Mercy in Action

Senior students attended the first Kairos weekend of 2026 January 8 - 11! This retreat allows students a chance to immerse themselves in God's time, bringing them closer to their faith and their peers. This marks our 166th Kairos retreat!

Mother McAuley was MIGHTY proud to be featured in WGN's Drive Thru Toy Drive on December 12! Ana Belaval joined us on 99th Street to talk with Principal Dr. Baal, Kruz Smith '27 and Lucy Maloney '26 about the importance of giving back during the holiday season.

Watch the WGN segment

On December 8, our school community came together in prayer to honor the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We are grateful to Fr. Tom McCarthy for leading a meaningful liturgy, and to all those who helped make the celebration so special. As we enter the Christmas season, our hearts are full of gratitude and hope.

Did you know? 94% of McAuley girls participate in one of our 50+ clubs and organizations! Our Mighty Macs were busy this past month volunteering, experimenting, and participating in hands-on activities with their clubs!

Peer Ministers from Mother McAuley & Brother Rice partnered to lead a Confirmation retreat for the 8th graders at Our Lady of the Ridge/St. Linus Parish! It was an incredible opportunity for our students to live out their faith and put their ministerial skills into action while guiding younger students on their spiritual journey.

Members of the National Art Honors Society hosted their annual pumpkin sale during lunch periods at the end of October for faculty, staff, and students. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls - it's one of our favorite Fall traditions!

What an incredible moment as Pope Leo XIV poses with a McAuley t-shirt! Our very own chaplain, Father Tom McCarthy, O.S.A., recently visited with Pope Leo XIV and shared a piece of our Mighty Mac spirit by presenting the t-shirt and heartfelt letters from our students, advocating for Catherine McAuley's sainthood.

On October 10, our entire school community gathered together for a wonderful prayer service in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month organized by the Latinas Lead club. The service included prayers and petitions, student and faculty reflections, dances and musical performances.

Our Mariachi Club had the opportunity to play with the Latin Grammy nominated Mariachi Herencia de Mexico group! It was a great experience to celebrate the Hispanic culture and community.

In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, our Macs LEAD (Leadership, Education, and Awareness of Disabilities) Club made trick-or-treat buckets for children at Gigi's Playhouse!

Special thanks to our Science National Honors Society for organizing the annual Macs Walk for a Cure to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Their efforts helped fundraise money for one of our own student's family members battling cancer. We are MIGHTY proud.

This past Wednesday, September 24th, we celebrated Mercy Day, joining a global celebration to commemorate the day Catherine McAuley opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in 1827. For the past several years, we have expanded our celebration of Mercy Day from one day, to a full Mercy Week!

Congratulations to Emily Mangin '26 and Jamie Guardi '95, the recipients of the 2025 Catherine McAuley Award! These two women embody Catherine's spirit and live out her legacy of service, compassion, and hospitality. We are MIGHTY grateful to have them as part of the McAuley community.

On Thursday, September 11, Student Life held its first event with Mercy Circle. Nearly 25 students from various clubs and organizations visited Mercy Circle following the early dismissal to mingle with the residents and engage in a Catherine McAuley trivia game! Students also brought in nonperishable pantry items to donate to Pat’s Pantry in Mount Greenwood for this event.

The second week of September brought two opportunities for students from Mother McAuley and Brother Rice to come together: a prayer service to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11, and a Bags Tournament.

Our first Kairos retreat of the year was held September 11 - 14! The weekend was full of prayer, reflection and connection for the members of the Class of 2026 in attendance, as well as the faculty and staff participants. 

Our school year is off to a wonderful start! We celebrated our Opening Mass with the entire school community on August 22, and it was a powerful and inspiring way to begin the 2025-2026 school year. This year, we are especially blessed to welcome new faculty  members to our Mission & Ministry team, as well as a new chaplain - Father Tom McCarthy, O.S.A. 

Our new group of senior Peer Ministers came together for an orientation and team building retreat at Camp Manitoqua mid-August. This was a great way to learn and grow as a team as they prepared for the 2025-2026 school year.

Our Mighty Macs traveled to Jerusalem Farm in Kansas City, MO; ARISE Adelante at the Texas southern border; and Tau House in Cincinnati, OH for service trips this summer. Our students, faculty, and staff spent their trips making a positive impact through prayer and service.

We are incredibly proud of our Mighty Macs who participated in the Conference of Mercy Student Leaders at Saint Xavier University this summer! It was a powerful opportunity for McAuley students to deepen their leadership skills alongside other Mercy education students from around the globe.

