Dear Members of the Academy Community,

The last couple of weeks have included two significant celebrations. Last Thursday evening the annual Mothers’ Day Mass took place. It was wonderful to see so many gathered in the Chapel celebrating Motherhood in whatever form this means for each family. We also appreciated simply having families back on site after the oasis of the past two years.

Another whole school celebration was our celebration of Academy’s 165th anniversary - 1857- 2022. The Academy Foundation Day is actually 20 April but, as that was in the school holidays this year, the College community gathered together a week later, on 28 April, to acknowledge this occasion.

Our celebration took quite a unique form this year with the playing of our newly restored harp and the inaugural performance of our new school song. The harp appears in photos as early as 1907 but had fallen into disrepair and had not been played for the last 50 years. Mr Robert Ballinger, a renowned harp restorer, invested hours and hours of work into the harp’s meticulous restoration. It was thus very fitting that he was able to be present to play the harp for the College community and showcase the uniqueness of this magnificent instrument.

It is said that ‘music is the speech of angels’ and I believe we witnessed that last week. It is hoped that some of our students may be interested to learn the harp.

We were also very excited to launch the new school song with the lyrics composed by three Year 12 students - Holly Gibney, Claudia Cover and Claudia O’Neill along with Mr Hyland and myself, and the music composed by Ms Mirelle Morris, musician and Instrumental Music Coordinator. It had long been a desire of mine for Academy to have its own school song and I am delighted this has come to fruition. This song will now be sung at the end of each whole school assembly and on significant occasions such as Mercy Day.

Other aspects of this significant Assembly were a historical PowerPoint presentation, a performance by the College band, the cutting of the 165 cake and two magnificent speeches by Ruby Hoare, College Captain and Yasmin Pitisano, Justice Captain

.

Both Ruby and Yasmin challenged us all to live Mercy through our actions now and into the future, in that way ensuring the continuation of the Mercy story. Ruby Hoare and Ruby Lomas Mee invited staff and students to undertake 165 actions of Mercy and established a link for contributions.

The Assembly was a celebration of our long and inspirational past, our vibrant and dynamic present and clearly showcased our aspirations for a mercy filled future.

The end of Assembly distribution of a 165th cookie and badge (designed by Arts Captain, Claudia Cover) was appreciated by students.

In terms of the continuation of the Mercy story, it was very fitting that an hour after the conclusion of the Assembly we welcomed our first student from war-torn Ukraine. Welcome Aleks! You will be enfolded into our caring and kind community.

Every blessing,

Sr Mary Moloney rsm

Principal

Mothers Day Prayer

We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need;

May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.

We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us;

May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.

We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict;

May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.

We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.

We pray for mothers who have lost a child;

May you comfort them in their sorrow.

We remember mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.

Community

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