Julia B Lynch RSM, Sister Mary Lawerence taught for decades at St Mary’s College. As well as teaching, she was a talented practising artist, mainly painting portraits. She often painted her students as well as celebrities of the time. We have two of her paintings at St Catherine’s College. One of these paintings, most of the students and staff see every school day – a depiction of a Maori Christ in the stairwell leading upstairs in the Atawhai block.

There is going to be an exhibition of Sister Lawrence’s work at the New Zealand

Portrait Gallery from June to September 2025 which coincides with the 175th

anniversary of St Mary’s College. The Portrait Gallery is seeking photographs of portraits of former St Mary’s College students painted by Sister Lawrence to further celebrate her work. So if you know of a mother, grandmother or auntie who was at school at St Mary’s during the time Sister Lawrence taught there, please ask them if Sister Lawrence painted their portrait and if they would be willing to share a photograph of the portrait.

To participate people are asked to take a photograph of the portrait (a simple phone photo is acceptable) and upload the photograph and complete the form online which is at the end of the article at the link below.

https://www.nzportraitgallery.org.nz/exhibitions/2024/julia-lynch