New Alpha entrance to receive blessing

The Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica will today, May 1, host an official ceremony to bless the new entrance to the Alpha Complex.

The Alpha Complex, which is located at 26 Camp Road, is the site of six schools which are owned and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica. They are Alpha Infant School; Jessie Ripoll Primary; Alpha Primary; Convent of Mercy Academy ‘Alpha’ (also known as Alpha Academy); Alpha Vocational Training Centre (previously named Alpha Boys Home); and Alpha School of Music.

The 144-old property is a key landmark in downtown Kingston and has been the site of educational and social development for hundreds of thousands of children and youth throughout the years.

In February 2023, the Sisters embarked on a project to expand one of the main entrances and roads leading into the Alpha Complex.

Due to the significant rise in vehicular and pedestrian traffic moving in and out of the campus over the years, the expansion project was decided on as a means of reducing the safety and security risks which accompany this traffic increase.

Additionally, the new entryway has also helped to refresh the property’s aesthetics, while making the organisation’s presence more prominent in the Corporate Area.

The construction was funded by the Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica, along with donations from the Alpha Academy alumnae.

This project is one of a series of major development activities that have been implemented by the Sisters in recent years, with the aim of further establishing their schools as first-class learning environments which meet the needs of the 21st-century ‘Mercy’ student.

Other development projects have included the construction of the Alpha School of Music; St John Bosco Vocational Training’s state-of-the-art educational complex; and Mount St Joseph Prep’s newly renovated library and cafeteria.

The event took place on the grounds of Convent of Mercy Academy ‘Alpha’ and was attended by students and staff from the Mercy group of schools, along with specially invited guests from the religious community and the Ministry of Education and Youth.

The ceremony began with opening remarks from Sister Susan Frazer, area administrator, Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica. Afterwards, the blessing was given by the Most Rev Kenneth Richards, Archbishop of Kingston, with special greetings from the Most Rev Santiago De Wit Guzman, the Apostolic Nuncio; and Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle, acting chief education officer.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Marcia Tai Chun, chief executive officer, Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica, followed by a march-past and a celebration march around the complex.

The day also marked the 144th anniversary of the establishment of Alpha by its foundress, Jessie Ripoll, a lay Catholic woman, and her companions.

It was on this very day in May 1880 that Jessie Ripoll, holding the hand of a little orphan girl, walked up the path to the cottage on the property they had purchased – Alpha. As such, the blessing of the new entryway served to honour the legacy of Alpha and is a clear sign to all of the growing ministry and commitment to care of Mercy Jamaica.