NOVEMBER 21, PRESENTATIION DAY

Today, 21 November, is the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the temple at Jerusalem or as we know it, Presentation Day.  It is a day that is special to Presentation Sisters all over the world.  It is special to St Patrick's girls and boys too because it was the Sisters of the Presentation who established St Patrick's Convent School and taught there for well over one hundred years.  (Some of us can even remember when Presentation Day meant a holiday from school!)  

The school closed in 1999, but although many years have passed since we sat in the desks at St Patrick's, those days and the Sisters continue to influence our lives. 

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical feast celebrated on 21 November by the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, and by some Anglo-Catholic Churches. The account of the Presentation of Our Lady into the temple is based on the Protoevangelium of St James.  The Protoevangelium has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. It relates that in thanksgiving for the birth of their daughter, Joachim and Anne decided to consecrate her to God. When the child was three years old, her parents brought her to Jersusalem where she was presented in the temple.

Dolls depicting how the PBVMs used to look

That the Sisters of the Presentation are no longer a presence in our Parish is sad.  The contribution of the PBVMs to St Patrick's School, Church, and Parish is immeasurable. The whole of the West End of our beloved City is better for their coming.