Joana Sherrill Duarte

Our Lady of Mercy School (OLM) is an American, Catholic school in the city of Rio de Janeiro which offers cutting edge educational programs open to students of all nationalities. Fully accredited by both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Secretary of Education for the State of Rio de Janeiro, OLM confers both American and Brazilian diplomas upon graduation. Serving approximately 580 students from twenty nations in pre-school (2 years old) through high school (12th Grade), Our Lady of Mercy School is situated in the borough of Botafogo, nestled between the Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer Monument, approximately five miles from the city center and one mile from some of the most famous beaches in the world. Our Lady of Mercy School is maintained by the Society of Our Lady of Mercy, a lay association founded by American and British families in 1919 in order to practice the Catholic faith in their own language and provide for the spiritual needs of English-speaking visitors to the city. In 1952, some thirty years after establishing Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Parish, the Society expanded its mission by founding the school, which has been serving international and local families for over 60 years. ​ As an American school OLM provides for its students’ intellectual, physical, artistic, and social development through a college preparatory, English-language curriculum. As a Catholic school we tend to students’ spiritual and emotional development through religious education, community service, and student service programs, as well as by celebrating Catholic liturgies and offering preparation for the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. As an international and inclusive school, OLM provides transitional and ongoing support for those students with second-language and special learning needs.