Mater celebrates staff who are 'Living Mercy'
- Release Date: 26/09/2011
- For media enquiries please contact 07 3163 1524 or the afterhours on call media officer on 07 3163 8111.
Mater celebrates its identity and heritage of the Sisters of Mercy in September every year, during Mercy Week.
Mater’s Executive Director of Mission Leadership, Madonna McGahan said Mercy Week was an organisationwide
acknowledgement of Mater’s ongoing commitment to its Mission and Values, with this year’s theme,
‘Living Mercy’ at Mater.
“We celebrate this year’s Mercy Awards as part of the Brisbane Sisters of Mercy 150 year celebrations—
commemorating the year in which Mother Vincent Whitty and her five companions arrived in Brisbane to serve
the community, providing us with a very solid foundation for our Mission today.
“Mercy Day, 24 September, is a day of particular significance for Mater and the Sisters of Mercy. It is the
anniversary of the day that Catherine McAuley opened the House of Mercy in Baggot Street Dublin in 1827, for
people experiencing disadvantage and poverty.
“It was the beginning of something extraordinary and more than 180 years later we at Mater are privileged to
continue in a tradition that has been nurtured by the Sisters of Mercy throughout the world.
“We can clearly see Catherine McAuley’s vision has been carried forward and is now embedded in Mater’s
aspirations to have exceptional people deliver exceptional care.”
More than 60 nominations were received for the 2011 Mercy Awards—presented on 20 September—which
honour exceptional contributions to the organisation in three categories: Clinical, Support Services and Team.
The winners are:
Clinical Services Award: Amanda MacDonald, Bereavement Support Midwife Mater Mothers’ Hospitals
Team Award: Ward 10 East Mater Private Hospital Brisbane
Support Services Award: Susie Wilson, Director Clinical Safety Quality Unit
Of her win, Ms Wilson said: “I was deeply honoured to receive the Mercy Award because of its association
with Catherine McCauley and the work of the Sisters,” Ms Wilson said.
“Living the core values is an integral piece of Catherine’s legacy and our current Mater ethos. I am proud to
work in an organisation that places such a strong emphasis on the values and how we should live by them and
be accountable to them in our daily practice,” she said.
Ms McGahan said the Sisters of Mercy’s presence at Mater convent provides staff with a gentle reminder of
the legacy we leave to those who come after us.
“Those nominated for Mercy Awards represent a snapshot of an organisation that is justly proud of its
people—some 8000 staff and volunteers as well as visiting medical officers—who in signing up to work at
Mater strive to heal, respond to each person with compassion and respect, and bring meaning and hope to the
lives of people we serve,” Ms McGahan said.