If you are following the Soup and Substance Lenten programme, the theme for this week is 'Centres of Support and Skill,' which is the fifth section on the Mercy and Justice Shall Meet DVD. 

The process is the same as that outlined in last week’s MercyWorld E-News, and the story featured in this themed topic relates to Peru, which is the country featured this week in the series 'Where Sisters of Mercy Minister.'

Everything needed to discuss the story, socio-economic context and Mercy response, and inspiration from scripture and Mercy tradition is provided on Mercy and Justice Shall Meet.  A second option, however, for the story portion is the DVD also produced by Fraynework: A Mercy Story in Peru.  This DVD which is 11 minutes in length is easier for English-speaking audiences who have difficulty reading subtitles on projected screens.

Messages to Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

As we continue to reflect on ‘Being Mercy in the twenty first century’ and on the MIA Vision focus on the displacement of persons worldwide, we offer another paper from the Mercy International Research Conference: Global Human Trafficking: A Mercy Concern by Elizabeth McMillan, rsm.

In addition to a very informative article, Elizabeth provides maps showing the main origin, transit and destination countries of reported human trafficking across the continents. Of particular interest is Appendix B which gives details of human trafficking in each of the main areas in which Mercy Sisters minister.

What can you do?
• Appendix C gives a list of organizations and networks involved in Anti Trafficking. You might like to check one out to see if you could get involved in any of its campaigns or alternatively check out the organisations or networks in your own country/locality. Any search engine will help you find the necessary information.
• Read Stop Trafficking Newsletter. It is published every month. The Stop Trafficking newsletter serves as a forum for exchange among religious congregations and their collaborating organizations:
- to promote awareness re human trafficking;
- to exchange best practices in advocacy for and empowerment of survivors of human trafficking;
- to recommend actions to counter human trafficking.

  The Sisters of Mercy were one of the first groups to sponsor the newsletter

• Commit to pray for victims of trafficking and its eradication throughout the world.

Messages to Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

In March 2010, the Commission on the Status of Women will undertake a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.   Emphasis will be placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.  Member States, representatives of non-governmental organizations and of UN entities will participate in the session.  A series of parallel events will provide additional opportunities for information exchange and networking. 

Ongoing national and regional review processes are feeding into the global review process.
The General Assembly is expected to mark the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in a commemorative meeting during CSW.  

A history of the Commission has been posted in the 'Commissions' area on the MGC section of the MIA website.

Messages to Deirdre Mullan rsm - Director MGC

The new Mercy world website will include galleries of images of Catherine McAuley and the works of Mercy, providing reflective opportunities for those who visit the site.

We are seeking photos of paintings, icons, stained glass windows, statues, sculptures etc which can be included in these galleries.

We welcome Mercy artists and those who know of the locations of these Mercy works of art to make contact with us.

Musicians are most welcome to send their work to be featured as well.

Those who are poets are also encouraged to contribute their work.

Thank you to those who have already contributed images and content for inclusion in the new website.

Messages to: Communications

By reducing redundancy and switching gears, the Sisters of Mercy Health System – a group of 26 hospitals in four states in middle America – has challenged traditional thinking and found innovative ways to save $109 million in healthcare costs and avoid more than 150,000 potential medication errors that could have harmed patients.

While Mercy was recently named the top healthcare supply chain operation in the world, just second overall to global giant Johnson & Johnson, it is the desire to improve patient care and safety that is driving Mercy’s efforts...

Messages to Barb Meyer - VP Communications Sisters of Mercy Health System

Editor: St John's is this week's featured Mercy website

'Like many others around the world, Mercy and its co-workers have eagerly supported relief efforts in Haiti, and we are particularly gratified that we could respond with specific supplies requested by the Hôpital Sacré Coeur,' said Lynn Britton, Mercy president and CEO. 'Mercy will continue to look for ways to help the people of Haiti with money, supplies and medical services.'

Messages to Barb Meyer - VP Sisters of Mercy Health System Corporate Communications

The first anniversary of the death of Derry’s Sister Aloysius McVeigh was marked at the Playhouse - the site of the Convent of Mercy Pump St. Derry. The event included the unveiling of the stained glass window and an evening of sacred music in her honour.

The Mercy Window was the last piece the iconographer worked on before her death on Christmas Day 2008. The window, which was unveiled on Sunday 20th December, 2009, pays tribute to the work and legacy of the Sisters of Mercy from when they arrived in Derry in 1848. 

Messages to Veronica O'Brien rsm
 

In the programme to be held by Mercy International Association this Wednesday entitled Soup and Substance, the realities of Peru and the ministry of Sisters of Mercy in that country will be featured.  As a parallel to that, MIA is highlighting Peru this week in the series on the various countries where Sisters of Mercy minister.

Peru has high rates of unemployment, displacement of persons from rural to urban areas, and social inequalities.  There is a much higher rate of poverty among women in Peru than among men as 23% of all women in Peru do not have any formal education and a Peruvian woman earns 25% that of a Peruvian man.  Thirty-five percent of all Peruvian children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition, and women endure violence in an estimated 50% of all households.  As a result of these socio-economic realities Sisters of Mercy in Peru have chosen to focus on programmes and services predominantly directed toward women and children.

Messages to Mary Kay Dobrovolny rsm - Associate Director Heritage and Spirituality

1844 - Margaret O'Brien - Sr. M. Agatha - first woman received in USA

1911 - Re-opening of St. Mary's Hospital, San Francisco after 1906 earthquake

'Fire Cast on the Earth -- Kindling': Being Mercy in the Twenty- First Century is the proceedings of the International Research Conference sponsored in California in November 2007 by the International Research Commission of the Sisters of Mercy.

Those interested in obtaining a bound print copy of the research papers currently being explored through Mercy E-News, will find here details of how to purchase this publication online.

St. John's is a Springfield, Missouri-based integrated health system serving the residents of southwest Missouri and Northern Arkansas since 1891

Rooted in the mission of Jesus and the healing ministry of the church, our mission is to provide high quality, compassionate healthcare services in a personalized Christian environment.

We seek to improve the health and quality of life of communities we serve, with particular concern for people who are economically poor.

Buzz is a new feature recently introduced into Gmail accounts.  It is a type of social networking facility embedded in your e-mail.  To protect the privacy of your e-mail and your e-mail contacts, it is advisable to remove 'Buzz' from your Gmail account.

To do this:
Open your Gmail account.
On the top left navigation, under 'Inbox' you will see the word 'Buzz'.
Click on it to open.
The 'Buzz' Welcome pages opens up.
Find the words 'Turn off Buzz' and click on them.
A Settings page opens.  Click on 'Disable Google Buzz'.
A 'Delete your profile page' opens up.  
Click on 'Yes, delete my profile and posts'.

The above actions do not affect your e-mail account but will protect you from creating a public profile without realising it.