Author: Diane Smyth

Advent Retreat

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Advent Retreat

Mercy Associates

                « Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God »  Teilhard de Chardin

“Come, take time to prepare your heart in joyful hope for the Advent of our God.”  This was the invitation to Mercy Associates to participate in a day of prayer and reflection with Sister Loretta Chafe in the Associate Room and Mercy Convent Chapel, St. John’s on November 30 and December 3, 2013.

 Some thoughts expressed by participants at the end of the day:

 Through singing, psalms and scripture reading, personal reflections, sharing of thoughts and a guided reflection on Luke’s account of the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, the many facets of joy were contemplated.

 Each line of scripture led us to the heartfelt understanding that life is all joy and freedom once we become aware of God’s presence in our own hearts and in each other.  Each person  shared stories about how we receive the grace in the everyday moments of our lives to “rejoice in all things” – how our lives are a winding journey comprised  of joys and sorrows, disappointments and losses, high points of achievement and reward, quiet empty spaces of time and fun-filled times with others.

 Sister Loretta’s guided journey with Mary to Elizabeth’s house was truly precious in enabling us to experience trust, joy and comfort with one another. Just as Mary was so filled with joy as she spoke with Elizabeth,  that she proclaimed the Magnificat, we too are asked to open our hearts to receive God’s love and allow Jesus to born anew in us. 

 The retreat was an oasis of quiet time away from the material hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations.  It provided a joy and peace that we can take back to our homes and communities.

 The day was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by everyone.  We left with lighter and more joyful hearts and with a spring in our step.  For a few hours we shared a sacred space and a spiritual unity that brought us to a greater awareness of the presence of God within and among us.

 Edited by Sister Maureen O’Keefe

Report on work in the area of Human Trafficking

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On Thursday, October 17, 2013, Sister Emma Rooney (Presentation Congregation), Dolly Sweetapple (president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Coalition against Human Trafficking) and Margie Taylor rsm facilitated a session on human trafficking with the religious leaders of Newfoundland. 

 The committee  requested this workshop in an effort to gain more education around this issue.  Present for the meeting were 2 out of 3 of our Bishops, representatives from Mercy Sisters, Presentation Sisters, Jesuits, Redemptorists,  

The presentation focussed on the definition and causes of human trafficking. They then proceeded to identify the faces of trafficking on a global and local scene.  This was the session that impacted the group most as they spoke of women who are prostitutes stealing toilet paper from various stores in the city; people moving from other cities to come to Newfoundland and Labrador to establish web sites where women can check for clients; women making $ 300.00 an hour and saying they are into prostitution because it affords them a lifestyle they never could afford; clothes being made in the factories in Banglasdesh and shipped to stores in Newfoundland for sale; boys aged four burned to death because they could not do domestic work well; poor children with their organs removed so richer people can enjoy better health; university female students exploited as they are seen as “fresh flesh”; each night thelocal paper carries eight to ten ads of young Asian and Korena women who will be in Newfoundland offering companionship, massage, escort services and whatever you need to bring pleasure in your life.

 It was examples such as these which moved the group to a higher level of feeling and realization of the hideous behavior of those who engage in this modern day form of slavery.  And of course the next question to be asked was what do we do in the light of how the sex industry has boomed in Newfoundland as a result of the oil and gas money.  The group felt it would be wise to wait and see what emerges form the workshop Pope Francis has called on November 2,3 in Rome.  This may be a springboard for further responses such as a Pastoral Letter on Human Dignity. 

Organisers provided prayer cards to the group.  They may be utilized in churches and other institutions.  A new project on Sex Worker Outreach Project has been established in St Johns city.  The goal of the project is to assist women in their efforts to leave the sex trade industry.  The project is being funded for a year.  In time some financial contribution may be made from the churches for this project.    Margie has been asked to join this committee. While participants felt the issue is a tragic one, they were pleased with the education they received.  They are looking towards the conference in Rome to gain some insights into how we as a church can respond.

