Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, devoted her life to the poor, sick and uneducated. On 24 September 1827, she opened the House of Mercy on Baggot Street Dublin, to provide shelter and to educate disadvantaged women and children. Catherine showed great dedication to living out the Gospel values and through her legacy continues to make a positive difference in the lives of so many people today.

What is Mercy Day?

Mercy Day is when we pay tribute to the hard work, commitment and devotion of the Sisters and people of Mercy. This year we celebrated what has been achieved over the past 80 years here at Santa Maria College. Mercy Day is a celebration of our charism and rich heritage and a time to reflect on how fortunate we are to have so many facilities and opportunities compared to many girls around the world.

Mercy is an expression of our love for those in our community who are marginalised. It is living out the Gospel values, which promote the dignity and worth of all human beings. To be a person of Mercy means to be ready to be kind and forgiving to everyone. It means welcoming others, looking out for others in need and, where possible, doing something about it. It can be easy to get caught up in the many demands of day-to-day living and to lose sight of the great needs of others globally and locally but as Catherine McAuley said,

“The poor need our help today, not next week.” 

We support the marginalised throughout the year at the College, by raising awareness, fundraising and advocacy, through our many service and social justice groups.

Mercy Day is a community-building day, commencing with a celebration of the Eucharist uniting us all in faith and reminding us of the reason for our existence as a Catholic School in the Mercy tradition. This is followed by a range of fundraising activities which over the past three years has been donated to support the ongoing work of Sr Denise Coghlan in Cambodia. Over these three years, Santa Maria College has raised over $45,000.