Sisters Featured in Nuit Blanche Installation

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Sisters Anne Marie Marrin, Mary Macoretta, Marie Howorth and Conrad Lauber came to see the Nuit Blanche installation about their congregation. Behind them, St. Joseph's College School teachers and students are setting up this multimedia piece, Cloister, on Wellesley St. on September 27.

The congregation's story is told through a screen split into four parts, with related images appearing on the screen at the same time. Archival images, text, graphics and video footage of eight Sisters who were interviewed caught the imaginations of those who stopped by.

The words: "Head Feet Heart Hand" appeared at the beginning of the installation. During the evening, students lit candles placed in front of the screen, one for each year of St. Joseph's College School's 156 years of existence.

Sisters Janet Fraser and Peggy Bach enjoyed the multimedia art installation. The project underlined the many institutions and ministries started by the Sisters, including St. Michael's Hospital, St. Joseph's Health Centre and Providence Healthcare. Sisters founded many high schools and more than 30 elementary schools.

Students Nicole Karges and Kayla Pacheco stand beside Sr. Terry Dalla. Nicole and Kayla did the voiceovers for the characters taken from Sr. Veronica O'Reilly's "Frontier Women: Sisters of St. Joseph" graphic novel. "We didn't know the back story," said Nicole. "We learned about the Sisters and their connection to our school," said Kayla.

Project originator, art teacher Paul Sabyan, with teacher-librarian Judy Pregelj and media arts teacher Suzy Rafael -- three teachers who, with other teachers, planned and carried out this project and involved about 20 students. Said Ms. Pregelj, "As a teacher of young women, I see that they need to learn that the city of Toronto was built by women who have a connection to the school. It is important to know that women can also be leaders and accomplish great things."

By Gisela Côté

For more on this project see http://www.csj-to.ca/Whats_new/News/2011/cloister-st-josephs-college-school-art-installation-for-nuit-blanche.php

Article in the Catholic Register on this project http://www.catholicregister.org/component/k2/item/13048-nuit-blanche-project-highlights-sisters-of-st-joseph's