Mercy Day

Coming together as a college community to celebrate being a Mercy school in the legacy of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy is what Mercy Day is all about, and this year was no different.

Yes, we might have again been isolated physically but this did not stop us from joining spiritually. Usually on this day the College raises funds for our various Mercy-based charities, however, like last year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year our outlook of the day focused more on awareness and understanding of the organisations and communities we support.

The day began with pastoral gatherings via Microsoft Teams, where students reflected on the corporal works of Mercy. Students shared how they may, just by doing small things while remote, can support others close to them and in the wider community.

This followed smaller group gatherings with mixed Year Level Teams meetings, allowing sharing thoughts and reflections on the theme of Opening Doors to an Emerging Future and what this might mean in our current climate.

Fr Hien Vu, our College Chaplin celebrated Mass for us in a pre-recorded mass video. This also enabled staff and students to participate by recording their sections to be added into the final display.

Our online mass video demonstrated that even in our remoteness we are able to come together to share in prayer in the presence of our Lord as a whole school community.

After the students were dismissed, the staff ‘virtually’ gathered together for shared lunch within their homes and to participate in a quiz created by the staff association committee. Replacing our usual gathering, it still provided an opportunity to join in a light-hearted celebration of our efforts and commitment to our students.

A very different day in comparison to what many of the girls and staff are traditionally accustomed to, however, it still brought a sense of unity in continuing the heritage and ethos of Mercy.

Michael Chesser

Director Catholic Mission and Mercy Ethos

Mercy Day