Category: Sisters News

Jubilee – 545 Years

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Five hundred and fourty five years of life and ministry as Sisters of Mercy were celebrated in St. John’s, Newfoundland this summer. On July 16, our traditional Reception and Profession Day,  Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated in Corpus Christi Parish Church in the beautiful Waterford Valley to honour the silver and golden jubilee of nine women of Mercy. Sisters, Associates, colleagues, family and friends filled the church for the joyful event. Afterwards all were treated to refreshments in the parish hall.

Two diamond jubilarians living at McAuley Convent were unable to attend the Mass. They were joined by the other nine celebrants for an afternoon tea party a few days before that. Congratulations and thanks for your generosity and commitment for these so many years.

History of St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital: The Mustard Seed

Posted on by Diane Smyth

 

June 28, 2010 marked the launch of The Mustard Seed, the story of St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital written by Sister Kathrine Bellamy, rsm.  In her book Sister Kathrine set the story of St. Clare’s within the larger story of the Sisters of Mercy, the founding of the Congregation in Ireland in 1831, the foundation of the Newfoundland mission in 1842, the founding moment of the hospital in 1922 and the service and commitment of so many sisters and staff over the past 88 years.
 
Close to 150 people-Sisters of Mercy, the Bellamy family, friends, employees, volunteers and retirees-assembled to celebrate the event. Gary Cranford, publisher of Flanker Press, brought greetings to those gathered and spoke of how pleased he was to publish a second book by Sister Kathrine, referring to her previous book, Weavers of the Tapestry (2007).
 
Sister Elizabeth Davis, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Mercy, brought greetings on behalf of the Sisters, noting that it was an evening to celebrate an author, a book, a ministry and a place of healing.   In her remarks, Sister Elizabeth paid tribute to Sister Kathrine as a woman of Mercy, noting that her legacy to our province and to our Church is a rich and deep one, citing especially her giftedness as a musician, her leadership within the community at large and within our Congregation. as a social activist, and as a historian.   Referring to The Mustard Seed, Sister Elizabeth noted that it is a rich history of St. Clare’s and our city’s health care system.  She described it is a significant accounting of a ministry which we have held precious from the first years of our coming to Newfoundland to this day – the healing ministry. Sister Elizabeth concluded by saying that we celebrate a place of healing, St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital,  and the women and men who have carried out their work over the past eighty-eight years, the many professions and disciplines and support positions which have been and remain the heart and spirit of this place of healing.
 
A number of Sister Kathrine’s family members were present including her nephew, Reverend William Bellamy. Fifteen members of Mercy School Choir alumnae, accompanied by Brenda (Molloy) Mooney and directed by Marilyn (Burke) Murphy added their voices to the celebration.   The musical pieces were chosen to be part of the event in tribute to Sister Kathrine who taught these pieces to her choir and who passed on to them a great love of music and song.   One of the pieces that they sang, Salve Regina, was composed by Sister Kathrine. They were thrilled to have been invited to honor Sister Kathrine and the publication of her book.
 
A collage of photos from the launch of Sister Kathrine’s  Weavers of the Tapestry had been prepared by Marilyn (Mulrooney) Cameron and her daughter, Laura and was displayed during the launch.
 
Following the official launch, a reception for the guests was provided by Flanker Press. It provided an opportunity for friends and acquaintances to converse with each other, to share memories, to tell stories, and to purchase copies of The Mustard Seed
 
 
On a sad note:
Sister Kathrine died before the publication of her book, but it was fortunate that she had already passed her manuscript to the publishing company.   She had already chosen its title, taking it from the address of Archbishop Roche during the Opening of St. Clare’s Liturgy on May 21, 1922. He stated that the Sisters of Mercy are “planting a tiny grain of mustard seed, which we hope will grow into an immense tree, throwing its healing branches over different sections of the country.”
 

Sister Betty the Builder

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Bob the Builder may have competition!  During July, 2010 four homes(duplex) are being built in St. John’s, Newfoundland by Cabot Habitat for Humanity. Sister Betty Morrissey is a member of the volunteer team and goes to the construction site each morning at 7:30 (weather permitting) to give of her time and talent. After a couple of hours she then takes up her ministry in pastoral care at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital.

Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, non-profit, faith-based organization working for a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. The mission of the organization is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.  

Betty has been involved with Cabot Habitat since 1996. She served on the Board of Directors for almost ten years and is currently part of a group that nurtures the families as they prepare to move into their very own, brand new home. She also supports them as they contribute their hours of labour to the project. Over the nearly fifteen years that Betty has be part of this social housing project she has been part of building more than 25 family homes.

