October 9, 2014 Note from the Institute Leadership Team (ILT) The feeling of coming home: Reflection on Mercy Week on Baggot Street

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1 October 9, 2014 Note from the Institute Leadership Team (ILT) The line from the Responsorial Psalm on Sunday, September 28, 2014 Remember your mercies, O Lord (Psalm 25) might have been God s humor on display! As we ended the month of Mercy with countless moments of celebration and focus on the legacy of Catherine, the entire Church sang of God s mercy. We have been touched and filled with gratitude for the ways you shared the gift of Mercy with so many. From Mercy International Centre to the farthest reaches of our Institute and across the world, God s mercies have been remembered. Now nourished by the gift, we go forward to be the Mercy Catherine envisioned her Institute to be. Let us especially hold in our prayer all gathered for the Synod on the family. May it be a time of deepening mercy. The feeling of coming home: Reflection on Mercy Week on Baggot Street Walking up the steps to Mercy International Centre late on September 22, 2014, I noticed the light encircling the statue of Catherine McAuley with her outstretched hand welcoming me and all who come to Baggot Street. I had the feeling of coming home. Sisters Mary Trainer (Mid-Atlantic), Mary Waskowiak (West Midwest) and I had the privilege of participating in the opening ritual which in part contained these heartfelt words from the Limerick Manuscript: The 24th of September was finally fixed on for commencing the work; Miss Doyle suggested that House of Mercy would be a good name for the Establishment. Nor can we think it was without a singular providence of God that a day was chosen which in a special manner placed the house under the protection of His Immaculate Mother, and caused it to be named from the most amiable of her attributes, by which she chiefly resembles Him, whose mercies are above all His works.

2 The Archbishop of Dublin, Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin addressed us at the liturgy on Mercy Day with these words: Catherine McAuley s concept of mercy was not one of condescending consolation, but one which saw mercy as building up Your task is to carry on the tradition of that charism, not through simply recycling it, but through resurrecting it today to respond to the trauma and suffering of those who seek a sense of meaning which they will only find in God. The theme of God s mercy was apparent in all the rituals which were prepared by sisters from Ireland, Britain, Australia, Newfoundland, New Zealand and the Philippines. The closing ceremony took place on Catherine s birthday, September 29. With enthusiastic hearts we sang to her. Highlights that struck me during this week include: The unity among Sisters of Mercy around the world is evident. We are deeply committed to the vision of Catherine McAuley and our hearts are centered in God as we serve the poor, the sick and the uneducated in old and new ways. Our ongoing effort to relieve human trafficking, our concern for pure water, global warming, care for the earth and help for those who are homeless is making a difference around the world. Our sisters, associates and co-workers number approximately 250,000. Our passion for the mission of Mercy is endless. Catherine McAuley, a woman of deep faith in the mercy of God and in the tenderness of our Blessed Mother, serves as a model for all human beings. The mercy of God and the mission of Mercy are alive and well and we are an integral part of them through our prayer and service. Sister Carmel Bracken (The Congregation-Ireland) in her beautiful poem The Call is Mercy ends with these words: Swirl us around again in that fountain of life; Immerse us in our One Source The flow of Mercy surging in our veins.

3 If we keep ourselves immersed in our One Source, we will indeed experience the flow of Mercy in our veins and it will spread to all our world. By Sister Nancy Whitley (NyPPaW) Photos: (Top) Sisters prepare to participate in the Mercy Day mass at the House of Mercy. (Center) The Archbishop of Dublin, Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin celebrates the Mercy Day liturgy. (Bottom) Sister Mary Trainer (Mid-Atlantic) speaks during the opening ritual of the anniversary celebrations. All photos are courtesy of Mercy International Association. Transitioning underway for novices Mercy s five new novices in the United States Luz Eugenia Alvarez, Jennifer Barrow, Phuong Dong, Danielle Gagnon and Marjorie Tapia have settled in to life at the U.S. Novitiate and have now begun their two-year novice experience. This first year of the novice experience, known as the canonical year, provides the opportunity for the novices to intensify their commitment to prayer, community living and service, to deepen their understanding of the charism of mercy within the church, and to discern the authenticity of their call to the profession of vows (Constitutions #36). On September 30, 2014, Sister Mandy Carrier officially completed her canonical year at the U.S. Novitiate, marked with a simple transition ceremony. The week of October 6 she began the latest chapter on her Mercy path in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she is living with three Sisters of Mercy who invited her to join them in community. Mandy will be ministering at Mercy Vocational High School in Philadelphia in the Culinary Arts Department. Photo: Integration/Transition Day for Sister Mandy Carrier on September 30, 2014, at U.S. Novitiate in St. Louis, Missouri. From left: Sisters Kathy Sisson (NyPPaW), incorporation minister; Mandy Carrier (Northeast), novice; Rayleen Giannotti (Northeast), novice minister; and Patty Moriarty (Northeast), vocation minister. Photo by Luz Eugenia Alvarez, novice. Please pray for all of our novices as they continue on their path to Mercy.

