Prayers through the intercession of Venerable Catherine are requested for the intentions of all those on the MIA Prayer list and in particular those whose names are newly added to the list: Mary DePinto, Emerson Robert.

Messages to:
Anne Hannon rsm - Vice postulator Europe and Africa
Sheila Carney rsm - Vice postulator Americas
Mary Duffy rsm - Vice postulator Australia, New Zealand, Philippines

Editor: Mercy Global Action works on linking sisters across the world who are engaged in similiar work and on developing common campaigning and advocacy positions.Mercy Global Action has two focus themes: Cosmology/Eco-justice and Trafficking.  Mary Tinney rsm is a member of the MIA working group on Cosmology and Eco Justice . She has written on a proposed mining project in Felton, Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia.

Tentatively some good news!
Last Sunday I noticed 4 Sisters of Mercy and 2 Missionary Sisters of Service at the Felton Food Festival. Felton is a district about 30 kms from Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia. The group called Friends of Felton formed for the purpose of expressing their opposition to mining development at Felton, and in particular a proposal to establish the so-called Felton Clean Coal Demonstration Project. This was an open cut mining project which would progressively get larger and larger. Queensland has just had a swing to conservative government in the wake of a massive defeat of the Labour party.

While there is no great optimism about the policies of the new government on environmental matters, they promised that they would halt the mining in the Felton district which is prime agricultural land. So the people planned a celebration of food, agriculture, farmers and farming –even before they knew the change of policy. And there were about 5,000 people there, including us, celebrating just that. The mining company has since turned up-they said that they did not get the message. Hence my intimation that the good news is tentative.

Messages to Mary Tinney rsm

Catherine Quane rsm, a member of the International Committee for the Cause of Catherine's Canonisation, has penned a reflection on Catherine's all-embracing love.

This poem has been added to the "Articles" page in the "Foundress" section and is linked to this item.

Messages to Catherine Quane rsm

Editor: The "Articles" section contains a wealth of resources for use, individually or with groups, on aspects of the canonisation process and on Catherine's Cause.

Imaging Mercy Today May 2012 issue, now online and linked to this item, features aspects of Mercy Aotearoa New Zealand's response to the upcoming Rio+20, United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

In the lead-up to Rio+20 Anne Campbell rsm Congregation Leader has written to the leaders of all the New Zealand parliamentary parties, urging that the Government ensures that an ethical framework be added to the Rio+20 draft. The final document “must affirm a strong definition of sustainable development and a shared vision of ethical and spiritual values that inspire and guide cooperative action for change among all stakeholders and across all sectors,” Anne Campbell wrote.

Her letter stresses that Sisters of Mercy have been in New Zealand since 1850, committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi), and have worked in Tonga and Samoa since the 1960s. “We know the vulnerability of the many island nations of the Pacific who may be forced to leave their homeland.”

Messages to Katrina Fabish rsm - Communications Contact, Leadership Team

Editor: Mercy leadership worldwide is 'calling on governments to respond with immediacy and measurable efficacy to end poverty and to shift development and economic policies onto a sustainable and ethical pathway.' The Institute Leadership Team (Americas) sent a letter to President Obama with that message on February 27. Access that letter here

The author of numerous books, articles, blogs and a regular participant at international conferences on the environment, Fr Sean McDonagh spoke to Philippa Hitchen of Vatican Radio last week about the issues at stake at RIO+20. Listen to the interview here

The Rio+20 Earth Summit in June is also the subject of a short video produced by Stop Climate Chaos, a coalition that includes Columban JPIC, CAFOD, Progressio and many other faith groups and organisations. It highlights some of the successes and campaigns of the past 20 years, including The Wave lobby on Climate Change of December 2010, where Archbishop Vincent Nichols was a speaker and 65,000 climate campaigners formed a circle around parliament calling for climate action. View the video here

April 26, 2012 - On the final day of the NyPPaW Assembly, NyPPaW members completed the election of a new leadership team and determined a direction for the next four years. On April 21, sisters elected  JoAnne Courneen rsm as president on the first ballot. The following day they selected Patricia Prinzing rsm as vice president, thus continuing her role on the current leadership team. They also elected Sisters Natalie Rossi, Sheila Stevenson and Sheila Walsh as councilors. Terms for the new team members will begin on July 1, 2012.

Messages to: NyPPaW new leadership team c/- Pat Kenny rsm - Institute Communications

April 26, 2012 - On April 23-24, members of the Institute Leadership Team and the Institute Justice Team participated in a two-day prayer vigil in front of the U. S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. before arguments were to be held Wednesday on Arizona Senate Bill 1070. If determined to be constitutional, this law would, among many more provisions, direct law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of anyone they suspect to be illegal and arrest an immigrant without a warrant if they believe they have committed a deportable offense.

Sister Pat McDermott, as president of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, was invited to address the group assembled on Monday morning.

Messages to: the Institute Leadership Team c/- Pat Kenny rsm - Institute Communications

Marymount Mercy Centre, Castle Hill, Sydney, Australia, invites participants in its 2012 and 2013 programs:

The "Journeying with New Members" Program provides Formators with an opportunity to renew their own spiritual energy so that they can undertake this ministry with enthusiasm and sensitivity.

