THE Sisters of Mercy celebrated their Queensland Foundation Day on Tuesday, May 10, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the landing of Mother Vincent Whitty and her companions in 1861 on the shores of Brisbane.
The Mercy Sisters’ Brisbane congregation leader Sr Sandra Lupi welcomed the invited guests to the celebration at All Hallows’ School, Brisbane, and made special mention of the presence of Sisters of Mercy from the Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns congregations.
During her opening address Sr Lupi invited the assembly to imagine what it would have been like for Mother Whitty and her group to arrive in the colony at 10pm and to find that their accommodation was not ready.
Sr Lupi noted that within days of their arrival the sisters were busy meeting their pupils and visiting families in their homes.
The Foundation Day celebrations began with formal acknowledgement of country by Sr Patricia McCormack and the audience was then taken on a journey of struggle and humour, sadness and joy presented by storytellers Sr Anne Hetherington and Sr Carmel Dwan.
They were joined on stage by student performers from All Hallows’ School, and actors from Australian Catholic University, to re-live some of the early moments and encounters of the early days of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland.
Interweaving the story were songs by the Sisters of Mercy Choir which tied the whole story together.
Songs included A New Land, written by Sr McCormack, Standing on the Shoulders and The Story We Share.
The concluding hymn, God’s Mercy is from Age to Age moved all as the audience stood together and sang the final verse with Sr McCormack conducting the assembly.
During the evening event Sr Mary Tinney announced the Living Mercy Advocacy Project on behalf of the Sisters of Mercy.
Project officer Andrew Beiers concluded the event, inviting the Sisters of Mercy to stand as one and be acknowledged for their generosity of spirit, resilience in the face of great adversity and their willingness to be unconventional risk takers in the service of the community.
The 150 year Ambassadors presented each sister with a flower to mark the occasion.
