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Joan Chittister OSB: ‘Aging is about the way we decide to age’
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Judith Frikker rsm ILT, Joan Chittister osb
Erie Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister lamented before an audience in Buffalo of about 160 Sisters of Mercy, and other professionals who work in the field of aging, that society “numbers” everything.
“To be over 65 in this time is to feel badly about ourselves even when we feel good,” said Joan, an internationally-known spiritual writer and lecturer based at Mount St. Benedict in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“Old age is when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. Aging has little or nothing to do with arithmetic age. Aging is about the way we decide to age.”…
Judith Frikker rsm ILT, Joan Chittister osb
Updates Made on Mercy Global Presence Microsite
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MIA Initiatives
Two New Sections Added to Assist Process
We have added a Facilitators’ Guide with a suggested structure for a group session and three example approaches demonstrating flexibility in exploring the various dimensions of the September theme Cosmos and Cosmology. Guides will be provided for each month’s theme.
A Good Reading section is also planned for each theme for related resources which connect with this process. The September reading list is now online. We invite your contributions of something you have read or seen or heard elsewhere that really connects with this process, ‘that's too good to keep to yourself’.
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MIA Initiatives
Adjustments Made to Aid Access to Resources
To make it easier for users to access the resources on the MGP microsite, a link ‘Click here for [Month] resources’ has been added to the first panel on the page. Clicking on the link will jump you to the Resources section.
A 'Back to All Themes' text link has been added to the top of each of the theme detail pages (Introduction, Theological Imaginings etc) to enable the user, having accessed one presentation, to easily make another choice.
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MIA Initiatives
Earth and Integral Ecology Resources Available Next Week
Resources on Earth and Integral Ecology, the second of our Global themes, will be published on the MGP microsite next week, linked from Mercy eNews.
Presenters for October are: Elizabeth Davis rsm (Newfoundland, Introduction), Mary Sullivan rsm (Americas, Theological Imaginings), Margaret Milne rsm, Cheryl Connolly rsm, Teresa Anderson rsm (ANZ, Artistic Inspiration), Maryanne Kolkia rsm (ISMAPNG, Grassroots Minister), Angela Reed rsm (MIA, Mercy Global Action), Tara Egger (North Sydney, Distinct Voice), Anne Curtis rsm (Americas, Reflective Prayer).
Vision in Action
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L-r: Angela Reed rsm (MIA), Gemma Wilson sm (ANZ), Louise Cleary csb, Christine Carolan, Clare Griffin csb (AUS)MGA
Talitha Kum: 10 Years of Hard Work Against Human Trafficking
Women religious from across the globe came together in Rome from 21-27 September to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Talitha Kum, an international network of Consecrated Life against trafficking in persons.
Angela Reed rsm, MIA-MGA Coordinator, participated in the Assembly where she was interviewed for an article in Vatican News.
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Prayer
MIA Prayer Intention: Final Days of the Synod on the Amazon
As the Synod moves into its final days, we are each invited to continue to pray for fruitful dialogue between and among all those involved.
A reminder of the online prayer opportunity on 24 October organised by UISG.
Post your prayer in our online chapel.
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One of the cups from the set Catherine brought from Coolock to Baggot StreetDevelopment
Holding a Good Cup of Tea Event?
Teabags packed especially for a Good Cup of Tea event can be purchased in person or online from the MIC Gift Shop.
Members' News
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Photo Credit: Renee RosensteelAmericas
Carlow University Embraces 90th Year with Continued Focus on Mercy, Service
PITTSBURGH — Sporting orange hair nets and crinkly plastic gloves, hundreds of students, staff, faculty and administrators at Carlow University cooperated to pack 20,000 meals, which will be sent to people in need in Africa…
The meal-packaging event last month was one of many activities commemorating the university’s 90th anniversary and evoking the university’s values of mercy and service…
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ISMAPNG
Do Justice for Earth: Elaine Wainwright rsm
Elaine Wainwright rsm suggests that we read Sirach 35: 12-14, 16-19 with protection and love of all creation in mind. She writes: ‘The concluding words of the sage in this poem — indeed God will not delay — can function to alert us to the urgency of the cry rising up in our time, not just from the Earth but from the cosmos. We cannot remain, or survive, in our anthropocentrism.’
