Issue 811

20 Mar 2019

World Water Day, 22 March 2019

Editor: World Water Day is the annual UN observance highlighting the human right of all people to fresh water. Currently, 2.1 billion people live without safe water at home, putting them at risk of illness and disease. This year’s theme ‘Leaving no one behind’ is adapted from SDG6. Pope Francis recently affirmed the importance of meeting the SDGs and of addressing root causes and long-term consequences. MIA supports the SDGs, identifying 10 of the 17 SDGs as most relevant to the mission of the Sisters of Mercy. Among these is SDG6 - clean water and sanitation…

Messages to: Mary Reynolds rsm CEO MIA

MIA Vision

Events & Programmes

Another Successful Mercy Ethos Programme at Baggot Street

Editor: 21 leaders from Mercy ministries in Australia, Ireland and Newfoundland participated last week in a Mercy Ethos Pilgrimage to Baggot Street, ably facilitated by Anna Nicholls rsm.

The first two days of the programme were spent exploring the stories of Catherine McAuley, and some of the early women of Mercy…

Prayer

MIA Special Prayer Intention: For the Victims of the Christchurch Terrorist Attack

Mercy International Association joins Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand in grief, prayer and solidarity with the victims, their families, the people of Christchurch and all New Zealanders in response to the horrific and deadly attacks at the Masjid Al Noor and the Linwood Masjid mosques…

MGA

MIA-MGA Key Advocacy Points for CSW63

MIA-MGA has a delegation attending the 63rd UNCommission on the Status of Women in New York (11-22 March). Those attending are: Marian Gardner (MIA-MGA Intern), Angela Reed rsm (MIA-MGA Coordinator), Colleen Swain (MIA-MGA Fellow), Marietta Latonio, Mely Lenario, and six delegates from MercyFirst in Syosset, New York - Autumn Potter, Sarah Mcgann, Caroline Mcgann, Sarah Lovett, Eileen Mcgann and Jenny Asaro…

Americas

Each Trying to Do What we Can

For understandable reasons, our MIRP group in Rochester, New York, has not formally met since 2016, but we have each been trying to do what we can to save and protect our precious water. I myself am grateful to be collaborating with the whole Mercy family on this central issue with respect to Earth’s well-being. And I try to do the following mundane things:…

Newfoundland

Water Focus at Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice

Water has been a particular focus at the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice as we acknowledge the sacredness of water and become ever more conscious of the effects of climate change with the daily reminders of our unusual weather patterns…

Fascinated by Water

I’ve always been fascinated by water. Perhaps it’s because my star sign, Scorpio, is associated with the element of water! Whatever of that, water has always been a powerful image and experience in my life. Recently in the cool of the evening, I took a drive out to Chifley Dam about 20 kms south of Bathurst…

Newfoundland

Realisation: All Water is in Jeopardy

“Thank God we’re surrounded by water”, is a refrain in a song we sing in Newfoundland and Labrador, the tenth province of Canada. And we are indeed surrounded by water, since we are an island jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast…

Of late we have begun to realize that all water is in jeopardy…

Defend the River from Fracking Contamination

River Negro. Source: Wikipedia. User Pertile. Used under CC 4.0

Americas

Defend the River from Fracking Contamination

I live in a beautiful valley, in the Province of Río Negro (Argentina) where people have cultivated fruit and vegetables for over one hundred years, thanks to the clear, fast flowing river that runs through the valley, giving it life via an irrigation system that was made with great effort by the pioneers of this region…

Americas

Water Usage Greatly Reduced at Mercy Center

For over 20 years, Rick Stockton, maintenance supervisor at Mercy Center in St. Louis, Missouri, had previously been employed as heating and cooling supervisor at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. When he came to Mercy Center as Maintenance Supervisor, he became aware of how much water was being used and wasted by the refrigeration system which was being “Water Cooled”…

Resource

Reflection

water.shapes.earth

water.shapes.earth combines the power of aerial photography and storytelling to rediscover the beauty of our planet, and to show how water shapes Earth and influences our lives.

Resource

Bright Wings, Dappled Things

Hopkins’ poetry is brought together with the photography of Fr Browne and the commentary of Jo O’Donovan rsm (The Congregation). Sr Jo ‘takes the reader through the story of Hopkins’ intellectual development and carefully explains the theological and philosophical underpinnings of his poetry’.

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Reflection

Lenten Commitment

Give up harsh words: use generous ones.
Give up unhappiness: take up gratitude
Give up anger: take up gentleness and patience.
Give up pessimism: take up hope and optimism…

Gospel

24 March 2019. 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C

Luke 13: 1-9

'Today’s gospel begins with two warnings about the need for repentance. It ends with a parable about an unproductive fig tree and a faithful “gardener God”. The warnings include two examples of untimely deaths, one reported to Jesus and then used by him to illustrate the urgent need for repentance, the other reported by Jesus as a further illustration of his point...'

Fact

On This Day

1871: Foundation to Ennistymon from Gort, Co Galway
1890: Profession of first Sister in Gunnedah, M Berchmans Smart
1993: Profession of Elizabeth Mun Barrantes, first Peruvian Sister to enter Pittburgh community

Contribute a fact from the story of your Mercy congregation, institute or federation, to our online archive.