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World Day of the Poor: Hearing the Cries in St John's, Newfoundland
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Editor: Sunday, 18 November, will be the Second World Day of the Poor. We invited Diane Smyth rsm (Newfoundland) to help us reflect on the underlying meaning of this day. Sr Diane writes:
The Gathering Place is a large centre located in a former school building in the heart of St. John’s, Newfoundland, operated by two religious orders of women, the Presentation and the Mercy Sisters. It is a place where those who are made poor for many different reasons and in many ways may receive food, clothing, personal and medical care, dental care, and counselling; where individuals can have a shower, do their laundry, have their feet cared for by trained personnel. Most of all, the members enjoy the companionship of other men and women…
MIA Vision in Action
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Programmes
Catherine's Experience of Grief
The final programme for 2018 is being offered on the weekend of 24-25 November (non-residential).
Catherine experienced the death of a number of significant people during her life. Explore how she lived with these losses and the messages of comfort she offers to those who grieve.
Book by phone (01) 661 8061, email or using Eventbrite
Messages to: Anna Nicholls rsm - Team Leader Heritage & Spirituality
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Prayer
MIA Prayer Intention: For Persons who are Poor
We were all invited last year to pray the contemporary version of Catherine’s Prayer for the Poor on the World Day of the Poor. This year, let us once again pray this prayer. May it inspire us and support us to continue to act in concrete ways to address the needs of persons who are poor.
‘My God, look with compassion and mercy on those who are poor, and grant us grace to do all that we can for their relief and comfort.
We ask your blessing this day-
in the name and for the sake of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ
Amen.’
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Global Action
MIA One of Nine Signatories to Statement Delivered in Vienna on Trafficking in Persons
Winifred Doherty sgs, on behalf of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy International Association, along with Members of the Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons, delivered a statement at the Ninth Session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (15 – 19 October 2018) in Vienna, Austria.
The statement focused on Item 2 (b) Trafficking in Persons Protocol, and touched upon difficult points in the various negotiations, including allocation of sufficient resources.
Members' News
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Image: CatholicIreland.NetThe Congregation
Children’s Grief Centre wins National Lottery Good Causes Award
‘Mercy sister Helen Culhane was present to receive two National Lottery Good Causes Awards on behalf of the Children’s Grief Centre, Limerick.
The centre won the award in the youth section and the overall award, both of which were presented last Saturday 3 November, when finalists were present at the Clayton/Burlington Hotel in Dublin for a gala awards dinner hosted by TV presenter Karen Kostner…’
Messages to: Helen Culhane rsm
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Jim Madden (member for Ipswich West), Sr Mary Lawson, Sr Denise Coghlan, Judith Finan (Principal)Brisbane
St Mary's College Ipswich Hosts Sr Denise Coghlan
Editor: Denise Coghlan rsm, Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Cambodia, coordinates programmes at the Metta Karuna Reflection Center, in Siem Reap, northwest Cambodia, helping visitors reflect on the challenges in Cambodia through the eyes of persons who are poor and the lens of interfaith cooperation. On 2 November she visited St Mary’s College, Ipswich, Queensland where she shared two important messages…
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Bishop Nulty, Srs Kathleen Kennedy & Sheila Carney unveil the plaque in Carlow honouring the seven Sisters who went to Pittsburgh in 1843Ireland
Celebrations by the Town Honour Carlow's 'Magnificent Seven'
November 4, 2018, marked the 175th anniversary of the departure of seven Mercy Sisters from Saint Leo's Convent, Carlow, Ireland, bound for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States…
John McDarby, descendent of Veronica McDarby, one of the seven missionaries, greeted the crowd and introduced Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Laughlin and Kildare who spoke about the significance of this day in the history of Carlow…
Read the story, view the images and explore the many links in the attached story.
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ISMAPNG & ANZ
Mercy Asia Pacific Gathering to Take Place in Samoa
At the Mercy International Leader’s meeting in May this year, the Mercy Leaders of the Asia/Pacific asked to form a sub-group of MIA – ‘Mercy Asia Pacific’. The idea was to carry forward the themes of MIRP of 2016 - Displacement of persons and Degradation of the Earth at a regional level commencing with a gathering in Samoa November 19-25, 2018 to talk through the issues that affect each of the Asia/Pacific countries locally…
Messages to:
Eveline Crotty rsm - Institute Leader (ISMAPNG)
Katrina Fabish rsm - Congregational Leader (ANZ)
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Photo by Kazi Faiz Ahmed Jeem on UnsplashScripture
'Wake Up': Scripture with Kathleen Rushton rsm (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Kathleen Rushton rsm interprets Jesus’s sermon in Mark 13 uncovering the symbolic language and urging us to stay awake in our world. Sr Kathleen writes: ‘Never have members of the Earth community been so alert to a global crisis of such social, economic and ecological proportions…
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Catherine
Riding a Wave of Hope to Make a Saint
Sheila Carney rsm writes: ‘Sometimes people ask me about the experience of serving as the vice postulator for the Cause for the Canonization of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy. My response is that it is like standing in the path of a great wave of hope…’
I'm writing this reflection as Hurricane Florence is devastating the Carolina coast and the TV news is filled with images of reporters trying to stand upright in the force of the wind as they deliver their commentary. Sometimes the role of the vice postulator can be like that.
