Living Mercy

The beginning of the school year is both an exciting and daunting time. As I look to the year ahead, I see many opportunities for our families to partner with us in the holistic growth and development of the students. It is also an opportunity for us to grow as a community.

Damascus College is a community that has a faith identity, grounded in a story, the story of Jesus Christ. We are unique in the way we express our faith.

In the College we often talk of a Mercy tradition. This means we have a particular way of acting and seeing the world.

This year, we have chosen the theme ‘Living Mercy’. We will spend the year exploring each of the values and how they may help us to grow though a deeper understanding of what they might look like in our lives and in our community. Living the values is an opportunity to reflect on our words, thoughts, attitudes and actions.

At the end of the day, we can reflect on some questions and ask our students: where did you find Mercy today? What did it look like? On days when things don’t go as we planned, as a community that supports restorative practice, we might ponder, what might Mercy look like tomorrow?

We aspire to see these values in our work, in our school and in our community.

Respect: to see the goodness in everyone we encounter. To be self-aware, reflective, and respectful of uniqueness in embracing our interconnectedness with all God’s creation.

Compassion: to recognise the suffering of others with gentleness and kindness. To answer the call to action by not being bystanders in times of challenge. To understand that compassion is a decision, not a feeling.

Justice: to recognise, respond, speak out and act whenever injustice is seen. We are inspired by Jesus Christ to be stewards working together to make our planet more peaceful, sustainable, and just.

Courage: to act with integrity when attitudes and social barriers stand in the way of ethical living and decision making. To be resilient and have grit to meet the demands of our Christian mission, in encountering injustice and actively working toward a more equal and equitable future for all.

Service: to serve and not be served. To be generous in sharing our talents and resources so that no one might be in need. Being of service to others is an act of gratefulness and in turn offers thanksgiving to God.

Hospitality: to open our heart and home to welcome the stranger. To move beyond our comfort zone to create an experience of ‘home’ for others.