The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas proudly claim a rich heritage
reaching back 1SO years in time, across thousands
01 miles 01 land and ocean. Nearly one-half oflhe 20,000 Mercy Sisters around the world reside in the United States, with 610 belonging to the province community based in southeastern Mas sac h use t t sand Rhode Island. Catherine McAuley's followers today draw strength and inspiration from her courageous decision to reach out materially and personally to the needy of Dublin, Ireland. Before the decade of the 1820s had passed, Catherine was faced with an agonizing dilemma: Should her small group of charitable Christian women take steps to become a religious community? Her hesitancy stemmed from a valid concern: she feared that religious rules might prohibit the staff at the House of Mercy from caring for the women and child'ren who needed them. In designing the first rule of· the Mercy Order, therefore, Catherine determined that her sisters would not be bound by the kind of cloister that would distance them from people they sought to serve. In consequence, they soon gained the name of "the walking nuns" among other Dubliners. Today the women ~f Mercy are missioned to serve in child care and day-care centers, in parish elementary schools, in diocesan offices, in health-care and social services, in pastoral counseling centers, in Head Start offices, in retreat houses, in homes for the developmentally disabled, in regional education systems; as neighborhood organizers, Montessori teachers, religious edUCation directors, pastoral associates, and hospital chaplains. Within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Sisters of Mercy
now largely staff St. Vincent Home, Fall River; Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro; Nazareth-on-the-Cape, and Nazareth Vocational Center, Fall River;
and several elementary schools in Attleboro, Fall River, Taun-
ton, and New Ded/ord. Diocesan parishes presently served by Mercy Sisters are the following: St. Joseph, North Dighton; St. Dominic, Our Lady of Fatima and St. Michael, Swansea; Holy Ghost, Attleboro; Our Lady of the J\ssumption, New Bedford; and St. William, Fall River. The earliest beginnings of the Mercy presence in what is today the Fall River diocese can be traced to 1873, when Sisters began parish work and Sunday school classes in St. Lawrence parish, New Bedford. That same year, Sisters began ministry at St. Joseph Hospital in that city. Service- in the latter apostolate was later terminated when thete appeared to be a greater need for Sisters in the schools. In 1874, eight Sisters from St. Xavier's in Providence opened a girls' academy and convent in what was then St. Catherine pal'ish, Fall River. Within months, the Mercy Order also opened St. Mary elem~ntary school neal'by. While education has remained" a principal Mercy emphasis over the past century, there ate earlier records of Bethlehem Infant Home in Taunton, the abovementioned service at St. Joseph Hospital, and the continuing care in the field of social service at S1. Vincent Home, a ministry begun by Sisters of Mercy in 1885. During the 107 years of Mercy contribution-to the faith development of the people of the Fall River diocese, the Sisters have staffed religion programs in approximately 20 parishes, and have taught in and administered 14 elementary schools, and fiv,e secondary schools.
"The interdepe....enee of peoples and Christ's mandate to proelaim the Gospel to all nations .ehallenge us to develop a glo"al pers-
peet've of the .,orks of mere"." (Core Coltst'tution Draft, 1981, Sisters
of Merey)
Thirty-seven Sisters of Mercy"
classes for neighborhood coffee
sIsteRs
affiliated with the Province of Providence (Southeastern Massachusetts and Mode Island) presently bring the Gospel message to the poor and needy in the Central and South American nations of Belize, Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru. Among responsibilities undertaken by these missionaries and by sisters serving currently in Belgium and Victoria, Australia, are the education of children and adults, nursing ,care in homes, clinics and hospitals, pastoral team ministry, evangelization, retreat work and spiritual development. In addition to the above women, there are 550 Sisters of Mercy who serve locally in the Fall River and Providence dio- Hmong clans in this country. ceses, as well as those who Sister Francine is intimately choose to carry the spirit of involved in "Project Resettle," Catherine McAuley to 12 other working in and through the team United States dioceses: Albany, ministry of St. Michael> parish, New York; Amarillo, Texas; Providence. Rather' than set up Baltimore, Maryland;" Boston, a separate ministry to the Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Hmongs, the project aims at inDenver, Colorado; Detroit, Michi- corporating them into the ongan; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; going life of the parish. The welPhoenix, Arizona; Santa Fe, New coming of immigrant groups has Mexico; Washington, D.C., and in fact been a hallmark of St. Wheeling, West Virginia. Michael's since its inception in In maintaining Catherine Md· 1859. Altley's preferential love for th, Sister Francine's ministry hepoor, the Order of Mercy in th, gan when she was invited by a United States has recently set Hmong gentleman to visit his aside the· interest from the sale wife, who expressed a desire to of its former General Administra- learn English. Soon small groups tive Building in Maryland" for a of women were meeting in homes "Shelter the Homeless" fund. and requesting various ldnds of Sisters of Mercy throughout·· this help. This developed into an country and mission regions may outreach education program for apply for project grants on be- Hmong women which remains half of the needy. one of Sister Francine's principal Typical of such works of -activities in direct service. Mercy is an endeavor funded One of the goals of "Project through Mercy Sister Sheila HarResettle" is < to encourage outrington, who serves the poor in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. A reach projects on' the part of skilled carpenter in her parish other parishes and' groups. To has" offered teaching time to as- this end, Sister speaks to numersist young men desiring to build ous groups and last summer she homes for their families. "Shel- and a bilingual Hmong teacher ter the Homeless" grant monies co-taught a course at Rhode Iswill be used for wood and other land College 'on "Survival Hmong" for teachers and other supplies. professionals. This was a switch English" from "Survival "By our profession we courses often offered foreigners. ehoose a life-long di-
0-1=
lTler<c~
reetiolt tltat unites us to a eongregation eommitted 'n rad.eal diseipleship to lesus, who identifies himself with the needy."
