Mercy Day 2020

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

We might have been isolated physically but this did not stop us from joining spiritually. Fr Hien Vu, our College Chaplain celebrated for us in a pre-recorded mass. This also enabled staff and students to participate by recording their sections at home to be added into the presentation. Our mass video allowed us to share in prayer in the presence of our Lord as a whole school community. In preparation for the day, we were very privileged to connect with other Mercy schools across Australia. This culminated in joint videos presented in the mass, demonstrating that even in our remoteness we are able to share resources and unite under a common inheritance.

In previous years the College used Mercy Day as an opportunity to raise funds for various Mercy based charities. This year our focus for the day focused on the awareness and understanding of the organisations and communities we support. The girls gathered in several groups with House members to learn more about the supported charity or organisation. They listened to presentations and participated in discussions on how they could support the charity. Students’ ideas and plans were shared with their pastoral groups with the expectation of implementing these actions in the future.

After the students were dismissed, the staff ‘virtually’ gathered together for a shared lunch from their homes and participated in a quiz created by the Staff Association. It provided an opportunity to join in a light-hearted celebration of our efforts and commitment to our students.

A 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

Catholic Mission and Mercy Ethos Leader