'Unto All Ages Holy Ground' (William Kinsella)
Mary Reynolds rsm at Memorial Wall - Rededication of Sacred Garden Ritual
Editor: A Memorial wall now faces Catherine’s tomb in the redeveloped Sacred Garden at Baggot Street. Inscribed on the memorial stone affixed to the wall are the names of the first 13 Sisters of Mercy to be laid to rest, housed in the crypt at St Teresa’s Church, and those of the 49 Sisters who died after Catherine and are interred beside her in the Sacred Garden.
Some of these women’s stories - not just that of Catherine - but, for example, those of Elizabeth Harley, Cecilia Marmion, De Pazzi Delaney and Clare Augustine Moore, are familiar to us. Of the other lives given, we know a lot less. Wonderfully though, each one is named so all who gave their lives in the service of Mercy in the first 52 years of the Order (1831-1883) are recorded permanently, here together for the first time.
Mary Reynolds rsm at Memorial Wall - Rededication of Sacred Garden Ritual
More Resources for Remembrance Day
Resource
Remembrance of Catherine McAuley's Death Day.
A Reflection from Sisters of Mercy Newfoundland
A reflective exercise centred in Catherine McAuley’s room at Baggot Street.
‘Let us take a moment to step into Catherine’s bedroom. Enter gently, silently, reverently. Reflect on the sacred space in which she died….’
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Resource
The Death and Burial of Catherine McAuley (1778-1841): Her Convent and Tomb as a Place of Pilgrimage. Article by Mary C Sullivan rsm
‘Catherine McAuley’s Death:
In the evening of Thursday, November 11, 1841, Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, died of tuberculosis at the Convent of Mercy on Baggot Street, Dublin—the first of twelve convents she had established in the preceding decade. She was surrounded by members of the Baggot Street, Booterstown, and Limerick communities, some of whom have left written eye-witness reports…’
Vision in Action
MGP
Timeline of Segments and Themes Published
The dates on which the Mercy Global Presence (MGP) monthly resources will be online have been confirmed (2019-2021).
Download a copy of the Timeline from the MGP microsite. Direct links are:
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Prayer
MIA Prayer Intention: Australia's National Prayer Campaign to End Drought
The Catholic Church in Australia is dedicating the month of November 2019 as a time to pray for those affected by crippling drought conditions and to pray for the gift of rain.
Join the Sisters of Mercy Brisbane Congregation, North Sydney Congregation, Parramatta Congregation and the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) and other Catholic communities across the country in praying for the gift of rain, for people affected by drought, for support services.
Post your prayer in our online chapel
MGA
Spanish Edition of 'Inherent Dignity' Now Available
Mercy Global Action is pleased to announce the release of the Spanish translation of Inherent Dignity. This important resource, Dignidad Inherente, is now available in our library where it can be read online as a Flip Book, shared, or downloaded (96 page PDF).
MGA originally launched the guidebook in July 2018, coinciding with the International Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Since its release this resource has spread internationally. Organizations have utilized Inherent Dignity in their work specializing in not only trafficking, but also migration, gender equality, and the special rights of children.
Members' News
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ISMAPNG
Cookhouses n Tanks a Lot
Sisters and friends gathered last week at the Mercy Hub in Carlton North, Melbourne, Australia, to celebrate the recent opening of three cookhouses in Papua New Guinea and to hear about plans for more in the future.
Cookhouse n Tanks a Lot (CTAL) Leader, Margaret Ryan rsm painted the picture about how these wonderful projects came about.
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The Congregation
The 1960s Struggle for Human Rights
In 1958 when six Sisters of Mercy from Birr and Nenagh were assigned to teach at Nativity School in Biloxi, Mississippi, we knew almost nothing about civil rights. Very soon we learned about the subject from our surroundings. We were shocked to find that the so-called Jim Crow Laws, which mandated strict segregation in all facilities, including our Catholic Churches and schools, still persisted…
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Americas
Mercy Responds to Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal
The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have consistently supported the Paris climate agreement as a first global step to achieving the greenhouse gas emission reductions required to avoid catastrophic global heating…We urge Congress to take measures to ensure that the United States accepts its critical role and responsibility on the global stage through an unprecedented robust response to the climate crisis…
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The Congregation
The Sisters of Mercy Join you in November to Remember
The Congregation has posted a reflection on the homepage of their website on November remembrances; loved ones who have died, victims of war and those who weep are among the remembered.
