Speaker Series – Mount Saint Mary's Academy, Oklahoma

Sister Deirdre Mullan, Northern Province of the Sisters of Mercy, was the keynote speaker recently at Mount Saint Mary’s Academy in Oklahoma.

Focusing on the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Deirdre spoke to a packed assembly of the importance of Forgiveness. Using as a background her experience of growing up in Northern Ireland and her early years as a young teacher, Sister Deirdre highlighted how Words Matter. She underscored the importance of education for global citizenship and in particular highlighted the importance of trying to understand the ‘other’.

Quoting from Pope Francis: Sister Deirdre reminded her audience that “sin manifests itself in all its destructive power in wars, various forms of power and abuse, the abandonment of the most vulnerable, and attacks on nature. (Laudato Si #66).

She reminded students that being students at a Mercy institution means being committed to working toward a culture of nonviolence, whether in response to acts of mass violence, to the daily violence on our streets or to the violence of poverty and inequality.

Using her latest publication – Words Matter, students and faculty were invited to look at the messages contained in this powerful little booklet and to use its message and challenge of trying to find the “right words” to call out injustice, to correct an error, to affirm or encourage another person, to heal a broken relationship. Words Matter and how we speak to each other matters too.

As a Thank You to Sister Deirdre, the school is donating a monetary gift is her name to the Rehema Na Vitendo Project for Children with Special Needs in Kenya.

Messages to: Deirdre Mullan rsm