Sisters Marie Skidmore (left), Colleen Woodcock (centre) and Anne Burke began their vocations in the Catholic Church at Mount St Joseph in Whanganui in the 1960s. Photo \/ Erin Smith<\/p>\n
The building was originally constructed as a private residence for the Peat family.<\/p>\n
It was later sold to the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, formerly known as the Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth.<\/p>\n
They bought the building and its accompanying 38 acres for \u00a35732 \u2013 the equivalent of \u00a3177,355 today or NZ$399,368.<\/p>\n
They renamed it Mount St Joseph and referred to it as the \u201cHearth Place\u201d for the sisters.<\/p>\n
It served as the order\u2019s novitiate from its purchase in 1949 until 1975, when the training centre was moved to a more central location in Wellington, then Feilding in 1983.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had numbers in those days,\u201d Sister Colleen said.<\/p>\n
The three Sisters completed their four to five years of training at the Mount St Joseph novitiate during the 1960s and said about 20 Sisters shared the building at that time.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs numbers have gone, some people have come in [nowadays] without much support around them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us in the 60s, I think we were very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n
Novice Sisters trained at the novitiate while aiding the nearby Sacred Heart Convent and Sacred Heart College. <\/p>\n
The grounds were turned into a working farm and the building underwent several alterations and additions over the years, including the addition of a north wing.<\/p>\n
Many Sisters revisited Mount St Joseph following their training as it transitioned into an administrative building, conference centre and Josephite Retreat Centre (Te Punanga o Hohepa).<\/p>\n
Sister Anne said she lived onsite for a total of 12 years, Sister Marie for six years, and Sister Colleen for between 18 and 20 years.<\/p>\n
Sister Colleen is the sole remaining resident of Mount St Joseph.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s sort of been like the half place for the Sisters of St Joseph at Wanganui,\u201d Sister Anne said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been going for a very long time and used widely by the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The congregation\u2019s footprint in Whanganui has shrunk over the years as numbers have dwindled and the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart New Zealand Trust Board has sold off pieces of its land, including much of the estate surrounding Mount St Joseph.<\/p>\n
The former Nazareth Rest Home, which sat opposite the main Mount St Joseph building, is owned by the Whanganui District Council and rented by the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy.<\/p>\n