Principal

Dear Members of the Academy Community,

This reflection is being written on the cusp of Mercy Day – a day we are able to celebrate in our usual manner following two years of COVID.  We are all looking forward to our Mercy Day Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, followed by the traditional BBQ and the much anticipated House dances and skits in the afternoon.  It will be a true celebration of a strong and united Mercy community. 

To mark the importance of this day we will return to the new initiative that was introduced into Mercy Day in 2019 – the ringing of the bell in the bell tower. You may or may not know that the Academy actually has two bell towers – one connected to the Chapel and one connected to the Whyte building. My understanding is that the Chapel bell would have been used by the Sisters and the one used by the school would have been the one in the Whyte building.  In past years the bells used to be rung on special occasions. We know that the bells were rung very joyfully at the end of WWII.  In 2019, given the significance of the bells in the past and their uniqueness, it was decided to return to the tradition of ringing the bell on important occasions and for this college two of our important days are Foundation day [20 April] and Mercy Day [the second last Friday of Term 3].  So on Mercy Day this year, the Chapel bell will once again peal as we are leaving to walk to St Patrick’s Cathedral. The bell will be rung 22 times acknowledging the year 2022, our 165 anniversary. 

Last Friday the end of Term 3 Assembly took place with an agenda which provides a glimpse into the many aspects of the College community – addresses by senior leaders, acknowledgment of special events and of students who have truly lived the Mercy spirit, music and special activities in the area of justice – a fire carrier service and an acknowledgment of our fundraising for McAuley Community Services for Women. 

Last Tuesday evening we welcomed potential 2024 students and their families for their enrolment interviews. There were some very excited students!! The cycle continues! 

I wish every member of the Academy community a very happy Mercy Day.

Every blessing,

Sr Mary Moloney rsm 

Principal

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.   Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”  Philippians 2:3-4 

May you meet mercy each day:

In the light of your own heart,

At the hands of your loved ones,

In the eyes of the stranger and the needy.

And if by chance you do not at first meet it,

Listen patiently for word of it,

And it will tap you on the shoulder,

A quiet surprise,

A small gesture,

The tender look,

Given and received in the encounters of your day.

Poems & Prayers of Mercy  By Mary Whickham rsm