The Community of the Holy Name is a religious order founded in Melbourne, in 1888. The founder of the order, Emma Caroline Silcock (also known as Sister Esther), led the work of the Mission to the Streets and Lanes in Melbourne, and the two organisations had a close association. The order was not formally established until 1912, however they celebrate their commencement date as 6 September 1888 to recognise the earlier work in Melbourne led by Sister Esther. The Sisters of the Community of the Holy Name were based at Mission House, which was initially located in an old bakery in Little Lonsdale Street, and from 1918 was located in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Sisters provided a range of services for ‘slum dwellers’ in Melbourne, including classes, soup kitchens and mothers’ clubs. They were involved in the running of institutions in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
In Victoria the Sisters for the Community of the Holy Name founded the Home for Neglected Children (later called the Church of England Home for Children) in Brighton, and the Darling Babies’ Home in Malvern, and managed the House of Mercy in Cheltenham, all three of which were run by the Mission to the Streets and Lanes. The House of Mercy home for ‘wayward girls’ in Cheltenham later became the Retreat House for the Community of the Holy Name.
In New South Wales, from 1929, the Community of the Holy Name ran several children’s home with support of the Anglican Dioceses of Newcastle and Goulburn, including St Christopher’s Home for Boys, St Elizabeth’s Home for Girls, St Alban’s Home for Boys, and St Saviour’s Children’s Home.
In South Australia, the Sisters of the Community of the Holy Name opened the Church of England Diocesan Mission House in 1945 in Adelaide. It was later renamed the Hostel of the Holy Name. The Sisters ran the Hostel of the Holy Name until 1966 (at which time it was taken over by the Girls’ Friendly Society).
According to Hassan, the sisters’ uniform included a cotton belt with three knots representing faith, hope and charity. They wore a prominent cross with I-H-S in bold, an abbreviation for ‘Jesus’ in Latinised Greek (Hassan, p.14).
