The 100-year-old Marianopolis College was inaugurated into the Westmount community last Thursday with a special ceremony that officially opened the private CEGEP in the old Congregation de Notre Dame Mother House on Westmount Avenue.

With a guest list that included local MP Lucienne Robillard, Mayor Karin Marks, NDG-CDN Borough Mayor Michael Applebaum and Ginette Dion, the director of private education in Quebec’s Ministry of Education, the early afternoon ceremony in the art deco auditorium served to welcome staff and students to the new facilities, as well as to introduce Marianopolis to its new neighbours and local officials.

Guests were reminded that this is not only the college’s centennial year but also its fifth move in 65 years.

“It is because we have strong roots as an institution that we are not afraid to try new things,” Marianopolis Director General Sister Françoise Boisvert said of the move and transition. “This day marks a new beginning, but also continuity.”

Joining Sister Boisvert at the podium were Montreal’s Bishop Anthony Mancini and Mary Liistro Hébert, chair of the Marianopolis board of directors, as well as the student congress president and vice-president.

“Ours is the generation that made the switch from the old to the new building,” said Student Congress President Kyle Burrows. “But we’re bringing our experiences with us. They’ll enrich our life on the new campus, and help us continue our tradition of excellence. It’s about giving back to our school community, and the wider community around us.”