The New Life programs have been designed for priests, religious and lay persons of all ages who have been engaged in a variety of ministries. The courses offer them time for spiritual renewal and relaxation, and the opportunity to reflect on some of the challenging issues confronting them in times of great change in the Church, Society and the Global Community.

Details of each of these programs and the directed retreats are linked to this item

Messages to: the Co-Directors

Chicago, April 2, 2012 – Mercy Health System officially became part of Trinity Health, a large Catholic health care system, effective April 1.

Through this combination, Mercy Health and Trinity Health hope to continue the healing ministry of Mercy Hospital, providing access to high quality care for the surrounding community and strengthening Catholic health care in Chicago, according to the two organizations.

“This affiliation will better enable Mercy Hospital to continue building on its strong 160-year history of service to the Chicago community despite all the changes and challenges facing health care,’’ said Sister Sheila Lyne, RSM, President & CEO of Mercy Health System. “Our belief is that this affiliation will enable Mercy to continue to live out its vision of providing quality care to our community here in Chicago.”

Messages to:
Sheila Lyne rsm - President & CEO of Mercy Health System.
Eve Pidgeon - Manager, Corporate Communications & Public Relations, Trinity Health


Editor: Mercy Hospital & Medical Center Chicago is this week's featured website. Today's Mercy Fact is of particular relevance to this news item.

On Easter Sunday morning, I along with several others went with the priest to one of the out station communities for Mass – a lovely little community set in the bush. I imagine it was probably only about 10 kms from the main church in Wanepap but because of the state of the road it took an hour to get there! In one place there was a big washaway and we had a very narrow strip of track to navigate – a bit scarey!

There are 13 outstations which are part of the Wanepap Parish and Tumbioq where we went Easter Morning after Mass in the main church is one of the closer stations. Several apparently are only accessible by foot. The priest goes to as many as he can by road and the rest he walks too – not all of course on any one weekend!

Messages to: Barbara Broad rsm

'...“When we first started developing plans for Mercy I-35 Edmond, we knew we wanted a nature preserve on the grounds,” said David Tew, COO of Mercy West Communities. “But we didn’t know what an incredibly diverse family of trees, shrubs and plants lived there. About ten years previous, a landscaping company abandoned its nursery there, so we had some very interesting vegetation.”

Rather than bulldoze the unusual flora, Mercy and the general contractor for Mercy I-35 Edmond, McCarthy, opened up the site so local organizations could come and adopt some of the abandoned plants. At the same time, the Edmond Urban Forestry Department visited the site to verify the condition of the proposed tree preservation. That’s when the pagoda was spotted...'

Messages to: Rachel Wright  - Mercy Media Relations

Editor: In edition 455 of Mercy E-News ( March 28) we reported on the visit to Victorian Mercy schools by Marilyn Lacey rsm (Americas) and invited the other schools and university groups who attended the Dublin Mercy Youth Pilgrimage last August to share through Mercy E-news from their action plans. The young Irish Mercy leaders had already shared news of their follow up activity (edition 448, February 8).

The following report was received this week from student representatives of Carlow University.

'...Once we returned home, we talked about bringing Sister Marilyn to our campus.

On April 18, that hope was fulfilled as the University celebrated the annual Leadership Dinner, a dinner to honor student leaders and all of their work of the academic school year. Along with speeches from various student leaders and Carlow’s president, we also invite a key note speaker. This year that speaker was Sister Marilyn. She discussed with students at Carlow about her experiences around the world and Mercy Beyond Borders, especially their focus, “Where women learn, women matter.” Being a women-centered institution of higher education, this focus is very close to Carlow University...'

Messages to: Leah Scott and Christina Zazzaro c/- Sheila Carney rsm

“May 1 is Mercy’s Day of the Child. On this day – all across Mercy – we celebrate our children, honor those who care for them and renew our commitment to their health. We also thank our communities for their support and the privilege of caring for their children.”

Mercy has been taking care of kids since 1827 when Catherine McAuley, began her healing ministry by serving the sick and poor children and women in Dublin, Ireland. Catherine couldn’t have imagined how highly specialized Mercy would become in caring for children. A few examples include: Telemedicine for kids, Researching better ways to care for babies and A new children’s hospital.

Details of these initiatives in Mercy's commitment to excellence in children’s health are linked to this item.

Messages to: Nancy Corbett - Mercy Media Relations Director, Marketing and Communications

2000: Trinity Health, Novi, Michigan, the 12th largest Catholic health care organisation in the US, was launched when the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of Detroit joined their health care ministries.

The Many Faces of Mercy is a booklet about the Mercy Community – women who minister to bring about a better world. The booklet complements an earlier work, Where in the World Are My Sisters? by addressing from where in the world do my Sisters come?

The cost is $3 plus postage and the proceeds from the sale of the booklet will go towards providing scholarships for children in the developing world.

The flyer is linked to this item.

For further information contact Deirdre Mullan rsm

In 1852 Mercy Hospital & Medical Center was founded as the first chartered hospital in Chicage. Since then,  Mercy has become an integral part of the city, advancing its mission to provide access to compassionate care for diverse urban communities.

Two interesting technology articles recently published in The Atlantic magazine online:

What's Next for Tech Startups?
We've built the Internet, the Web, the mobile web, and the social network. Now we need a fresh paradigm for technology.

Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?
For all the connectivity of the social- media age, research suggests that we have never been lonelier. A report on what this epidemic is doing to our bodies, our souls, and our society.