Messages to: Margie Taylor rsm

Jamaican Women at McAuley Convent

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Valrie Boswell Buchanan and Claudette Jenkins came to live at McAuley Convent in September, 2013. (McAuley Convent is residence of the Sisters of Mercy for members who need care or who convalesce from illness or injury.)

Valrie and Claudette are from Jamaica and have come to Canada as nursing students in the international program of the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John’s. Both are graduates of the Licensed Practical Nursing program that was offered in Jamaica from September 2009 to 2011 at two publicly funded colleges, Brown’s Town and Knox. The governments of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as of Jamaica fund the programs. Both women have successfully completed the program of studies and are now enjoying a preceptorship and practical experience which is one of the final requirements for their licensure as practical nurse in Canada.

Valrie and Claudette are enjoying their educational experience at McAuley and their visits to various health care facilities in St. John’s. The sisters and staff are enjoying them and hope they are learning much. They will be in Newfoundland until early December.

We hope they will experience a little of Newfoundland’s winter!

We wish Valrie and Claudette a wonderful time of learning and memorable experiences in this province of Canada.

Remembering

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Reflection of M. Francis Creedon at the bedside of the dying Catherine McAuley,  November 11,  1841

My dearest Mother is dying.  Her breathing is so laboured and she seems so pale.  As I sit beside her now my thoughts are sad but they are ones of gratitude and concern.  I am so privileged to have this time with her. 

It was only a couple of months ago that Mother Catherine went to Birmingham to establish a Mercy convent.   Little did we know that this would be her last foundation.  She was not well when she left us and she wrote Sister Aloysius and told her of how ill she was.   She wrote to us (September 6) at Baggot Street telling us that she would soon return and  asking that we set up a bed for her where there would be more air and space.  She was very specific about what she wanted.  I had observed Mother Catherine these past months and knew deep within that she was  very ill.  When she arrived back here I knew for sure that our dear mother was dying.

These couple of years have been a time of great joy for me,  and now,  so much sorrow.  I have grown so fond of Mother Catherine and of the Sisters of Mercy.  I have lived here at the House of Mercy since July, 1839 and have learned much about being a Sister of Mercy and about the works of mercy.  I have learned from Catherine McAuley, from her teaching and her example.   What sensitivity she showed to the poor and how she works to ensure that women and girls are protected and educated, made fit for this world and for heaven too.  When I return to Newfoundland I hope that I will be able to carry on the good works in the manner  I have learned during my time here at Baggot Street.   At this moment I feel so uncertain about what might be my future and the future of the foundation in Newfoundland.  I am just professed.  It was understood that I would establish a Convent of Mercy in St.  John’s – this has been agreed between Mother Catherine and Bishop Fleming.  I wonder what might  happen to that plan after Mother Catherine dies.  I had hoped that Newfoundland might be the next foundation after Birmingham and that Mother Catherine would come with me.  But I know now,  that is not to be.

 

Around 7:00a.m.  Mother Catherine said that she would like to see each of the sisters. Despite her weakness, her shortness of breath,  and her pain,  she admonished and consoled us. She was entrusting to us her legacy, her legacy of mercy and the preservation of peace and union among us.  She encouraged me to trust in God’s providence.  She was sorry that she could not cross the ocean to establish the new foundation in Newfoundland  but that in heaven she would be asking God’s blessing on the mission and on me.  She asked that I extend her good wishes to “her bishop”(Bishop Fleming).  She told me that she has great confidence in my ability to carry out the works of Mercy in St. John’s and that I will have a good guardian and father in Bishop Fleming.  She was confident that Mother di Pazzi would come with me or send strong sisters to help me establish the convent – she reminded me that we would have to take our tea without milk,  and we had a little chuckle.  Her words were very encouraging to me.  I felt very peaceful and could place my trust in God in whatever the future might hold.  She held my hands and asked God’s blessing for me.

 

I sit quietly beside her now as she rests and regains her breath and strength.  She has spoken to each of us individually, to each of us sisters in the house.  Such is her motherly concern for all her “children” as she calls us. 