4 Ending war and poverty, reversing climate crisis focus of Campaign Nonviolence Sisters, associates, companions and friends across the Institute participated in Campaign Nonviolence, a weeklong observance September 21-27, 2014, to heighten awareness of the need to live in peace with all creation. In addition to the People s Climate March held in New York City, New York, on September 21, a number of activities planned around the Institute during the campaign called attention to issues which are inherent in our Critical Concerns. In solidarity with the People s Climate March, the Sisters of Mercy in Guam in collaboration with the mayor of Tamuning, Guam, held A Walk to Remember march on September 20 to promote greater local environmental awareness focused on replacing coconut trees infested with the rhinoceros beetle. Also, sisters from Sacred Heart Convent and staff and students from Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, joined in a peace prayer on September 21, International Day of Peace. Photos: (Top) Sisters, students and staff in Cedar Rapids participated in a peace prayer on September 21. (Bottom) Faculty of Saint Barbara Catholic School in Guam plant a coconut tree. Focus on Haiti partners with Gros-Morne community As a response to the Chapter 2011 question where do we need to be led now to come to both a deeper response to our Critical Concerns and a radical embrace of our identity? a group of sisters decided to answer God and Catherine s call in Haiti. These sisters, together with associates and friends formed Focus on Haiti (FOH), a ministry developed in collaboration with the Religious of Jesus and Mary that ministers to the people of Gros-Morne, Haiti. Over the past three years, FOH has been cultivating partnerships with the community of Gros-Morne and trying through these relationships to make a difference in the lives of the people there. At present, we help support the agro-forestry program which educates people about the negative impact of

5 deforestation and encourages reforestation. The program also provides training in goat husbandry and a community hen project. These efforts provide the community with sustainable land and food sources and help develop a micro-economy to give women a source of income to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty. Another major project of FOH is the support of Maison Bon Samaritan ( House of the Good Samaritan ), which houses 23 formerly homeless, vulnerable and sick residents. FOH has made improvements in the physical space and safety of the residence and improved the care of this atrisk population of adults. A full-time nurse, Lulianne Casimir, has been hired, giving the residents improved health care, access to medications and nutritious meals. FOH is also in the process of the development of a women s project which will include components of education, financial literacy and business skills to empower women in Gros-Morne. In 2015 FOH looks forward to two mission groups from Mercy schools who will serve the community in Gros-Morne. If you are interested in more information about the work of Focus on Haiti, or would like to contribute to their work, Sister Karen Scheer (Mid-Atlantic), U.S. coordinator for FOH (focusonhaiti@gmail.com). By Sister Karen Scheer Photos: (Top) Sister Kathy Thornton (West Midwest) with the cook at Maison Bon Samaritan. (Bottom) This crew constructed a keyhole garden at Maison Bon Samaritan. From left: Jango, Sister Karen Scheer (Mid-Atlantic), Gary (kneeling), Sisters Beth Dempsey and Eileen McDonnell (Mid-Atlantic), volunteer Sherilyn with a Haitian friend, Sister Mary Sullivan (NyPPaW), volunteers Meghan and Sara, Sisters Kathy Thornton (West Midwest), Mary-Paula Cancienne (Mid-Atlantic) and Kathleen O'Halloran (Mid-Atlantic).