Mercy eNews

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Mercy eNews.

The first issue of Mercy eNews was published on August 13th, 2001. That first issue - text only- was emailed to 100 Sisters of Mercy for whom there were known email addresses. An invitation had been sent out the previous week to invite contributions to a 'regular weekly Mercy email' to 'help build a global sense of Mercy' and to promote the mercyworld.org website ' as a place for informing sisters around the world of current Mercy events'. At the end of that year 21 editions had been produced, a logo and by line created, HTML and text versions introduced, and the readers, who had grown to 800 were located in 31 countries.

This is the 198th issue of Mercy eNews and the fourth version of the graphic look of the HTML edition.There are more than 2000 subscribers and a readership estimated to be at least 5000 members of the Mercy network in 37 countries (see Mercy Facts). In some groups, a single subscription to Mercy eNews is forwarded by local offices to all members; it is printed and posted up on bulletin boards in Mercy communities, colleges and other organisations; printed copies are mailed to those without computer access ; items are also reproduced in other electronic and print newsletters, ensuring widespread circulation of Mercy news to an ever increasing readership of Mercy Sisters, associates, colleagues, friends, relatives, fomer students,clients, retreatants....who wish to be informed, connected or engaged in global Mercy outreach.

Mercy eNews is increasingly being treated as a means for Mercy people to communicate issues of importance. All major Mercy International Association projects record their activities and plans in Mercy eNews. Since that first issue, 590 Mercy International Association project items ( Mercy International Centre, Mercy International Communications, Catherine's Canonisation Cause, Mercy Archives, Mercy International Justice Network and Mercy Global Concern) and 1085 items from the member countries have been published. Any member of any Mercy congregation/institute can also submit an item of interest to Mercy worldwide and Mercy eNews continues to be a significant means of communication between thousands of Mercy Sisters, their associates and co-workers, facilitated by the built-in email links that accompany each item.

The mercyworld.org website has benefitted from Mercy eNews with traffic to the website at its highest on Mondays and Tuesdays after the weekly mail out of Mercy eNews.

All members of the Mercy network are eligible to receive Mercy eNews. Subscribe online to either the HTML (in colour, with pictures) or text (text only version) by clicking on this link.

A special thanks must go to Anne Walsh and the staff at Fraynework who ensure that Mercy E-news is published for us each week.

Messages to Denise Fox rsm President Mercy International Association