It was with a spirit of joy and gratitude that we celebrated the cohort of 2026. They have led the school with heart and spirit. Inspired by Catherine McAuley and the women who have shaped the OLMC story, we encourage our students to live the Mercy values, be outward-looking, and act with purpose in making a difference in their communities and the wider world.
This a powerful reminder that belonging to our College does not end at graduation. Past students regularly engage so thoughtfully with the College and highlights something deeper about a Mercy education: the values formed during their years at OLMC continue to shape who they are, how they lead and how they contribute to the world.
Catherine McAuley understood that Mercy was never intended to remain simply an ideal. Mercy is lived through action. Her life was characterised by an attentiveness to the needs of others and the courage to respond with compassion, hospitality, justice and hope. She did not wait for perfect circumstances before acting. She recognised what was within her reach and stepped forward.
We cannot always wait for the perfect plan, the perfect circumstances or the perfect moment. Instead, we can look to our own circle of influence and ask: What small, courageous act of Mercy is within my reach today? For an OLMC alumna, this might be expressed in many different ways and across many different paths, but the invitation remains the same: to notice, to care and to act.
To extend hospitality is to make room for another person. To seek justice is to listen to voices beyond our own experience. To act with compassion is to approach others with dignity. These are not simply values for our students while they are at OLMC. They are values we hope our alumnae carry with them for life. For an OLMC alumna, the future need not be measured by position, recognition or achievement. Rather, it can be a life distinguished by purpose, courage, compassion, justice, generosity and service. It is a life that notices others, remains open to different perspectives and recognises that each of us has the capacity to influence our community for the better.
Perhaps this is one of the enduring gifts of an OLMC education: the understanding that being an alumna is not simply about where you have come from, but about how you choose to go forward. Catherine McAuley’s example reminds us that Mercy asks us to do more than observe. It calls us to participate, to respond and to serve now and in the future.
To be an alumna of OLMC means carrying this same spirit of Mercy into the world. It means leaving OLMC not only with knowledge, friendships and memories, but with a deeply held sense that who we become matters, how we treat others matters, and what we choose to do with our influence matters.