The theme that we will be covering at this week’s Soup and Substance series is 'Displacement to Resettlement'.  This is the sixth section on the Mercy and Justice Shall Meet CD-Rom.

The CD-Rom features video clips about refugees coming to South Africa, Australia, and Ireland.  The context portion of the CD-Rom provides case studies of refugees from various parts of the world and the response of various destination countries. 

For those whose country is not featured, this information can be supplemented with that provided by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at http://www.unhcr.org.   Beyond that, everything needed to replicate the Soup and Substance programme is provided on Mercy and Justice Shall Meet, and the process is that which was outlined in the feature article for 15 February 2010 Mercy World E-News.

Messages to Mary Kay Dobrovolny rsm - Assistant Director Heritage & Spirituality

Editor: This week's featured Mercy resource, Refugees and Asylum Seekers - The Asylum Process in Ireland, aims to debunk many of the myths and misinformation surrounding Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ireland.

This week, when we mark International Women's Day, reports from the various regions of the Commission on the Status of Women, offer us a resource for both information and reflection:

1. Africa
2. Europe
3. Latin America and the Caribbean (in both English and Spanish)
4. Asia Pacific

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body for women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.

Also online are the following reports:
1.Brief History
2.Pathways to Partnerships
3.Violence against Women
4.Global Dialogue on Development
5.Equal Rights & Equal Opportunities for Women

The current session of the Commission (fifty-fourth session) is taking place place from 1 - 12 March 2010

Messages to Deirdre Mullan rsm - Director MGC

Catherine McAuley had a particular commitment to advancing the role of women in society. In her oft-quoted maxim she said ’Nothing is more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women'. In the research paper offered this week Gender Development in Oceania Region, Senolita Vakata rsm outlines the complex gender structures of Tongan society and the factors that have reduced this once thriving society to scenes of fire, looting, and a general breakdown of values. She describes how Sisters of Mercy are empowering women and encouraging girls through their ministries. In conclusion she writes:

Undoubtedly, some progress has been achieved in the region in reducing gender disparities and advancing the status of women. However, in spite of these achievements much remains to be done to reduce the gender gap and achieve greater improvements to women’s social, economic and political status.
Gender equality is needed to move us forward, not only to advance the status of women in society and church but hopefully to provide a just and sustainable future for all.

You are invited to:
• Read and reflect on the paper personally
• Draw the attention of others to it or circulate a hard copy
• Form a group which will study this paper

Messages to Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

...Trafficking in persons is a growing 'trade' in South Africa. Poverty, limited employment opportunities, child-headed families and the large number of orphans and vulnerable children fuel the crime. These young people could be at greater risk during the World Cup.   Because the schools and colleges will be closed during this time and children will be visiting fan parks and other places of recreation, many government departments and NGOs are planning counter trafficking awareness and prevention campaigns...

Messages to Colleen Wilkinson rsm

In December Mary Noel Menezes rsm was installed as Professor Emeritus at the University of Guyana where she served for 24 years. On 19th February she was invited by the University to deliver the Feature Address at the Open/Career Day which was attended by hundreds of prospective students from all the Secondary Schools in Guyana.

Messages to Mary Noel Menezes rsm

1848: Death of M Xavier Tiernan, first American to enter Sisters of Mercy
1874: Foundation to Carrick-on-Suir from Wexford - M Borgia Corcoran
1894: Foundation to Stanton, Texas from San francisco - M Berchmans Kast

The aim of the DVD is to debunk many of the myths and misinformation surrounding Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ireland.

It examines the arrival of Asylum Seekers in Ireland. It explains the process that people seeking recognition of their refugee status in Ireland go through. It seeks to challenge and banish many of the myths that abound in Ireland at the moment.

This website is one of the collaborative endeavors of all Sisters of Mercy ministering in Peru as it represents the history of each congregation coming to Peru, but it does not distinguish congregational membership on all of the other pages.

This site was inadvertently overlooked in the report 'Where the Sisters of Mercy minister: Peru (3)' so we are pleased to feature the site this week.

This article in PCWorld suggests 8 ways a printer can be used to do more than simply print a page - tips range from making models to taking close up photographs.