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Mercy Day 2026: Beginning Our Journey Towards 200 Years of Catherine McAuley's House of Mercy
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On Mercy Day 2026, the Mercy World comes together in prayer and celebration as we begin a year of preparation for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the first House of Mercy by Catherine McAuley on 24 September 1827.
Mercy Day 2026 marks the beginning of a special year of prayer, reflection, celebration and connection across the Mercy World.
The anniversary year, from Mercy Day 2026 to Mercy Day 2027, invites us to remember our shared heritage, celebrate the ways in which Mercy continues to flourish throughout the world, and look with hope towards the future.
A special Mercy Day Mass from Baggot Street will be shared via the Mercy World website in the early afternoon of Mercy Day, Thursday 24th September. The celebrant will be Fr Bryan Shortall Ofm Cap.
The Mass will offer the Mercy World an opportunity to gather spiritually at this significant place and to give thanks for Catherine’s vision and for the countless women and men who have continued the mission of Mercy over the past two centuries.
We invite members of the Mercy World everywhere to join us online and to share in this celebration of our common heritage.
Find out what else we have planned and find out more about the official logo, theme and prayer.
Marking the 200th anniversary of the First House of Mercy
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Mercy 200 Stories
Lifestart - Mercy in Action
Mercy 200 Stories
Lifestart - Mercy in Action
Sister Dolores McGuiness RSM shares the story of Lifestart which began in Derry in 1987 with a small group and an idea. She shares: "a small group of us gathered in Derry with no concrete plans, no assets, and nothing to manage but an emerging dream. We called ourselves an ‘Inspirational Committee’, united by a singular question: how could we enrich the most formative years of a child’s life, from birth to age five?"
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Mercy 200 Stories
A door which opened in Dublin in 1827 is still opening in Detroit almost 200 years later
Mercy 200 Stories
A door which opened in Dublin in 1827 is still opening in Detroit almost 200 years later
Educating those without access to it is one of the Works of Mercy Catherine McAuley placed at the centre of her mission when she opened the first House of Mercy on Baggot Street in 1827. Education, freely given to women and girls who had little else to lean on, was one of the clearest doors she saw towards a different future. It is this same work of Mercy that Angela Walters, Development Communications Manager at Mercy Education Project (MEP) in Detroit, is highlighting in this story.
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200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
Official Prayer for the 200th anniversary is now available
200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
Official Prayer for the 200th anniversary is now available
We are delighted to publish the official Prayer for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the first House of Mercy by Catherine McAuley. The prayer is available in English and in Spanish on our website.
For Mercy Day 2026 we will also be making it available on our website in multimedia formats.
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200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
We want your #Mercy200Stories
200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
We want your #Mercy200Stories
#Mercy200Stories is one of our key projects marking the 200th anniversary of the founding of the first House of Mercy by Catherine McAuley on 24 September 1827. This global storytelling project is an invitation to the Mercy World to gather and share 200 stories that reveal Mercy in action, Mercy in place, and Mercy as lived experience across the world today. Share your stories with us today!
Mercy Matters: Heritage and Spirituality
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Fact
On This Day
23 August 1868
Foundation to Belturbet from Bolton - M Bernard Geraghty.
28 August 1843
Foundation to Liverpool from Baggot St - M Liguori Gibson.
30 August 1879
Death of M Cecilia Xavier Maguire, Superior Baggot St 1854-58, Foundress of Geelong.
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Heritage Spirituality
Catherine's Prayer - The Suscipe
Catherine McAuley’s Suscipe is one of the most revered and well-known of her prayers. It is a prayer that captures the essence of her spirituality – her complete and unwavering trust in God. It is also a prayer which gives us a glimpse of Catherine’s fears and the personal toll of the pressures of her life and work.
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200th anniversary
Saints in Waiting webinar on 25th November
On Wednesday 25th November 2026 we will host an online webinar entitled 'Saints In Waiting'. The webinar will feature a discussion with the postulators for the causes for canonisation of Nano Nagle, Mary Ward, Mary Aikenhead and Catherine McAuley. This webinar is part of a series of events and celebrations that are taking place between September 2026 and 2027 as MIA marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of Catherine McAuley's first House of Mercy in 1827.
