Mercy International Association joins the universal church in gratitude for the election of our new Pope, Francis.

Messages to: Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

MIA invites all its readers to participate in Earth Hour, the global movement uniting people to protect the planet, by switching off lights for one designated hour.

Earth Hour aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world.

Earth Hour 2013 will be held this comingSaturday 23 March between 8.30PM and 9.30PM in your local time zone.

Messages to: Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

This week in Soup and Substance Katy Egan and Sophie Nicol spoke about biomimicry - how technology can look to nature for solutions to problems. This talk gave examples of how modern technology is using an innovative approach to solving human problems by seeking inspiration in a close examination of nature. Many of the examples challenged listeners to look at nature with new eyes.

The flyer can be downloaded here
The full presentation can be found here
Access the interview here

Messages to: Mary Purcell - Assistant Director Mercy Global Action

MIA and the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland are involved in an Intercongregational Group -The Future We Need - which lobbied the Irish Government not to give Exploration licences for fracking to Mining companies in Ireland at least until an independent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been completed. The Future We Need group made a submission on Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) to the EPA. Access the Submission here (PDF)

Minister of State at the Department of the Enivironment, Fergus O’Dowd, has finally responded to pressure from the campaign. Following an intense letter-writing and advocacy campaign, he has stated his intention to put back decisions on exploration licences until after the new EPA research is completed and considered.
“Further consideration of (exploration) applications will be put on hold until after the findings of the new EPA research have been published,” he stated in a press release on 7th March.

Messages to: Mary Purcell - Assistant Director Mercy Global Action
 

The Church has great need of saints. The real innovators in the Church are the saints, holy people whose lives are dramatic with a humble and homely heroism...
- Brenda Dolphin rsm - Postulator in Why Canonisation?

Prayers with the intercession of Venerable Catherine McAuley are asked for all whose names are in our hearts and on our prayer list and in particular, whose names are newly added to the list: Donna Davis, Felicia Wilson, Wes Wilson, Jack, Henry MacDowell, his parents and grandparents, Harry Bowman, Iain McLellan

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

The second day of a two day hearing took place in a Federal Court in St. John’s Newfoundland on 27 Feburary 2013. The Sandy Pond Alliance took the Federal Government to court for allowing Vale Mining company to use the fresh-water lake, called Sandy Pond,( 38 hectares/93.9 acres) as a store for toxic waste tailings for Vale’s new hydromet nickel processing facility near Long Harbour, Newfoundland. The Sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland were part of this action.

A report by Catherine Gibbons rsm can be accessed here.

Messages to: Mary Purcell - Assistant Director Mercy Global Action

'Buildings in the St Stephen's Cathedral precinct will be renamed to reflect Brisbane Archdiocese's deep connections to the Mercy and Josephite religious orders.

The Old St Stephen's School will be renamed Mercy House and The Catholic Centre will now be known as Penola Place.

Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane made the announcement in a homily during Mass in the cathedral last Sunday, March 10, to celebrate the 50th year of formation of Catholic Religious Australia, Queensland (CRAqld)...

...The Mercy Sisters' Brisbane congregation leader Sr Sandra Lupi said the order had great pride in its history and the news on the naming of Mercy House had been met with surprise and many positive comments.

Source: The Catholic Leader

Messages to: Sandra Lupi rsm -Congregation Leader

Mercyhurst University has joined in a collaborative effort to preserve and make accessible the papers of one of its most prominent graduates, Sister Joan D. Chittister, OSB.

Chittister, an internationally renowned writer and lecturer and one of the most articulate social analysts and influential religious leaders of this age, has established the archival collaboration that also includes Penn State University and the Benedictine Sisters of Erie...

Messages to: Mary Hembrow Snyder - director of the Center for Mercy and Catholic Studies at Mercyhurst

The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), an international society of more than 40,000 members from 66 countries, has elected Mercy Regional Healthcare President Di Smalley, FACHE, as 2013-14 chairman.

