June 5, 2024

Dear Mercy Colleagues,

Welcome to our first AMSSA e-Newsletter since the commencement of Covid back in 2020. I commenced the role of AMSSA Executive Officer in January 2024. Before this I was Principal at Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta. During my principalship I was also a member of the AMSSA Executive and at one time President of AMSSA. I am thoroughly enjoying this new role and reconnecting with our Mercy community.

During the first six months of this year the AMSSA Executive have prioritised a few actions to be completed:

  1. We now have 68 member schools across Australia, New Zealand, and PNG. A few other schools associated with the mercy charism are considering membership with the Association. My thanks to schools who promptly paid their 2024 membership levy. A large part of this money provided the $25,000.00 seed funding to Catherine McAuley College, Bendigo and Sacred Heart College, Kyneton who are jointly hosting this year’s AMSSA Student Conference from 25th-27th The Association will also be providing $25,000.00 seed funding to Santa Maria for the 2025 Staff Conference.
  2. Planning is well underway for the 2025 AMSSA Staff Conference which is being hosted by Santa Maria College, Attadale Perth from 28th-30thMay.  Please save this date in your calendars. The conference is a great way to network with other mercy colleagues as well as listening to a wonderful group of presenters and workshops. More details will be out soon. Also, at the conference we will be looking for new colleagues to join the Executive Committee. Several of our current members will conclude their time on the committee. Further details will be provided closer to the conference.
  3. Due to the changes in the governance structures of some of our schools from the Congregations / Institute to the three Mercy Public Juridic Persons (MPJP’S), the AMSSA Constitution and Statement of Purpose need updating. I have written to all the Congregation Leaders and Chairs of Boards of the MPJP’s informing them of the need to update these documents. We aim to have to have this task completed by the end of Term 3 this year.
  4. I am in the process of updating our AMSSA website and data base. Thank you to the schools who provided me with their latest contact details. If you still need to provide this you can email me on amssa@mercy.org.au and provide me with the names and email address of the College Principal, Personal Assistant, Deputy(ies), Leaders of Mission as well as your current school size. School size determines the annual levy your school is charged.
  5. With the closure of Catholic Church Insurance (CCI), AMSSA tendered out our insurance policies to several companies. The successful insurance company was AON.
  6. A few weeks ago, a few of the AMSSA Executive and I met via Zoom with Sr Angela Reed rsm who is the UN Mercy International Representative in New York and coordinator of Mercy Global Action (MGA). It was a very productive meeting where we discussed the action and goals of MGA focused on to sustainability goals of Water and Migration (focusing on human trafficking and equality for women). Our aim is to facilitate a partnership between AMSSA and MGA and to bring to you the most up to date information of the work being achieved. AMSSA has also reached out to our USA equivalent to create greater links between the associations. AMSSA will shortly begin exploring a pilot group who will work with MGA on exploring the possibility of a global Mercy Education Conference in New York to be held at the end of June 2026, following on from the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools 4th Global Conference being held in Toronto Canada from 24th-26th June 2026. Watch this space for more information. You might like to save these dates in your diaries.

I hope you enjoy the articles submitted by some of our member schools and encourage you to send news articles through to me at the AMSSA email address. Take care for the rest of your term 2. If I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at amssa@mercy.org.au

Yours in Mercy,

Stephen Walsh

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Officer

AMSSA

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