In February Trustee Director Gabrielle McMullen AM joined Sisters of Mercy and students’ families at celebrations of the new school year at two of Victorian Colleges: Sacred Heart College, Geelong and St Aloysius College, North Melbourne.
Sacred Heart College – Annual Maguire Celebration
The annual Maguire Celebration holds a special place in the life of Sacred Heart College in Geelong – it is named for the founder of the College, Mother Xavier Maguire rsm. As the College community comes together to launch the new academic year, the Maguire Celebration is also an occasion to honour the achievements of the previous year’s students.
The Maguire Celebration, which on this occasion marked the College’s 165th anniversary year, was held in the beautiful College gardens in the late afternoon of Tuesday, 18 February. The event featured musical performances, a speech from the 2024 College dux, the new College Captains launching the 2025 College theme: ‘We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us’, and the presentation of certificates recognising students’ accomplishments in 2024. The large gathering of students, staff, family members and the wider community thoroughly enjoyed the occasion which manifest the esprit de corps of Sacred Heart College.
St Aloysius College – Opening School Year Mass
Fourteen buses transferred the St Aloysius College community from North Melbourne to St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne on Friday, 28 February for the College’s Opening School Year Mass. The chief celebrant was Bishop Martin Ashe with College Chaplain, Fr Thang Vu, his concelebrant.
The Mass commenced with an entrance procession bringing forward the school banner, Mercy Education’s values, the lectionary, a Mercy cross, leadership badges and candles representing the College, its Mercy heritage and the four College Houses. The College choir led the singing during Mass and enriched the celebration. At the end of Mass, Bishop Ashe blessed the College badges and Trustee Director Gabrielle McMullen AM led the commissioning ceremony for new College Staff. The gathering was a joyous occasion for a vibrant Mercy community.
As the College celebrates the Jubilee Year of Hope, it has chosen words of Catherine McAuley as its 2025 theme: ‘Never Be Afraid of the Unknown’.