Over the last year, in her position of chairman-elect, Smalley met with a variety of audiences to speak about the future of health care. This week, she will speak to ACHE members about what it means to be a caring leader when she addresses the 56th Annual College of Healthcare Executives Congress in Chicago. Smalley is the second nurse and the fifth female officer of the College since the three-year officer term of chairman-elect, chairman and immediate past chairman was established in 1933.

“As chairman, Di will preside over the most influential association representing hospital executives throughout the world,” said Lynn Britton, president and CEO of Mercy across seven states. “It’s an honor for Mercy to support Di as she steps into this important role. We’re absolutely confident in her ability to address the challenging issues facing health care – both nationally and globally.”...

Read the media release here

Messages to: Rachel Wright - Mercy Media Relations
 

Nga mihi atawhai - greetings to all in mercy! On the flip side of a card announcing the brief Chapter Statement, issued by New Zealand’s Sisters of Mercy at their chapter in 2009, is a series of searching questions which may provide a framework for some of our Imaging Mercy Today reflections this year. ‘How are we to be in mission?’ is one of them, and listed as the first among some sketchy answers is ‘In prophetic response to emerging needs’.

Helping to unpack what this phrase might mean are three Mercy ministries which have developed over several years on adjoining sites in Ellerslie...

Messages to: Katrina Fabish rsm - Congregation Leadership Team

Mercy Housing California is proud to announce the completion of the new Arlington. Among one of the first buildings to be constructed after the 1906 earthquake, The Arlington is now home to low-income residents. Hear their stories and see Mercy Housing's historic preservation at work.

Watch the video, linked to this item, which has been released to mark the completion of the new Arlington.

Messages to: Lillian Murphy rsm CEO Mercy Housing

On Tuesday February 26 Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC) Parramatta held its inaugural Women's Interfaith Forum in the College’s Edith Angel Hall. Students and staff from a number of other schools attended the event, held on this date to link in with United Nations Women's Day.

Forum attendees heard experiences of faith from five women of different traditions giving the students the opportunity to be a part of a conversation with people from different religious and cultural backgrounds to facilitate a deeper understanding of the Sacred.

The College’s Director of Mission, Claire Thomas, said the event highlighted and celebrated the contributions of women to the religious, social justice and educational spheres in Sydney; “through dialogue we can become more aware of the diversity and dynamism of the five predominant religious traditions in the broader Australian society.”

Messages to: Christine Pace - Communications Officer
 

' Twenty Catherine McAuley High School students are working to end bullying after a one-of-a-kind leadership program based on the Navy SEALs ethos taught them how to better support their peers...

Walter Corey, president and founder of the Maine Leadership Institute, has worked with different classes of girls on leadership over the years, but he said this class was “out of sight” with its vision for continuing the program after the eight-week seminars were over.

Corey said that the reason this program worked so well at McAuley is that the pedagogy between the Navy ethos and the Mercian tradition are very much the same.

“The essence of Navy leadership is 'I am my brother's keeper,' selfless leadership," he said, "and that is very much the linchpin of the Mercy tradition: women for others.”..'

Source: The Forecaster

Messages to: Margaret Downing - Principal

1871: Foundation to Ennistymon from Gort, Co Galway
1890: Profession of first Sister in Gunnedah, M Berchmans Smart
1993: Profession of Elizabeth Mun Barrantes, first Peruvian Sister to enter Pittburgh community

The Circle of Mercy is a collection of songs on Mercy themes which have been written by Mercy Sisters and Associates from different parts of the world.

14 songs by Mercy Sisters and Associates. Find them online here rather than searching for them on disc.

The first three Sisters of Mercy arrived on Guam from Belmont, North Carolina on November 5, 1946. Inspired by the courageous and compassionate example of our founder, Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy on Guam are involved in various ministries: education, pastoral work, prayer ministry, and social work.

YouTube Capture is now available for iPad and iPad mini. The app, which originally launched for iPhone in December of last year, lets you record videos and instantly upload them to YouTube...

Source: Mashable