The Mercy College community gathered to celebrate “Harmunity” in the late afternoon and evening of Thursday, 18 March.
Harmony Week is an opportunity for all Western Australians to reflect upon, embrace, and celebrate cultural diversity.
Mercy College students and staff come from many national backgrounds that the school proudly acknowledges as “bringing a richness to our identity as being Australian and being members of the Mercy College community”.
This year’s theme accentuated the core message of “Everyone Belongs” where the school community focussed on the values of mutual respect, fairness, and a sense of belonging for everyone.
Harmony Day is about community participation, inclusiveness, and respect: values that Jesus taught some 2000 years ago.
A large contingent of students in traditional dress, typical of their first culture and representing the 52 nationalities that make up the fabric of or school, led Girrawheen Parish Priest Father Albert Saminedi to the stage area during the entrance procession.
Student held up banners highlighting the key values of mercy, justice, compassion, service, excellence, and dignity.
With an emphasis on Mercy College’s values, a para-liturgy followed and the evening ended with a line-up of multicultural entertainment.
Some of the highlights of the evening’s activities were a “Welcome to Harmony Day” in a selection of different languages, the liturgical choir, and the blessing of the school’s Student Representative Councillors.
Melissa Cartner, Director of Mission at Mercy College, described the event as “a wonderful celebration and expression of our unity in diversity”.
“It was great to see so many Sisters of Mercy, parents, ex-students, and families mingling at the food vans, over fairy floss and playing the multicultural games which added to the carnival feel,” she expressed.
The Department of Home Affairs leads national celebrations for Harmony Week to recognise diversity and inclusion activities during the entire week. Harmony Week includes 21 March, coinciding with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Since 1999, more than 80,000 Harmony Week events have been held in childcare centres, schools, community groups, churches, businesses, as well as federal, state, and local government agencies across Australia.
Mercy College is a K-12 Catholic, coeducational school with more than 1600 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, established in the Perth suburb of Koondoola by the Sisters of Mercy in 1972.