 

About half past eight  we all gathered in Mother Catherine’s room.  The Holy Sacrifice was offered  and we continued praying with her and around her.   She wanted to be anointed again in preparation for her death and she asked that the sisters wear their church cloaks.  She had words for the priests and her doctor, thanking them and seeking their continuing care of the House of Mercy and its inhabitants. She spoke to her relatives who came to see her.  Around 5:00 p.m. she asked for the blessed candle to be placed in her hands.  As weak as she was she thought about us, that we must be fatigued and that we had no supper.  She whispered to the sister in charge of the kitchen to make sure that she had a comfortable cup of tea for us when she was gone.  Mother Catherine continued praying and joining in the prayers for the dying.  At one point Mother Elizabeth was not sure that Mother Catherine could hear the prayers and  when she raised her voice our Mother suggested that there was no need to do so as she could hear distinctly.  A few minutes before eight she gave all of us, present and absent,  a blessing and then calmly closed her eyes, to open them no more.

 

 Catherine McAuley, our mother and foundress of the Sisters of Mercy was dead.  How sad our hearts are in the quiet and in the sacredness of these moments.   May her spirit and her charism reside in us.  May she bless us now from her place in God’s realm.  I especially need her presence with me as the Sisters of Mercy grow and spread Mercy to a land across the ocean and far from here.  Mother Catherine McAuley, pray for me.

Reference: The Life of Catherine McAuley by a Member of the Order of Mercy. New York:  P.J. Kennedy, 1896.

Special Day

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Sunday, October 27, 2013     Sisters of Mercy and family members of Sr. Margaret Pittman gathered at McAuley Convent in St. John’s, NL to celebrate two events.  The Eucharist was celebrated with Monsignor John Wallis as presider.   The Mass and dinner that followed honored the Diamond Jubilee of Sr. Margaret – sixty years as a Sister of Mercy.  Margaret’s family, her sister Jessie Kirby and husband, Gerard, as well as their two daughters Mary Lou Short and Jocelyn Dunphy, were delighted to be with Margaret, having driven for over three hours from Marystown.  The sisters staff and those in residence at McAuley Convent, members of the Congregational Leadership Team, and members of Margaret’s profession group shared in a festive meal.  

In the afternoon executive members of the National Canadian Group Development and Peace, presented Margaret with a plaque in appreciation of her long-term dedication to the work of of D&P in the Marystown and Burin Peninsula area.  Margaret worked tirelessly for over fifteen years to support the international ministry of the group and to educate and encourage others in that ministry.

Margaret expressed a few words of appreciation to the group and joined them for a “cup of tea” and a piece of Jubilee cake.  It was a great day of celebration for the sisters, for Margaret and her family.

 

 

Windows in Portugal Cove Church

Posted on by Diane Smyth

In the sanctuary of Holy Rosary Church, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland there are three stained glass windows. The centre and larger window is in memory of the Right Reverend Michael Anthony Fleming, OSF. The other two are in memory for Fr. Edward Troy and Fr. Thomas O’Connor who were the first two pastors of the parish, 1833 – 1844 and 1844 – 1884 respectively. St. Patrick is depicted on the window on the left and St. John the Baptist on the other. The window located at the centre of the three depicts Mary seated on a throne-like chair and holding the infant Jesus on her lap – an image much like the picture of Mary, Mother of Mercy,  that hangs in the chapel at the Mercy International Centre, 64 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin.  Mary is holding out to a monk a rosary with a black ebony cross with a smaller white cross at the centre. (Portugal Cove had been one of Bishop Fleming’s mission churches until he had more priests to send there).  It is interesting to make note of such an image considering the connection of Bishop Fleming with Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy at Baggot Street. Bishop Fleming was a Franciscan from Carrick-on- Suir who came to Newfoundland in 1823 to assist his fellow Franciscan, Bishop Thomas Scallon, in caring for the Irish Catholics in St. John’s. Bishop Fleming knew Catherine McAuley and visited Baggot Street very

often especially since he was supporting a niece, Annie Fleming and also Marianne Creedon an Irish girl whom he had sent from St. John’s to the new Mercy Institute to be formed by the foundress. The plan was that she would be professed for the establishment of a Mercy convent in St. John’s. Marianne was professed (Sister Mary Francis) in August, just a few months before Catherine McAuley died on November 11, 1841.

