Category: Sisters News

Insight: In Conversation with Sister Elizabeth Davis

Posted on by Diane Smyth

ABSTRACT

Although she denies it, Sister Elizabeth Davis, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland and Labrador, is becoming a Canadian icon: in education, in healthcare, in leadership development, in social policy and in religious studies, in Canada and abroad. With teaching appointments and participation on many boards and commissions, she leaves a trail of wisdom, quiet successes and vocal fans in her wake. In 2001, she won the Catholic Health Care Association of Canada’s Performance Citation Award and the Canadian Healthcare Association’s Award for Excellence in Distinguished Service. Those were followed by an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Memorial University of Newfoundland, induction into the Alpha Sigma Nu Honour Society of Jesuit Educational Institutions and an appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2004. Recently, the University of Toronto’s Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation selected Sister Elizabeth as Leader of the Year for 2006. Ken Tremblay caught up with Sister Elizabeth at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, where she is currently teaching a course titled Introduction to the Old Testament.

HQ: Sister, your life with the Sisters of Mercy has been anything but traditional. From early roots in education, to healthcare leadership, to lifelong learning and doctoral studies, from small-town Newfoundland to international venues, from issues in contemporary society to religious studies of the Old Testament, from shaping minds to shaping policy and planning the future of a province, conversations with your general superior must be interesting?Sister: [Chuckle] To say the least! The sisters have been very supportive of me and my career. They have congratulated me on many occasions, and they constantly challenge me to do more. You might think that they would say “stick to the knitting” and stop wandering. They have recognized that these vocational changes have been important to me. I have been very fortunate to have accumulated these experiences and been grounded in their diversity.

HQ: What has been your proudest moment?

Sister: Actually, I have never thought of that. I guess, in a paradoxical way, it was the experience in St. John’s. Here we were, arguably in Canada’s poorest province, making significant changes in the way we delivered care. Staff in 10 different organizations joined me in making the decisions that were in the best interest of healthcare, and they put those needs ahead of their own interests – the unions, physicians, staff members, managers, volunteers, board members. Witnessing that degree of commitment – people putting aside their personal interests in the best interest of the community, during a very difficult time – was witnessing a triumph of the human spirit. I was proud to be counted among them.

Author: Ken Tremblay.  Source: Healthcare Quarterly 10(1) January 2007 : 30-32.doi:10.12927/hcq..18646

Read the complete article here (PDF)

As Theology Shifts, Sisters are Making Christmas More Cosmic

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Each Sunday in Advent, Sr. Elizabeth Davis and her fellow Mercy sisters light a candle on their cosmic Advent wreath adorned with shells, pinecones, rocks and colorful ribbons. 

The four candles symbolize the births of, in order: the universe, the solar system, Jesus Christ and, finally, “the birth of each one of us into the whole cosmic body of the universe,” said Davis, a member of Mercy International Association.

While Christmas is a celebration of God becoming incarnate through the birth of Jesus Christ, theologians consider God’s first act of incarnation to be the birth of the cosmos, inspiring some religious communities to incorporate a cosmic dimension to their seasonal reflections and celebrations. (Davis noted that her community, Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland, got the idea of a cosmic Advent wreath from the School Sisters of Notre Dame.)

The Mercy sisters are working to democratize the theological language around Christ and the cosmos through Mercy Global Presence, a program that uses art and ordinary language to examine otherwise abstract topics. The online resource for December is themed “Incarnate God in Cosmos and in Person of Jesus.”

“What’s happening now is quite a fundamental shift for ordinary sisters, men, women and children, that we’re starting to understand [the universe] in ways we couldn’t have even 10 years ago,” said Davis, who serves on the guiding team for Mercy Global Presence and as liaison with the 12 congregational leaders of Sisters of Mercy.

“That’s a fundamental shift in our theology, in our spirituality, in how and where we do ministry,” she said.

And a shift in how to think about Christmas…

Read the rest of the article in Global Sisters Report here

Sr Kathrine Bellamy, A Woman Social Activist of Canada

Posted on by Diane Smyth

A much loved music teacher, Cathedral organist and choir leader who believed in the power of music to help people break through self-imposed limits and develop their capacities, Kathrine Bellamy’s activism extended to facing up to the challenges in combating the social results of extreme poverty in St John’s.

