Dear family and friends of OLSH College,

Today August 8 is the Feast Day of Saint Mary MacKillop – Australia’s first saint. It was in 2010 that Mary MacKillop was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. Saint Mary MacKillop founded the religious order of women known as the Religious Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (often referred to as the Josephites). Sr Monica Cavanagh the current Congregational Leader of the Josephites wrote the following about Mary MacKillop:

Hers was a spirituality of the heart, holding in balance a contemplative stance with a concern for justice. Mary entered the mystery of God’s love and allowed herself to be transformed by it in order to assist the voiceless to find their voice. Mary was indeed a woman who remained grounded in the reality of life, and through all her experiences learnt to ‘act justly, love tenderly and to walk humbly with God’ (Micah 6:8). She rolled up her sleeves, got her hands dirty and responded to the cries of those who struggled in life. (https://www.sosj.org.au/)

Living a spirituality of the heart is the foundation of Jules Chevalier’s charism and it is central to our OLSH Story. We can see in the life of St Mary MacKillop echoes of our own OLSH Spirit – faith filled…reverence relationships…pursue excellence…touch the hearts of others. How much our world needs this heart spirituality today in the here and now. In the words of Jules Chevalier, “It is by the Heart that we are something!”

We have been watching with immense pride our three students and two staff members who have been in South Korea at the APEC STEM Youth Conference this week – the only Australian students invited to attend this conference. These students have had a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with students from across Asia-Pacific on climate projects, resulting in the presentation of research papers at this important gathering. We’re grateful to our teaching staff for nurturing this interest and working with the students to prepare them for the opportunity. Each of the students – Isabelle, Jessica and Samantha – received team awards at the conference, with Isabelle’s team being awarded the major award.

Always united in our shared OLSH Spirit.

Anne O'Loughlin
Principal