Author: Diane Smyth

Photos from the 21st General Chapter

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Images from our 9 Chapter Days

Ms. Judith King facilates Chapter Service of Remembrance of Deceased
Sisters of Mercy
Chapter Day with Associates,
colleagues and friends		 Archbishop Martin Currie enjoys a break
Interested and engaged sisters, associates and colleagues Sister Elizabeth Davis, newly elected leader,
greets Sisters at McAuley Convent
Banquet of Gratitude Welcome to our kitchen party!
Catherine (Mona) McAuley and her schola visited! Treated to a dance from Peruvian sisters
A visit from Marg and Stace (Alverna and Rosline) Eight Sisters in Peru missioned in Huarmey and
Pt. Eten
New Leadership Team – Sisters Betty, Diane,
Elizabeth and Eileen		 Whole group including Cait Wims rsm and
Judith King
Congregation blesses newly elected team
member, Eileen Penney		 Esther places candle in closing ritual of
21st General Chapter
Closing BBQ at McAuley Convent Chapter Planning Committees:
Coordinating Committee and Contemplative
Listening Committee 

New Leadership Team – Sisters Betty Morrissey, Diane Smyth, Elizabeth Davis (Congregation Leader) and Eileen Penney

Messages to: Sisters of Mercy Newfoundland

Read the reflection on the 21st General Chapter

21st General Chapter Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland, 20 – 28 July 2017

Posted on by Diane Smyth

For nine days we have met as a community holding accountability for our life in Mercy for the past four years and imagining the unfolding of our life in Mercy over the next four years. Contemplation has been the thread weaving the texture and the colour through our days together. Our profoundly centering logo has drawn us time and again into deeper contemplation as we endeavoured to explore the depths of our motto “Mercying into the future. .  . Misericordiando hacia el futuro. . .”

Two images, one from the logo and one from the motto, now invite us into the living out of our Chapter Statement.  In the logo, the simple panes of the side panels (not the ornate decoration of the earlier drafts) remind us of a time in Catherine’s life when she was uncertain, seemingly out of her depth and without the security of her faith tradition.  We are told that, denied the right to have access to any Catholic symbols or rituals, in her ingenuity she found the Cross in the window panes and door panels and the intersecting branches of trees on the lawn. I see six such crosses in the side panels of our logo – how many do you see?  In a postmodern world, in what familiar yet unexpected places will we find the Creating One, the Risen One and the Spirit of peace and justice?

The time has also come to look at the three dots embedded in our motto.  These three dots, a punctuation mark known in English as an ellipsis, are at the end of the quotation in English and in Spanish and are the link between the two phrases.  There is an invitation to graceful movement inherent in this punctuation mark – it suggests the unfinished thought, the slight pause, the intentional silence, the echoing voice.  In these coming four years, let us attend to those unfinished thoughts, let us respect the slight pauses, let us become calm in the intentional silences, and let us delight in the echoing voices.

During our Chapter days, we heard the echoing voices of four profound phrases: Who we love transforms us ~ Where we live reshapes us ~ How we create remakes us ~ What we choose changes us.

-Reflections given by Elizabeth Davis, rsm on the closing of the 21st General Chapter of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland.

Cait Wims rsm, translator Chapter centerpiece

Click here to view more photos from the 21st General Chapter

21st General Chapter: Announcement

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On July 21, 2017 Sister Elizabeth Davis, Congregational Leader, will open the 21st General Chapter of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland.

The theme and logo of the Chapter have been drawn forth from the engagement of many sisters, associates, colleagues and friends in the Mercy International Reflection Process of the past year.  Our previous engagement in the Year of Consecrated Life and the Jubilee Year of Mercy have served to establish a solid foundation.   Our Chapter theme Mercying into the future . . .Misericordiando hacia el futuro resonates with  our desire to experience a renewed sense of mercying in this new time leading us into Mercy Global Presence.  The logo faces us with a lively Mercy Cross leaping out of the doors at Baggot Street!

