COLLEGE HOUSES

All St Paul’s College students are members of one of four Houses.  Each House is led by a staff member (House Coordinator) and by a senior student who is elected each year (House Spirit Leader).  Each House has a colour and an emblem, painted by Dunghutti/Thunghutti artist, Jason Ridgeway. 

 The four College Houses, Edmund, Farrelly, MacKillop and McAuley, honour outstanding male and female Catholic Church leaders.  Through their House, students are involved in a wide range of College activities including swimming, the Athletics Carnival, Cross Country and charity work. 

 The elected House Spirit Leaders for 2024 are Makeely Patterson and Ava Ryan (Farrelly), Lily Farrell and Darcy Swaine (Edmund), Ella Mainey, Kurt Nemme and Harrison Gill (MacKillop), and Imogen Ward and Phoebe Laws (McAuley).

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EDMUND

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House Colour: Gold/Yellow

Edmund House is named after Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers. Edmund, who was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1762 inherited his uncle’s thriving merchant business.  He used his wealth to establish a night school for the uneducated boys from the quays of Waterford.  In 1808, he established the Presentation Brothers (eventually named the Christian Brothers) the first congregation of men to be founded in Ireland and one of the few ever founded in the Church by a layman. Edmund built a substantial school out of his own money, providing boys with an education, clothing and food.  Since then, the Christian Brothers order of men has spread throughout the world.  On 6 October 1996 the Pope beatified Edmund Rice in Rome.

FARRELLY

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House Colour: Red

Farrelly House is named after a man named Patrick Joseph Farrelly, the Bishop of the Diocese of Lismore from 1949 to 1971.  Born and educated in Lismore, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1918.  He held various appointments in the Diocese before his appointment as Bishop of Lismore.  He supported the establishment of St Paul’s College in Kempsey in 1965. 

 MACKILLOP

House Colour: Blue

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MacKillop House is named after Saint Mary MacKillop, founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.  Born in Fitzroy, Victoria on 15 January 1842 she worked closely with Father Julian Tenison Woods to found the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart as well as a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on teaching and education for the poor, particularly in country areas.  She was canonised as a Saint on 19 February 2010 making her the first and only Australian to be recognised as a Saint by the Catholic Church.

 McAULEY

House Colour: Green

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McAuley House is named after Catherine McAuley founder of the Sisters of Mercy.  Born in Dublin in 1778, she was orphaned at the age of 18 and went to live with wealthy friends, the Callahans. On their deaths she inherited a fortune and used the inheritance to build a home where she and other compassionate women could care and educate homeless women and children.  In 1831, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy.  At the time of her death in 1841, there were 150 Sisters of Mercy in Ireland and England.  Since then, the Sisters of Mercy have spread throughout the world and focus on responding to the needs of the poor.