High Spirits for Mercy Day

The sun shone on the festivities as the annual Mercy Day celebrations wound up the third term. Mercy Day is an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of our foundress, Catherine McAuley who will also be the namesake of our College from the beginning of 2018. Mercy Day is an opportunity for our entire school community to dress up in house colours and as usual, the ingenuity and imagination of the staff and students resulted in a colourful and spectacular sight.

Catholic College Bendigo’s last Mercy Day before transitioning to Catherine McAuley College was a tribute to the values promoted by Catherine; Compassion, Justice, Respect, Hospitality, Service and Courage. The student leaders led the guests, staff and students in a reflection on Catherine McAuley’s work and the Sisters of Mercy and how those values impact the everyday life of our College. Students described how they used those values as inspiration to care for themselves and others and in the projects they undertook throughout the year.

A serious message was delivered in a light-hearted way when the leadership team used the concept of reality TV show ‘The Bachelor’ to illustrate the desirability of Mercy values over negative values. Naturally the Mercy values were selected by the Bachelor!

The prestigious Mercy Day Awards were presented by Mr Brian Turner and Sr Kathy Ryan to students who best displayed the Mercy values in their contribution to the College community.

After the formal proceedings, students dispersed to their houses for a shared morning tea before enjoying a variety of stalls and games as well as live entertainment provided by talented staff and students. A bungee run, laser tag and giant slide added to the carnival atmosphere.

A highlight of the day was the annual ‘Chariots of Junortoun’ where this friendly race around the college provided plenty of spectacle and excitement.

Congratulations to all involved in the running and planning of this special day where the spirit of our College is celebrated by all staff and students.