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Americas
Fort Smith finds out about Mother Mary Teresa Farrell
On 17 October a statue of M Teresa Farrell who brought education to the Arkansas River Valley in 1851 was dedicated in the local park.
‘“The school soon became a combination orphanage/school because so many fathers died during the Civil War,” Sister Jolitta said. “Sisters raised chickens and cows, planted gardens, and foraged for berries to feed the children. Fort Smith was so close to the battlefront that they kept the children inside all day to protect them from the shooting. One of the hardest things for them was that they were all from Ireland and couldn’t get any tea.”’
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Americas
Celebrating Who We Are
On 24 October, Jasmine Cho, a senior majoring in art therapy at Carlow University, was featured on a segment titled, “A More Perfect Union on CBS This Morning.” Jasmine is working to tell stories of Asian-American icons who are often left out of history books, underscoring the importance for all people to see people like themselves celebrated. The segment featured Jasmine’s baking art, as well as her work on her panels for the Outdoor Art Gallery on the fifth floor of University Commons at Carlow.
Mercy Matters
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Fact
On This Day
1905: Mother Mary Agnes Hanley and Sister Mary Louis McMahon opened a hospital in Webster City, Iowa
Contribute a fact from the story of your Mercy congregation, institute or federation, to our online archive.
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Gospel
10 November 2019. 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
‘Is there life after death? If so, what does that mean? Will we be united in death with those whom we have loved in this life? Do the bonds of love experienced in this life continue beyond the grave? Are our loved ones far from us in death? How do they live on, if indeed they do? These are questions that have preoccupied human beings for millennia…’
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Digital Life
Safety First: the Short, Simple Guide to Securing all Your Passwords
‘If you log in to every website with the same details, you’re doing it wrong. Here are four easy steps to unhackability.
Further Resources
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Worth Knowing
The Sustainability Book
A new publication, The Sustainability Book, published by the World Council of Churches, offers online texts and resources about the Sustainable Development Goals for use by congregations, gatherings, and individuals.
Checkout the book, free here online)
Worth Reading
Amazon governors, meeting after synod, support 'green economy'
‘Governors from eight Amazonian states in Brazil and Peru meeting at the Vatican agreed that the Amazon is threatened and called for a "green economy" that would allow people to generate income without destroying the forest…’
Read the article here)
Worth Reading
Holy See Asks UN to Focus on Sustainable Development
‘We cannot adopt a sectorial approach that reduces sustainable development to economic growth, environmental protection and technological progress. We must keep front and center the inherent dignity of each person as well as the promotion of the common good.’
Read the article hereWorth Watching
Dr Mary McAleese and Sister Joan Chittister in conversation
Voices of Faith, We are Church Ireland and the School of Religion in Trinity College presented Mary McAleese and Joan Chittister osb in conversation on 2 November 2019. The livestream was archived.
Watch it here)
Worth Reading
As fewer sisters serve in health care, ensuring their charisms will endure
"Sisters across the United States have dealt with this issue for decades as their numbers have declined and health care has changed: As fewer sisters are involved, how do you ensure the enterprise stays true to its original mission?"
The article includes interviews with Mary Haddad rsm (CHA president and CEO) and Helen Amos rsm (Executive Chair of the board for Mercy Health Services in Baltimore)
Image: stock image.
Read the article here)
Worth Reading
Stop Trafficking!
The November issue (Vol.17 No. 11) of Stop Trafficking! is now available.
This issue highlights the situation of women in human trafficking.
Read this issue hereSend suggestions and contributions for the ‘Worth’ Section 2019 to: The Editor
The Bottom Line
‘We live by faith in God and in hope of resurrection, of the transformation of every being.’ Read more
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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