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Mercy Global Action
MELF Cohort Five's Dublin Immersion begins today
MELF Cohort Five begin their Dublin Immersion experience this week. Their Dublin Immersion Programme includes the formal presentations of their Justice Projects on 26th and 27th August. These will be live-streamed on the MIA Facebook Page for those wishing to tune in and they will also be available afterwards on the MIA website and YouTube pages.
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200th anniversary
Register for Session Five of our Heritage Webinar Series: The Path to the First House of Mercy 1827
The Path to the First House of Mercy 1827 is the theme we have chosen for a new Heritage Webinar series from Mercy International Association. Self-registration is open now for the fifth webinar in the series which is entitled 'Companions on the Journey - Part One'. This webinar will be offered by Caroline Thompson on Wednesday 12th of August 2026.
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Heritage and Spirituality
Watch our Heritage Webinar on Catherine's Time in Coolock
On Wednesday 12th August we hosted the fourth webinar in our Heritage Series - the Path to the First House of Mercy 1827. We were delighted to welcome attendees from across the Mercy World including Australia, US, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada. If you missed the session, which was delivered by Caroline Thompson on Catherine's time in Coolock, you can now watch it on our YouTube channel.
Further Resources
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Worth Reading
Follow our daily #MercyMoment
We invite you to follow our daily #MercyMoment on our website and on our social media (Facebook and Instagram). Our daily pause for reflection is available in English and Spanish and offers an inspiring, thought-provoking quote from the Mercy World and beyond. You can access all our reflections in our FLICKR archive too!
Worth Reading)
Worth Reading
Pope Leo XIV: 'The cry of displaced children rises to God'
in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo reminds us that we cannot remain indifferent to the cries of displaced children. He said: "The cry of displaced children rises to God today, just as did the cry heard in the Book of Exodus." The 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be marked on 27th September.
Worth Reading)
Worth Knowing
New website for Newfoundland
The Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland have just launched their revamped website. They have used visually stunning photos to illustrate the many areas of their work and mission. Their sections on Spirituality and Ecology offer wonderful resources for the Mercy World. Well done to all involved in bringing the new website to life.
Worth Knowing)
Worth Knowing
Culture Night in Catherine's House
We invite you to save the date of Friday 18th September 2026 so you can step into 200years of history as we open the doors of Catherine’s House for Culture Night. We will have tours of the house and share the story of Catherine McAuley’s life on a night when dozens of cultural and heritage sites will be open right across Dublin and Ireland.
Worth Knowing)
Worth Reading
Sister María Luisa Vera receives Catholic Health Association Lifetime Achievement Award
Sister María Luisa Vera received the 2026 Catholic Health Association Lifetime Achievement Award during the Catholic Health Association Assembly Awards Banquet on Wednesday, June 3, in St. Louis, Missouri. María Luisa was recognized for her more than five decades of dedicated service to marginalized communities through Mercy Ministries of Laredo, Texas, including 15 years as its president. Her lifelong commitment to compassionate care and social justice has made a lasting impact on countless individuals and families.
Worth Reading)
Worth Watching
In God Alone - a key resource for the bi-centenary
One of the key resources that we will be using as part of our resources for the 200th anniversary of the opening of the first House of Mercy is the film In God Alone. This 23 minute docudrama, features re-enactments of actual events in the life of Catherine McAuley, from her childhood to her last days. Filmed mainly on location in Ireland with Irish actors, the film makes for compelling viewing.
Worth Watching)
Worth Knowing
60th World Day of Peace theme: Disarming technology for peace
January 1, 2027 marks the 60th World Day of Peace. To celebrate this day, Pope Leo XIV has chosen the theme, “Disarming Technology, Serving Peace: Politics as Preventive Responsibility", according to a press release from the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development. The Pope wants to highlight the “moral responsibility of those called to act in the political sphere” the statement continued. Furthermore, Pope Leo is encouraging humanity to promote dignity for each and every person help foster peace, beginning with the “disarming of technology.”
Worth Knowing)
Worth Reading
Season of Creation Celebration Guide now available
The Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October) 2026 Celebration Guide is now available. The document explores the meaning of this year’s theme, Living Water which comes from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (47:1–12): a river flowing from the temple of God, which grows without stopping and brings life where everything seems barren.
Worth Reading)
Mercy eNews
The newsletter of Mercy International Association is published monthly and distributed to subscribers via email. If you have any queries about the newsletter, please contact mercyenews@mercyinternational.ie
For more information on the directors click here
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