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It's World Environment Day
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Editor: June could almost be called ‘World Environment Month’ given the number of days designed to focus our attention on the environment: 5 June World Environment Day, 8 June World Oceans Day, 17 June World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought and 29 June International Day of the Tropics. Resources to mark each of these days can be found on their websites.
How fitting too that 18 June marks four years since the publication of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ ground breaking encyclical on caring for all creation.
In this issue we bring stories of six of the many diverse actions being carried out in different Mercy groups, addressing degradation of Earth, one of the two, often intersecting theme areas that arose from MIRP.
Vision in Action
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Directors
MIA Board Roles
At the AGM of MIA on May 13th, Mr. Ron Ashworth was appointed chair of the MIA Board; Sr. Sheila Carney, vice- chair and Sr. Maria Lawton (Parramatta) was appointed as a Director to replace Sr. Denise Fox (Aotearoa New Zealand) who has retired. MIA is very grateful for their generous service and for the experience and expertise they bring.
We take this opportunity to thank Sr. Denise for her visionary leadership as chair of the Board over the last two years and her nine year’s commitment as an MIA Director.
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Prayer
MIA Prayer Intention: Severe Weather
As we mark this World Environment Day and give thanks for the gifts this planet presents us with daily — ‘For the beauty of the earth/ For the beauty of the skies’ (Rutter)— let us pray for people who are victims and survivors of extreme weather events, particularly those in the United States currently experiencing tornadoes, floods and extreme heat.
Post your prayer in our online chapel.
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MIA-MGA
Mercy Global Action Co-Sponsors Event on Traditional Knowledge Sharing on Human Trafficking
Mercy Global Action co-sponsored an event entitled "Grandmother Council: Anishnabe Training Bundle for Sharing Knowledge on Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation" during the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII)…
The historical roots of trafficking in indigenous communities include: loss of identity and hope, control and fear, and loss of family ties, when family and friends reject victims or due to shame…
Members' News
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ISMAPNG
Institute to Implement Fossil Fuel Free Divestment Strategy
In line with the Investment theme of the Institute’s Sustainable Living Policy, the Institute is aware of the link between fossil fuels and the harm they cause to the environment through greenhouse gases created by mining and using these types of fuels. The leadership team of ISMAPNG has approved a 3-5 year strategy for the Institute’s investment portfolio to divest from fossil fuels…
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L-R: Snrs Channon Lawrence & Ashley DeLeonAmericas
St. Catharine Academy Students Win Contest for Water Sustainability App
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection Water Resource, Art and Poetry Contest recently recognized a water sustainability app created by members of the APP Team, part of the National Beta Club at St. Catharine Academy Bronx, New York.
In keeping with the Mercy Critical Concern for Earth, the APP measures daily water intake and offers suggestions for water conservation and water recycling, including a step-by-step process for filtering contaminated water to use for drinking and/or bathing. The club's moderator, Sheree Petrignani, expressed her enthusiasm for the students who combined science with coding to bring the APP to life. The APP is available through the MIT Media Lab.
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ISMAPNG
Creating a 'Bee Hotel' for Blue-Banded Bees
Members of the Green Group at Damascus College Ballarat put the finishing touches to a “bee hotel” for the native blue-banded bees which have been busy around the College grounds for the past year. Blue-banded bees (Amegilla spp.) have shown that they love tomato flowers, but also appear to like the (also introduced) red valerian flowering outside the College staffroom. Native species don’t necessarily eschew exotic plants.
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Mary Immaculate Students Demonstrate their Concern for the Environment
Two groups of students from Mary Immaculate Secondary Lisdoonvarna, a Mercy founded school, now under the trusteeship of CEIST, presented two projects at the National Finals of the Young Environmentalist competition held in the Convention Centre in Dublin on Thursday 23 May 2019. These were ‘Creating a Wellbeing garden in our school’ and ‘Communicating Climate Change’
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The Congregation
Community Garden is Officially Opened
The Gairdín Beo ('Garden alive') is on a two acre site adjacent to St. Leo's Convent Carlow. In 2014 the opportunity came to respond to the cry of Earth, when the Mercy South Central Province generously made the site available to be protected as a green space and a Community Garden.
