Our Charism

St Mary’s Catholic School was founded by the Mercy Order and was established as a mission school.

Our Charism reflects our Mercy foundations, with the Mercy Values of Truth, Love, Service and Respect for Creation aligning with our Gospel Values of Compassion, Justice and Outreach. Mother Mary is our Patron Saint, with Mary Help of Christians underpinning our school’s mission.

Our school’s motto “Mary our Help” exemplifies how our staff model the spirit of Mary in the ways in which they guide, strengthen and challenge our students throughout their journey at St Mary’s Catholic School.

What is Charism?

A charism is a divine spiritual gift given to an individual or group for the good of the community. Each religious order has a specific charism, a gift to be put to the service of the Church and the world.

Pope Paul VI was the first to label "charism" specifically in relation to religious institutes. He explained that the charism of the religious life is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who is always at work within the Church.

A charism touches the very core of our existence and colours everything that we do as human beings. It allows us to see things in new ways, and to understand them even more wonderfully. We absorb a charism as we absorb sunshine, and we radiate a charism as a light pierces the darkness.