MERCY DAY MASS

In the spirit of Catherine McAuley and The Sisters of Mercy, our College community gathered on Wednesday to celebrate Mercy Day, embracing the values of compassion, service, and mercy that are at the heart of our school.

Mercy Day, celebrated on September 24, marks the anniversary of Catherine McAuley’s opening of the House of Mercy in Ireland. It is a worldwide celebration of the Sisters of Mercy. We were truly blessed to be joined by several Sisters of Mercy for Mass, led by Bishop Tim, assisted by Father Sylvester and Father Kelemete.

Thank you to our Dean of Faith & Mission, Ms Elissa Andrews, for planning such a wonderful day and thank you to Acting College Chaplain, Ms Lara Hansen, for assisting.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to Sr Catherine Cuddihy and Ms Jenny Gill, who made over 900 yellow roses with our Mercy Girls in Action to give to guests, staff, and students. We also acknowledge and thank the many special guests who were able to join us: Josie Gabrielli (College Board Chair), Dr Ricki Jeffrey (Mercy Partners Board Chair), John Leahy (Mercy Partners CEO), Professor Lee Anne Perry (Mercy Partners Board Director), Sam Jensen (Mount Alvernia College Principal), Luke Thomson (Ignatius Park College Principal), Trina Neilsen (St Joseph’s The Strand, APRE), Dr Judy Smeed (Education Outcomes), and our Sisters of Mercy – Sr Helen Mary Peters, Sr Marie Melville, Sr Carmel Ruddick and Sr Catherine Cuddihy.

During this Mass, we also held a special ritual for the commissioning rite of our new Principal, Ms Kath Little. We pray that Ms Little will continue to be greatly blessed in her role as Principal of St Patrick’s College Townsville over the coming years and enjoy professional and personal satisfaction in her work and her relationships within this community.