’AN Gairdín Beo has fast become part of the Carlow landscape and work continues to ensure its greater benefit to the local community. That was the message as the community garden in Carlow town was officially unveiled recently with special guest, renowned environmentalist Eanna Ní Lamhna, in attendance…’
Source: The Nationalist
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Americas
How the Farm at St. Joe's Transforms Its Health System
At St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor in Michigan, we decided to … demonstrate firsthand that healthy eating can serve as the driver to a healthier lifestyle, improving personal health and overall wellness. Food, as they say, is medicine.
To that end, we set aside 25 acres of open land on the hospital campus to start a farm. The Farm at St. Joe's serves as the heart of our wellness initiative, a place to grow a healthy community and catalyze positive changes to the ways we live, eat and restore ourselves.
Mercy Matters
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Technical Tip
Apple Special Event, 3 June 2019
Technical Tip
Apple Special Event, 3 June 2019
Have you an iPhone or an iPad, Apple watch or an iTunes account and not sure what the changes mean?
The explanations are online on the Apple site and link to this item.
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Gospel
Pentecost Sunday Year C
Gospel
Pentecost Sunday Year C
John 20: 19-23
'Pentecost Sunday is sometimes called the birthday of the Church. For the ancient Israelites, Pentecost (meaning ‘fiftieth’) was a harvest festival celebrated fifty days after the harvesting of the first sheaf. When the Jerusalem temple was built, this harvest festival was transformed into a pilgrimage feast to celebrate the covenant that Israel had made with God on Mt Sinai...'
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Fact
On This Day
Fact
On This Day
1829: Fr L'Estrange said Mass in Chapel at Baggot St, served by Daniel O'Connell
1865: Foundation to Swinford from Tuam - M Aloysius Martyn
Contribute a fact from the story of your Mercy congregation, institute or federation, to our online archive.
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International Day
World Environment Day #Beat air pollution
International Day
World Environment Day #Beat air pollution
The theme for World Environment Day (WED) this year is: #Beat AirPollution.
This global campaign for clean air is aimed at reducing the impact of air pollution on our health & climate.
Further Resources
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Worth Watching
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's address | Harvard Commencement 2019
‘Tear down walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness, for nothing has to stay as it is,’ said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during her commencement address at Harvard University, warning against the perils of isolationism and nationalism, pushed for action on climate change and advocated to never "describe lies as truth and truth as lies."
Watch the Chancellor's address hereWorth Reading
'These Millennials Got New Roommates. They’re Nuns'
‘A project called Nuns and Nones moved religion-free millennials into a [Mercy] convent.
Read the NY Times article featuring Mercy Srs and Nones here)
Worth Knowing
Play it out
A UN festival against plastic pollution was held in Antigua on 1 June.
Festival performances and plastic statistics can be viewed here)
Worth Watching
Oprah interviews Joan Chittister and Richard Rohr on their latest books
Oprah’s latest two interviews on Supersoul Sunday are with Joan Chittister on her book ‘The Time is Now’ and Richard Rohr on his latest work ‘The Universal Christ’.
Watch the interview with Joan Chittister here
View the Interview with Richard Rohr here
Worth Reading
Stop Trafficking! newsletter
The June 2019 issue (vol. 17 no.6) highlights issues affecting trafficked persons and what they see as helpful in their journey toward healing.
Read the article here)
Worth Knowing
Not one single country set to achieve gender equality by 2030
The first global index measuring efforts to end gender inequality finds countries are not doing enough to improve women’s lives’
Read the article here)
Worth Watching
'For the Beauty of the Earth'
Heartstrings Cello Ensemble, ‘young cellists dedicated to providing concerts and performances to benefit domestic and international missions’ perform John Rutter’s composition of the well-known hymn.
Watch the music performance hereSend suggestions and contributions for the ‘Worth’ Section 2019 to: The Editor
The Bottom Line
‘When the Spirit visits the human word, it becomes dynamic, like 'dynamite.' It is capable of enlightening hearts and destroying patterns, resistances and walls of division. It opens up new paths and expands the boundaries of God's people.’
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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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