Ms. Judith King, Ireland, has been working with coordinating committees for the past year in planning for the Chapter.  The first two days of Chapter will be experienced in a spirit of contemplative listening, dialogue and presence. The following day associates and colleagues will join us to continue in a mode of contemplative listening with a focus on “mercying” in the context of mission, charism, ministry and community living.  By the end of the day we hope that we would further in creative and energizing ways the initiative and leadership of the Mercy International Reflection Process towards Mercy Global Presence in its dual focus on degradation of earth and the displacement of persons.  We will explore with associates and colleagues to discover how the Sisters of Mercy, in collaboration with them and others, might further such initiative.  In the next days, the chapter delegates will continue to focus on our congregation’s current reality and how we are called in the great movement of mercying now and into the future. We will explore ministry and community living in collaboration and partnerships with others and the way we will live this out in the next four years.  By the end of the week on July 28 the Chapter will hopefully have set clear directions for the future.

Another important part of our Chapter is the election of a new leadership team.   Members of the congregation have been praying and engaged in a discernment process for leadership.  Four sisters will be elected to lead us during the next four years.

Complementing the contemplative aspect of the Chapter and important business there will be plenty of time for celebration, prayer, fun and food.  We have much to celebrate especially in this 175th year of our foundation in Newfoundland.  We have jubilarians celebrating 25, 50 and 60 years; we and relatives of our deceased sisters will remember our deceased members in a ritual in our cemetery; we have invited the general public to pray with us in a Eucharistic celebration followed by  refreshments and gathering; we will have a grand banquet where we express gratitude to the team members of the past four years. We will also have a “kitchen party” that is sure to be entertaining and light-hearted featuring the hidden talents of our members.  We will conclude our Chapter with a barbecue hosted at McAuley Convent in presence of our elderly and sick sisters..

We invite our Mercy friends and others around the world to join with us these days in prayer and support.  We are grateful for the energy and effort of so many with whom we share “Mercy”.

Messages to: Elizabeth Marrie rsm

 

MIRP Review Endorsed

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The Members and Board of MIA have endorsed the Review of the Mercy International Reflection Process: What has been discovered? What has been revealed?

Read their letter of endorsement here

At their May 2017 meeting in Dublin, the Members and the Board of MIA endorsed the further exploration and development of Mercy Global Presence in all its rich and profound promise.

Over the next months we will learn more about how we can become involved locally and connected globally in exploring the three dimensions of Mercy, Global and Presence.

 

MIRP Review Document Now Available Online

Posted on by Diane Smyth

During 2016, the Year of Mercy, Sisters of Mercy and partners in Mercy met together in small groups to discern together globally a shared response to the ‘cry of the Earth and the cry of the Poor’ in our world today.

The fruits of that reflection process have now been published online.

We invite you to share this Report with your own networks and with anyone interested in the vision and ministry of the Sisters of Mercy.

Click here to read or download the full report from the Mercy International Association website.
Image: © 2017 Mercy International Association

A Visit to Sandy Point in 2016

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On July 28 we celebrated the foundation of St. George’s Convent at Sandy Point, Bay St. George. This summer, 2016, Sister Ellen Marie and Alverna were excited to pay a visit to the island on this anniversary date. They explored the area but did not find the Catholic Cemetery or other location that might link them with the life of the Sisters of Mercy at Sandy Point. For them it was special to be there!

In 1893, 123 years ago, four Sisters of Mercy and their benefactor, Henrietta Brownell, accompanied by Bishop Michael F. Howley, arrived at the small active fishing and trading community to establish a convent.

The four Sisters, M. Antonio Egan, M. Corsini Dempsey, M. Sylvester Carver, Veronica Payne gave up their life in a well-establish part of Providence, Rhode Island to come to the “mission territory” of Bay St. George, on the west coast of Newfoundland. The intention was that the sisters would take over the school already functioning at Sandy Point with plans to open a place for higher education at a later time. The future was looking very bright! Throughout the years, despite many hardships and struggles the mission prospered and students succeeded not only in academic subjects but also in music, song, art and needlework.

