Antonine College is owned and administered by the Antonine Sisters of the Antonine Order. The Order, named after Saint Anthony the Great, was founded in Lebanon in 1700 and is part of the Antiochene Maronite Church.
Origin of the Antonine Sisters (1700-1940)
For more than two centuries, the Antonine Sisters led a cloistered life of solitude, prayer and manual work at monasteries in Ghazir and Jezzine, Lebanon.
In the 1930s, their mission changed. Mother Isabelle El-Khoury felt a calling to minister to the poor at a time of hardship in Lebanon. She established a new way of religious life at Saint Doumit’s Monastery in Roumieh which balanced prayer with apostolic work in the community.
Under Mother Isabelle’s direction, the Antonine Sisters opened a school and orphanage, and welcomed girls into the sisterhood. In 1940, they officially left the cloister to pursue an apostolic life. In 1946, Mother Isabelle became the first Superior General of the new generation of Antonine Sisters.
Over the ensuing decades, the Antonine Sisters opened further schools in Lebanon, and convents and ministries in America (1959), Cyprus (1979), Australia (1980), France (1982), Canada (1988)
and Jerusalem (1994).
The Antonine Sisters minister to Maronite Catholics and all communities, and have expanded their mission into healthcare, childcare, pastoral care and parish life.
Antonine Sisters of Australia
In 1980, four Antonine Sisters arrived in Melbourne to support the Our Lady of Lebanon Parish in Carlton. Mother Henriette Roufail, and Sisters Florence Dahdah, Charles Akle and Marie Nassar were involved in all aspects of parish life, including teaching sacramental classes, establishing a choir, caring for families, visiting the sick and teaching Arabic to the community’s children. It was from this language school, that their vision of opening learning centres grew. Over the years they:
1986: opened Antonine Sisters Child Care Centre
1995: established the Saint Paul’s Hostel
1985: established the Antonine Sisters Maronite Primary School in Coburg
2002: established the Antonine Sisters Trinity Maronite Catholic Secondary College in Brunswick
2005: amalgamated the two schools to form Antonine College
2010: Sold Trinity Campus, Brunswick, purchased Saint Joseph Campus in Pascoe Vale South and commenced renovations
2011: Blessing and Opening of St Joseph Campus
Today, the Antonine Sisters are dedicated to youth education – supporting students to grow their faith, while becoming well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to society. This reflects Antonine College’s motto: faith, knowledge, virtue.
