St Aloysius Convent of Mercy is a former Catholic

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

located on Stirling Terrace in

Toodyay, Western Australia Toodyay (, nys, Duidgee), known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding i ...

, part of a larger site owned by the Church. This building is a part of the complex built by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

to provide accommodation and a school. Reverend

Matthew Gibney Matthew Gibney (1 November 1835 in Killeshandra, Cavan, Ireland – 22 June 1925 in Perth, Western Australia), an Australian metropolitan bishop, was the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth, serving from 1886 until 1910. Gibney gave Australi ...

, the Lord Bishop of Perth, laid the foundation stone of this building in July 1903. Gibney returned for the official opening ceremony in September of the same year. The construction of the convent was almost entirely funded by the family of

Daniel Connor Daniel Connor (1831–12 January 1898) was an Irish convict transported to the colony in western Australia, who would go on to become one of the wealthiest, and most successful men in the region. Daniel Connor was born in County Kerry, Ireland ...

, who had been a very devout Catholic. The building is an imposing two storey red brick structure with red corrugated iron roof. Rendered bands extend around the building and along the window sills. There are gabled wings to each end, with half timbering creating a symmetrical façade. There is a two-storey panelled side extension joining the building to the current St John the Baptist Church.

References

Buildings and structures in Toodyay, Western Australia Convents in Australia Stirling Terrace, Toodyay Heritage places in Toodyay, Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the Shire of Toodyay {{Australia-struct-stub

See also

References