Catholics in England and Wales are being invited to pray for all victims of human trafficking on the Feast Day of St Bakhita, 8 February 2013. Trafficking is a priority issue for MIA Global Action. Accordingly, Mercy International Association invites all readers to join with us in this prayer day for victims of trafficking throughout the world,

Messages to: Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

Editor: On Ash Wednesday Betty Lacey (MGA Intern) and Mary Purcell (Assistant Director MGA) will present on 'Mercy Support for Communities Affected by Mining' in the first of the 2013 'Soup and Substance' series, under the banner of  the Intercongregational Religious on Eco Justice in Ireland. Over six Wednesdays (13 February - 20 March) from 12.30 - 1.30 pm at the Catherine McAuley Centre, Herbert Street Dublin, a variety of knowledgeable speakers will present on a range of ecological issues. Full programme here.

All are welcome. No booking necessary. Light refreshments provided.

Messages to: Mary Purcell - Assistant Director MGA

Each day is a step which we take toward Eternity and we shall continue thus from day to day until we take the last step bringing us into the Presence of God. Catherine McAuley, Retreat Instructions p 185.

Prayers with the intercession of Venerable Catherine McAuley are asked for the following persons: James Hannon, Michael Putney, Bishop of Townsville, Australia, Gabrielle Murphy, James Dixon, Judy, Terry Scavetta and all those who have asked for prayers and those whose names are on our prayer list.

Messages to:
Anne Hannon rsm - Vice postulator Europe and Africa
Sheila Carney rsm - Vice postulator Americas
Caroline Ryan rsm - Vice postulator Australia & PNG, Aotearoa New Zealand, Philippines

Our MGA Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) comes with the privilege of allowing the Sisters of Mercy at the UN to submit formal statements to the UN Commissions. This is one of our avenues to give voice to our members on the ground and present recommendations on our two primary concerns: Human Trafficking andCosmology/Eco Justice...

Messages to: Aine O'Connor rsm - MGA Co-ordinator at the UN

A large gathering of Sisters of Mercy and members of the wider Mercy network came together last month for a ceremony at Papatuanuku ki Taurangi, Earth Promise Centre, a Mercy house and permaculture garden developed over recent years in Ellerslie...

Congregation leader Anne Campbell prayed a blessing on the centre. 'We give thanks for the original dream and the hard work that has sustained and developed it since 2001. We celebrate the aligning of new energies and dreams, with Earth's patient generosity towards us. She teaches us how to live in mutual relationships, in shared abundance, in gratitude for gift. She blesses us with beauty...'

Messages to: Katrina Fabish rsm - Congregation Communications Contact

Editor: Papatuanuku ki Taurangi, Earth Promise Centre is this week's featured site
 

Sisters of Mercy in New Hampshire received the Martin Luther King Award in recognition of years of dedication to the cause of justice at the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Day celebration held in Manchester on January 21.

Joyce Scott rsm gave the invocation, calling on the God of love, mercy and justice to “give us hope and strength and joy as we continue to try to fulfill Martin’s dream.” Sister May Cronin rsm accepted the award on behalf of the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Associates and Companions, and thanked the Martin Luther King Coalition Committee for the honor of being selected to receive the 2013 award. She opened her remarks by ringing Frances Warde’s bell, which was rung at the moment when New Hampshire declared that Martin Luther King Day would be celebrated in the state.

Further details can be found here.

Messages to: May Cronin rsm

January 31, 2013 - The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, who stand in solidarity with immigrants seeking fullness of life, are pleased that President Obama as well as a bipartisan group of U.S. senators are giving immigration reform the serious attention that it deserves...

We will continue to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that reunites families, provides a pathway to citizenship, protects workers and provides for humane enforcement of the law...

Messages to: the Institute Justice Team

Editor: Next Wednesday, 13 February, is Ash Wednesday. As we prepare to enter into the Season of Lent, Carmel McCarthy rsm offers us insight into the Lukan text from the first Sunday's Gospel.

'Is God really with us? Each year on the first Sunday of Lent the liturgy presents us with one or other of the gospel texts narrating the testing of Jesus. In the synoptics the testing narrative is situated at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry...

As we prepare to begin our Lenten journey 2013 perhaps we also might carry with us a threefold question:
• What constitutes our mercy identity?
• In whom is it rooted?
• How can the word of God nourish and illuminate our journey?'

Messages to: Carmel McCarthy rsm

Mercy, the sixth largest hospital system in the U.S., has acquired Jefferson Regional Medical Center, the largest hospital in Jefferson County, Missouri.

Jefferson Regional is now Mercy’s third hospital in eastern Missouri, joining Mercy hospitals in St. Louis and Washington, and the 32nd hospital across Mercy’s four-state area...

While Feb. 1 marks Jefferson Regional’s first day as part of Mercy, other changes will occur over time. One of the most visible changes will be the renaming of the hospital as Mercy Hospital Jefferson, which will occur sometime this spring.

Messages to: Bethany Pope - Media Contact

Editor: In an article written to publicise the launch on 29 January of the recently completed book entitled 'You Did It Unto Me' (Matthew 25-40), Ken Chaplin, an inductee in the Press Association of Jamaica Journalism Hall of Fame, provides a glowing account of the work of Bernadette Little rsm and her predecessors in the development of the famed Alpha Community.

Messages to: Bernadette Little rsm

1844: Foundation to Nottingham from Birmingham - M Angela Borini
1862: Branch house opened at Parnell
2013: 500th issue of Mercy E-News is published

Alpha ' the Institution of learning that “produced a parade of graduates, men and women of excellence...who have made significant contributions to the development of our nation ... to the musical treasures of Jamaica and ... who have served in every sphere of National and International life.’

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Gardeners, volunteers and Sisters of Mercy in Ellerslie. Organic garden based on care for Earth and community.

Five simple tips for getting the most out of your smartphone. Have you tried any of these yet?