The railway line had been constructed across the island of Newfoundland and St. George’s was the community that built up around it. It seemed advantageous to move the church and school to that location. And so it came to be. In 1899 St. George’s, on the shore opposite to Sandy Point, a new school was ready for occupancy. The Church, convent and school moved to St. George’s. By 1900 St. Michael’s Academy welcomed its first two resident students. An extension to accommodate the growing number of students and sisters was completed in 1913. In 1914 St. Michael’s was recognized as a teacher-training facility, tasked to prepare Catholic teachers for schools in the west coast of Newfoundland. St. Michael’s Academy was a centre of education and culture. The Superintendant of Schools wrote in his 1914 annual report: Since the establishment of the school, there has been a steady upward trend in the conditions of the locality, and it has done not a little toward helping to promote educational activity which is noticeable on the west coast.

 

Foundation of Mercy in Newfoundland

Posted on by Diane Smyth

What must have gone through the heart and mind of Marianne Creedon when Bishop Fleming asked her if she would return to Ireland to train as a Sister of Mercy!  “Go back to Ireland; enter the convent? Come back to St. John’s and start up a convent here?”  What must the bishop be thinking!!

Life was fairly comfortable now in St. John’s and Marianne had settled in well.  Her family and friends were here and she was teaching and serving the sick and the poor in various ways.  At the age of 21 she had earlier faced the unknowns of life in her move to St. John’s in 1833: the loss of what was secure and familiar in her home with the Nugents in Waterford, the risk and suffering of crossing the ocean to a new land, the leaving of all that was familiar.

Now, what was Bishop Fleming asking of her?  What was God asking of her?

The thoughts of returning to Dublin may have been exciting for the young woman; but the long voyage over the north Atlantic ocean!  This would indeed be a challenge!  Then there was the excitement of a new challenge to join a certain Catherine McAuley in a brand new religious order, an order different from other orders in Ireland.  Weren’t the Sisters of Mercy called the “walking nuns” because they visited the poor and the sick in their homes and in the hospitals?  Is God calling her to something new,  again?

Bishop Fleming must have seen great potential and giftedness in Marianne.  He must have had great trust in her leadership, her ability and her faith.  He knew of her skill to nurture the spiritual, intellectual, artistic and social life of the Catholic population in St. John’s and beyond.  Catherine McAuley, too, must also have had deep trust in Marianne and guided her to completion of her novitiate at Baggot Street where she made religious profession as a sister of Mercy in August 1841.  There seems to have been an agreement with Catherine that Marianne, now Sister Mary Francis, would return to Newfoundland to found there the Sisters of Mercy.  Likely Catherine McAuley would have accompanied the founding group but she was too sick and died a few months later.  Catherine’s successor, Sister Mary dePazzi upheld the foundress’ commitment to Newfoundland.    Francis Creedon, Rose Lynch and Ursula arrived in St. John’s on June 3, 1842 to establish the first foundation outside of England and Ireland.

Marianne was home, now as a Sister of Mercy.  She, Rose Lynch and Ursula Frayne  immediately took up the works of Mercy.  The three founding sisters opened a school on Military Road in May, 1843 and continued to visit the sick poor in their homes.  By the middle of November that same year Sisters  Rose and Ursula had returned to Ireland leaving Francis and a newly professed Mary Joseph Nugent in St. John’s to carry on the mission.  So thanks to these two the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland continued to grow and to flourish.  This is our story!   June 3 is our foundation day!

The Forgotten Graveyard

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The first Sister to enter our Congregation in Newfoundland and also to be the first Sister to die in Newfoundland was buried in what has come to be known as “The Forgotten Graveyard.” A number of our Sisters gathered with members of the Benevolent Irish Society (BIS) and other community members on Saturday, May 28, 2016 to dedicate a plaque in memory of the first Catholic graveyard in St. John’s as well as to honour the memory of Sister Mary Joseph Nugent. This plaque has been installed on the stone wall near the bottom of Long’s Hill.

