Mary leads Providence Girls'
MARY leads at Providence Girls' Catholic School. Maria Duce: "Lead, Mary," its motto, represents the school's devotion to Jesus, Mary and the Roman Catholic faith that guides the staff of Providence in their teaching.
Newsday spoke with principal Zena Ojoe-Mark, vice principal Krisal Gorin, deans Krystle-Ann Steele, Sr Vanesa Manzano and head girl Micah Cipriani about the 160-year-old school's history and achievements.
"Mary leads and we are teaching our children our full Catholic faith. Each of our assemblies is about living the life of Christ, and Mary would intercede for us as his mother. We try to build their (the students') faith to guide them in our daily life. We teach there is strength in prayer and creating a relationship with Mary and Jesus," Ojoe-Mark said.
History of the little convent
Blessed Anne Marie Javouhey was the founder of the Cluny Sisters. Born on November 10, 1779 in Burgundy, France, Mother Javouhey was one of the first women to establish missionaries in Africa. In 1836, the Cluny sisters came to Trinidad and founded St Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain.
In 1860 the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny opened Providence as an elementary school, on the ground floor of the archbishop's house on Pembroke Street. It was part of St Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain, and fondly called "Little Convent" at the time. It occupied the St George's College building which had housed the first boys' college in the island, which subsequently closed down.
When St Joseph's Convent
expanded its school in 1937, Providence moved to 146 Belmont Circular Road, to the George F Huggins building, which was bought by Rev Mother Gabriel Mary, Sister Superior of St Joseph's Convent. That building is now the convent where the nuns live. By then, the school was an intermediate one.
As more of the sisters lived in St Joseph Convent on Pembroke Street in the 1930s, the nuns used to travel via horse and buggy back and forth to teach in Belmont.
By Rachael Espinet
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
