Awards Magazine 2017

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The Community Leader Awards 24
What do you do in your
community?
A key responsibility of my role at
is to facilitate opportunities for
our students to experience and share the
Mercy charism value and vision. And in my
role over the past 10 years, I’ve been able to
expand the Mercy Action program and give
our fundraising program a lot of structure
and focus. The key thing for our model is
that it’s not just a charitable or humanitarian
response, but it is certainly underpinned by
Catholic spirituality and in particular, Cath-
olic social justice teaching. At the beginning
of each year, we have a commissioning litur-
gy and a thanksgiving liturgy, an opportuni-
ty for girls to reflect on the experience and
inevitably they say that they receive much
more than they give.
How did you get started?
This is my 38th year at All Hallows and during
that time I have always taught religious
education and study of religion. But, I’ve
also had leadership roles in the curriculum
and pastoral areas. In 2008, it was sort of
like a natural progression to use the skills I’d
accumulated over those years to take up the
position of mission co-ordinator and then in
the following year, director of mission.
What do you love about your
job?
The key thing is working as a member of the
team that takes positive action to educate
our girls to understand that with great
privilege comes the responsibility of giving
back. I must say it’s very pleasing that we see
post-school girls go into professions or into
volunteer service areas to continue in the
way that they have functioned in the Mercy
Action program at All Hallows’. Certainly,
networking and the relationship that we’ve
built with the local community is fantastic –
with Micah Projects, Murri Ministry, domes-
tic violence shelters, refugee advocates – all of
those relationships are really important and
really inspire us to continue what we do.
Why is your Catholic faith im-
portant to you?
I think it’s important because Catholic
spirituality, I think, gives guidance and
direction about God’s love, care and pres-
ence in the world. And, in particular, it is
important in giving guidance about qual-
ity relationships based on Gospel values:
inclusiveness, hospitality, compassion and
justice. I think in that sense, the Catho-
lic social justice teachings, particularly
human dignity, solidarity, stewardship of
creation, preferential option for the poor,
that points to a lot of wisdom on how to
achieve these quality relationship for each
other and for all of creation.
What was your reaction when
you heard you were a finalist for
The Leaders?
Well, it’s probably a bit of a cliché to say
I’m very humbled by this, but I’d have
to say if humility or being humble is
about walking with others, I am humbled
because through my experience in the
Catholic education sector I know of the
amazing and wonderful work that’s being
done by other faith and mission leaders
and staff in Catholic schools. I do think
that it’s certainly an honour, but I know
that nothing in these schools is achieved
without teamwork, commitment, good
will and a lot of energy.
angela o’malley
Finalist - School Leader of the Year 2017
Angela O’Malley:
In my role over the past
10 years, I’ve been able
to expand the Mercy
Action program and give
our fundraising program
a lot of structure and
focus.
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