Welcome to MSB 100 Years
Mount St Bernard College has a proud history which is intrinsically linked to the heritage and charism of the Sisters of Mercy.
Originating in the heart and mind of the Parish Priest of the time, Fr. Patrick Bernard Doyle more than 100 years ago, and enlivened by the Sisters of Mercy from it’s inception, Mount St Bernard College has evolved to meet the needs of the time.
As the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley, did in Dublin nearly 100 years prior (1824), Fr Bernard and the local Sisters built a large ‘House of Mercy’. Catherine stated that “no work of charity can be more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women’ and it was with this care and nurturing spirit that the Sisters of Herberton set about providing this ‘instruction’.
At the heart of the Mercy charism, I believe, is love: love entrenched in the Gospel. Catherine had many sayings that exemplified this, including: “ ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ This was the special command of Jesus Christ .... which as a most valuable legacy, He bequeathed to all His followers”1. With this love in their hearts, the Sisters worked tirelessly to provide quality education and care.
The ministry of the Sisters of Mercy from those early days at Mount St Bernard College, till when the last sisters ceased residing at the College in 2018, has evolved and adapted to the times. The “Sisters of Mercy are eminently practical and over time have translated their tradition and their vision into tangible expressions of the Gospel”2.
The lay staff of Mount St Bernard College are now charged with this legacy and must likewise evolve and adapt with the times. We must ‘be mercy’ in the world and particularly those we educate at the College so that we continue to “empower young people through our commitment to education to become persons of faith, learning and hope, and so contribute to their communities”3
It is a special legacy which many people have been a part of whether that be as Sisters of Mercy, lay staff, students, or friends of the College. We warmly extend an invitation to the wider community to join us throughout 2021 as we celebrate 100 years of education and care for young people at Mount St Bernard College.
Mr. Ian Margetts
College Principal
Resources:
Image - https://www.mercyhsb.com/faith-service/mission
Quote - 1 Catherine McAuley, https://www.mercyworld.org
Quote - 2 Sr Jan Geason (dec), https://www.mercyworld.org
Quote - 3 Mount St Bernard College Mission Statement
On November 15, the Sisters of Mercy ministering in the Cairns Diocese gathered with Bishop James Foley to celebrate the presence of the Sisters in Herberton since 1910. In attendance, at the Thanksgiving Mass in the Mt St Bernard College Chapel, were the local sisters, Institute Leader, Eveline Crotty RSM; Community Leader, Helen White RSM; priests; Herberton parishioners; and, staff, parents and students of Mt St Bernard College.