Sacred Heart College Kyneton

Our Heritage

Sacred Heart College is one of several Catholic Secondary Colleges in Victoria owned and administered by the Sisters of Mercy (Melbourne Congregation).

The Order began in 1831 by an Irish woman, Catherine McAuley. At that time nuns were enclosed – they could not leave their convents – and Catherine, knowing this, had no wish to found an Order as she believed she could work more freely with the poor outside Religious Life.

Catherine, however, was given permission to found a new type of Order “The Walking Nuns”. They were allowed to leave their Convents to walk the streets to minister to those in need. They looked after the poor, sick and ignorant – founded homes for girls, began schools, visited the sick and gave hospitality to all. Their lives were centered on God and their belief was “The poor need help today, not tomorrow”.

Catherine, an extraordinary woman, a woman of deep faith and trust in God, died in 1841, 10 years after founding the Order. Her work had already started spreading and, in the same decade as her death, the Order spread to Australia.

In 1846 the first foundation in Australia was made in Perth. Eleven years later, in 1857, the first Victorian foundation was made at Fitzroy – “The Academy of Mary Immaculate”.

In 1859 a foundation was made in Geelong and, from that foundation, thirty years later, the Sisters came to Kyneton – 1889.

College Crest

Traditional elements of the Crest

The Sacred Heart: The foundation of our College and our Feast Day.

The Latin Motto: ‘Semper Fidelis’: The College motto is Semper Fidelis – Faithful Always – an invitation to our students to live their lives accordingly.

The Scroll: In ancient times, any important document was written on a scroll. Hence our motto is written on a scroll to emphasise its importance.

The Shield: The shield signifies protection. The training and ideals imparted to us during our College life will act as armour and be a source of strength in our future lives.

The Laurel: The palm or laurel branches symbolise victory. In ancient times the winner of a race was given a laurel wreath in recognition of their victory; at Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem, the crowds waved palm branches as a sign of his coming victory over death. We are reminded that our lives can be seen as a struggle to win the prize of victory given to us when we uphold our Christian faith.

The Mercy Cross: This represents our Catholic identity and our Mercy heritage as a school formed in the charism of Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy.

College Song

People of Mercy - Tim Walsh 2014

We come from homes across the Ranges,
We gather here to learn each day.
Our Mercy torch passed through the ages
Will be our light to guide the way,
And if you ask us “What do we stand for,
What does it mean to wear this crest?”
We’ll stand up proud and sing with passion
From every heart in every chest!

Sacred Heart!
We come to learn, we come to serve!
With open arms
To those in need, to see they have all they deserve!
And, like Mercy women of God
Who walked the path that Catherine trod,
We’ll stand our ground and act with love,
But above all else we’ll be
People of Mercy

From Castlemaine to Hanging Rock,
From Taradale to Riddells Creek,
We’ll sing our song throughout the Ranges,
And show to those who truly seek,
A school that values every person
And celebrates diversity;
Produces strong young men and women
Who will always strive to lead!

People of Mercy
People of Mercy

Our Heritage

College Timeline

View our rich history

Kyneton in the 1880's

College Crest

College Song