Catherine’s commitment to establish a foundation in Newfoundland was honored by her successor, Mother M. dePazzi, and Bishop Fleming accompanied Sister M. Francis along with Sisters Ursula Frayne and Rose Lynch back to Newfoundland. The three Sisters of Mercy and a postulant arrived in St. John’s harbour on June 3, 1842. 

Story of an Altar

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On October 5, 2013, several sisters were present at Holy Rosary Parish Church in Portugal Cove, NL, for a special event. An altar of historical significance was rededicated for that Church by Archbishop Martin Currie.

Also present for the event were many parishioners, Father Ray Earle, P.P. of Holy Rosary Parish, Father Geoff Kolonel, P.P. of St. Kevin’s Parish, Goulds, and Father Leo English, P.P. of St. Teresa’s Parish.

The altar had been given to Monsignor Harold Summers by his parents Michael and Ann Summers and was initially installed in St. Teresa’s Church on Mundy Pond Road.

In the mid 1960s, with the construction of the new St. Teresa’s Church by the Redemptorists and the construction of St. Bride’s College and Mercy Generalate on the Littledale property, the altar was given by Monsignor Summers to Sister Mary Assumpta Veitch, Superior General, for the chapel at the new Generalate.

With the sale of St. Bride’s College, the altar was removed piece by piece and placed in storage at the Basilica awaiting a new home.

The altar is a masterpiece made of marble with the Last Supper sculptured on the front. When the priests of the archdiocese viewed it in storage a few years ago, Father Geoff Kolonel, then parish priest of Holy Rosary Parish, asked for it for his church in Portugal Cove and started the task of renovating his sanctuary for its installation.

Before renovations were completed, Father Ray Earle was assigned pastor of Holy Rosary Parish and he and the committee finished the work. Many of our sisters who served on Leadership Teams since the 1960s prayed daily in front of this altar.

It was breath-taking to enter Holy Rosary Church on October 5th and behold the marble altar illuminated by five small flood lights in the floor before the altar.

During the same ceremony on October 5th, a refurbished stained glass window was blessed and Father Ray was formally installed as the new pastor of Holy Rosary Parish by Archbishop Currie. After Mass we had an opportunity to meet many parishioners while enjoying a delicious lunch in the parish hall.

Many expressed their gratitude for the altar and promised to take care of it for us. We in turn stated how grateful we are that it has found such a beautiful home.

 

Contact: Rosemary Ryan

 

 

New Leadership Team Missioned

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On August 29, 2013 Sisters Elizabeth Davis, Sheila O’Dea, Diane Smyth and Elizabeth Marrie were surrounded by over sixty of their sisters in a prayer of blessing as they took up the call to leadership in their Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland.

The Missioning Service was held in the chapel of St. Bride’s Convent at Littledale, Waterford Bridge Road. These four women had been elected or re-elected to the ministry of leadership for the next four years during the 20th General Chapter held earlier in June. 

Readings were taken from Sacred Scripture, a text by Carmel Bourke “The Feminine Qualities of Leadership”, a paragraph from their Constitutions on “The Nature of the Institute”. There was also a reading of the interim statement from the Chapter.

The sisters warmly greeted Elizabeth, Sheila, Elizabeth and Diane in a sign of peace before moving to a pleasant social gathering and refreshments. The service was professionally video-taped so that sisters who could not be present might be able to see the event at another time.

May these four women be blessed by “A fire that claims us. A fire that sends us.”

