On Sunday, 7 May, 2017, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

Let us pray that the God of Mercy will continue to bless the Mercy family with people prepared to witness to the mercy and tenderness of our God as Religious, Associates and Partners-in-ministry in a world so in need of God’s compassion and consolation.

Post your own Prayer or Reflection in our online Chapel

Messages to: Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

Editor: Planning meetings for the YML Secondary School Students Pilgrimage in July were held last Thursday in Baggot Street to flesh out the programme for this year's pilgrimage (18-21 July). 100 students are expected to take part. A new highlight this year will be the walk around Catherine's Dublin visiting many landmarks of importance in the life of Catherine and the history of the Sisters of Mercy.

NB: The dates for the 2018 YML Pilgrimage of post-secondary/college age students have been confirmed. The Pilgrimage will commence on Tuesday, 31 July - Friday, 3 August 2018.

Messages to: Anna Nicholls rsm - Team Leader Heritage & Spirituality

L-r: Anna Nicholls rsm (MIA), Marie Cox rsm (The Congregation), Margaret Scroope (MIA), Avril Tyrell (MIA), Frances Kennedy rsm (The Congregation), Patricia Donovan rsm (The Congregation)

Watering the Roots at the Wellsprings of Mercy, the month-long renewal program for vowed Mercy women, is again being offered this year, commencing Sunday, 4 June through to Saturday, 1 July.

Presenters this year will be: Anne Reid and Aine Barrins rsm (Week 1), Helena O'Donoghue rsm and Mary Reynolds rsm (Week 2), Johann M. Vento (Week 3) and Ann Brady rsm, Paula Carron rsm, Mary Conway rsm and Lily Sexton rsm (Week 4). Full details are in the program.

Download the program (2pps; PDF)

Messages to: Anna Nicholls - Team Leader Heritage & Spirituality
Bookings to: Madeleine O'Hanlon - Receptionist
 

Image: Wellsprings 2016. Photo: Mary-Ann Lennon rsm

'Fish and Fishing' is the topic of part 7 of this 12 week series.

Each week's reflection includes:

• Excerpts from Pope Francis (primarily from the encyclical Laudato Si')
• A video clip that you can watch (just hover your cursor and click the link to watch)
• An opportunity for action and prayer reflection

Download Part 7: A4 Paper Size (PDF); US Letter Size (PDF)

Previous issues are linked to this item.

Messages to: Bridget Crisp rsm - MGA Intern at the UN

The latest issue (Vol. 24, No. 1) of The MAST Journal was recently published.  Editor Eloise Rosenblatt rsm reports that the issue entitled 'Mystics and Mysticism', deals with important questions in the noise and intensity of modern life, offered for your meditation and encouragement.

Contributors include: Srs Mary-Paula Cancienne, Barbara Moran, Ann Marie Caron, Julie Upton,Janet Ruffing, Marilyn King, Marilyn Sunderman and Jayme Hennessy.

Download the list of topics covered by contributors in this latest issue

View Cover of latest issue

Access Form for subscribing to MAST

Messages to: Julia Upton rsm

Editor: In her article, Marilyn Sunderman rsm traces Thich Nhat Hanh's background and through his writings, she unpacks for the reader Mindfulness Practice - Mindful Walking, Mindful Speaking, Mindful Eating and Inter-Being, 'that is, that everything that exists depends on everything else in order to be', before sharing what she has learned from the practice of mindfulness.

Download the article here (12pps; PDF)

Messages to: Marilyn Sunderman rsm

Image: Thich Nhat Hanh (2006). Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0

Editor: The May-June 2017 ( Volume 98, Number 3) issue of 'Health Progress', the official journal of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, features articles from a number of Mercy contributors under its theme 'Sponsorship A Way Forward':

'Field Hospital Concept is Rooted in Relevancy'

Messages to: Mary Haddad rsm

'A Sponsor's Identity Is Priestly, Prophetic, Royal'

Messages to: Doris Gottemoeller rsm

'Sponsors and Board Share Canonical, Civil Missions'

Messages to: Linda Werthman rsm

Editor: In this month's 'Imaging Mercy Today' produced for He Waka Tiaki mission team, Tiaki Manatu Sisters of Mercy New Zealand Ministries Trust, Denis Horton calls the MIRP Review 'a hugely creative and exciting outcome to the Mercy International Reflection process (MIRP)'.

Download 'Imaging Mercy Today' here (2pps; PDF)

Messages to: Katrina Fabish rsm - Congregation Leader

We invite you to download and read Review of the Mercy International Reflection Process: "What has been discovered? What has been revealed?" if you haven't already. The Review is easily accessible from the homepage of Mercyworld.org where it can be accessed as the first news item throughout this month (on left-hand side) and as the first MIA Initiative (on right-hand side) for the rest of 2017.

In an effort to address Seattle’s affordable housing crisis, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen announced on Wednesday that he will donate $30 million to Mercy Housing toward the development of a permanent housing community.

The City of Seattle has committed $5 million to support operation and maintenance of the center, and Mercy Housing Northwest will develop and manage the community.

The announcement comes at a time when more than half a million Americans experience homelessness...

Messages to: Mercy Housing

In her reading of John 14, Kathleen Rushton rsm points to the climax of the passion as the giving of the Spirit. Sr Kathleen writes: 'Wind and breath are beautiful images which describe the Spirit as an unseen wonder known by what it does, the effect it has and how it feels. The Spirit flows through all creation bringing life and love..'

Download the article here (2pps; PDF)

Messages to: Kathleen Rushton rsm

1848: Opening of first permanent Mercy convent in Australia - Perth, Western Australia

1871: Foundation to Carndonough from Derry, Northern Ireland

1880: Foundation to Adelaide, South Australia from Buenos Aires, Argentina - M Evangelista Fitzpatrick

1932: Amalgamation of Wilcannia-Forbes communities - M Gertrude Gallagher

1935: Swanage Convent, Dorset founded from Hull - Sr Anastasia O'Hara

Contribute a fact about the Story of the Sisters of Mercy in your congregation or institute to our online archive

'Mercy … opens the door of the heart and enables us to express closeness especially to all those who are alone and marginalized.... It fosters the recognition of all those in need of consolation and makes us find the appropriate words to give them comfort.

Brothers and sisters, mercy warms the heart and makes it sensitive to the needs of [others] with sharing and participation. In sum, mercy commits all to be instruments of justice, reconciliation and peace.'

-Pope Francis, Regina Coeli Address, 23 April 2017

Editor: This book from Western Province (The Congregation), launched online on Mercyworld.org last November, is a wonderful read. Telling of the Sisters’ efforts and commitment to live more sustainably so as to protect 'our common home', it reminds us that no effort to live sustainably is too small to matter or to have an impact.

Read online or download here: (211 pps; PDF; 20 mb)

Image: Elizabeth McNamee rsm (Western Province). Cover photo of 'Walking Gently on Earth'

Google has launched a redesigned Google Earth. New features include a guided tour function called Voyager a collection of interactive guided tours linked to specific locations around the globe.

Source: Techradar

'My brother and sister-in-law were farmers who woke up one morning to find that all their sheep had disappeared. It seems that some enterprising thief or thieves had managed to load their sheep on to transports and move them interstate in the few hours between dusk and dawn...'

Listen to the Gospel read by Fr Eamonn O'Connor (Ireland)

Read the Reflection on the Gospel by Veronica Lawson rsm (ISMAPNG)

4 May is world password day. Visit the site to learn how to secure your digital life by creating strong passwords.