Source: Global Sisters Report
Mercy Matters
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Reflection
Breadlines
Poem written and performed by Matt Sowerby.
A collaboration between The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network, Oxfam and End Hunger UK
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Organisations
Galilee Spirituality Centre, Ireland
Galilee Community in Boyle, Co. Roscommon is a sacred space, a place of prayer, reflection and sacred landscapes that draw the human spirit to find God present in all life experiences.
The newly re-developed website showcases the Centre and its offerings.
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Prayer
The Cry of the Poor
Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 18-19, 23.
Music by John Foley sj
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Fact
On This Day
1900: Mercy Medical Centre opened - Cedar Rapids USA
2004: Te Korowai Atawhai St Joseph's Mercy Hospice, Auckland's first residential palliative care unit, celebrates 25 years of service.
Contribute a fact from the story of your Mercy congregation, institute or federation, to our online archive.
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Gospel
18 November 2018. 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Mark 13:24-32.
'In the opening lines of today’s gospel reading, there are clear echoes of two passages from the prophecy of Isaiah. The first passage reads, “For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light” (Isaiah 13:10)...'
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Resource
Latest Issue of MAST Now Available
The latest issue (Vol. 25, No. 2) of The MAST Journal was recently published. Editor Eloise Rosenblatt, RSM explains that “Forgiveness” is the theme for this issue.
A summary of the articles in this latest issue and a recently revised order form is linked to this item.
Messages to: Julia Upton rsm
Our New Website
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Website
Home Page
The Feature area on the home page of our website is changed each week. Sometimes it will be a video clip (like last week, pictured here), most times it will be a still photograph or graphic with text and links. In the feature section we also highlight content we want to draw to our website visitors’ attention.
Don’t forget to check out the homepage from time to time!
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Catherine
Mercy Foundresses
Stories of a number of the early Mercy foundresses are included in our website. Most of these came from presentations given at the MIA Second International Archivists Conference (2003) which were collated and later published in ‘Beyond Catherine: Stories of Mercy Foundresses’ by Ethel Bignell rsm RIP. For those familiar with this section on our ‘old’ website, there are three newly composed additions: Frances Warde, Vincent Whitty and Ursula Frayne.
Note to Archivists: We welcome additional images to add to any of the foundress stories to help illustrate these.
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Newsroom
Possibilities with News Items
One of the functions we have in our new website is to be able to add to a news item —when it is helpful for the reader— 1 or 2 related news items on our site and 1 or 2 related resources from the Library.
We have used this functionality 3 times this week - with the feature article, the prayer and a member news item.
Further Resources
Worth Knowing
What About Me?: Women and the Catholic Church
by Sharon Tighe- Mooney (Author), Mary T Malone (Foreword)
Details hereWorth Watching
Barbra Streisand 'Walls' (Behind the Song)
Barbara Streisand talks about her new song, ‘Walls’.
‘This lyric expresses my hope that in days and weeks to come, we will find ways to build more bridges than walls.’
Listen to and purchase the song here
Hear the explanationWorth Knowing
190 universities just launched 600 free online courses. Here’s the full list
‘If you haven’t heard, universities around the world are offering their courses online for free (or at least partially free). These courses are collectively called MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses.
In the past six years or so, over 800 universities have created more than 10,000 of these MOOCs…’
Source: Quartz
Take a lookWorth Watching
'In the Service of Peace'
November Prayer Intention of Pope Francis
'That the language of love and dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict.'Worth Watching
Vatican Seeks to Address Global Problem to Lack of Access to Drinkable Water
Pope’s message to participants in the Conference on Water focussed around Laudato Si’, held on 8 November in Rome, called unhealthy water ‘an immense shame for humanity in the 21st century’.
Watch video summarySend suggestions and contributions for the ‘Worth’ Section 2018 to The Editor
The Bottom Line
‘Poverty cannot be summed up in a word; it becomes a cry that rises to heaven and reaches God. What does the cry of the poor express, if not their suffering and their solitude, their disappointment and their hope? We can ask ourselves how their plea, which rises to the presence of God, can fail to reach our own ears, or leave us cold and indifferent. On this World Day of the Poor, we are called to make a serious examination of conscience, to see if we are truly capable of hearing the cry of the poor.’
Pope Francis, Message for the Second World Day of the Poor, 18 November, 2018
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Mercy eNews
The online newsletter of Mercy International Association is published fortnightly, 24 weeks each year and distributed to subscribers via email.
For more information on the directors click here
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