 

Summer Program at Center for Ecology and Justice

Posted on by Diane Smyth
If you cut across the diameter of an apple you will see a five- pointed star at its centre. Many of the blossoms that turn into the vegetables and fruits that we eat are also shaped like five pointed stars. To the Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice, the five pointed star is a symbol that we are all connected in a reciprocal relationship with nature and the universe. The Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice’s mission is to promote the interconnectedness and interrelatedness of all creation and to live in a spirituality flowing out of the sacredness of all creation.
 
From its beginnings in 2003, the Mercy Centre quickly identified a need to connect low-income families in the St. John’s area with fresh, healthy locally grown produce. Organizers also saw the opportunity to engage youth in growing food. The result has been a six year community gardening initiative that is still thriving today. Mercy Centre organizers see physical connection with the land as a practical expression of their mission.
 
“The first purpose was to engage youth in organic gardening so that they could learn the skills of gardening; skills that were traditionally known to their elders but were being lost”, reflects Sister Mary Tee, coordinator of the Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice. “The second purpose then was to engage youth so that they could experience what it means to be a contributing member of the larger community and help feed those in need. The third purpose was to offer a healthy respect and appreciation for the land so that youth could see themselves as part of all creation and all creation as part of them; and then with such awareness of the mysteries and miracle of life in a tiny seed, a greater wisdom and consciousness could be found.”
 
Over the years thousands of pounds of fresh food have been donated to food banks and meal programs by the Mercy Centre’s gardeners. This was made possible by the generous support of several farmers in the area who shared their acreage and contributed their expertise.  From 2003 – 2009, prior to the Mercy Centre establishing its current home on Mount Scio Road, garden land was donated by farmers Colin Lester, Hector Williams, Robert Walsh, and the Searl Family.
 
Starting in 2006 the Mercy Centre began partnering with the Association for New Canadians (ANC) to provide access to land to participants in the Association’s language training program, many of whom were new residents to Canada who brought with them a wealth of knowledge on food production. That relationship continues today and ANC participants often visit to tend their plants, harvest fresh food for their families, and participate in events like presentations and workshops on food security and food skills given by the Food Security Network(FSN). In 2012 a new initiative was started called Growing Health, a partnership with Nature NL to connect consumers of mental health services with gardening at the Mercy Centre, based on the belief that working in and with nature does wonders for the mind, body, and soul. Through the project dozens of new visitors have experienced what the Mercy Centre has to offer.  A new greenhouse and composting toilet were added in 2012.
 

The Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice offers other impactful programs beyond the garden, including public education on the New Universe Story, a three-week nature-based summer camp for children, an annual fair trade Ten Thousand Villages Sale, and a youth choir that addresses social justice issues called Music and Song to Right the Wrongs.

To support all of that amazing activity, the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice formed its first Board of Directors in 2012.

Community Garden (article courtesy of the Food Sharing Network)

Teddies for Tragedies

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Centre for Women: Teddies for Tragedies to Peru

 

Women at the Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Centre are playing a role in making life a little brighter for children as far away as Peru by providing teddy bears to those who have been affected by natural disasters, famine and other tragedies. The women have been busy creating small, knitted teddy bears under the supervision of staff and the assistance of Sister Alicia Linehan of the Sisters of Mercy.

Some of the bears have made their way to Peru through the Sisters of Mercy who live and minister there. Participants in the program have received photos and words of thanks from the children who have benefitted from their creativity. The women in the program are pleased to have the opportunity to share the results of their handwork with children who have been affected by tragedy.
Since 1985, the Teddies for Tragedies project has led to hundreds of thousands of teddy bears being knitted around the world and given to charities and volunteers to distribute to children.  More information on the Teddies for Tragedies program can be found by visiting www.teddiesfortragedies.org.uk.
The Newfoundland & Labrador Correctional Center for Women (NLCCW) is located in Clarenville, a town 140 km west of St. John’s. The Center was opened in 1982 and is the only facility for female prisoners in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  All provincially sentenced females, remands, federal inmates who do not pose a security risk as well as federal inmates awaiting transfer to Nova Institution in Truro NS are admitted to Newfoundland & Labrador Correctional Centre for Women.