Mural Unveiled for Sacred Heart Feast Day

Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt today celebrated its feast day "The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus".  

The day started with Mass and then an artwork was revealed that the whole school has participated in producing.  This year the artwork is a mural that hangs on a wall where the Mission building once stood.  Mission House was demolished last year, as it was earthquake prone. This building played a significant part in the history of the school. Initially it was used as accommodation for the Sisters of the Mission who taught at the school and in later years as administration and teaching spaces.

The mural was designed by the Teacher of Art and Design Nikki Payne who says, "The aim is to give staff and students hope for the future new building and place for learning while celebrating the past. The concept was to celebrate the past and to look to a brighter future". The central figure is Euphrasie Barbier who was the foundress of the Sisters of the Mission. The colours of the flowers represent the school houses and the patron associated with it:

Barbier is the blue bell representing Euphrasie Barbier
Lourdes the forget-me-knot representing St Bernadette of Lourdes
Siena is the marigold representing St Catherine of Siena
Avila is the poppy representing St Teresa of Avila
Lisieux is the rose representing St Therese of Lisieux
Aubert the four-leaf clover representing Suzanne Aubert (foundress NZ Sisters of Compassion).

Nikki Payne and her father James Payne hand-cut the three-dimensional elements of the design for the students to paint.  Over Queen’s Birthday weekend, they assembled all the parts to produce a stunning result. Each element is removable and can be reassembled in a new location in the future.

After Mass this morning, Father Patrick Bridgman blessed the mural and it was then unveiled to the whole school for the first time.