Our Lady Of Mercy College, Parramatta
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Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta (abbreviated as OLMC and OLMC Parramatta), is an
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secondary
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for girls, located in
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
, a western suburb of
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,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. Established in 1889 in the
Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...
tradition, and based on the Gospel values of mercy and justice, the college caters for approximately 1,030 students from
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to
Year 12 Year 12 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is sometimes the twelfth or thirteenth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-comp ...
. OLMC is affiliated with the Combined Catholic Colleges, the Catholic Girls Secondary Schools Sporting Association, the
Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (abbreviated as AGSA) is a non-profit organisation that promotes the education of girls in single-sex girls' schools, and promotes the image of, and support the development of, girls' schools in Australa ...
, the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association (AMSSA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), and an affiliate member of the
Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS), is an Australian association for independent girls' schools, founded in New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1916 as The Association of Head Mistresses of New South Wales, t ...
(AHIGS).


History

The college was founded by a group of Mercy sisters from Callan,
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,
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. The Sisters of Mercy were invited to establish a Catholic school in Parramatta. Mother Mary Clare Dunphy led the sea voyage from Ireland to Australia in 1888. They opened the school on its present site in January 1889, with seven students and Mother M. Alacoque Kavanagh as the founding Principal. The school had both a co-educational primary school and a girls' high school. Subjects taught included English, Latin, modern languages, mathematics, singing, elocution, physical culture, freehand and geometrical drawing, painting, music, needlework, and woodcarving. Within the first two years the school was extended along Villiers Street, and three students sat for and passed the Civil Service Entrance Examination. A student of the college was awarded the Trinity College Colony Medal for piano in 1894. In 1892, the college accepted its first
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and by 1899, a new wing was built along Villiers Street to accommodate the increasing number of classes and boarders. In 1911, there were 101 pupils enrolled at the college, but by the mid-1920s, this had almost trebled. OLMC was one of the first schools in New South Wales to be registered for the Tate Langdon Act in 1913, which introduced the more competitive exam orientated approach to education of the Intermediate and Leaving Certificate years. The first group of students sat for the Leaving Certificate in 1914. In 1922, Dorrie Murphy convinced Mother Francis Kearney to support the foundation of an Ex-Students' Association. As well as being a way of maintaining school friendships, the Association raised funds for the charitable works of the Sisters. Dorrie is also credited with penning the words of the
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, ''"The Alma Mater"'', to the tune of a popular
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song. The tradition of the Ex-students' Association was extended in 2004 when the OLMC Parramatta Alumnae Association was created. This was a direct result of the incorporation of the college and the appointment of a board of directors in 2002 by the trustees of the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta. By 1929, the expansion of the school led to the erection of a new building in order to accommodate the 150 borders and 200 day pupils. This building has been named 'The Brigid Shelly Building' in recognition of one of the early Sisters. Further expansion has taken place over the years as more land has become available. Major building occurred in 1939, 1967 ('Francis Kearney Building', 1969 'Catherine McAuley Library and Hall') and 1994 ('Martha O'Sullivan Technology Wing'). There has also been refurbishment in recent years. The hall was refurbished and named 'The Edith Angel Hall' in 2006 in recognition of the leadership of Sister Edith Angel during the 1960s. A master plan which includes building works began in 2007. In 1955, the primary school was phased out and the boarding school closed at the end of 1974. This was to help the college update its facilities for the implementation of the Wyndham Scheme. This new education policy made the subject of Science compulsory for all students to the end of Year 10, and introduced another year to the high school program so that it now covered six years instead of five. In 1996, the college was set alight by the same arsonist who set fire to Saint Patrick's Cathedral minutes before. The fire in the school was discovered in time and put out with little damage done. In 2002, the college was incorporated and the first
Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
was appointed, with Geraldine Star as the first College Chair. In 2004, Kitty Guerin was appointed the eighth and first lay Principal of the College. In 2010 a new building was constructed - the Janet Woods Building, named after a former principal of the college and science teacher, Sister Janet Woods. The building provides facilities in science, food technology and hospitality, and a library, senior study and canteen.


Principals


House system

There are eight houses, with each one named after something that is connected to OLMC and the Mercy tradition. Stanley (Green) - named after sisters Mother Mary Alphonsus Stanley and Sister Mary Gonzaga Stanley, two principals. McAuley (Yellow) - named after Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. Clare (Red) - named after Mother Mary Clare Dunphy, the mother superior of the nine founding Mercy sisters. Mercedes (Blue) - meaning Mercy in Spanish. In 2018, OLMC added four new sister houses; Doyle, Kavanagh, Callan and Callaghan. Doyle (Pink) - named after Mary Anne (Anna Maria) Doyle, Catherine McAuley's best friend and confidant. Kavanagh (Navy blue) - named after Sr Mary Alocoque Kavanagh, the assistant superior of the nine founding Mercy sisters. Callan (Purple) - named after Callan in County Kilkenny, Ireland - the hometown of the founding Sisters of Mercy. Callaghan (Orange) - named after William and Catherine, a wealthy Protestant couple that Catherine McAuley lived with.


Notable alumni

*
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– Australian actress and model * Helena Carr (née John) – businesswoman *
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activist; arrested and tortured in
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in the 1970s * Rosemary Goldie
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theologian and the first woman to serve in an executive role in the
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*
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ALP member for Menai in the
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See also

*
List of Catholic schools in New South Wales Below is list of Catholic schools in the state of New South Wales. It is correct as of June 2023. Systemic primary schools Catholic high and K–12 schools Special schools See also {{stack, {{portal, New South Wales, Schools, Catho ...
* Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta *
Catholic education in Australia Catholic education in Australia refers to the education services provided by the Catholic Church in Australia within the Australian education system. From 18th century foundations, the Catholic education system has grown to be the second bigges ...


References


External links


OLMC website
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1889 Catholic secondary schools in Sydney Girls' schools in New South Wales Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools 1889 establishments in Australia Roman Catholic Diocese of Parramatta Schools in Parramatta Sisters of Mercy schools Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia