‘Our Congregation’s Charism Journey in this Twenty-First Century’ was the theme of the gathering of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland at a Congregational Assembly August 27-29, 2007.
The Assembly was the culmination of our charism journey over the past year wherein we as individuals, communities and/or circles entered into a theological reflection process to explore and deepen our sense of the Mercy charism.
The Assembly moved us further into the journey as we continued our reflection on our experience of the living God in this century taking for our consideration the areas of suffering people, especially the poor; the struggle of women for equal human dignity; our dependence on diversity for life and growth; the awareness of earth as a place of beauty and suffering in an evolving universe; and leadership.
Each area opened with three voices speaking to the issue – the voice of Scripture, the voice of Catherine McAuley and the voice of contemporary experience – and following a time of quiet reflection and dialogue in small and large groups, we attempted to discern what these voices were saying to us as a Congregation and what is the new place to which we are being called.
To assist us in our exploration we were very fortunate to have had with us Sister Mary Sullivan, RSM of Rochester, New York, who was the voice of Catherine; and Sister Carmelita Murphy, OP as facilitator for the whole assembly. Prior to the assembly, we were privileged to have Sister Mary Sullivan share with us, our Associates, friends and family members on the life and spirit of Catherine.
The Assembly was a time of sharing, ritualizing, socializing and, indeed, one of blessing for us as individuals, as communities and as Congregation.
