The very brave 83-year-old Sister Marie Therese McLoughlin will skydive to raise money to create a sustainability fund and school feeding fund for the Notre Dame St. Peter’s School (NDSPS) in Kroonstad.
This adrenalin-laced event will take place on Saturday, 13 May, at the Parys Airfield. The adventurous nun says she is very excited about skydiving though, admittedly, nervous as well. Sr. Marie says she thanks God for her good health so that she can skydive, and she cannot wait for the big day that is now just over a month away.
NDSPS is very close to Sr. Marie’s heart. She has had a connection with the school since 1952 when she first came to Kroonstad from Port Elizabeth as a young learner. She later joined the Sisters of Notre Dame institute in 1959.
After completing school, Sr. Marie studied to become a music teacher, then a primary school teacher, and later studied at the University of Cape Town (UCT) to become both a high school teacher and a psychiatric social worker. More recently, Sr. Marie returned to NDSPS where she serves as chaplain and counsellor.
The Notre Dame Convent School was founded in Kroonstad in 1907 with a sister school in Maokeng township in 1916. In 2011, NDSPS was established on the site of the previous Notre Dame Convent School. It now serves close to 600 learners from Gr. R to Gr. 12, offering an internationally recognized matriculation certificate (IEB) to Gr. 12 learners. Underlying all educational activities is the strong belief that education is for life.
Sr. Marie acknowledges the work of Zunelle de Ru, the executive head of the school, in bringing NDSPS to where it is today and, on behalf of the Sisters of Notre Dame, thanks de Ru for her years of dedication and commitment.
The same gratitude goes to all NDSPS colleagues, staff, family, friends, and the public who are supporting Sr. Marie in the project to create sustainability for NDSPS in years to come. Also to be acknowledged, is the work of Rotary which will assist in creating a viable vegetable garden in support of school feeding activities.
Sr. Marie is inviting everyone to donate R 200 or more in recognition of her brave act to skydive. For more information, call Sr. Marie at 078-049-2816.
