Sisters of Mercy

On December 12th each year we mark the special occasion of

Foundation Day of the Sisters of Mercy

It is a day when we revisit
The courage it takes to dig new ground
The faith it takes to follow the unknown path
The hope it takes to light a candle in the darkness
The love it takes to be mercy at the heart of the universe

In her book, Venerable Catherine McAuley: Liminal for Mercy, Sr. Angela Bolster records some of the building stones that Catherine McAuley brought to the foundation of the Sisters of Mercy.

Extracted:

Liminal Figure: Catherine was a liminal, prophetic advocate of what today is termed systemic change and which aims at influencing those social and political structures which tend to militate against disadvantaged persons.

Social Catalyst: As a social catalyst Catherine placed herself fearlessly on the LIMEN, the threshold, the cutting edge between the Gospels and the cultures of her day.

Filter of Mercy: Catherine was indeed liminal and prophetic in the way she worked to make Mercy something visible in her day: not because she relieved the aches and pains of poverty of some people, but because her constant message was the Good News and its way of merciful love.

Liminal Educator: She was furthermore, outstandingly liminal in her efforts for the emancipation of women through the medium of education… the network of schools which she established provided that quality of training which helped to liberate young Catholic girls from the darkness and disadvantages of illiteracy and discrimination.

Promoter of Justice: Ministry to the sick was an integral part of Catherine McAuley’s understanding of justice. She opened her hands to the needy and stretched out her arms to the poor…

Special Charisms: Among the “special charisms” of Catherine, noted by Angela Bolster in this book are:

• Ability to inspire others
• Adaptability
• Ecumenism
• Friendship
• Human-Ness
• Openness to the Spirit

For those who knew her, Catherine McAuley was the epitome of those qualities of serenity, gentleness, reserve, prudence, patience, self-esteem and courtesy which constitute the virtue of Temperance. She exercised and advised temperance in speech and strove ‘to avoid making too many laws (because) if we pull the strings too tight, they will snap’.  (Angela Bolster RSM)

It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.        David Allan Coe

God’s Mercy is from age to age…

 

Communications