Messages Received from the Mercy World #16

Thank you to all who have sent messages for Mercy Day and for the 20th Anniversary Celebrations (23-29 September, 2014). Send your messages to: mercyenews@mercyinternational.ie

Greetings to Sisters and our Mercy friends and colleagues from the staff at the Congregation Office at Bardon, Brisbane. This morning we gathered to watch the archived address of the President of Ireland. We were delighted to see our Sr Gabrielle present the President with the cup and saucer, the symbol of hospitality which we also value in our office.

Then we were excited when Sr Veronica named us when she sent greetings on behalf of the Brisbane Congregation. As we gathered in the meeting room at Mercy Place, Bardon, we were conscious that tomorrow, Saturday, more than 100 Sisters of Mercy from South East Queensland will gather in that room as part of their Mercy Day celebrations. We look forward to viewing the upcoming Rituals.

We give thanks for all that has been over the past few days.
For the wonder of technology that brings us together to pray each morning in Catherine’s house.
It has generated a whole new level of conversation across our Province!

Blessings on the rest of the celebrations from all of us in
The Western Province

We are so happy to be able to share on the most moving and thought provoking rituals, thank you. As a community we have prayed with you as we watched them and joined in candle lighting with you.

Helen Furness rsm
Great Britain

Congratulations to all at Mercy International!

We have loved watching all the wonderful rituals, prayers, and addresses coming to us these last few days. This certainly will be a Mercy Day to remember!

I can only imagine all the preparation that went into this - know that it has been inspiring and appreciated.

Last evening we viewed President Higgins address - it was so "Mercy" and the presentation of the precious cup was beautiful!

With congratulations,love and appreciation,
Anne, Angela and Carmel
St John's
El Cerrito, California

We celebrated Mercy Day with the Mercy campus here in Burlingame on Wednesday so today we are with Sisters and Associates from the Bay Area with prayer and dinner.

It has been a joy to follow along, seeing you on our screens, praying with you and rejoicing with you. I remember with such fondness the excitement of that opening day in 1994.

I am attaching a little piece of music we are including in our service this afternoon. It speaks of our vocation in Mercy.

God's gracious blessing on all,
Suzanne Toolan, RSM

Burlingame, California

Sr. Mary Reynolds and Team

My prayer and thoughts have been with you today especially as I followed the beautiful morning prayer presented by our Australian Sisters.

What a wonderful privilege it has been for me to have taken part in the various celebrations for three days, drawn together in love with our sisters from far and near. It was certainly a very sacred time of prayer and reflection - so much to think and act on.

Thank you for the warm welcome extended to us all. Catherine must be so proud that her legacy of Mercy and hospitality is so alive in Mercy International. It is unbelievable how you could cater for us all with such a variety of food and endless pots of tea!

May Our Lady of Mercy and Venerable Catherine bless and intercede for each Sister, Associate and other people who have made all this possible for us all. I hope you all get some real relaxation when all is over.

My love and prayer

Margarita Cunningham rsm
(London)

Dear Mary.
We are enjoying the coverage of all the events taking place in MIA. The Eucharist and Prayer Rituals have been so inspiring and prayerful. We have been so touched by the musicians and the choice of music. All this helped us to enter into these Mercy Reflections. Thanks to all who made this such a memorable occasion.

Marcella Logue and
Anne Reddington rsm. Llanelli, South Wales

Messages from and to Sisters around the world are uplifting and joyous. Address from the Irish President and homily from Archbishop Martin present us with challenges to be more mercy - mercy in this millenium! I felt very proud of responses from Mary Reynolds and Margaret Casey. How blessed we are to have such great leaders - Now we ask the Holy Spirit to take us onward, prompt us, lead us to where we need to go.....

Nora McCann rsm
US Province
The Congregation

Sue Kathman, Mercy Associate, and I (RSM from Cincinnati, USA) were privileged to experience the vibrant energy at Baggot St. this afternoon. The "Face of Mercy Today" exhibit is exceptional! Congratulations to MIA and thank you for sharing the prayers and programs with us all. At the end of an incredibly interactive week, Mary Reynolds personally invited us to be sure to have a cup of tea. Such hospitality - such grace.

Heartfelt appreciation,
Mary Stanton

Greetings from sunny Ballwin!
We are celebrating Mercy in a very special way this week at Holy Infant in Ballwin, Missouri.
Sister Rosario Delaney is celebrating 50 years in Holy Infant. We are dedicating
a stained glass window to all the Mercy Sisters who have served in this parish and
school since 1957 with a special tribute to Sister Rosario. The window depicts the
Madonna, the Mercy Cross, and the Celtic Cross. We also have a plaque with a
picture of Catherine McAuley and an inscription dated September 24th, 2014 ~
Feast of Our Lady of Mercy
How timely that this celebration should coincide with MIA celebrations?
Love and blessings to all,

Sister Rosario Delaney
Sister Laurentia Cusack
U.S. Province (Congregation)

Dear Mary Reynolds and MIA,

Congratulations on this milestone and the beautiful, joyful and spirited rituals in celeration of 'fiche blian ag fas' - twenty years a growing! It is a joy to be able to connect even if it is not in Irish time. For Mercy and for the world, many wonderful and many challenging things have touched us since 1994. Through it all, MIA has been a strong and staunch presence in our lives with Baggott St being a place to call home when in need of immersion and offering respite to many.
We do not know what lies ahead and neither did Catherine McAuley as she wrote to Mary de Sales White in February 1841:
"The Lord and Master of our House and Home is a faithful provider. Let us never desire more than enough. He will give that and a blessing".
In Catherine's stepsSo let us continue the journey in Catherine's steps and with he trust in providence.

Thank you,

Mary Gallagher
American Province
San Diego
The Congregation

Hello, sun in my face, you who made the morning and spread it over the fields..
watch now, how I start the day in happiness and kindness.
(M. Oliver)

These lines from the poet, Mary Oliver, catch the spark and the spirit of Mercy Day at MIC, Baggot Street.
The morning liturgy, entrusted to the Congregation, Ireland, was a symphony of Scripture, poetry, music and reflective prayer which raised our minds and hearts in praise and thanksgiving to God.

After lunch we made our way to St Mary's Church, Haddington Road, for Mass presided over by Most Rev. D. Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. In his homily, the Archbishop reflected on our culture where the meaning of words is constantly changing to be politically correct..."charity", he said, is sometimes seen as a privilege handed down by the righteous to others as a superficial action of consideration. Quoting Pope Francis, the Archbishop encouraged us to see mercy as the essence of God, the name of God, without which we are lost.

He told the story of a Vietnamese Cardinal who entitled a homily he was to address at the Papal retreat "Jesus was stupid" - his way of expressing the superabundance of God's mercy which goes far beyond what we can imagine. We, Mercy Sisters, have all received Mercy overflowing from God. We must not recycle our charism but resurrect it! The Church and the world need a resurrection of mercy to give hope to people - especially young people. The mercy which the Pope speaks of is no soft spirituality but part of living the cross in daily life.

The Music of the Mass - much of it written by Liam Lawton - was uplifting. What musical giftedness there is in our Irish Sisters!
After Mass we went to the Lansdown Hotel for a delicious meal.
Grateful thanks to organisers for their generosity.

Sr Patricia Orr
Great Britain