Wellbeing 

Dear Parents / Guardians,

I feel extremely humbled and very privileged to have been able to attend and be part of the Mercy Leadership Program and Dublin Pilgrimage over 7 days earlier this term.  I was not only able to learn more about Catherine McAuley, the Sisters but was also able to further immerse myself into the beautiful Mercy Charism and Mercy Spirit.

The Mercy International Centre in Baggot St. is an amazing place. This is the house that Catherine built and this is where we met each morning. We learned about Catherine’s life in detail as well as the identity and involvement of the many early women of Mercy. We visited Coolock House and learned about Catherine’s life there as well as current ministries at Coolock. We did a walking tour of Catherine’s Dublin and there was a day devoted to the Founding Sisters of whom Sr. Ursula Frayne was one. I was given the honor of thanking Sr. Mary Reynolds for her presentation about the sisters who travelled to Australia. I took the opportunity to ensure that everybody knew how proud we are to be the school in Melbourne that Ursula founded, and where she lays. I spoke about the Academy at length in my thank you speech. I even managed to include the Academy School Prayer in the following morning’s reflection and a verse of the Academy school song later in the week. We also visited Glendalough and also gained a deep understanding of Mercy in a Global context (Living Mercy today).

It was such a wonderfully enriching and inspirational experience and I would like to thank Sr. Mary for initially nominating me and then allowing me to attend. The Mercy Leadership Program and Dublin Pilgrimage really allowed me to reflect on my role and on what it means to work and lead in a Mercy school and I hope to impart my learnings on the Academy community as the year unfolds.

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal, Wellbeing & Operations