SAC Principals
130 Year Mosaic 2010,
St Aloysius College Archives
Sr Magdalene Carroll
Principal: 1891 – 1914
Born Julia Carroll in Geelong in 1863, she worked as a teacher before moving to Adelaide, where she received the holy habit of the Order on 6 June 1888. Two years later, on 1 May 1890, she was professed as Sister Magdalene Carroll in the Sisters of Mercy.
Very soon after her profession, Sr Magdalene was appointed Principal of what was then known as St Angela’s Select Intermediate School housed in the Cathedral Hall, together with the Boarding School that commenced in 1892. As well as being in charge of both these institutions, Sr Magdalene taught full time in both the junior and senior classes. In 1904, the new McAuley House Building (later renamed the Dunlevie Building) was built at the rear of the Convent site. When both St Angela’s Select Intermediate School and the Boarding School were relocated to McAuley House, they became known as St Aloysius High and Boarding School.
In 1902, Sister Magdalene founded the Mercy Old Scholars’ Association. She trained the boarders’ choir, which sang each Sunday at the nine o’clock Mass in the Cathedral. A strong advocate of physical exercise, she required boarders to take walks twice a week and encouraged them to move about while studying.
Following her election as Reverend Mother in 1914, Mother Magdalene retired as Principal. During her tenure, the Sisters of Mercy of Angas Street established a strong reputation for educational excellence and successful teaching. Mother Magdalene remained actively involved in the life and work of the Congregation until her death in 1939.
By Neville Stapleton
Archivist, St Aloysius College, 2020
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