Conference History
Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association (AMSSA) Staff Conferences / National Conferences (1990–2026)
This list has been compiled from the AMSSA “Our History” timeline and related AMSSA conference material.
| Year | Conference / Location | Theme | Keynote / Guest Speakers Identified |
| 1990 | First National Conference – Sydney | Not specifically identified | Margery Jackman – “Biblical Theology of Mercy”; Valda Dickinson rsm – “Mercy Made Flesh: the Mission of Educators Today”; Valda Ward rsm – “Appropriate Rituals, Symbols, Structures for Mercy Schools” |
| 1992 | Second National Conference – Melbourne | Not specifically identified | Helen Marie Burns rsm – “Mercy: the business of our lives” and “Mercy Education: what it means”; Helen Delaney rsm – “Our Australian Experience: A Reflection” |
| 1994 | Third National Conference – Brisbane | Not specifically identified | Chris Gleeson sj – “The Australian Church of Tomorrow – the Challenge for Mercy Schools”; Jack Darmody – “Changing Families: Challenge and Opportunity” |
| 1996 | Fourth National Conference – Perth (Mercy Festival / Sesquicentenary celebrations) | Mercy tradition and Mercy challenges for the twenty first century (not stated as a formal conference theme) | Dr Catherine Kovesi Killerby – “No Record of these in stone or brick”; Ailsa McKinnon rsm – “What is meant by the Mercy tradition / What does it mean to be part of a Mercy School?”; Adele Howard rsm – screening of “Ursula Frayne: A Woman of Mercy”; Joan Hendricks – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues and Mercy; Helen Marie Burns rsm and Sheila Carney rsm (USA) – “Mercy Challenges for the Twenty first Century” |
| 1998 | Fifth National Conference – Auckland, New Zealand | Not specifically identified | Carol Wheeler rsm (Baltimore, USA) – “Mercy Secondary Education: What Does it Truly Cost?”; John Ozolins – “After the Millennium – Mercy Schools in a Post Modern World”; Alice Sinnott rsm – “Mercy – Ever Ancient, Ever New” |
| 2001 | Sixth Mercy Secondary Education Conference – Adelaide | Not specifically identified | Frank Brennan sj; Adele Howard rsm; Eugene Lynch |
| 2003 | Seventh Conference – Sydney | “The Power of Mercy” | Geraldine Doogue; Lesley Loble; Sr Ursula Gilbert; Anne Walsh (Fraynework). Workshops included Maureen McGuirk – “What makes a Mercy School?” and Margaret Moore rsm – “Practical Responses to the Plight of Asylum Seekers” |
| 2005 | Eighth MSEA Conference – Melbourne | “What is it to be Mercy in this time and place?” | Kath Tierney rsm (Welcome Address); Maxine McKew (Opening Address); Helena O’Donoghue rsm – “Mercy and Leadership”; Maria McGuiness rsm – “Challenges to Mercy Ministry Today” |
| 2006 | Pastoral Roles Conference – Sydney (“Caring for students – the Mercy way”) | “Caring for students – the Mercy way” | Hosted by Margery Jackman and staff at Catherine McAuley Westmead; Kitty Guerin and community at Our Lady of Mercy Parramatta |
| 2007 | Ninth Conference – Brisbane (All Hallows School) | “Mercy in Action” | Sr Carole Rittner rsm; Sr Deirdre Mullan rsm (Mercy Global Concern); Professor Erica McWilliam; Sr Adele Howard rsm; Sr Jan Gray rsm |
| 2009 | Tenth Conference – Santa Maria College, Perth | “The flowing on us of the spirit of Mercy” | Sr Mary Duffy; Sr Sophie McGrath; Anne Kelleher; Conference Weaver Anne Fox; Opening and Closing ceremonies led by Elder Noel Nannup and members of the Nyoongar People |
| 2013 | Auckland Conference – Carmel College Auckland | Theme not explicitly identified in timeline | Sister Anne Campbell welcomed delegates; keynote addresses and workshops were provided for staff and students, though individual keynote speakers are not listed in the timeline |
| 2015 | Adelaide Staff Conference | “Making Mercy a Verb” | Sr Mary Reynolds rsm; Sr Maryanne Loughery rsm; Guest of Honour at Conference Dinner: Governor of South Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AO |
| 2017 | Melbourne Staff Conference – Catholic Leadership Centre | “Sustaining the Spirit of Mercy” | Facilitator: Patricia Bergin; keynote speakers: Sr Elizabeth Dowling rsm, Professor Br David Hall fms, Dr Maeve Heaney vdmf; Conference Dinner guest speaker: Prue Smith |
| 2019 | Staff Conference – Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney | “Speaking the Silence” | Sr Angela Reed rsm (Mercy Global Action Coordinator, United Nations); Mary McAleese (former President of Ireland); Phil Glendenning AM |
| 2021 | Staff Conference postponed due to COVID‑19 pandemic | N/A | No conference held |
| 2022 | Planned Biennial AGM postponed; no staff conference | N/A | No conference held |
| 2023 | Staff Conference – All Hallows’ School, Brisbane | “Mercy in liminal times” | Keynote speakers include Sr Berneice Loch rsm- ISMAPNG, Stan Grant- TV Personality, Jemima Welsh- Mercy Global Action and Women’s Leadership |
| 2025 | Staff Conference – Santa Maria College, Perth | “Mercy: Community, Connection and Celebration” | Keynote speakers included: Prof Br David Hall fms, Prof Dr Mark Williams- Cognitive Neuroscience, Dr Helen Street, Nuella Flynn, Lucy Stronach |
| 2027 | Planned AMSSA Conference Auckland NZ |