The Forgotten Graveyard, located on the grounds on which the Kirk now stands and extended to Queens Road and west to Long’s Hill, opened in 1811 but was no longer in use by 1849. In those years over 400 people were buried there.

A fire in 1846 caused extensive damage to the graveyard. Then the typhus epidemic, which broke out in June 1847, saw many Irish people buried there – including our Sister Mary Joseph Nugent who died on June 17, 1847 having contracted typhus as she ministered to the people who were sick and dying from this terrible epidemic.  Fear that the town’s water would be  tainted from the disease caused the graveyard to be closed and Catholics began to be buried in the recently opened Belvedere Cemetery.

The Great Fire of 1892, which destroyed most of St. John’s, did further damage to the Long’s Hill Graveyard since much of the debris from the fire was dumped on the site. At that time, many bodies were moved from there to Belvedere Cemetery.  In speaking to the gathered group at the BIS event on Saturday, Larry Dohey, from The Rooms, noted that not all of the bodies were removed from Long’s Hill. Later, one of us asked him if the bodies not moved were those who had died from the 1847 typhus epidemic. And he replied “yes”. 

Now that the BIS has brought forward the knowledge of the “Forgotten Graveyard” there is a further desire to re-establish the area as a sacred space. Mr. Bruce Templeton spoke during the ceremony on behalf of The Kirk. He told the gathering that he first heard of the Forgotten Graveyard from Sister Patricia March! He further explained that when you step out of the Kirk you are actually in the graveyard.  Mr. Templeton finished his remarks by saying that the people of The Kirk and the BIS are planning to go further in making the area a sacred space once again.

 

Mercy Pilgrimage to Rome 1-4 April 2016

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The Spirit of Mercy and Hospitality

The “Rome” component of the Year of Mercy pilgrimage for Sisters of Mercy, Associates and Partners in Ministry began Friday evening, April 1, with the sharing of a meal together in an Italian restaurant near St. Peter’s Square.   The 39 pilgrims from around the world had settled into their accommodations in various residences near the square and enjoyed this first gathering of the whole group.

The next day they gathered early in the morning to walk the pilgrims’ way to St. Peter’s Basilica with prayer and reflection at significant stops along the way.  They gathered again in the early afternoon to get a good seat for the vigil of Divine Mercy at which the Pope presided.  Thousands of participants were able to listen to the testamonials, enjoy interpretative dance and join in the prayer and song of the ritual which was based on five moments of readings, prayer, chanting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ErlZcAkIJU

Photos from L’Osservatore Romano

On Sunday the group met at 6:30 a.m. so that they could find a place to sit together for the Eucharistic liturgy that would begin at 10:30!  Getting beside the barricade was the best place to get close to Pope Francis when he goes out among the people!  The group was able to claim a few rows of chairs in the front center section. Because of this members of the group had a close of view of Pope Francis as he passed by in his jeep.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBGZl5KqvGw

Tea at Mater Dei

In the afternoon the group was invited to tea at Mater Dei, the house of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God in Piazza di Spagna.  Participants found their way to the convent where they enjoyed a good cup of tea!  Some said it was the best they had since coming to Italy.   (It takes the Irish to make a good cup of tea! – editor’s bias!)  The sisters were delighted that the Mercy contingent could come and welcomed all of them warmly.

This gathering was a significant event because of the connection of the Mater Dei Sisters with Mercy.  Those who gathered had the opportunity to visit the special room that was used by the Foundress of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God when she was in Rome and which has a display of items used by her personally and for prayer and ministry.

