From the moment the sisters and other visitors – including former students, teachers and parents - walked into the room at Mt Carmel, they were reminiscing of their time together in that very same (but very changed) study hall.

The exhibition is travelling to places where the Sisters of Mercy served “the poor, sick and ignorant,” including Goulburn, Young, Queanbeyan and Albury. The exhibition was an idea put forward 18 months ago by the Sisters to celebrate the significant 150th anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy in Goulburn and to honour the past and present Sisters.

One of the exhibition’s curators, Mrs Nancy Clarke said, "It was rewarding and it was challenging. We were trying to give a picture of the life and work of the sisters from the beginning to today, but focusing on the many towns and villages where they worked."

Co-ordinator of the Walking Nuns exhibition and former Principal of Mt Carmel,

Sister Frances Fitzpatrick, said delegated groups from the congregation were saying prayers at the grave of every Sister: 25 cemeteries in nine days.

At the novena at the Yass cemetery on Saturday morning, Eric Bell gave a welcome to country and a group gave thanks for the lives of the pioneering Sisters and those who followed in their footsteps.

The official opening ceremony at Mt Carmel in the afternoon consisted of speeches by Leader of the congregation, Sister Marie Duffy, Sister Frances, Nancy Clarke, and mayor Nic Carmody, who spoke of his belief that Yass is distinguished by its sense of community, which was helped, by no small means, by the Sisters of Mercy.

The Mt Carmel high school choir, accompanied by Mrs Edwards on the piano, performed songs including Walk With Me and the Mt Carmel school song, Mother Of Mt Carmel, an Irish hymn which was modernised by Sister Frances when she was college Principal.