Clara Mary Frayne was born in Dublin in 1817 and died in Melbourne in 1885. She was trained by Catherine McAuley, and became a professed Sister of Mercy on 25 January 1837. In 1845 Ursula Frayne had 21 days to prepare to sail for Western Australia with five other Sisters of Mercy and one Postulant.

Where did Ursula Frayne die?

Fitzroy, Australia
Ursula Frayne/Place of death

How did Ursula Frayne come to Australia?

Mother Ursula Frayne was an Irish woman who crossed the world by sailing a ship to arrive in the newly colonised Australia after a sea voyage of 113 days. She was an extraordinary woman, a pioneer educator, welfare reformer, advocate and policymaker.

What did Ursula Frayne do in WA?

In 1845, Ursula Frayne, along with five other Sisters of Mercy and one postulant, sailed for Western Australia with the goal, among other things, of establishing the first Mercy school in Australia. This they did on 2 February, 1846, with planks, bricks and packing cases as furniture.

What schools did Ursula Frayne start?

Mother Ursula Frayne opened the first Mercy school in Australia on 2 February 1846 with planks, bricks and packing cases as the furniture. Instead of the 4,000 children Bishop Brady had promised them in Dublin, only one child turned up. This did not discourage them however, they began house to house visits.

Why did Ursula Frayne go to Perth?

Arriving in Australia In 1845 she left for Perth, Western Australia in response to a request for religious sisters to staff a newly constructed school commissioned by the recently consecrated Bishop John Brady. In 1849 Ursula opened the first Mercy school and the first secondary school in Western Australia.

Why is Ursula Frayne important?

Ursula Frayne was a woman who crossed the world by sailing ship to support the struggling minority of her Celtic clan and discovered another race more severely dispossessed than her own in newly colonised Australia. She was an extraordinary woman, a pioneer educator, welfare reformer, advocate and policy maker.

How did Ursula Frayne help the poor?

– In 1849 Ursula opened the first secondary school in Western Australia. – To enable her to found a school for poor Catholic children, she first had to raise funds by establishing a school for students who could afford to pay. …

Why is Ursula Frayne significant?