Publications by members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy cover a wide-range of topics including Addiction, Personal Development and Climate Change.
Author: Eileen Fahey rsm– Aiséirí: Treating Addiction. Responding Anew in Hope
In this book Sr. Eileen takes us on a journey of hope as she records the challenges experienced, the courage required and the abiding faith in God’s Providence that guides the realisation of the dream.
From her childhood in Tipperary, Eileen shares the important moments of her life that eventually led her on 8th September, 1956, to the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Cahir, Co Tipperary. After her initial years of training and study and with the support of her community, Sr. Eileen Fahey moved towards “providing a compassionate understanding in a safe environment as a first step to recovery for people in addiction.”
On 12th September, 1983 Aiséirí, Cahir, Co Tipperary opened a door of hope and healing for all who called. Over the chapters of her book the author revisits the building of the foundation, the establishment of a ministry of Mercy and she shares the experiences and memories of people who found new beginnings in Aiséirí. From Aiséirí in Cahir New Centres were opened:
- Roxborough, Wexford 1987
- Ballyragget, Kilkenny 1998
- Ceim Eile, Waterford City 2003
As the name suggests, AISÉIRÍ helps the reader to “rise again with new life.” It is an inspiring, life-giving read.
Author: Magdalene Musau rsm– The Change You Want is Within You
In this book Sr. Magdalene Musau gives a deep and moving insight into the challenges and growth offered us over the miles of life’s journey.
The author offers an interesting blending of Light and Darkness and she explores how these elements combine to bring forth the persons we become. There is movement in this journey and Sr. Magdalene weaves the searching and the struggle with the unbreakable bonds of love and family.
Across the chapters of her book, Magdalene Musau considers how the human heart can respond with resilience and forgiveness on the longest mile of sharp rocks and steep climbs.
The reflective questions offered to the reader at the end of each chapter, provide a valuable resource and a quiet space for listening, changing and growing. The questions call the reader into self-reflection and encourage engagement, conversation and renewal.
This is a life story and a valuable resource.
Author: Assumpta Saunders rsm– Weaving a Thread through the First Fifty Years
In her book, Sr. Assumpta “records for posterity the first 50 years of the Mercy Foundation in Callan.”
This account is rich in historical source material “from the archives of the convent itself, from elsewhere in the Mercy congregation, from local and national newspapers and from diocesan and other archives.” (Preface)
Callan Convent was founded in response to a bitter schism in the parish and thus “the Sisters were set to work in a town tormented by endemic factional violence that they were expected to mitigate.”
This unique story is an excellent reference as it reveals how the Sisters of Mercy worked with parish communities, with local and national political leaders, in the provision of education, medical and pastoral care and in the relief of poverty. In his Preface to this book, Vincent Comerford holds the focus of this amazing story that was replicated across the world:
As Sr. Assumpta’s account reveals, whether times were good or bad the Sisters interpreted their circumstances in terms of their religious faith. The author succeeds in her primary purpose of putting on record the aspirations and achievements of the founding generations of a historically significant institution.
Published by Kilkenny Press
Nellie McLaughlin rsm– Out of Wonder
In Out of Wonder, Nellie McLaughlin takes the reader on a journey through life in the universe, from its initial ‘flaring forth’ to the present day. In so doing, she presents a passionately argued case for the need to live in harmony with the earth, which has supported life for aeons. This updated edition includes a new foreword in which the author explores the context of her work in the light of the publication of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on the environment.
Out of Wonder holds out a message of hope. It invites the reader to be awestruck by the thirteen billion-year evolutionary story. We are all one within the community of creation, each being a unique revelation of the divine. The human is the being in whom the universe becomes self-consciously aware. This is both a privilege and a responsibility. May the wonder of this amazing story inspire us to acknowledge and celebrate our interconnectedness as the community of the universe.’
Published by Veritas Publications.
Nellie McLaughlin rsm– Life’s Delicate Balance
Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home was published in June 2015 to widespread praise from such people as the Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland. While previous popes have spoken about the environment, this is the first time that an entire encyclical has been devoted to the environment and human ecology.
In Life’s Delicate Balance, Sr Nellie McLaughlin provides an impassioned companion piece to this landmark publication. Following sincere reflection upon the text of Laudato Si’, Nellie exhorts people everywhere to pay heed to the pope’s call to save our planet from destruction. With core questions included for reflection and action, this clear and concise book is an urgent and timely wake-up call in its own right.
Anna Burke rsm–Candles in the Night: The Advent Experience
Advent is a period of grateful anticipation and an invitation for Christians everywhere to spend time contemplating the profound gift of the Incarnation. It offers us the opportunity to develop our spiritual lives and to listen to our deepest longings.
Advent should not, as Anna Burke explains in the introduction to Candles in the Night, be spent impatiently ‘counting down the days on the calendar’, but embraced for what it is: a unique period in the Church year to prepare for the arrival of Christ.
The reflections in this book – which explore themes such as ‘waiting’, ‘giving’, ‘announcing’ and ‘transforming’ – are offered as a resource to be used during Advent, be it for personal use, prayer groups or otherwise. Each advent word invites us to behold the presence of God-with-us and to breathe in the holy breath. We will not ‘skip’ Advent. We will wait and watch as the rising sun comes to visit us.
Published by Veritas Publications.
