Artworks
Argentinean Mosaic 2004,
St Aloysius College Archives
Catherine McAuley Sculpture
The sculpture sculpture emphasises Catherine’s compassion and generosity.
In celebration of the centenary of the Cunningham Memorial Chapel, a sculpture of Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, was commissioned in 2022.
Designed and created by Adelaide sculptor, Meliesa Judge, the sculpture shows Catherine as a young, secular woman and conveys the spirit and significance of Catherine McAuley’s life and work.
The sculpture, titled “The Offering”, emphasises Catherine’s compassion and generosity, through her symbolic gesture of offering her shawl to someone in need. “When Catherine pulls the shawl from her shoulders and gives it as a gift, it becomes the symbol of nurturance, of protection, warmth and shelter. This small act, this small gesture of kindness, this devotion, changes the world just a little” (Judge, 2011).
In creating the work, Meliesa has relied on descriptions of Catherine made by people who knew her at the time. She has meticulously researched the style of clothing, hair, bonnets and footwear that an Irish woman of Catherine’s social standing in the early 1880s would have worn, ensuring the sculpture is historically accurate.
The sculpture stands in the cloisters of the Convent of Mercy, a place of significance to the Founding Sisters who arrived in Adelaide in 1880 and those Sisters of Mercy who followed in their footsteps. The Convent is now part of St Aloysius College and remains a reminder of our Mercy tradition. The sculpture of Catherine McAuley not only honours the founder of the Sisters of Mercy but serves as a lasting symbol of our Mercy values that continue to inspire and shape the St Aloysius College community today.
By Carol Grantham
St Aloysius College Archivist, 2026
Reference
Judge, M. (2011). Sculpture of Catherine McAuley 1778 – 1841. Liquid Metal Studios. https://www.liquidmetalstudios.com.au/Assets/documents/catherine-mcauley.pdf
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