Download the article here
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Americas
All Africa Sister to Sister
All-Africa Conference: Sister to Sister (AAC:SS) was formed in 2002 . For 15 years Margaret Farley rsm and Eileen Hogan rsm met with African women religious, assisting them in hosting conferences and workshops to address their needs in training and education. Read more about the history here
Currently, AAC:SS is administered by Sr. Rosemary Jeffries rsm along with Sr. Mayon Sylvain rsm and supported by many volunteers both lay and religious. Global Sisters Report last week features ‘Q & A with Sr. Teresa Namataka, training African sisters to counsel people with HIV/AIDS’. Sr Teresa attended the AAC: SS conference held in Harare, Zimbabwe in May.
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Americas
Inaugural Cosmic Walk Welcomes Visitors in Benson, Vermont
The first Cosmic Walk organized by the Mercy Ecospirituality Center took place on Saturday, October 5. The Sisters of Mercy began Mercy Ecology, Inc. 10 years ago, establishing a Center on the 39 acres of rolling meadows and farmhouse in Benson, Vermont. Formerly known as Mercy Farm, Mercy Ecospirituality Center is a small retreat house with gardens, woodland trails and small animals that help us to reconnect to the natural world. Our mission is to inspire reverence for Earth and to live in harmony with creation.
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Anne McGuire rsm (first left) was part of a Micah Australia delegation that met with the Prime Minister (centre)ISMAPNG
Christian Women Visit Parliament to Lobby for the Pacific
Sr Anne, representing Mercy Works, was one of 40 women from a cross section of Christian denominations who visited Parliament House in Canberra. Among the group, meetings were held with over 45 parliamentarians, with discussions taking place about the importance of keeping women and children at the centre of a ‘Step Up for the Pacific’ and the role that Australia can play in being a good global neighbour in our region.
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Aotearoa New Zealand
Mercy’s Korowai Mirrors Catherine’s Mana
Catherine McAuley’s shawl, a symbol of her care of the sick and dying, [was likened] to a Māori korowai or ceremonial cloak. Created through a sacred and skilled craft, the korowai takes a long time to make, involving practice, patience and gentle learning. The korowai reflects Catherine’s mana or spiritual power which is derived from her faith in God and in Jesus, the Word made flesh; it brings a sense of shelter and is passed from one generation to another.
Mercy Matters
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Gospel
27 October 2019, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Luke 18: 9-14
'The parable of the Pharisee and the toll collector follows that of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. Luke frames the parable with comments about being just or in right relationship (translated “virtuous”) and justified (translated “at rights with God”)…’
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Fact
On This Day
1853: Chicago Mercy Hospital and Orphan Asylum opened
1898: Sisters take charge of Coromandel Hospital, Auckland
2015: Sisters of Mercy from America were in Beirut before the Civil War of 1975-1990
Contribute a fact from the story of your Mercy congregation, institute or federation, to our online archive.
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International Days
24 October: UN DAY
‘United Nations Day highlights the enduring ideals of the Charter, which entered into force on this date 74 years ago. Amid stormy global seas, the Charter remains our shared moral anchor.’
— UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Further Resources
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Worth Watching
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Worth Knowing
Coming soon: The Story of Plastic
From the Story of Stuff Project a feature length documentary on the story of plastic.
Enjoy a sneak peak of The Story of Plastic in these four mini-docs exploring issues from the film
Watch the mini-docs)
Worth Reading
Ending extreme poverty crucial to sustainable future for all: UN chief
‘A sustainable future for all is unlikely unless globalization benefits all children, their families and communities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty…’
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Worth Reading
What if the Real Act of Holiness Is Rest?
‘Reading those verses again made me wonder: What if resting, all by itself, is the real act of holiness? What if honoring the gift of our only life in this gorgeous world means taking time every week to slow down? To sleep? To breathe?…’
Read the article)
Worth Knowing
Nikon’s Small World Winners 2019
Regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. Winning shots have been announced
View the beauty of the top 20 of these tiny worldsSend suggestions and contributions for the ‘Worth’ Section 2019 to: The Editor
The Bottom Line
‘The church is the only institution that is crying out so the whole world awakens. If we don’t do anything for the planet, we will all disappear.’
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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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