News & Events
Mercy Formation Program for Staff Members Benefits Students
As students returned to schooling on site after their time doing remote learning they were all given a bookmark to remind them both of the Mercy value of ‘Hospitality’ and to follow in Venerable Catherine McAuley’s words to ‘Strive to do ordinary things extraordinarily well”.
As part of the project undertaken by Ms Allen and Ms Nakhoul, they also designed tea cups and postcards to be gifted to Year 12 students as a graduation gift and to new staff members.
Let's Talk: COVID 19-Mercy Global Presence
Charles Dickens in a Tale of Two Cities opens the story with these powerful words,
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
It was the epoch of belief, it was epoch of incredulity.
For us, living with the effects of COVID-19, we have the possibility of it being the best or worst of times, a time of wisdom or foolishness, a time of belief or incredulity.
Each person’s response may well depend on his/her situation, temperament and age. I suspect it will be different for someone struck by the virus, a homeless person, a business owner, a parent out of work and supervising children learning at home, a nurse or doctor, an aged resident in a home, an asylum seeker, a street cleaner, people living in underdeveloped countries with limited medical facilities, an extravert, an introvert etc. etc…
The images that come to mind are kaleidoscopic somewhat like a stain glass window in which the big picture contains many parts with different colours and images. Each section is an essential part of a bigger whole or like an evolving narrative.
As well as being a time of challenge to us all to survive this pandemic, this is a time brimming with creative energy. Anyone writing a novel entitled A Tale of Earth during Covid 19 will surely be able to view the situation from many different perspectives.
We will know in time to come, whether this event was as paradigm changing for individuals, society, culture and the natural world as the French Revolution.
We will know in time to come how profound an impression is being made on our lives and on modern history.
You might like to ponder the following questions:
- What changes or green shoots are emerging in my life, society and the natural world because of this pandemic?
- How does the Easter message of death and new life, darkness and light, reflect what I am experiencing right now?
You might like to read some reflections from Elizabeth Davis rsm on Mercy Global Presence.
Click here to read these.
A ZOOM ROOM will be available on WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 to share your reflections on Elizabeth’s article, the above questions and any other concerns you would like considered.
If you are interested, contact Valda at Email: valda.rsm@gmail.com or at Mobile 0411786549 for time, directions and code to join the conversation.
Join in a Discussion about Mercy Global Presence Theme 'Faith Traditions and Mercy'
Valda Dickinson is holding an online meeting on 29 April at 4pm using Zoom to discuss the resources made available to us on the first theme of Mercy Global Presence Segment Two: 'Faith Traditions and Mercy'.
To register, email valda.rsm@gmail.com or call 0411 786 549.
Join Our Circle of Prayer
The Sisters of Mercy Parramatta ‘aiming to encircle our world with our prayer, light, spirit of Mercy and care at this time', invite all members of the Mercy network to light a lamp and join with us at 6:30 pm your local time each evening using the Praise Song for the Pandemic (text version) and concluding with the Suscipe.
Post your prayer or reflection in our prayer space
Pope Francis' Holy Week Message
Dear friends, good evening!
This evening I have the chance to enter your homes in a different way than usual. If you allow me, I would like to have a conversation with you for a few moments, in this time of difficulty and of suffering. I can imagine you in your families, living an unusual life to avoid contagion. I am thinking of the liveliness of children and young people, who cannot go out, attend school, live their lives. I have in my heart all the families, especially those who have a loved one who is sick or who have unfortunately experienced mourning due to the coronavirus or other causes. These days I often think about people who are alone, and for whom it is more difficult to face these moments. Above all I think of the elderly, who are very dear to me.
I cannot forget those who are sick with coronavirus, people who are in hospital. I am aware of the generosity of those who put themselves at risk for the treatment of this pandemic or to guarantee the essential services to society. So many heroes, every day, at every hour! I also remember how many are in financial straits and are worried about work and the future. A thought also goes out to prison inmates, whose pain is compounded by fear of the epidemic, for themselves and their loved ones; I think of the homeless, who do not have a home to protect them.
It is a difficult time for everyone. For many, very difficult...
Watch the message in full (4:56)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMJDCnmdhRg