Three new documents have been posted on the MGC section of the Mercyworld.org site:

Announcement 1: UN day - October 24

Announcement 2: Letter of support to Mission of Chile

Announcement 3 -Global Gender Report - World Ranking of Women
Nordic countries Iceland (1), Norway (2), Finland (3) and Sweden (4) continue to demonstrate the greatest equality between men and women according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2010.

According to the report’s index, the level of gender equality in France (46) has sunk as the number of women in ministerial positions has fallen over the past 12 months. The United States (19) closed its gender gap, rising 12 places to enter the top 20 for the first time in the report’s five-year history. The climb reflects the higher number of women in leading roles in the current administration and improvements in the wage gap.

Messages to Deirdre Mullan rsm - Director MGC
 

The Mercyworld.org website now has a global site search in place.

You can search on the Mercyworld.org website for anything you would like to locate on the Mercyworld.org website!

How to search: In the top right hand corner of the website, next to the words 'News Centre'  you will see a small magnifying glass.

When you mouse your cursor over the magnifying glass it reveals a field into which you can type a word or phrase that identifies what you are looking for on the website.

Once you have typed in the key word or phrase, click search and you will have all the instances on the site where the word or phrase appears, appear on your screen, in the context in which they appear.

Try this search using the word 'Catherine' to see how the search works.

Messages to Communications

Editor: With the consciousness of the Canonisation of six new saints of the universal church on 17th October, including Mary MacKillop, Sheila Carney's article, Praying for Catherine’s Canonization: Why? and to Whom? offers us food for thought:

'Why do I now, personally, pray that Catherine McAuley will be canonized? I pray for this grace because I want our Church, when it pictures itself as holy, to see this woman, bent, with merciful intent, to human need and suffering. I want our Church, when it reflects on its holiness to see this woman – a gentle, humble, honest, respectful, and challenging leader. I want our Church, when it looks at its holiness, to see this faith filled woman who clung to her belief in it when it supported her and when it didn’t, who drew sustenance from it, who trusted its representatives, who chose to find the meaning of her life in it and who passionately passed on this belief, this fidelity...

Sheila's article includes the list of the Patron Saints of the Sisters of Mercy. Prayer cards including the list of Patron Saints will become available soon through the Postulator, Vice postulators and members of the Canonisation Committee

Messages to Sheila Carney rsm - Vice postulator Americas

The Mercy Heritage Centre (Bermondsey) is celebrating 2010 International Year of the Nurse and the 100th anniversary of the death of Florence Nightingale with a small exhibition showing the continued nursing care by Sisters of Mercy from the Crimean War (1854-1856) to the present day.

Eight Sisters of Mercy from Bermondsey Convent worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea and Florence remained in touch with the Community afterwards, writing them many letters.

Messages to Kate Lewis - Archivist

Editor: See related article ' Sisters of Mercy face the nursing challenge'

Rahamim Ecological Learning Community, a ministry of the Bathurst Sisters of Mercy, recently opened its new community gardens. Re-designed on the principles of permaculture, the gardens comprise communal and individual plots. Members of the community can rent a plot of land to grow vegetables or flowers or simply pay a small membership to help work the communal plots.

Messages to Ann-Maree O’Beirne rsm

Editor: Rahamim is this week's featured Mercy website

Moving children and vulnerable families out of immigration detention centres into community-based accommodation is a major step forward in giving asylum seekers a 'fair go', says Catholic Religious Australia...

"Being an asylum seeker is not a crime. These people are among the most vulnerable," said Sister Caroline Ryan, RSM, Vice President of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy Australia. "As women committed to the Gospel, it is our privilege and duty to advocate for them."

Sister Caroline added that a number of Mercy congregations have made housing available to refugee families, as have other Church agencies.

"It is important to say that no housing stock that will be used for these families would be taken from housing for those who are great need such as homeless men and women."

Click to read the Media Release: ( Prime Minister ) Gillard announcement resurrects Australian concept of 'fair go' say Religious

Messages to Caroline Ryan rsm - Institute Leadership Team

In 1972 Sisters of Mercy from Auckland (Aotearoa New Zealand) established a house in Leulumoega, Somoa, on the north coast of the Upolo island near Apia, the capitol. Somao’s Cardinal Pio asked them to staff the new secondary school, Paul VI College, built on land gifted by the Pope. Today, approximately 150 boys and girls attend Paul VI, and Sisters of Mercy continue to teach in and administer the school.

Messages to Mary Kay Dobrovolny rsm - Assistant Director Heritage & Spirituality

1895: Foundation to Range Convent, Rockhampton, Australia
 

Welcome to Rahamim Ecological Learning Community: - a community of people and plants, animals, insects and trees, moon and stars...in Bathurst, a regional city in central western NSW, on the ancient continent of Australia in the southern hemisphere of the Earth.

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