DESPITE ITS SMALL SIZE AND SHORT HISTORY FEW CONGREGATIONS CAN CLAIM AS COMPLEX A DEVELOPMENT AS THE DIOCESAN INSTITUTE OF THE SISTERS OF OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS. THE STORY BEGINS IN 1905 WITH THE DECISION OF M. M. ANTONIO OF THE SISTERS OF ST JOHN OF GOD IN PERTH TO UNDERTAKE MISSIONARY WORK IN THE KIMBERLEY REGION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ALTHOUGH IT RECEIVED THE BLESSING OF THE IRISH MOTHER HOUSE IN WEXFORD THIS FOUNDATION HAD BEEN INDEPENDANT FROM ITS INCEPTION AS THE ST JOHN OF GOD SISTERS WERE NOT FOUNDED TO DO MISSIONARY WORK. THE SMALL SIZE OF THE CONGREGATION WAS HOWEVER ALWAYS A CONCERN AND BY 1923 VARIOUS PROPOSALS WERE BEING MADE FOR AMALGAMATION WITH OTHER CONGREGATIONS OF THE SISTERS OF ST JOHN OF GOD. IN THE CASE OF THE KIMBERLEY MISSION HOWEVER THESE ALWAYS FALTERED ON THE ISSUE OF THE MISSIONARY WORK OF THE SISTERS. IN 1925 THEREFORE THE APOSTOLIC VICAR OF KIMBERELY, BISHOP COPPO, PROPSED AMALGAMATION WITH THE SALESIAN DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS AND OBTAINED FROM ARCHBISHOP KELLY OF SYDNEY AN AGREEMENT TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HOUSE AND NOVITIATE AT SPRINGWOOD ON THE CONDITION THAT THE SISTERS UNDERTOOK THE DOMESTIC CARE OF ST COLUMBA'S SEMINARY. SPRINGWOOD WAS THUS THE FIRST HOUSE OF THE SISTERS OF OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS THOUGH THEY WERE NOT YET OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED. THE HOUSE OPENED IN JANUARY 1926 WHEN TWO PROFESSED SISTERS AND TWO NOVICES ARRIVED FROM BROOME. BY LATE 1926 IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE SALESIAN SISTERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COME TO AUSTRALIA AFTER ALL AND BISHOP COPPO NOW PROPOSED ESTABLISHING A NEW CONGREGATION. ALTHOUGH BISHOP COPPO OBTAINED APPROVAL FROM ROME FOR THIS STEP HE WITHDREW FROM THE VICARIATE BEFORE IT COULD BE CARRIED OUT. M. MAGDALEN OF THE BROOME MOTHER HOUSE HOWEVER CONSIDERED THE NEW INSTITUTE TO HAVE ALREADY BEEN ERECTED. IN 1928 THE ST JOHN OF GOD SISTERS AGAIN PROPOSED AMALGAMATION AND THIS TIME WERE PREPARED TO ACCEPT THE MISSION WORK OF THE KIMBERLEY SISTERS. THE SISTERS AT BEAGLE BAY AND LOMBADINA AGREED BUT THOSE AT BROOME FOLLOWED M. MAGDALEN IN REJECTING IT. THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE VICARIATE, FR RAIBLE, ADVISED HE WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE MISSION FOR THE FIVE SISTERS WHO HAD CHOSEN TO JOIN THE NEW INSTITUTE. ARCHBISHOP KELLY HOWEVER ACCEPTED THE FIVE SISTERS AND AGREED TO APPLY TO ROME TO ERECT THE SISTERS OF OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS AS A DIOCESAN INSTITUTE WITH ABORIGINAL MISSIONS AND CARE OF SEMINARIES AS THEIR APOSTOLATE. IN 1930 THE ORDER'S SECOND HOUSE WAS ESTABLISHED AT ST PATRICK'S SEMINARY AT MANLY. AFTER A FINAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO AMALGAMATE WITH THE ST JOHN OF GOD SISTERS, THIS TIME OVER THE ISSUE OF SEMINARY CARE, THE DIOCESAN INSTITUTE OF THE SISTERS OF OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS WAS FORMALLY ERECTED IN 1931. ARCHBISHOP KELLY WAS TRUE TO HIS WORD AND OBTAINED MISSION WORK FOR THE SISTERS ON PALM ISLAND IN THE DIOCESE OF TOWNSVILLE BUT AFTER TEN YEARS WORK THEY WERE REPLACED BY THE FRANCISICAN MISSIONARIES OF MARY. SEVERAL SISTERS THEN APPLIED TO JOIN THE FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES OR RETURNED TO THE ST JOHN OF GOD SISTERS IN THE KIMBERLEY. IN 1948 THE INSTITUTE RECEIVED OFFICIAL PAPAL RECOGNITION. WITH THE LOSS OF THE MISSIONARY APOSTOLATE THE CONGREGATION FACED UNCERTAIN TIMES. FURTHER UNSUCCESSFUL AMALGAMATION PROPOSALS WERE MADE AND SOME SISTERS LEFT TO REJOIN THE ST JOHN OF GOD SISTERS. THOSE THAT STAYED WERE INVOLVED WITH THE TWO SEMINARIES IN THE SYDNEY ARCHDIOCESE BUT IN THE 1980's ST COLUMBA'S SPRINGWOOD CLOSED TO BE FOLLOWED BY ST PATRICK'S AT MANLY IN THE 1990's. AFTER THE CLOSURE OF THE SEMINARIES THE SISTERS BECAME INVOLVED IN A SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL APOSTOLATES. IN 1989 THE SISTERS OPENED A CONVENT IN BALGOWLAH AS A RESIDENCE FOR SOME OF THE SISTERS AND IN 2002 WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE CONVENT AT MANLY THE REMAINING SISTERS MOVED TO THE SCALABRINI VILLAGE AT ALLAMBIE HEIGHTS. THOUGH THE WORK OF THE INSTITUTE IS NOW DRAWING TO A CLOSE THEY RETAIN A UNIQUE AND HONOURED PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF THE AUSTRALIA'S INDIGENOUS RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF ALL FOUNDATIONS MADE BY THE SISTERS OF OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS IN AUSTRALIA.

ALLAMBIE HEIGHTS
2002

BALGOWLAH
1989

FANTOME ISLAND
1940

MANLY
1930

PALM ISLAND
1934

SPRINGWOOD
1929