- What is MSEI
- History and Beginnings
- The Mercy Tradition in Education
- Vision for Mercy Education
- Governance Structure
History and Beginnings
On December 12, 1831 Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland. Her original intention had been to gather like-minded companions and devote her considerable inheritance to serving the poor, especially women and children. Church authorities prevailed on her to found a religious order so that the work could continue after her death. The Sisters took as their special concerns the education of girls, visitation of the sick in their homes and the protection of distressed women of good character. Their attention was on local needs and they soon came to be called the ‘walking nuns’ as they were often seen on their way to and from their works of helping others.
The Institute of the Sisters of Mercy was founded by Catherine McAuley in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland. Before Catherine died in 1841, there were Sisters of Mercy working in twelve different towns in Ireland and two in England, and the Sisters were already involved in school-based and adult education, the care of the sick in hospitals and the establishment of homes for orphans, the aged and disadvantaged. Fifteen years later, in 1846 the first Sisters of Mercy arrived in Perth from Ireland. One of these pioneering women was Ursula Frayne who brought with her the vision of Catherine that they should be living witnesses of God’s mercy in a new world.
Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG)
The education ministry of the Sisters of Mercy in Victoria began in 1857. At the invitation of Bishop Goold, Mother Ursula Frayne and her two companions, Mother Mary Xavier Dillon and Mary Joseph Sherlock, travelled to Melbourne from Perth where Ursula Frayne founded the Academy of Mary Immaculate, Fitzroy, the first Catholic Secondary school in Victoria.
Following the establishment of the Academy of Mary Immaculate, a network of Mercy schools owned or managed by the Sisters of Mercy was established across Victoria and Tasmania.
Institute Sponsored Schools
(Colleges owned by the Institute and managed by Mercy Education Limited)
Academy of Mary Immaculate, Fitzroy |
Sacred Heart College, Geelong |
Our Lady of Mercy College, Heidelberg |
Sacred Heart College, Kyneton |
Mount Lilydale Mercy College, Lilydale |
St Joseph’s College, Mildura |
St Aloysius College, North Melbourne |
Mercedes College, Perth Founded 1846 |
St Brigids College, Lesmurdie, WA Founded 1929 |
Santa Maria College, Attadale, WA Founded 1937 |
Co-Sponsored Schools
(Colleges governed in partnership with the Parish and other Religious Congregation)
- Emmanuel College, Warrnambool Founded: 1872
- Catholic College Bendigo Founded: 1876
Affiliated Schools
(Colleges formerly managed by the Sisters of Mercy Melbourne Congregation)
Mercy College, Coburg- Notre Dame College, Shepparton
- Mercy Regional College, Camperdown
- Damascus College, Ballarat (Ballarat East Congregation)
- Trinity College Colac Inc
- Catholic College Wodonga
- Padua College, Mornington
- Marist Regional College, Burnie, Tasmania
- Frayne College, Wodonga
- St Mary’s College, Seymour
- Sacred Heart College, Yarrawonga
It cannot be forgotten however, that the Sisters established and ran the following secondary schools either as the senior section of primary schools, or as secondary schools only.
|
|
Often these schools provided the only secondary education in country towns where government secondary schools were not established until after 1911. The necessity to broaden curriculum, and the greater availability of bus travel has meant some of these schools have closed, some have been amalgamated, and others have become regional schools under Diocesan control.
Inspired by the vision of Catherine McAuley, Mercy Education is committed to the development of the whole person and the realization of the full potential of each student, particularly those who are disadvantaged or marginalised. It is a process informed and influenced by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ and is conducted in an atmosphere of care, respect and joy.
