I hope you all enjoyed a safe and happy break with your daughters.

For the Year 12 cohort in particular, Term 4 will represent both an end and a beginning – next Thursday classes will cease, and examinations will soon commence; within a couple of months from now, examination results will be known and possible new beginnings will feature heavily on the quickening horizon. In many ways, the very cycle of life is imitated in this one term.... during this time is the values and the attitudes which we take with us along that cycle that defines both the journey and who we are.

I would like to congratulate all Year 12 students on their achievements and hope that they have all enjoyed 2022; and I hope that they are steadily preparing for their final examinations. As part of farewelling and celebrating their time as students at St ¹û¶³APP, on Thursday a special assembly has been organised to farewell the class of 2022 followed by the Graduation Mass and Valedictory Dinner (Thursday, 20 October). I thank all the parents who will be ending their parent association with the College as their daughter concludes her secondary education at St ¹û¶³APP and thank them for their support; you will always be part of the extended St ¹û¶³APP and Mercy family.

Wednesday, October 5th, was the Feast Day of Sister Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. Throughout her very short life (she passed away on this day in 1938 aged just 33), Sister Faustina reported having visions of Jesus - indeed, not only visions but conversations. Sister Faustina recorded those conversations in a very detailed diary, and the conversations mostly centred on Mercy. Jesus spoke to Sister Faustina about his Mercy for all humankind, stating that "every soul believing and trusting in My Mercy will obtain it". Pope John Paul II, who was also Polish, established - out of devotion to the words written in Sister Faustina's diary - Divine Mercy Sunday, which is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. It was on Divine Mercy Sunday that both Sister Faustina (in 2000) and Pope John Paul himself (in 2014) were canonised, and indeed John Paul passed away on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. This Feast Day not only reminds me that the story of Mercy is truly miraculous but also reminds me of the power of Mercy to make the world a better place - and there's a great deal of comfort in that.

Once again, to the Year 12 students, a significant part of your education has been built upon the core values of the Mercy Order - the values of hope, of justice, of respect, of compassion, of courage, and of service. These values are those which will carry you well throughout your life - these are the values which will help you critically and creatively shape your understanding and appreciation of cultural values. I believe this is the very essence of the holistic education the Year 12s have received. As St ¹û¶³APP alumnae, your core values will rightfully inform cultural values over time - making positive contributions to the world around you.

Additionally, I wish to extend my warmest thanks to the 2022 College Prefects whose commitment and enthusiasm have been displayed through outstanding leadership.

Mary Farah, College Principal