Between August 9th and 12th sixty-nine students, including thirteen from the Southern Province, were on pilgrimage in Mercy International, Baggot Street, Dublin. This year it was the turn of college students and young adults to take part and to have an opportunity to experience together the riches of the Mercy story before returning to daily life better equipped to be leaders in their colleges and in the world. They came from Carlow, Gwynedd Mercy, Misericordia, Salve Regina and Mount Mercy universities in the United States and from the Southern, Northern and South Central Provinces.
The theme of this year’s pilgrimage was Leadership in the Year of Mercy. Sr. Liz Murphy facilitated all the plenary sessions and actively involved the participants in a most engaging manner.
Sr. Betty Scanlon from the Mid Atlantic province in the US gave the first keynote address entitled “No one is excluded from the Mercy of God”. She told the story of her visit to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. The staff from a demolished clinic, who had scattered to look after their families, returned when they learned that the Sisters had come to stay and were living in a tent. She didn’t use the words leadership or example or compassion or empathy but it was clear from her story that all of these elements were factors in motivating the terrified staff to return to the clinic to care for the injured and sick.
Her talk raised many questions for us:
- How do we, who are well fed and clothed, understand and empathise with the plight of the three billion people who live on less than $2.50 /day or the eight hundred million who go to bed hungry every night?
- Can we, who have never really experienced powerlessness, understand those who are totally powerless and oppressed?
- Have we any obligation towards the sixty five million who have been driven from their homes?
- What steps can we, in our insulated cultures, take to open ourselves to the consequences of extreme poverty in many other cultures and nations?
The second address, delivered by Sr. Mary Kay Dobrovolny, invited participants to reflect on their own leadership gifts and those of Catherine McAuley.
Over the four days each pilgrim got the opportunity to take part in seven different workshops.
- Ending Sex Trafficking and Realising Catherine’s Vision in our World Today.
- Global Justice in the Year of Mercy.
- What is it you plan to do with your one wild life?
- Mercy Volunteer Corps.
- Mindfulness.
- The vision and mission of Mercy.
- A Mercy passport …continuing Betty Scanlon’s keynote address.
On the final day pilgrims worked on action plans for living out the call to be Mercy in their local colleges when they return home.
The closing liturgy took place in the chapel with Brian Shortall OFM Cap presiding. The first reading from the prophet Micah was reflected in Catherine’s words.
To act justly, Catherine says: for ourselves we ask nothing – but (for) our poor young women … I will make one effort more in their regard.
To love tenderly, Catherine says: Show fond affection every day.
And to walk humbly with your God, Catherine says: our hearts can always be in the same place centred in God – for whom alone we go forward – or stay back.
In a moving commissioning of the pilgrims Mary Reynolds rsm addressed the gathering while twelve Sisters of Mercy who had been at MIC all week – MIC staff, university staff, volunteers and mentors – distributed three important gifts for the journey ahead: the candle ‘to go light your world’, a wrist band, imprinted with the words #Make Mercy Real, to be a daily reminder of the call to action and a prayer card with Catherine’s words of exhortation and blessing; ‘Put all your confidence in God. He will never let you want’.
The pilgrims pledged:
As a Young Mercy leader, let Catherine’s story fill my heart.
May the gift of Mercy fire me with courage to face and respond to the challenges I will meet in my life.
May I be united with other Young Mercy Leaders in a desire to welcome the diversity of persons and gifts in my community.
May I be inspired to support the Mission of Mercy in the wider world in whatever ways I can.
In this Year of Mercy and always, may I be blessed with an abiding sense of God’s loving kindness.
Back Row: Sr. Nuala O’Gorman, Sr. Anne Maria O’Carroll, Michelle Moitie (Enniscorthy), Sr. Angela Fleming, Kate Prendergast (Kilkenney), Amy Hourihan (Rosscarbery), Sr. Brid Biggane, Aine Gannon (Kilkenny) Aoife O’Rourke (Rosscarbery), Dearbhla Maguire (Rosscarbery),
Front Row: Alanagh Kennedy, (Charleville) Ashlee Foley (Cobh), Aisling O’Connor (Mallow), Megan O’Neill,(Rosscarbery) Siobhan Ryle (Tralee) Niamh Hill (Rosscarbery), Honor O’Flynn (Newmarket)
Bríd Biggane rsm
Southern Province