Former Brigus Convent is Restaurant and B&B

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On September 11, 1861 four Sisters of Mercy set out by stage-coach from St. John’s to Portugal Cove, 12 miles away, to board the steamship Ellen Gisborn.  They sailed across Conception Bay for the picturesque and bustling Brigus harbour. Three of these women were professed sisters and one a postulant who had entered the day before.  Three of them were of Irish birth and all four of them under 26 years of age.  They were accompanied by the reverend mother and her assistant from Mercy Convent, Military Road.  The small band of sisters was met with flags and canon shots and a large number of delighted people.  St. Joseph’s Convent, Brigus, was the first foundation of Mercy sisters outside of St. John’s. 

Within the first few days of their arrival the sisters began their visitation of the sick at home and wasted no time in beginning their teaching.  Reports from the Board of Education describes the excellent work and the many achievements of the sisters and their students in education, music and arts.  In 1901 the sisters offered a program to train prospective teachers for the local school board.

From 1861 up to 1991 a large number of Sisters of Mercy were stationed in Brigus and taught in the different schools.  In 1991 the convent closed but one sister continued to commute from Immaculate Conception Convent,Conception Harbour, for a few more years.   

On March 1, 1994 the keys of the Brigus convent were handed to its new owner who intended to open a personal care home for elderly persons.  Since that time ownership has changed a few times until at this date in 2010 the newest owner has opened a restaurant and B&B, Harbour House.

The new enterprise still holds the orignal character of the former convent with useful changes including a large wheelchair accessible deck.  The community room has become a cosy pub that opens up into the adjacent room – the bar; the dining room is still a dining room; and the parlour is now a second, smaller dining room that could be set used for a private meeting.  The former “cells” on the second and third floors have become the sleeping area of the B&B.  Two lovely staircases provide access to this space.

Formation Conference

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The National Association of Vocation and Formation Directors’ Conference was held in Toronto, Ontario, March 14 – 17.  The theme of the conference was “Let Your Life Speak…Vocation Alive.”

Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI was the keynote speaker. His talks based on years of experience as a Religious were inspiring, practical and full of hope. If we are living the gospel authentically, we can deal with the challenges of diversity; develop a Vocation culture beyond theology, ideology, liberals, and conservative and seek within ourselves for the authority to invite others to Religious Life. In addition to Father Rolheiser’s input, there were many workshops dealing with current issues in vocation ministry.

Sisters Maureen O’Keefe, Elizabeth Marrie, Eileen Penney and Marie Etheridge attended the conference. 

The conference material and the sharing with other vocation personnel was an enriching experience for each of us and renewed our energy to further the work of vocation ministry in our congregation.

Death of Sister Kathrine Bellamy

Posted on by Diane Smyth

With deep sadness, the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland mourn the sudden death of Sister Kathrine Bellamy on March 23, 2010.  Sister Kathrine’s legacy is a rich and deep one.  We are grateful for her gift of music composed and played and taught, for her leadership within the community at large and within our Congregation, for her love of history, for her commitment to interdenominational action for justice, for her passionate love for our Congregation and, perhaps above all, for her ministry with poor people.

Kathrine was linked with Mercy globally through her many contacts with sister archivists as she composed the history of Mercy in Newfoundland in her book, Weavers of the Tapestry.  She presented our story at Trocaire in Dublin in 1981 and the story of our founder, Sister Francis Creedon, at an international archivists’ meeting in Dublin in 2003.

She was buried from the Basilica of St. John the Baptist where she had been choir director and organist for parish liturgies and functions for twenty-four years.   Approximately seventy-five choristers (from the Basilica Choir and former Mercy Convent School Choirs) sang the sacred songs she had taught them; musicians (former students), through organ, violin, and trumpet, filled the Basilica with the sacred music she loved so deeply and had taught so well.  It is fitting that this Mercy musician and historian would be buried on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, and the date (in 1843) on which Sister Maria (Mary Joseph) Nugent became the first sister of Mercy professed outside the British Isles.  Kathrine’s motto during her religious life was  “May it be done to me according to Your word.”

Reception and Renewal of Commitment in Peru

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Sisters of Mercy gathered in Lima to celebrate two important events in the life of two Peruvian women, Sisters Alita Sanchez Sanchez and Rosali Vargas Mendoza.  A number of Sisters of Mercy from the United States, Ireland, Australia and Peru joined the Newfoundland Sisters of Mercy for ceremonies of reception to the novitiate and of renewal of vows.

On February 13 Alita, a native of Monsefu, renewed her commitment to live as a vowed member of the Sisters of Mercy.  Rosali, a native of La Grama, was received into the novitiate program on February 19.

We congratulate these women and pray for them as they continue their journey of incorporation into the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy(Newfoundland) and as they deepen their life of commitment to the ministry of Christ in Peru.  We rejoice with them, with the sisters, with their families and with the people of Peru.