Her love for all humanity was not confined to her choral work. She has been a tireless advocate of the dignity of the homeless, the poor, and the physically and mentally frail. She initiated a multi-faith committee that crossed denominational boundaries to spearhead the distribution of food and clothes to the less fortunate in the City of St. John’s.
(Oration honouring Sister Kathrine Bellamy for the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, bestowed by Memorial University, 2006)

Two years after accepting her honorary degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Sister Kathrine agreed to be interviewed by Liz Burge. The setting was a comfortable room in the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy near her beloved church, the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. The atmosphere of peace in the room contrasted with the content of her stories of community, poverty and seeking resources to lend comfort and dignity to the lives of people on her watch.

Born in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, Sr. Kathrine died on March 23, 2010 at the age of 86. Music was a feature of her household that helped form her, for her father, who came from England, taught her English folk songs. Her mother’s Irish lineage embraced generations of musicians. She had “an extraordinarily fine soprano voice and was an accomplished pianist.” Living in an era before television when people provided their own entertainment, Kathrine was exposed to sing-songs at home, and concerts and plays in her town.

Attending boarding school in St. John’s from the age of 12, Kathrine came under the influence of the Sisters of Mercy, who “sparked a real love of learning” and showed by example a life of joyful dedication that appealed to the young girl. At the age of eighteen, she decided to enter the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy. Although she had wanted to be a math teacher, she was to become a brilliant musician and social activist instead: “Music gifted me,” she said with characteristic modesty.

Assigned to Our Lady of Mercy College, Kathrine learned to teach and also to conduct music with Sisters who were gifted musicians. By 1960, she was in charge of all classroom choirs in the school, as well as the Mercy Glee Club choir, which won accolades and wide recognition. This, Sr. Kathrine attributed to the “astonishingly sympathetic and supportive accompaniment” of Sr. Celine Veitch. Her own flair for teaching singing created choirs of young people and won, for example, the prestigious Mathieson Trophy in 1965 for the best junior choir in Canada….

Read the complete article here

The Sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland : their contribution to business education

Posted on by Diane Smyth

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

Mercy’s Legacy

Posted on by Diane Smyth

I recently attended a ceremony that truly marked the end of an era – the closing of St. Clare’s Mercy Convent. Its history began 102 years ago, as St. Clare’s Home for Working Girls and was the first location of St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital.

Sisters who lived in St. Clare’s Mercy Convent in recent years:
Front row (l-r): Sister Marie Etheridge, Sister Jane McGrath, Sister Marian Grace Manning, and Sister Madonna O’Neill
Back Row, left to right: Sister Brenda Lacey, Sister Elizabeth Davis and Sister Madonna Gatherall

Over the years, 92 Sisters of Mercy called it home.

In her emotional remarks during the recent closing ceremony, one of its former residents, Sister Elizabeth Davis, reminisced: “It is a holy space which has seen and heard joy and laughter, music and dancing, pain and tears, anger and gentleness, fear and hope, dreams and promise.”

But the Sisters have left their mark on face of health care delivery in this province.

Sister Elizabeth believes it’s a lasting legacy. “While the physical convent may be gone, we have far more than the memories of the place and of the women who once called it home.”

“We have the energy that flows from the spirit of mercy that lived in the convent and now lives forever in this hospital and in our world.”

Read the complete article here

The two lives of St. Clare’s: Religious roots of 100-year-old St. John’s hospital still stir pride in the Sisters of Mercy

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Legacy was enshrined by the care and compassion of the pioneering order ‘walking nuns’ who became the heart of N.L. health care for decades

L-r: Srs Diane and Charlotte
Image: Peter Jackson, Saltwire

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Sister Diane Smyth remembers the family dinner her mother cooked the night before Smyth joined the Mercy Convent in St. John’s in 1964.

“My uncle said to me, ‘It’s just like you’re dying,’” she said.

“He said, ‘No daughter of mine is going to join the convent,’ as if to say, now that they’re taking you away, you’re going to be locked up for the rest of your life. That was the image of the cloister.”

In fact, the Sisters of Mercy was never an order to shy away from engagement with the community. Quite the opposite.

“In Ireland, we were called the walking nuns,” says Sister Charlotte Fitzpatrick — who recently wrote a book about the local order called “Standing on Their Shoulders” — “because most of the congregations of women in religions at the time were enclosed, they didn’t go out among the people as much…

Read the rest of the article here

“Mercy above all” since 1922: a tribute to a hospital

Posted on by Diane Smyth

“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

Remembering Our Newfoundland Story 9: Death of Sister M. Perpetua O’Callaghan

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Sarah O’Callaghan, born in Ireland in 1877, is one of the leading lights in Mercy educational history in Newfoundland.