John C. Reilly just gave Mother McAuley a MIGHTY shoutout in his New York Times profile! He shares an incredible testament to the impact of women in leadership, the Sisters of Mercy, and creating an environment where you can find your voice.

We invite you to help leaders blossom by supporting the McAuley Fund this spring. The McAuley Fund enriches many of our school's programs including academics, the arts, athletics, campus ministry, financial aid & beyond.

Donate Today!

On May 14, our Mighty Mac Varsity Lacrosse team took the field against Montini in honor of all those impacted by breast cancer. The McAuley Lacrosse program sold t-shirts as part of a fundraiser kickstarted by Kathleen Finnin '25 and Brigid Finnin '27. 

We gathered together on May 5 for a very special Time & Eternity Mass. It was a beautiful service celebrating the legacy of our school and the end of another incredible school year on 99th Street.

Our entire school community gathered together for a Holy Week Prayer Service on April 15. Our peer ministers, theater students, and liturgical musicians made the story of the resurrection come to life. The service was moving, and helped our community reflect on the importance of Holy Week as we headed into Easter Sunday. 

Last week, the Class of 2026 attended their Junior Service Retreat! This year's retreat focused on addressing food insecurity, both locally and globally. Groups of students spent their morning packing meals at The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Catholic Charities Chicago, and Feed My Starving Children. It was a meaningful day full of service and reflection!

Research findings "reveal a consistent portrait of girls' school graduates who are more engaged academically and socially than their coeducated peers." Thank you to the International Coalition of Girls' Schools (ICGS) and our fellow Chicagoland girls' schools for partnering with us throughout Women's History Month to highlight The Girls' School Advantage!

Continuing our celebration of Women's History Month, we've partnered with the International Coalition of Girls' Schools (ICGS) and fellow Chicagoland girls' schools to highlight the benefits of an all-girls education. Research shows that girls' school graduates, compared to coeducated peers, are more likely to exhibit stronger community involvement, greater cultural competency, and increased political engagement.

On March 18, we hosted a ceremony and breakfast for students and their families to celebrate this semester's Macs with Merit! Macs with Merit is an award given to a student by a teacher or staff member on behalf of their honorable character, diligent work ethic, and notable contributions to the McAuley community.

Happy Catholic Sisters Week! We are always proud to celebrate the trailblazing Sisters of Mercy within our school community. Mother McAuley stands on your shoulders as we embrace your unwavering vision, core values, and mission of educating young women. Thank you to all of the Sisters of Mercy, past and present, who have served as role models for our Mighty Macs throughout the years!

Our very own faculty member, Jamie Portal Guardi '95, and her daughter, Kate Guardi '29, braved the shave at the St. Baldrick's Event at St. Catherine's parish this past weekend!

Each month, students involved in our clubs or organizations gather with the residents at Mercy Circle and to complete an activity. This month, students in the Catherine McAuley Honors Scholars and Culinary Club worked with the Sisters of Mercy to decorate flower pots in preparation for spring!

Our entire school community gathered together to begin our Lenten journey with an Ash Wednesday Mass on March 5, led by Rev. Ritchie Ortiz, associate pastor from Queen of Martyrs Church.

Members of our Macs LEAD (Leadership, Education, and Awareness of Disabilities) club led the charge in organizing McAuley's participation in the Chicago Polar Plunge. They joined forces with Brother Rice as the Best of Both Worlds Team to raise over $15,000 for Special Olympics Chicago! Among the 23 the school teams that participated, Best of Both Worlds, came in second for fundraising.

For over 10 years, Mother McAuley Art Students have participated in the Memory Project, which invites high school students to create heartfelt portraits of children living in orphanages around the world.  AP Art & Design and Studio Honors students created this year's portraits that were recently delivered to children in India.

Our entire school community gathered together for our Black History Month Prayer Service on February 13. Thank you to our Black Student Union for hosting the beautiful service filled with community, prayer, reflection, music and stories of history makers!

Students and faculty members ended Catholic Schools Week by attending the weekend-long Kairos retreat.

Happy Catholic Schools Week! Our entire school community gathered together this morning for a wonderful Mass to celebrate the theme of "United in Faith and Community."

We kicked off the new year with a retreat for our freshman students. This day-long event allows students to engage with their fellow classmates, dive deeper into their faith and Mercy values, and build on the sense of community that began during the three-day Empower: First Year Experience orientation in August.