Sharing Christmas Greetings

Each year the Christmas greetings not only impart good wishes and hopes for us all, but they also hold out to us something of the stories of Mercy lived, loved and experienced in ministries across the Mercy world.

As we bring this year of sharing our global Mercy story to its conclusion, we invite you to tell us all how it has been for you in your ministry - through an anecdote, a greeting, a prayer, a wish, a dream you have or a plan for 2014.

A Christmas card I received this year had the following message:
When does the work of Christmas begin?
When the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins-
It begins when we heal the broken hearted, when we feed the hungry, when we bring hope.
  

The paradox of Christmas is captured in the homeless family that found that there was no room in the inn and the hospitality of shepherds and wise searchers that were sensitive to the deeper meaning of a vulnerable infant in a manger.

In the last month the Mercy global family has visited the vulnerable infant in the ‘crib’ of the Philippines and they have generously offered their gifts. In the words of one of our Filippino Sisters: Thank you so much for helping us find resources so we can bring God's mercy to the suffering people. Read the letter to the Samin Sisters here

Bringing God’s mercy to a suffering people is at the core of the Christmas story. To re-member the Christmas story is to bring hope to a world in need. In the words of Pope Francis: Always keep hope alive. Demonstrate that with welcome and hospitality a window to the future can be offered.

In this season of gift giving and receiving, may you be richly blessed and may we serve one another with the gifts we have received.

Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA

Dear
Sisters
and Associates
of the Mercy World,
The Sisters of Mercy
of Newfoundland and Labrador
and our Associates
extend to you our warmest Christmas greetings
and good wishes for the New Year 2014.
May the Presence of Love in your life
bring
you
fullness
of joy.

We would like to extend Christmas cheer to everyone. We concluded our office year with a prayerful reflection with the focus ‘The word of God (of Catherine) comes to us in unexpected forms’. We followed this with a simple shared meal at a local kaibar (food bar).

Maureen, Catherine, Otto and Steven
Mercy Works Kiunga Program,
Kiunga, Papua New Guinea

Mother of Mercy High School Cincinnati, Ohio, US, wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Even as the world around us shakes with fear, sorrow and grief, the promise of Christmas calls us to return to Bethlehem.
May the little child in each of us recognize in the tiny baby the mystery, wonder and hope that will abide with us always.
Let that blessed assurance we share flow out to all we meet and inspire us always to bring mercy, love and joy to our world.

Christmas peace, joy and blessings to all our sisters, associates, companions, volunteers, benefactors and partners in Mercy,

The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

We wish our Sisters, Mercy Associates and Co Workers across the world every joy and blessing this Sacred Christmas Season.
With our love and prayer

Sister Sheila Burke and the Sisters of the Union of Great Britain

We, Mercy Sisters from the Philippines, particularly Tacloban City, do convey our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have expressed their support for us badly hit by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. Your generous help is very much appreciated as this will go a long way in our service of mercy as we do restoration of badly damaged structures in our schools, convents, new hospital, student dormitories, including livelihood of people around us among our constituents and families.

May the spirit of Christmas bind us together in joy and in pain as we welcome in glory the coming of our Saviour, Christ our Lord. We wish you all special blessings of peace!

Sr. M. Carmela rsm
Philippines

By the tender mercy of God, the dawn comes upon us, giving us light and guiding us in ways of peace.
May your Christmas Season be filled with light and peace as you participate in the mystery of love at the heart of creation.

Wishing you every blessing throughout 2014.
Margaret, Scho, Marie Louise, Patricia and Cecilia

Congregation of The Sisters of Mercy 13/14 Moyle Park, Convent Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland
 

A happy and holy Christmas to all Mercy people everywhere from the staff and students of Catherine McAuley Westmead, Australia. A key mercy moment for us this year was the blessing and opening of our Mercy Chapel and the wonderful response from students and staff to the invitation to attend a voluntary weekly mass before school on a Friday. We have had to buy more chapel chairs to accommodate everyone. The chapel includes a representation of Sister Anne Sekul’s beautiful icon of Catherine which is an inspiration to us all.
Margery

Ms Margery Jackman
Principal
Catherine McAuley Westmead
Darcy Road, Westmead NSW 2145
 

Out of the silence, Music
Out of the darkness, Light
Out of uncertainty, Promise,
Hope was born that night

Wishing you all the Peace and Joy of Christmas
from
Loreto Conroy, Anna Koeneman, Miriam Grech, Bernadette Mansour and Jennifer Bailey
Sisters of Mercy North Sydney

On behalf of the Partnership for Global Justice an NGO at the UN, I would like to wish our Sisters, Associates and Friends in Mercy a Christmas that is peace-filled and hope-filled and may each experience the Peace of Christ in your hearts.

Deirdre Mullan rsm
Executive Director

The members of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea send Christmas greetings to sisters, colleagues and friends of Mercy across the globe. As we ponder the message of hope inherent in the celebration of Christ’s birth we ask for the grace to be bearers of hope to all we meet as we travel our path of mercy in the year ahead. May each one be richly blessed!

As Christmas comes to us all for 2013,  may Sisters of Mercy, Associates, Volunteers and all who work and share the Mercy Spirit be blessed by Our Lord and Our Lady of Mercy as they fill our hearts with Love and Peace.

Anne Simons
Mercy Associate

Sister Colette Cronin and the Sisters of the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, GB. send warm Christmas greetings and blessings to all our Sisters, Associates and Partners in Ministry worldwide.
May the love of God be born through you this Christmastide, so that a bright star may once again emerge bringing hope and peace into our fragile world.

Colette Cronin rsm
Institute of Our Lady of Mercy
Cemetery Road
Yeadon
Leeds LS19 7UR

To our mercy whanau family
May Emmanuel, God with us
be born anew in our hearts

Light looked down and saw the darkness.
“I will go there,” said light.
Peace looked down and saw war.
“I will go there,” said peace.
Love looked down and saw hatred.
“I will go there,” said love.
So he,
the Lord of Light,
the Prince of Peace,
the King of Love,
came down
and crept in beside us.
John Bell, Cloth for the Cradle, 1997.

Nga mihi o te Kirihimete
To our mercy whanau family
May Emmanuel, God with us
be born anew in our hearts

Anne, Tui, Mary, Natalie, Katrina

Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa
Sisters of Mercy New Zealand