|
Cemetery
hen the women
of St. Ann's made Victoria their home, it was with the understanding
that they would live out their lives at the Convent. In February of
1864, the Register of St. Andrew's Cathedral listed the first funeral,
"in the Sisters' garden, The Corporation of the City of Victoria
having permitted said Sisters to set apart that part that part of
their property for a graveyard". This first cemetery was on the
south edge of the grounds, close to the road, and was marked by a
Hawthorne tree, as a memorial.
As the
nearby playground expanded, the decision was made to move the cemetery
to an area to the front of the building, directly opposite to where
the Hooper Wing now stands.
This was made the official burial plot for the Sisters of St. Ann
in the West in 1889. It became the custom to enclose a hand-written
copy of the deceased Sisters' vows in a glass vial, sealed with wax,
within the casket. (from Reminiscences
of St. Ann's)
May is the month of Mary, a special and holy figure to the girls and
women of St. Ann's. Each year, during the spring, a statue of Mary
in the cemetery area would be decorated. The girls would then make
a Procession to the Virgin. Wearing white veils, the children would
attend a service in the chapel, then make a procession through the
grounds towards the statue. The little girls loved this parade, but
some of the older students became self conscious about the activity.
![](images/images_places_cemetary_niche.jpg) |
Garden
niche with Mary
|
A pupil from the
beginner's class and a graduate would each be chosen to present the
Virgin with a crown of flowers. These wreaths were made by all the
girls, out of flowers from home and the Convent gardens. Lilacs worked
well, as they didn't wilt. One little blonde girl particularly prized
the wild roses her mother would help her to wind together, and a pair
of red-haired sisters are remembered for their insistence on wearing
equally red poppies. This procession was the highlight of many former
pupils' memories of their time at St. Ann's, singing "Oh Mary,
We Crown Thee With Blossoms Today" as they spent a spring day
in the gardens. Most of them did not realize that they were actually
in the cemetery, and many were not aware that there had been a cemetery
on the grounds at all.
In 1908,
a plot in the northeast corner of Ross Bay Cemetery, where Fairfield
and St. Charles streets meet, was opened for the Sisters of Saint
Ann. Burials at the Convent ceased at this time, and were moved to
Ross Bay. The Sisters who had been buried at St. Ann's before the
new cemetery was established were moved in 1974.
![](images/image_places_cemetary.jpg) |
Ross
Bay Cemetery w. a visiting Sister1964
|
The formal graves
of the Sisters at Ross Bay were marked with plain, white marble crosses
and a central monument was placed in the middle of the burials. Unfortunately,
only about half a dozen of these original markers remain, due to vandalism.
Some of those that endured this destruction can be seen along a hedge
on the east side of the graveyard. The Old Cemeteries Society in Victoria
often gives tours in Ross Bay, some of which make special note of
Sister Osithe's artistic presence in Victoria and the role of Mother
Providence in health care in British Columbia. For more information
about their activities, visit their web site at www.oldcem.bc.ca.
![](images/teachers_corner_apple.gif)
|
|