From the Principal – Issue #17, 2026

Acknowledgement of Country

Dear Parents/Guardians, Friends & Students of SAC,

In today’s newsletter, I am sharing my words of farewell to the Class of 2026 at the Graduation Assembly today:

Welcome families, friends, and the whole SAC community gathered to farewell the Class of 2026. Our liturgical theme this year is Animated by Love. There is so much written and sung about love, and often it’s romantic love that dominates the airwaves. But at today’s assembly I am thinking about other forms of love: the love we find in friendships, the love that animates us when we discover new passions or interests, the love we feel for those who are no longer with us.

My brother, James, is a big fan of the German theologian Karl Rahner, who says something like “when we love another for their own sake, it is then that we most clearly know God”. And in my experience, the love young people find in friendships can be truly transformational – they want to see their friends flourish. When we announce awards, as we are doing today, students are proud to celebrate the gifts and talents of their peers and are genuinely happy to see them recognised.

In my Year 12 RE classes, I often show students pictures of my friends and I at the Year 12 Retreat of 1984. They love seeing our crazy ‘80s mullets and they laugh at the picture of me listening to my Walkman, which was nearly the size of your laptops! The women in those photos are still my friends today, some I speak to every week, others maybe once a year. But the quality of the relationship is not based on the frequency of the conversations. I know that any one of them would be there for me when I needed them. And for the Class of 2026, I hope that as the connections you have made change shape and evolve over the years beyond school, that you will always remember the love you feel today and continue to stay connected, have fun together and be present for one another.

And speaking of being present, most of you know that I took some Renewal Leave last term and spent time in Ireland. One of the Sisters who helped me arrange that visit, Sr Patricia, would always sign off her emails “All the best for the present, Paddy”. And it had me thinking that sometimes in schools we are so focused on empowering bright futures, that we forget to honour the present. So, my hope for each of our Year 12 graduates is that you find the joy in the present: not just the big moments, like this graduation assembly, but in the simple daily pleasures that make you feel fully alive. Take time out to be creative, to find stillness and to smell the roses. Enjoy every moment of what Mary Oliver calls “your one wild and precious life”.

When I was in Ireland, a place of astounding natural beauty and my mother’s birthplace, I felt my Mum’s presence in powerful ways. So to the many people who are significant in your lives: your mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, carers, neighbours and others – those who are here today, and those who are not able to be here with us, I say thank you. The unwavering love and support of families is a love beyond measure, a love that transcends time and place. When I see families watching their Year 12s processing out of this assembly holding hands with the Reception students, their eyes are brimming with love. Thank you for being there to hold their hands every step of the way.

And finally, I acknowledge our SAC family, especially the teachers and support staff who have cared for our graduates throughout their years at the College. This school was built out of the love of the Sisters of Mercy; their love of God and one another has inspired generations of South Australians. Today, the staff continue to go above and beyond to provide a community of care for every student who walks through the doors on Wakefield St. Animated by love, they gently encourage and support every student, and I am deeply grateful to them.

 All of us here today, watching you with love in our hearts, wish you well for “your one wild and precious life”. Go well, Class of 2026!

Ms Paddy McEvoy
Principal

Go well, Class of 2026!

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