lee|first=Ruth|website=www.womenaustralia.info|language=en-gb|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref>

While initially educated at home, Catherine received her senior education at the Dominican Convent in Maitland, where she won a teacher-training scholarship. Catherine entered the same Dominican Convent in July 1914, received the habit in April 1915 and took the religious name of Sister Mary Anselm. She took her perpetual vows in 1917 and taught at the local secondary school in Maitland until 1920.<ref>{{cite web |title='O'Brien, Catherine Cecily (1893–1945)' |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1462439 |website=Trove |publisher=National Library of Australia |accessdateaccess-date=25 October 2020}}</ref>

Because of her desire to attend university, Sister Mary Anselm moved to Santa Sabina Dominican Convent School in Strathfield in 1921. She attended the [[University of Sydney]], graduating in 1924 with a Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours in English and Latin and the Universityuniversity medal for English.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=O'Brien, Catherine Cecily (1893–1945) |url=http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE4251b.htm |website=The Australian Women's Register |accessdateaccess-date=25 October 2020}}</ref> She continued her education, completing a diploma in education in 1925. In 1928 she obtained a Master of Arts in English Literatureliterature, with first-class honours, completing a thesis titled "Tragedy in English literatureLiterature".<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Mary Anselm |url=https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/1c0ug48/alma991027179539705106|title=Tragedy in English literature |date=1929 |publisher=Thesis (M.A.)--University–University of Sydney |urlisbn=https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/1c0ug48/alma991027179539705106|accessdatelocation=|pages=|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref> From 1925 until 1945, Sister Mary Anselm taught English, Christian doctrine, French and Latin at Santa Sabina. One of her students was [[Mary Barr Mackinlay]] who she encouraged to study English Literature. In time, Mary Barr Mackinlay would be a leading teacher known as [[Mary Barr Mackinlay|Sister Alphonse Marie]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Leavey |first=Margaret Carmel |title=Mary Barr Mackinlay (1910–1974) |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mackinlay-mary-barr-10994 |access-date=2024-01-25 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref>

==Legacy==

[[File:O'Brien Anselm Full Habit.jpg|thumb|Sister Mary Anselm in full habit]]

Sister Mary Anselm became known for her innovative methods as well as her many lectures and publications on English literature and Christian doctrine.<ref>{{cite web |titlename=O'Brien, Catherine Cecily (1893–1945) |url=http"://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE4251b.htm |website=The Australian Women's Register |accessdate=25 October0" 2020}}</ref> In 1925 she co-founded with [[Frank Sheed]] the school branch of the [[Catholic Evidence Guild]], thus breaking new ground in the teaching of religion. She published a monograph entitled ''The Catholic Evidence Guild in Secondary Schools'' in 1939. Always an advocate for tertiary education, she built up the school's library at Santa Sabina, and organised regular weekly feature lectures on English and Latin literature for the senior pupils and the Sisters. Many of the lecturers were from published authors – her friends from university days – and she also frequently invited writers to the school.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/obrien-catherine-cecily-7869|title='O'Brien, Catherine Cecily (1893–1945)', Australian Dictionary of Biography|last=Leavey|first=Margaret Carmel|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|location=Canberra}}</ref> Sister Mary Anselm O'Brien died in 1945 and the library in the Aquinas Centre at [[Santa Sabina College]] is dedicated to her memory.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister Mary Anselm O'Brien |url=https://www.monumentaustralia.org.au/australian_monument/display/96391 |website=Monument Australia|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref>

==Selected works==

*{{cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Mary Anselm |title=Magic Casements: A Book of Poems for Junior and Middle Forms |date=1937 |publisher=Angus & Robertson |location=Sydney, New South Wales}}

*{{cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Mary Anselm |title=The Catholic Evidence Guild in Secondary Schools |date=1939 |publisher=Dwyer |location=Sydney, New South Wales}}

==See also==

*{{cite book |last1=O'Hanlon |first1=Mary Assumpta |title=Dominican pioneers in New South Wales |date=1949 |publisher=Australasian Publishing Company |location=Sydney, New South Wales}}

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[[Category:1893 births]]

[[Category:1945 deaths]]

[[Category:AustralianDominican Roman Catholic religious sisters and nunsSisters]]

[[Category:20th-century ChristianAustralian Roman Catholic nuns]]

[[Category:19th-centuryUniversity Australianof womenSydney alumni]]

[[Category:20th-century Australian women]]