‘Tender-hearted compassion and the practise of mercy’

Mercy Day celebrations for Sisters of Mercy in Brisbane began with the celebration of Eucharist and a shared meal on Saturday 21 September at Mercy Place Bardon. It was a wonderful occasion rich in welcome, prayer and conversation. Our support for Oscar’s Pantry, Romero and the restocking effort was extremely successful. Boxes and shopping bags crammed with rice, pasta and noodles, an array of canned good, toiletries, tea, coffee, laundry products and oil along with shopping vouchers and cash totalling over a thousand dollars was collected. On Monday 23 September grateful Romero workers and volunteers collected what they described as ‘an amazing restocking effort for the pantry that was running very low’.

Mercy Day celebrations at McAuley College Beaudesert, All Hallows’ School, St Joseph’s Kangaroo Point, Mater, Mercy Community Services and MCS Aged Care, Mercy Partners and Holy Cross Services saw many sisters taking the opportunity to accept invitations and engage in the variety of celebrations across what has become known as ‘Mercy Week’. The Staff of the Congregation Office and Associated Sites gathered on Wednesday 25 September at Mercy Place for a morning with Mr Micheal O’Sullivan. Micheal and his life-long interest in, and deep appreciation of, the life of Catherine McAuley provided the background for his presentation entitled ‘Catherine the Enabler: the Spiritual Works of Mercy’.

It was wonderful also to receive at the Congregation Offices several floral arrangements from All Hallows’ School, Congregation Office Staff, Mercy Partners and the Sisters of St Joseph. The accompanying cards acknowledged God’s gift of mercy, offered prayers for the Sisters and expressed thanks for the gifts of Mercy that the Sisters bring to the world.