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Last week, St Mary’s University, London, hosted "Building on the Legacy of Women’s Pivotal Role in Catholic Education", an event to mark the sixtieth anniversary of female students being admitted to St Mary’s College, as it was then.

In the intervening years, thousands of women "Simmarians" have gone on to make significant contributions to Catholic education at all levels in the UK and internationally.

Julie Oldroyd, diocesan Director of Education, was pleased to chair the keynote from Sr Dr Marie Kolbe Zamora OSF, theologian, educator and former official of the General Secretariat of the Synod (Holy See), internationally recognised for her work in Catholic formation, synodality and theological education.

In her speech, "Our lives, our hopes and our legacy as educators: a 2026 snapshot" Sr Marie Kolbe expressed gratitude for the women who have shaped, and continue to shape, Catholic education at every level, capturing the hope that moves these women to persist as educators, and offering a challenge for those younger women who will serve as educators into the future.

Thanks to Mary Mihovilović, Professor of Leadership in Catholic Education, Thea Bowman Research Centre, for facilitating this event.