Loreto Primary School in Strand marked its 100-year anniversary on Saturday 1 February, celebrating a rich history rooted in the values of its founder, Venerable Mary Ward, and those who helped shape its future. The milestone was honoured with a Holy Mass at St Peter’s Catholic church, situated on the school grounds.
Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town, Sylvester David, presided over the Holy Mass that was celebrated by St Peter’s parish priest, Father Brandon West, and a former Loreto learner, Father David e’ Freitas.
Another celebrant, Father Hugh O’Connor, chairperson of the National Catholic Board of Education (NCBE) in South Africa and also a former Loreto learner, delivered the homily. He stated that the Loreto Sisters’ founder, Venerable Mary Ward, ensured that education remained accessible, which still holds true in the Strand school. He emphasised that Catholic schools remain the second-largest providers of primary education in South Africa and that Loreto has upheld Ward’s vision for a century.
Ward founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Loreto Sisters, in 1609. Their first school in Saint-Omer, France, trained sisters to work with the poor and persecuted while preparing them to teach. Despite facing opposition from the Church, Ward’s mission continued, and her work remains influential today.
In 1822, Frances Mary Teresa Ball established the Irish branch of the Loreto Sisters, expanding the order globally. The Sisters arrived in South Africa in 1878, founding a school, Loreto Convent School, Nana Sita in Pretoria.
On Sunday 1 February 1925, five sisters opened the doors to Loreto Strand, initially based on a small farm. The school soon moved to 16 Gordon’s Bay Drive, where it stands today.
“What has always set the school apart is that we do everything based on the values of our founder, Venerable Mary Ward,” said headmistress Vanessa Oertle.
In the early years, the Sisters expanded the school, which became a boarding school by 1930, accommodating 20 boarders and 55 learners.
Loreto Strand faced numerous struggles, with financial difficulties, forcing the closure of the boarding school in 1972 and the high school in 1976, and leaving it as a primary school, a status it retains today.
By the 1980s, the Loreto Sisters transferred school management to laity. In 1987, financial constraints and a lack of teachers nearly led to its closure, but the Strand community rallied and kept the school open.
Athena Athanasiadas became the first non-clergy headmistress in 1989, succeeded by former pupil Anne Krause in 1993. During Krause’s tenure, the school introduced its first Grade R class in 1995.
In the early 2000s, facing financial struggles and possible closure, Krause turned to the Western Cape Department of Education for help. On 1 January 2004, Loreto converted from a private to a public school. Two years later, Krause was succeeded by Vanessa Oertle, who had started as a teacher in 1990 and was Departmental Head of the school at the time.
In 2013, the Loreto Convent was incorporated into the existing school buildings. By 2018, all but one Loreto Sister had left Strand, returning to Ireland. By 2021, after extensive renovations, the school reached full capacity and began offering two classes per grade.
The school library, originally opened in 1991 in the Sisters’ Prayer Room, was refurbished in 2024 and reopened in February this year to mark Loreto’s Centenary.
During the opening, Oertle showed the first book ever filed in Annabel’s House by Norman Messenger.
The celebration ended with a lunch and the cutting of the cake. During the celebration the school reflected on the rich legacy left by the Loreto Sisters and prayed that Loreto Primary School continues as a beacon of hope and educational excellence.