In 1903 her brother Daniel wrote the bishop of St. John’s, Michael Francis Howley expressing his desire to enter the priesthood and serve in his diocese. In that letter he spoke glowingly of his sister Sarah, noting thatshe was “an accomplished scholar” who was hoping to join the Presentation Sisters in Newfoundland. Bishop Howley was more interested in Sarah than in Daniel, seeing her as a promising candidate for the furtherance of the educational plans for his diocese.

At this time St. Bride’s College, Littledale, established in 1884 by the Sisters of Mercy as a boarding school for young women interested in the teaching profession, was becoming increasingly important in the educational and cultural life of Newfoundland. The need for highly qualified teachers for Littledale was a constant concern for the bishop. Consequently, he was quick to welcome Sarah to the diocese, not for the Presentation Sisters but for the Sisters of Mercy.

Sarah arrived in St. John’s in the Fall of 1903, entered the Sisters of Mercy, was received as Sister M. Perpetua and while still a novice was named headmistress of Littledale. Under her wise and competent guidance, Littledale flourished and in 1917 it was raised to the status of a college.

After seventeen years of intense involvement in the life and growth of her beloved Littledale, Sister M. Perpetua was ready for a change. She went to Fordham University in New York, where in 1923 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, the first Sister of Mercy of Newfoundland to receive this distinction. Upon her return to St. John’s she served in a number of positions, including Mistress of Novices. She died at the age of 56 years at St. Bride’s Convent on August 22, 1933, with her brother, Father Dan at her bedside.

Sister Mary Perpetua was a faithful and zealous Sister of Mercy, a woman of extraordinary talent and energy, a great teacher and mentor and a tireless advocate for the cause of education.

Sarah O’Callaghan, nacida en Irlanda en 1877, es una de las figuras más destacadas de la historia educativa de la Misericordia en Terranova.

En 1903, su hermano Daniel escribió al obispo de St. John’s, Michael Francis Howley, expresando su deseo de entrar en el sacerdocio y servir en su diócesis. En esa carta hablaba elogiosamente de su hermana Sarah, señalando que era “una erudita consumada” que esperaba unirse a las Hermanas de la Presentación en Terranova. El obispo Howley estaba más interesado en Sarah que en Daniel, pues la veía como una candidata prometedora para llevar adelante los planes educativos de su diócesis.

Bride’s College, Littledale, fundado en 1884 por las Hermanas de la Misericordia como internado para mujeres jóvenes interesadas en la profesión docente, adquiría cada vez más importancia en la vida educativa y cultural de Terranova. La necesidad de profesoras altamente cualificadas para Littledale era una preocupación constante para el obispo. En consecuencia, se apresuró a acoger a Sarah en la diócesis, no para las Hermanas de la Presentación, sino para las Hermanas de la Misericordia.

Sarah llegó a St. John’s en el otoño de 1903, ingresó en las Hermanas de la Misericordia, fue recibida como Hermana M. Perpetua y, siendo todavía novicia, fue nombrada directora de Littledale. Bajo su sabia y competente dirección, Littledale floreció y en 1917 fue elevado a la categoría de colegio.

Después de diecisiete años de intensa participación en la vida y el crecimiento de su querida Littledale, la Hermana M. Perpetua estaba lista para un cambio.
Fue a la Universidad de Fordham en Nueva York, donde en 1923 obtuvo el título de Doctora en Filosofía, siendo la primera Hermana de la Misericordia de Terranova en recibir esta distinción.A su regreso a St. John’s desempeñó diversos cargos, entre ellos el de maestra de novicias.Murió a la edad de 56 años en el convento de Santa Novia el 22 de agosto de 1933, con su hermano, el padre Dan, a su cabecera.

Sor Mary Perpetua fue una fiel y celosa Hermana de la Misericordia, una mujer de extraordinario talento y energía, una gran maestra y mentora y una incansable defensora de la causa de la educación.

Remembering Our Newfoundland Mercy Story 8: Sandy Point Foundation

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Sandy Point was a peninsula connected to the mainland at Flat Bay until the 1940s when coastal erosion made it an island. Through the 1800s it was the hub of the Bay St. George fishery and the largest year-round community on Newfoundland’s west coast, but its prominence decreased with the completion of the trans-island railway in 1897.

