A tonic for the soul
Shaping visitor experience at the Heritage Centre
Heritage Centre Manager, Rachel Mensforth
As the residents of New South Wales return to some semblance of their normal lives, I hear the phrase ‘getting back to normal’ bandied about quite often. Getting back to work; getting back to school; getting back inside the shops; just filling up time with ‘normal’ activities. Recent events forced us to slow down, but an ordinary life means being very busy. Right?
When the Heritage Centre opened in 2019, I listened carefully to the hopes and expectations of those involved in the development of the building and the exhibition. I grasped that the Centre was created as a space of history and learning, with well-considered themes and pathways for exploring the mission and charism of the Sisters. This is the busy part; the part that requires conversation, innovation, and collaboration. However, there is another equally important element to every visit: the opportunity for reflection and contemplation.
Any transformative experience requires a period of quiet and a chance to pause and inwardly consider new information. If we simply move from one thing to the next without stopping and if we fail to give ourselves space to unpack a thought or feeling, or linger on a moment, we lose the opportunity to really change and grow. Exhibition tours are by their very nature, busy. For visitors and for the Centre staff, excursions are timely and structured to provide the best experience in an allotted timeframe. But at the Heritage Centre, we also insist on the second part. The moments where our guests are not asked to do anything or remember anything, and the Centre was purpose built to support this very task. We ask you to slow down. To stop being busy and just be.
Everyone is different and the reflective spaces throughout the Centre provide several areas for contemplation. Some of our visitors like to stay a while in quiet prayer in the Chapel. Others (myself included) find the reflective courtyard a tonic for the soul. The history and ongoing story of the Sisters is incredible and our visitors often equate the life of the Congregation with busyness. Busy? Yes, we tell them; but the Sisters are not robotic in their work, nor busy for the sake of it. They are contemplatives in action, and this is echoed throughout the Centre – in the tranquil spaces and throughout the exhibition.
Consider the creative works on display in the temporary gallery and imagine the hours of focused concentration it takes to produce illuminated works, sculptures created in stained glass and paintings of fine detail. Contemplation is not idle and it is in considering these quieter moments we hope our guests might find a little inspiration, the kindling of something new and fulfilling.
In the coming months, the Heritage Centre will return to its healthy thrum of operations, and it is my hope for all who continue to cross our threshold that they might experience a balance of outward engagement and inward reflection. I invite you to leave your busy life at the door.
The Heritage Centre was a place where I felt very comfortable and calm. It has a great feel and expresses so much meaning and understanding…
- Year 7 Student from St Vincent’s College, 2021