In 1837 the first Mercy Sisters arrived in the US when seven Sisters from Carlow went to Pittsburgh PA. These Sisters rapidly set up Mercy Convents across the United States thus founding the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
In the 1950’s, many Irish priests were working in the US and they went back to Ireland asking, indeed sometimes begging for Sisters to come to the US to run schools and health facilities. In 1956 Sisters from Enniskillen went to Florida and Sisters from Sligo embarked for San Diego diocese in California. In subsequent years Sisters from sixteen other independent convents in Ireland came to different parts of the US. They set up convents, schools, health care facilities and other services for people who were poor, on the margins and suffering. These Sisters remained attached to their own communities in Ireland, they went back to Ireland on holidays every so many years and sometimes one person would be called home and would be replaced by another person from Ireland.
In 1994 the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy was established and all of the Mercy groups in Ireland together with the Mercy Sisters in South Africa, Kenya and the US came together into one Congregation. We set up seven Provinces in all, four in Ireland and one each in South Africa, Kenya and the US.
At that time we in the US were based in twelve States from Florida to California and in the mid-West to Providence, Rhode Island. In 1995 we had our first Provincial gathering, called a Chapter – where we talked about who we were and where we were going, what our dreams and plans were for our Mercy Province and how we would organise ourselves. At that gathering we set up our structures and organised ourselves to work together as a Province.
Over the years members of our Region have had very active ministries in Education, Health Care, Religious Education, Advocacy and Pastoral Care and we are deeply grateful to all the people who were our co-workers, colleagues and friends over those years.
As we approached Chapter in 2019, we were very aware that our numbers had changed dramatically and of course our age profile has also changed. Throughout the year leading up to our Chapter we prayed, talked and discerned about our future. Eventually during our Chapter in April 2019, we decided that in the interest of our mission and our ministry we would cease to be a Province and become a Region under the Congregational Leadership Team. We look forward to seeing that relationship develop as we continue our mission of Mercy as articulated by the Chapter gathering:
Sustained by contemplative living, we remain open to Mystery expressed in our evolving universe, and call ourselves to:
- Deepen our culture of interdependence, collaboration and tender mercy with all we serve, especially those on the margins of society, and with the whole community of life.
- Realize that all of us are responsible to each other as we continue to develop both the personal and communal aspects of leadership.
- Attend to our own vulnerability and healing as we engage with and support one another: locally, as a Region and as a Congregation.
- Listen to the voices of diverse cultures and generations as, linked with our whole Mercy world, we address the critical issues of our time with compassion: immigration, human trafficking, racism, and the care of our common home.
Regional Leadership Team
Alyce Waters (Regional Leader)
Susan De Guide
Mary O’Connor