Photo of Sandy Point by Lloyd Pretty

It was here in this bustling but undeveloped settlement of Sandy Point that a historic event occurred 130 years ago. On July 28, 1893 four Sisters of Mercy arrived by ship from Providence, Rhode Island to establish a Convent of Mercy and a school in mission territory far removed from the advantaged life they had lived in the United States. The incredible story of their coming and their staying is a testament to the amazing mystery of God’s call and human response.

This prayer facilitates reflection on this special anniversary and will provide another opportunity to express gratitude to and for the Mercy women who have gone before us.

More about the story of the Sandy Point Foundation
Mary Antonio Egan, Founder of the First Convent of Mercy on the west coast of Newfoundland 

Celebration of Foundation at Sandy Point (2011)
120th Anniversary of Foundation at Sandy Point (2013)
Anniversary of the Founding of Mercy on West Coast of Newfoundland (2022)

 

Sandy Point fue una península unida a tierra firme por Flat Bay hasta los años 40, cuando la erosión costera la convirtió en isla. Durante el siglo XIX fue el centro de la pesquería de Bay St. George y la mayor comunidad de la costa oeste de Terranova, pero su importancia disminuyó con la construcción del ferrocarril transinsular en 1897.

Fue aquí, en este bullicioso pero poco desarrollado asentamiento de Sandy Point, donde se produjo un acontecimiento histórico hace 130 años. El 28 de julio de 1893, cuatro Hermanas de la Misericordia llegaron en barco desde Providence, Rhode Island, para establecer un Convento de la Misericordia y una escuela en un territorio de misión muy alejado de la vida acomodada que habían llevado en Estados Unidos. La increíble historia de su llegada y de su permanencia es un testimonio del asombroso misterio de la llamada de Dios y de la respuesta humana.

Esta oración facilita la reflexión en este aniversario tan especial y proporcionará otra oportunidad para expresar gratitud a y por las mujeres de la Misericordia que nos han precedido.

Más sobre la historia de la Fundación Sandy Point

Celebración de la Fundación en Sandy Point (2011)
120 aniversario de la Fundación en Sandy Point, Terranova (2013)
Aniversario de la fundación de Mercy en la costa oeste de Terranova (2022)

Opening of the new Perchance Theatre in former Mercy Convent

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On Saturday, 15 July Perchance Theatre opened in its new home in Conception Harbour, the former Immaculate Conception Mercy Convent.

Immaculate Conception Convent (built in 1930s), now Perchance Theatre

An interview with Danielle Irvine, artistic director,  and Sr Diane Smyth with Heather Barrett on CBC news marked the occasion.

The interview can be heard here. As you listen to the interview you are taken on a tour of the building, what it has been used for and what it will be.

The first show in the new home is a musical, High Steel, a story of those  men from Conception Bay and other communities who left the bays to help build the skyscrapers in New York and Boston USA.

“For all the years here the Sisters taught the arts. That’s why we’re so excited Perchance Theatre is now here. It is right in keeping with our spirit,”said Sr Diane.

“It’s a match made in heaven!” added Danielle Irvine.

Watch the interview clip on instagram here

The story of how Mercy Convent Conception Harbour became the new home for Perchance Theatre can be read on our website here

El sábado 15 de julio se inauguró el Perchance Theatre en su nueva sede de Conception Harbour, el antiguo Convento de la Misericordia de la Inmaculada Concepción.

Una entrevista a Danielle Irvine, directora artística, y a la Hna. Diane Smyth con Heather Barrett en las noticias de la CBC marcó la ocasión.

La entrevista puede escucharse aquí. Mientras se escucha la entrevista, se hace un recorrido por el edificio, para qué se ha utilizado y qué será.

El primer espectáculo en la nueva casa es un musical, High Steel, una historia de aquellos hombres de Conception Bay y otras comunidades que dejaron las bahías para ayudar a construir los rascacielos de Nueva York y Boston USA.

“Durante todos los años aquí las Hermanas enseñaron las artes. Por eso estamos tan contentas de que Perchance Theatre esté ahora aquí. Está en consonancia con nuestro espíritu”, afirma la Hermana Diane.

Y Danielle Irvine añadió: “Es un matrimonio hecho en el cielo”.

La historia de cómo el Mercy Convent Conception Harbour se convirtió en la nueva sede del Perchance Theatre puede leerse en nuestro sitio web aquí