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16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence:
25 November - 10 December
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Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the first of 16 days of education and activism. We are told by UN Women that ‘since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified’. UN Women calls this ‘The Shadow Pandemic’.
In this week's issue of Mercy eNews, Mercy Global Action addresses what ’Hope in a Time of Pandemic: Responding to COVID -19 through a Mercy Lens’ has revealed in terms of violence. In the Mercy Matters section, two organisations that count Sisters of Mercy among their membership provide opportunities for our reflection, information and action, while the MIA prayer intention, drawing on the work of Joy Clough rsm, has as its theme Victims of Injustice or Violence.
Vision in Action
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MGP
Creating A Living Cosmic Advent Wreath
137 members of the Mercy Family have already registered for one or more of the Regional Gatherings to be held next week (1-3 December).
On our Mercyworld.org website, linked below, is a downloadable PDF to be your journal for this blessed time, and the link to book in to the Regional Gathering/s of your choice. All are welcome to join us.
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MGA
‘Hope in a Time of Pandemic’ Issue Spotlight # 9 –Violence
The global pandemic has highlighted not just a health crisis, but also a social, political, environmental and economic crisis. ’Hope in a Time of Pandemic: Responding to COVID -19 through a Mercy Lens’ has revealed a number of significant issues that have come to the fore. One of these issues is violence, and in particular, violence against women and girls. This is the focus of Spotlight Report 9…
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Prayer
MIA Prayer Intention: Victims of Injustice or Violence
‘God of mercy, may we befriend those enduring violence or injustice. May we respond in mercy when confronted with another’s sorrow or pain. Give us hearts warmed by your love and strengthened by your justice, that we may not only reach out with care to individuals, but also address the causes of their suffering. We ask this as a community of faith called to service.
Amen.’
Source: Intercessions of Mercy edited by Joy Clough rsm
Post your prayer in our online chapel
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MGP Theme 3, 'Presence in Ministry & Community'
Given the focus on preparation for the Living Cosmic Advent Wreath Gatherings (1-3 December), theme 3 will be released through next week's Mercy eNews
Members' News
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Americas
Mercyhurst Emissary Program Starts Up Again
“We created the Mercy Emissary program because our campus community recognized that as fewer and fewer Sisters were working on campus it would take a concerted effort from other people at Mercyhurst [University] to know and embrace the Mercy and Catholic identity of the institution,” Greg Baker, vice president of Mission Integration, said. Baker recalls how the program got started. “We worked with the Sisters to gain approval to adapt the Mercy Associate program—one that allows laypeople who are not Sisters to learn about and support the work of the Sisters—specifically for people connected to Mercyhurst University.”…
Source: The Merciad
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ISMAPNG
Ayda's Painting Wins Lester Prize
Year 7 Mount Lilydale Mercy College student Ayda Paterson has won a prestigious art competition, The Lester Prize’s Youth Award for 2020, for her amazing painting of her brother Ruben who sadly passed away when he was just nine months old.
Her piece ‘Promise You Won’t Forget Me Ever’ took first prize in the Years 7-8 category. It was among more than 250 artworks by secondary school-aged children from around Australia entered in the Youth Awards of Western Australia’s premier fine art competition, The Lester Prize…
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The Congregation
#knowthesigns MECPATHS Campaign
The Congregation of The Sisters of Mercy is committed to responding, where possible, to the global injustice of the trafficking of persons on the island of Ireland. MECPATHS (Mercy Efforts for Child Protection against Trafficking with the Hospitality and Services Sector) was set up specifically for this purpose. MECPATHS launched an animation on Child Trafficking to mark Universal Children's Day (20 November). 25 % of human trafficking victims globally are children.
Mercy Matters
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Resource
UISG: Leaders for A Consecrated Life in a World in Gestation
UISG is making the documents and recordings from this now completed 5-module course freely available for sharing among religious communities.
Resources are available in four languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian
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Resource
Timothy Radcliffe op: 'Embracing the Future with Hope'
Audio of Talk given at Conference of Religious England & Wales (COREW) on 29 October 2020 (29:44).
‘My conviction is that Religious life will have a future if we are profoundly touched by the future of those who seem to have none. If we think primarily of our survival, we won’t.’
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Resource
Webinar: Facilitating the Newly Emerging Religious Life: Our Role at the Graced Crossroads
The goal of this free webinar on 1 December, presented by Dr Ted Dunn, will be ‘to explore what it means to facilitate the emergence of a new Religious Life.
• Graced Crossroads: pathways to deep change and transformation
• Learning to cooperate with grace
• Inner work of transformation’.
Further details and how to register can be found here
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Fact
On This Day
1878: Death of M Cecilia Maher, Foundress of Auckland.
Contribute a fact from the story of your Mercy congregation, institute or federation, to our online archive.
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International Days
16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence: 25 November - 10 December
ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) has produced a list of prayer intentions (PDF) for each day and is organising two webinars. For zoom links & additional resources, click here
FWN (The Future We Need) Group Ireland has updated its series of leaflets on 16 themes, one for each day. Download the series here. Individual leaflets can be downloaded from our online library
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Gospel
1st Sunday of Advent, Year B
Mark 13:33-37
'As I write, I am watching the magpies in the yard, ever alert, rarely asleep, ready to protect their territory and their young. “Eyes wide open” is the proper stance, not just for the magpies, but for gospel people too...'
Further Resources
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Worth Reading
Faith Comes Through Hearing
‘Some days, when we cannot pray, a prayer utters itself.’
Poem by Carol Ann Duffy, former UK Poet Laureate
Photo by Valentina Locatelli on Unsplash
Read the poem & commentary here)
Worth Watching
'O Come, Emmanuel'
O Come, Emmanuel" by Elaine Hagenberg.
For SATB Choir, piano and cello.
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Worth Knowing
‘Interreligious Responses to Laudato Si.' Conference Recordings & Papers
The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology co-sponsored this two-day conference from October 29-30.
‘The conference showcased the impact of Laudato Si’ across religious traditions and organizations throughout the world, and event speakers explored the encyclical’s themes of “integral ecology” on activism, engagement, and policymaking to address climate change.’
Watch the conference recordings here. Read papers from the conference in this issue of Origins.
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Worth Reading
Nourish your inner monk through contemplative creativity
Creativity and contemplation go hand in hand.
Christine Valters Paintner writes: ‘Our “inner monk” seeks God as the source of all being, searches for a mystical connection to the divine source, longs for what is most essential in life, and cultivates this through a commitment to spiritual practice.
Our “inner artist” engages the world through the senses and is passionate about beauty, seeking to express it through a variety of media such as visual art, poetry, movement, or song and through pursuits such as gardening, cooking, and relationships. Artists bring a sense of wonder to the world and open up new ways of seeing ordinary as well as transcendent moments…’
Read the article here)
Worth Reading
Hope in hard times is an element of our prophetic vocation
‘Horizons - As people of prayer and service, we go into dire circumstances and insist that God's goodness will be triumphant — all situations have potential. It may seem foolish, but that's the point…’
Photo by Faris Mohammed on Unsplash
Read the article here)
Worth Watching
Pope's video message to Economy of Francis
Pope Francis' video message at the conclusion of the three day event The Economy of Francesco (19-21 November) 2020
Watch it hereSend suggestions and contributions for the ‘Worth’ Section 2020 to: The Editor
The Bottom Line
‘We need to accept structurally that the poor have sufficient dignity to sit at our meetings, participate in our discussions, and bring bread to their own tables. It is about much more than “social assistance” or “welfare”: we are speaking of a conversion and transformation of our priorities and of the place of others in our policies and in the social order.’ 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
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