Category: Ministry

We send our congratulations to the Christian community of Puerto Eten who have recently opened a bakery, which they have named in honor of the Sisters of Mercy.

Over the past few years, large numbers of people from Venezuela have been arriving in Peru, seeking safety, shelter and hospitality. This new bakery provides bread to supplement the meals that the community has already been serving.

View the video clip.

Felicitamos a la comunidad cristiana de Puerto Eten por la reciente apertura de una panadería, que han bautizado en honor de las Hermanas de la Misericordia.

En los últimos años, un gran número de personas procedentes de Venezuela han llegado a Perú en busca de seguridad, refugio y hospitalidad. Esta nueva panadería proporciona pan para complementar las comidas que la comunidad ya ha estado sirviendo.

Ver el videoclip más arriba

Sisters Anita Best and Mona Rumboldt manifest their creativity in needlework (Anita) and card-making (Mona).

Las hermanas Anita Best y Mona Rumboldt manifiestan su creatividad en la costura (Anita) y la tarjetería (Mona).

Examples of their work are on display in the gallery below. En la siguiente galería se exponen ejemplos de su trabajo.

Sr Mona with some of her creations

Sr Anita working on her tapestry

Abstract of Masters Thesis by Augusta Bonita Ford, Memorial University of Newfoundland

The purpose of this study was to trace the work of the sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland in the field of business education. The Sisters began their work in the late 1800’s, when they first introduced business education courses into the curriculum of their convent schools. Their work continued until the mid-1900’s, when they began phasing out the formal business education programs which they had developed over the years in their schools. Their activities in this area constitute an important and lasting contribution to the field of business education. There has been no previous in-depth scholarly investigation into this aspect of the Sisters’ work. Therefore, a study of the Sisters’ contribution to this field is long overdue.

The first part of this study provides historical background of the Sisters of Mercy, the establishment of the early convent schools in Newfoundland, and the introduction of business education subjects into the curriculum of these schools. — The second part of the study deals with the opening of Commercial Departments at several of the Sisters’ schools and colleges around the Island, the development of comprehensive business education programs in these departments, and the introduction and development of business education programs at convent schools where Commercial Departments were not established.

The Sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland started their business training at a time when business education was in its infancy and when the field of employment for women. The foresight, energy, and determination of the early Sisters won the respect of educators and business people across Newfoundland. An, the outstanding achievements of so many of their students won for the institutions they represented a recognized place not only in the educational and business circles of the Island but also in international business education competitions. — In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, many schools and colleges in Newfoundland began closing down their Commercial Departments or phasing out their business education classes. The convent schools and colleges operated by the Sisters of Mercy were among this group. New educational institutions such as Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School for girls and The College of Trades and Technology in St. John’s, along with the District Vocational Schools across the Island, now took up the task of preparing the youth of Newfoundland for the world of business.

By the time the Sisters were ready to concede the responsibility for business training to the new institutions, they had already helped to raise business education from a small cluster of basic skills courses to a highly sophisticated field of learning for young men and women. In addition, the Sisters had trained for the business communities of the Island thousands of qualified typists, stenographers, and bookkeepers. In so doing, they had given well over half a century of dedicated service to the field of business education in Newfoundland.

Read the thesis here

“In this respectful tribute to St. Clare’s, The Mustard Seed, Sr. Kathrine Bellamy chronicles the hospital’s development from its opening in 1922 with 20 beds, its growth to an institution of 375 beds and its national recognition in 1992 by Chatelainemagazine as one of Canada’s 12 “great” hospitals.

Since 1842, the Sisters of Mercy had been ministering to the sick, poor and needy of St. John’s, thus when this established tradition of care was redirected toward hospital patients it was not difficult for St. Clare’s to live up to the motto “Mercy Above All.” Accordingly, St. Clare’s became home to Newfoundland’s first alcohol and detoxification centre and its first palliative care unit, and absorbed the chronic care of tuberculosis patients following closure of the city’s sanatorium; from 1922 until the obstetrics unit closed 70 years later, 83 000 babies were delivered…”

From the book review by J.T.H. Connor PhD, John Clinch professor of medical humanities and history of medicine, Faculty of Medicine Memorial University St. John’s, NL

Read the rest of the review here

The Family Life Bureau, established in the Archdiocese of St. John’s in 1976, offers counseling in a whole range of areas including individual, marriage, and family counseling. Clients of the staff of the Bureau are either self-referred, referred from the courts, from physicians, various community agencies, and from priests throughout the Archdiocese.

Discovering and using your strengths to deal with personal and family life issues . . . Support to see you through . . .

Pastoral counseling is healing the mind, spirit, and relationships through the wisdom of behavioural sciences and spiritual values.

The goal of the Family Life Bureau is to foster positive changes in the lives of persons. Every person has within him/her the energy for growth. Troubled people seek out help when external circumstances lead to distressing separation from others, internal conflicts that cause pain and inner division, and when the life force within them is blocked from healing and growth.

Sister Loretta Walsh, rsm, Executive Director of the Family Life Bureau, is a facilitator and counselor. She and two other certified counselors provide individual, couple, group and family counseling. They also organize and facilitate workshops and marriage preparation seminars. The workshops deal with issues related to family life, parenting, interpersonal relationships, separation and divorce, personal growth, youth, dealing with drugs, assertiveness and self-esteem.

One interesting program brings married couples together for a candlelight dessert and facilitated conversation about their relationship. This marriage enrichment component is facilitated collaboration with the West End Baptist Church and some Anglican parishes in St. John’s.