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Proudly Part Of The Community Of Sydney Catholic Schools

Why choose us?

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College Burraneer is a vibrant educational community for girls, where they receive dynamic teaching and personalised learning. We are now transitioning to a full Years 7-12 girls college.

Visit our FAQs for more information.

Our Mercy values ensure that every girl is cared for with dignity and compassion with opportunities to participate in programs focusing on self worth, building positive relationships and the empowerment of women.

Our young women leave OLMC empowered and with the skills to fulfill their potential in the 21st century.

Principal’s Message

Welcome to the community of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College Burraneer. Striving for excellence, we are the only all-girls school in the Sutherland Shire.

Our modern campus overlooks Burraneer Bay and the Royal National Park, providing a tranquil backdrop for learning in a vibrant educational and faith community.

The college proudly continues the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy and their founder Catherine McAuley who began her work in providing education for young women in 1827 in Dublin, Ireland. This tradition is reflected in everything we do – from our curriculum, co-curricular activities, social justice, outreach and liturgical life of the school, and in the ethos of mercy and compassion that form the basis of relationships within the school community. A Mercy graduate is one who empowered as a person of faith, is respectful of the dignity of each person knowing all are made in the image and likeness of God

Today, the college caters for girls in Years 7–10 and will grow in 2024 to welcome our first Year 11 cohort who will become our first Year 12 graduates in 2025. Single sex education offers significant advantages for girls who learn differently to boys. We are specialists in girls’ education fostering intellect instilled with autonomy and a deep, lifelong love of learning; which is creative, innovative and collaborative.

We strive to develop young women with empowered characters who are confident and boldly aspirational. We challenge our students to nurture a willingness to explore their sense of curiosity. We provide opportunities for girls to develop a sense of moral reasoning and social conscience enabling them to be active and discerning citizens. Our hope is that, as young women, they will flourish in a complex world and be ready to address global challenges with justice and compassion. We encourage and shape student agency and voice with their Mercy Hearts set to contribute to the common good. Encouraged as girls, they are empowered as women.

Leonie Pearce
Principal

History
our history
In 1935, the Sisters of Mercy (Parramatta congregation) established Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC) in a cottage at 6 Coast Avenue, Cronulla and by 1943 was providing secondary education for girls, since there were no Catholic all girls secondary schools between Hurstville and Wollongong.

In 1959, with the existing cottage now too small, the Sisters of Mercy purchased the current property bounded by Dominic Street and Dolans Road at Burraneer Bay from Mr Charles Duncan.

In 2016, an eco-friendly and energy efficient building, the Catherine McAuley Centre, was designed to put pedagogy and relationships front and centre of learning at OLMC allowing students to engage in diverse and collaborative learning experiences.

Charism
Catherine McAuley founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. Adopting the title of Mercy for her institute, she recognised that this was God’s way of enabling her and the several women who had joined her, to continue their critical work among the poorest people of Dublin.

Catherine began her work in providing education for the young women in Dublin, a vision that led to the establishment of schools and hospitals in many countries of the world, including Australia, before the end of the 19th Century.

At Burraneer, we are part of the Mercy heritage stretching back to those days in Dublin. We are enriched by the Mercy values of Excellence, Hospitality, Justice, Stewardship, Service, Compassion and Dignity and continue to be guided by the legacy of the Mercy Sisters.

Mission
our history
At Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College we commit ourselves to:

  • Living and proclaiming the Gospel in the light of our Catholic Mercy tradition
  • Engaging girls in learning that is relevant to the contemporary world.
  • Being an outward looking community that is sensitive to the needs of the poor.

Vision
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic college will be a school where:

  • The evangelising mission of Christ and his church is proudly celebrated and is integral to college life.
  • The dignity of each person is acknowledged, diversity is celebrated and restorative relationships are valued.
  • There is a positive culture of excellence in which all students strive to achieve their best.
  • There is a mutual partnership between students, parents, and staff to support the learning and faith development of all students

our historyThe community of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College Burraneer is one of trust, reflection and relationships under the guidance of our Parish Priest, Rv James McCarthy at St Aloysius Parish.

Both parish and school are dedicated to the patron saint of youth, St Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint whose feast is celebrated on 21st June. The Mercy charism and heritage is sustained throughout all the school’s undertakings, as evidenced by the students adopting one of the seven Mercy values for each year of their schooling. The students then learn and understand how they can strive to live these values each day.

Parish Priest
Rv James McCarthy

Pastoral Associate
Mrs Cathy Sammut

Parish Secretary
Mrs Kim Plummer

Mass Times

  • Tuesday: 7am, 9.30am
  • Wednesday: 7am, 9.30am
  • Thursday: 7am, 9.30am
  • Friday: 7am, 9.30am
  • Saturday Vigil: 8am, 5pm
  • Sunday: 8am, 10am, 6pm (Youth Band)

For more information, please visit our Parish Website

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