Sancta Maria College

Sancta Maria College is an all girls Catholic voluntary secondary school in Ballyroan, Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin. The school is governed by a Board of Management. There are approximately 600 students along with 43 permanent teachers. It is run by the Sisters of Mercy.

In 1932 the building which now houses the Sisters of Mercy was given as a gift to the order by the owners, the McCabe-sisters. The order's "Mercy Community" in "Carysfort" near Blackrock were very excited but had no idea what to do with this big building. They finally decided to make it a holiday home for girls. They called it "St. Mary's Convent" and it was blessed and opened on the 26th July, 1932.

In 1942 Archbishop McQuaid approached the Superior of the Sisters of Mary believing that the convent would be the perfect place to treat children in the early stages of tuberculosis. The Red Cross Society was desperately looking for a place to treat these children. For 16 years the house served as a Preventorium.

In the 1960s, tuberculosis was well under control and the Preventorium was no longer needed. The population of Ballyroan was increasing and the youth of the area needed to be educated. On the 8th September 1960, a small school by the name of Sancta Maria College was opened.

Around the year 1963 the assembly hall was built.

In 2007, 35% of the students who sat the Leaving Certificate enrolled onto a University Course. [ [http://www.rathfarnham.com/ Rathfarnham Community Website] ]

References

External links

* [http://indigo.ie/~smcbr/history.htm Sancta Maria College]