 

 

Sister Francesca serves a good cup of tea

Brief Historical Background

Frances Margaret Taylor was born in 1832 in London, daughter of a Church of England minister. Seeking a way to express her deep faith, a faith that did not seem to be met in her own church, she joined the Roman Catholic Church and in subsequent years went on to found a religious order that would respond to the needs of the poor in London.  After detailed investigation of other religious orders and how they were responding to the cry of the poor and under advice if her spiritual mentors Fanny Taylor (a prolific writer by this time) founded the Poor Servants of the Mother of God in 1869.  She took the name Mary Magdalen of the Sacred Heart. September 24, Feast of Our Lady of Mercy, is held as the beginning of the new Congregation. (See biography and rich and detailed history written by Francis Charles Devas, sj.

One more significant historical connection with the Sisters of Mercy is that Miss Fanny Taylor nursed with Sisters of Mercy in the Crimea and credits her deepened faith and her vocation to their example and to the faith of the Irish Catholic soldiers that they nursed together. (Her book Irish Homes and Irish Hearts is on-line https://archive.org/details/irishhomesirishh00tayl ). Another of her books published in 1862 devotes a chapter to the Sisters of Mercy beginning on page 210 https://archive.org/details/ReligiousOrders .  Other books are linked here: Taylor, Mary Magdalen, 1832-1900.

This Mercy Sunday was indeed special as bread was broken in St. Peter’s Square in the morning with Pope Francis presiding and a “good cup of tea” was shared with kindred ‘mercy’ folks in the afternoon.

God’s mercy and God’s sense of unity work in mysterious ways!

Closing Ritual

On Monday morning the Mercy pilgrims met in the small and beautiful church of Santa Prudenziana which is one of the oldest churches in Rome.  There is found the large painted image of Mary, Mother of Mercy in one of the side altars.  A copy of this image of Marywas sent to  the House of Mercy at Baggot Street by Pope Leo Xlll in 1890 and still hangs in the chapel there.  The group gathered before the image to pray in gratitude for the needs of the world and commited themselves to be guardians of the doors of Mercy to those in need.  the group sang the sucipe in English and Spanish.  The group from Aotearoa New Zealand sang a beautiful hymn in Maori language. The pilgrims sang the Hail Holy Queen and extended to each other an Irish Blessing.

This gathering marked the formal end of the Mercy pilgrimage.

Gratitude

Sincere gratitude is extended to Mary Reynolds rsm for having facilitated the details and format of the pilgrimage.  Gratitude is offered to those who led the components of the preparation and orientation of the pilgrims at Mercy International Centre before they left for Rome.  Thanks are given to Brenda Dolphin rsm who collaborated with Mary and others to ensure that the local logistics in Rome were in place- accommodations, the gathering meal, transportation, etc.  Deep gratitude is offered to the Mercy congregations and facilities who supported and encouraged the piligmage and the pilgrims.  It was a world-wide Mercy event that will not be easily forgotten and that will bring many blessings to the Mercy world.

Contact: dsmyth@sistersofmercynf.org

Stations of Mercy 3 March – 3 April 2016

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On 3 April 2016 a small but representative group of Mercy pilgrims— both Sisters and partners-in-Mercy— will be present in Rome for Divine Mercy Sunday, one of the events in the Vatican’s Jubilee Year of Mercy Calendar.

In preparation for that pilgrimage, all Mercy International Association (MIA) Member Congregations and Institutes have prepared reflective and inspirational powerpoints and videos on the Face of Mercy in their own congregations today, using as their inspiration the 14 Stations of the Cross and 10 of the Corporal and Spiritual Works. Together these 24 reflections will form the Stations of Mercy.

Sisters of Mercy Newfoundland have taken special responsibility for Works of Mercy 8 (To Shelter the Homeless) and 10 (To visit the Imprisoned).

We invite you to join us on this prayerful and reflective pilgrimage. Reflections for each day, from 3 March to 3 April, can be acccessed on the mercyworld.org website

A calendar of the Stations can be downloaded here: A4 Paper Size (PDF); US Letter Size (PDF)

 

Stations of Mercy logo © Mercy International Association 2016