Editor: This is a special edition of Mercy E-News for Christmas.
On this Christmas Day we send warm greetings and blessings to all our Sisters and to members of the community of Mercy around the globe.
As we celebrate the extraordinary gift of God-With-Us, may we give a generous welcome to this transforming Love that invites us to continue to birth the Christ.
Together, let us lean into all the non-loving in our world and allow ourselves to be ‘formed and reformed’ to birth God’s tender Mercy.
May God preserve and bless you and grant you all the graces and precious gifts reserved for this Holy Season. (C McAuley)
Anne Campbell rsm
Messages to: Anne Campbell rsm (Aotearoa New Zealand) – President MIA
'The paradox of Christmas is captured in the homeless family that found that there was no room in the inn and the hospitality of shepherds and wise searchers that were sensitive to the deeper meaning of a vulnerable infant in a manger', writes Mary Reynolds rsm, Executive Director of MIA, in her Christmas greeting.
Read the Christmas Greetings from Sr Mary, Sisters, Associates, Partners in Ministry and Mercy Communities
Reflection for Christmas 2013: Somewhere in Syria
Somewhere in Syria,
close by Tacloban,
whenever, wherever, humanity’s hold
is splintered and stormed,
cries as one ascend
why and why
and where in this misery is mercy?
After all is pared back
and even the certainties
of so many landscapes are strewn,
from the debris a small voice,
neither rescuer nor cause,
claims the irreducible
and only truth:
“I am Emmanuel, God with you…
bereft South Africa- with you;
abused and ignored- with you;
ignoble and afraid- with you;
fraught of mind and frail of body- with you;
on any street, in any store,
in refugee camp and hospital- with you.
Part of, immersed in, companion to,
shoulder to shoulder sharing,
heart to heart hurting,
blood of your blood,
with you, in time and always,
because born,
Jesus- Emmanuel-
because born."
by Mary Wickham rsm
Messages to: Mary Wickham rsm (ISMAPNG)
A Christmas-Epiphany Reflection on 'Evangelii Gaudium'
by Veronica Lawson rsm
Read the reflection here
Messages to: Veronica Lawson rsm (ISMAPNG)
Look Upon Asylum Seekers with Compassion and Mercy
The Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) Refugee & Asylum Group invites all Mercy E-news readers to let Australia's political leaders know how you feel about the negative manner in which asylum seekers are portrayed and the cruel way in which they are being treated by Australia's political environment. Download the card, affix a stamp and send it to the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott
Read the statement and download the card here
Messages to: Dr Maryanne Loughry AM rsm (ISMAPNG)
Retelling the Christmas Story
Each year the children from St Paul's Anglican Church in Auckland retell the Christmas story and post it on YouTube. These are always excellent productions. Here's this year's production (04:39) Our favourite, however, is still the 2010 version. Definitely worth watching. See it here if you've not watched it previously (03:53)
On This Day
Christmas Eve 1965: Mission to Santiago, Chile from Rochester, New York
Christmas Day 1827: First Mass in House of Mercy, Baggot St, Fr L'Estrange
Christmas Day 1865: Death of M Vincent Mostyn, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Christmas Day 1866: Death of M Teresa Kelly, Foundress of Wexford
Mercy E-News 2013
This Christmas Week edition of Mercy E-News is the final edition for 2013. 48 editions were published this year (23 January - 23 December).
Among the many highlights of our reporting and connecting this year are: the Young Mercy Leaders pilgrimage updates, the video presentations from the Wellspring programme, the weekly prayer intention, MGA interventions at the UN, the MGA co-ordinated action for Global Frackdown Day, constant raising of awareness of the issues of human trafficking and hydrofracking, the presentations from the Symposium - Gathering on Catherine's Birthday (The Congregation), presentations from Mary C Sullivan's talks in Australia and Mary Pat Garvin at the UISG, Pat McDermott's interview in NCR, wonderful Mercy Day celebrations at Baggot Street and elsewhere including the discovery of the 'true and original illustration' of Catherine McAuley, Supporting Mother of Mercy High Cincinnati in their fundraising efforts for Mercy Beyond Borders, telling the story of the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines and providing ways to support our Mercy community there... and all the Further Resources that broadened our horizons.
For your reference, a complete list of the 2013 Further Resources has been compiled.
Access the complete list of the 2013 Further Resources here (4 linked web pages)
Access the Mercy E-News Archive here
Thank you very much to all those who contributed news items and so helped build the global Mercy community online. Thank you to all our readers for your ongoing interest, support, encouragement and feedback.
There were 255 new subscriptions this year for individuals and communities. A reminder that Mercy E-News is available at no charge to any member of the global Mercy family and to anyone who is interested in the vision and mission of Mercy International Association (MIA), simply by filling in the online registration form
Mercy E-News 2014
The first edition of Mercy E-News for 2014 will be published using the new format on Wednesday, 22 January. 2014 marks MIA's 20th anniversary year. In the coming year, in Mercy E-news and on the mercyworld.org website, along with our regular segments, we will launch MIA's Fundraising & Development project, tell MIA's founding story in words and images, reflect on what that story continues to offer us, now and for the future, as well as provide creative ways for our readers to participate in the special celebrations.
Send contributions to the Editor for the first issue to Mercy News by Friday 17 January, 2014.