Jewellery and Cards for the Missions

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Sister Eileen and her twin sister, Catherine, a Mercy Associate, have a hobby of making jewellery.  They even decorate the boxes that hold the jewellery.  Catherine and Eileen also make lovely greeting cards for all occasions. 

Much of their creation is given as gift but most of it is sold at congregationsl gatherings or fairs to raise money for our missions in Peru and for some other ministry that reaches out to the poor.

At times they receive special requests for personalized earings or cards.  One such request might be to use the pearls or beads of an old necklace that has sentimental value to a family to make pieces of jewellery for various members of that family.

These two women are very generous in sharing their creative skills.

St. Teresa’s Parish Choir in Kiwanis Music Festival

Posted on by Diane Smyth

St. Teresa’s Parish “Saturday Evening” choir performed on Sunday afternoon, February 28 in the Church Choir group at the Kiwanis 2010 Festival held in St. John’s. About thirty five men and women were directed by Mr. Robin Williams and accompanied by Mrs. Brenda Mooney. The adjudicator praised their performance of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus and Leo Nestor’s Virgin, Great and Glorious, giving them top marks against a competing choir. Sister Loretta Dower, a Sister of Mercy, St. Teresa’s Convent is a choir member and was delighted with the

choir’s performance. A number of Sisters, family and friends of choir members attended to cheer them on. The pastors of St. Teresa’s Parish were there too. Congratulations to Sister Loretta and to St. Teresa’s.

 

The Kiwanis Music Festival is an annual event beginning with a two-day festival in 1952 with 193 entries and two adjudicators; in 2010 it spans 12 days, with well over 6,000 participants and nine adjudicators. It is the largest festival in eastern Canada.

 

Musicians young and old have come to appreciate the “Festival” and enjoy this competitive opportunity to showcase their musical talent and their love and commitment to voice, instrumental and choral music. Every performer or group has the opportunity hear and learn from the instant evaluation of their performance by the expert and professional adjudicators. The adjudicators speak to them in order to teach and encourage. Marks are given, even though sometimes an adjudicator admits difficulty in giving marks to one group over the other.

 

Sisters of Mercy and their students in St. John’s and area schools have been part of the Kiwanis Music Festival since its foundation. Thousands of the sisters’ students – solists, duos and trios and combinations of the same, choirs, choral speech groups, instrumentalists, orchestras and bands from St. John’s, Bell Island, Goulds, Bay Bulls, Brigus, Conception Harbour and from as far as Marystown have entered the festival and have excelled.

 

Much is owed to the music teachers of our Congregation and of the Presentation Congregation for their commitment to music and culture and for nurturing the innate talent of the youth of our province. They are the true and consistent pioneers of our musical heritage. Some of them have rightly been inducted as members of the Hall of Fame of the Music Festival Association. There are no sisters taking groups to the Festival these days but their many students are doing that now. The baton has been passed and is calling forth the best of music in the next generations!

Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice Celebrates

Posted on by Diane Smyth

February 11 is special for the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice. There are a few reasons that make this day so special.

This year February 11 was an occasion to welcome sisters to the newly opened Centre. The building is located in area of the former parish of Our Lady of Lourdes at Mount Scio in St. John’s. As the prayer of the day notes: “Water is a sacred gift, a necessity for life and a source of life. It is a sacred symbol that carries a profound sense of mystery and is a manifestation and experience of the sacred that has spoken to all peoples down through the ages. Water is the focus of devotion to the Virgin Mary at Lourdes and a source of healing at the shrine in France.” Water from Lourdes was used in today’s ritual.

 
The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes that was the centerpiece of the prayer service also has a fascinating story to tell. First of all, the bid to purchase the property at Mount Scio was made on February 11, 2009. Second, on the property there was a stone grotto lined by an old bath-tub, but the statue was missing. In the ensuing days the owner of the property told the committee who came to examine the house and land that a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes that was in the grotto had originally come from the local parish school, which had been administered by Sisters of Mercy, Our Lady of Lourdes School. The owner said that he had just recently offered the statue to one of the Mercy Convents because of the pending sale of the property.  A short while after that the sisters learned that the statue had been warmly and gratefully welcomed at McAuley Convent and would eventually be ensconced in the garden there. When the Mount Scio property was finally purchased plans were made that the statue would be sent back to be installed in the empty grotto. Our Lady of Lourdes has returned to her former abode. Through her intercession we pray that the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice will be blessed in its ministry in care for the earth and for all of creation and in its efforts to promote the cause for peace and justice locally and globally.   (The Centre is ideally located in Pippy Park, a huge green space in the center of St. John’s.)