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One of the most recognisable symbols of the Mercy world is the Mercy Cross. Worn by Sisters of Mercy around the world, it is also proudly displayed on the crests of thousands of Mercy ministries – schools, hospitals, universities and community services.
In 1831, at the foundation of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley designed an ivory cross upon an ebony one for the sisters to wear as part of their religious habit. The white insert in the centre of the cross represents new life, hope and possibility’ (2014. Ngã Whaea Aotearoa. Sisters of Mercy New Zealand).
Catherine McAuley explained the significance of the cross in these words: ‘It (our Mercy cross) reminds us that without the Cross the real Crown cannot come. Let Charity be your badge of honour … so that it may be truly said that there is in us but one heart and one soul in God.’
The cross within the cross captured Catherine McAuley’s belief that we all carry the cross of Christ – the challenges, the hurts, the cruelty of everyday life – and that we are all called to respond as Christ did with love, mercy and compassion.
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The original Mercy Cross of 1831 was modernised in 1972 by Maria Josephine D’Angelo rsm from the Unites States – placing the cross within the cross design in a more contemporary frame.
ENDS
Caroline Thompson, Head of Heritage and Spirituality