SISTER VIRGINIA SWEENEY (left) and Sister Mary NathaIJ Doherty at Holy _Family-Holy Name School, New Bedford. {Hussey Photo)".,
treat sessions for parish groups, day-long seminars for the sep-" arated and divorced, scripture
Sister Francine Filipek is a New Bedford native, a graduate of Holy Family High School, and a Sister of Mercy for 17 years. When Asian families began moving into South Providence several years ago, she saw 'Ii particular need for working with displaced women and men. Providence has 3,000 Hmongs, the third largest population in the United States. Not only are these people dispossessed in the usual sense, but they are also largely illiterate hi their own langUAge. They originate from a nation where little or no anthropological studies have been done. In their native hill country of Laos, they were a nomadic people, forced out of their land by the invading United ~tates. Because they lost their homes and livelihoods, the U.S. eventually agreed to sponsOr" various
"lit earrying out our mission of Merey we ehoose ministries "y prayerfUlly eonsidering the needs of the times; Catherine 'McAuley's preferential love for, the poor; the pastoral priorities of the universal and loea' ehureh; and our talents, resourees and limitat.o......" The Cape Cod Hospital brochure announces: "You are not alone here. When you entered this hospital, God came too! He stands beside you in the person of your chaplain," Among the chaplains referred to is Sister Honora McHugh. A graduate of the Clinical and Pastoral Education program in Fall River, Sister Honora visits and counsels patients and their fami. lies, and serves as Eucharistic minister. As chaplain, she is present to families in times of fear, loneliness, depression. She is also that presence to patients
who may need simple contact with another person who understands. The chaplain is recognized as a professional member of the health care team. Working with her is a strong and dedicated group of laypersons: Eucharistic ministers from every walk of life. Christians who meet monthly for an evening of prayer and sharing. In addition to this support group, Sister Honora sees her own role as that of ministering to the spiritual and emotional needs of the hospital staff, as well as to those of the patient and family. She believes that all hospitals should hire chaplains for this much-needed apostolate. Of her own genesis, she comments: ''1 have always had a deep love for the sick, and I try to be the source of help and support that the Lord is calling me to be. I can do this through prayer, through having dealt with the issues of my own life and the meaning of death. I am fortunate to have participated in training programs which have led me to where I am today. "I find my inspiration in the person of Jesus and in the gospel. He is revealed as one who loves, who cares and who gives his healing touch to His p~opJe. As chaplain, I share life with people in this sacred and challenging ministry," Consideration for the needs of the times has also been impor-
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TOGETHER IN
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tant to Sister Nathan Doherty, who is well known in the Fall River-New Bedford area. In 1961, at St. Louis School, Fall River, she was both principal and youngest faculty member. After three years there she took charge of Holy Name' School, New Bedford. Looking back on those six years, she finds it remarkable that principals then were also full time classroom teachers. Lay teachers were virtually unheard of. Sister Nathan then began a long career of moving up and down New Bedford's County Street" where the Sisters of Mercy staffed several parish schools. From Holy Name she moved to St. John's. At the same time a major' breakthrough had occurred: the Mercy community had freed all its principals from teaching duties. Administrative tasks accelerated during these yeats: supervision of teachers; ongoing training of new staff members; incorporation of an increasing number of lay teachers; and the compiling of numbers of educational surveys and stUdies. The favorite line among pcincipals became, "They want it in triplicate!'! It was a period of drastic change, Sister Mary Nathan reflects, with increasing costs, decreasing numbers of Sisters, declining enrollments, inception of intercommunity schools and the
What &loes the future hold for the community of the Religious Sisters of Merey? Sueh a com. plex· ....estion cannot be answere&l by a simple analysis of data. A sense of the direction of that future may be learned from the eredal statement whim coneludes the' Merey Core '€onstitution Draft:
"We lIeline that God is faithful and that our struggle to follow Christ will eXNnd G1l4's reign of love over human hearts. We rejoice in the continued invitation of Je_ to _k Justice, to be compassionate, and Ie reflect hi, mOley to tlie world:'
IN THE
predominance of lay staffing. It was the era of experimentation in "progressive education" and of liturgical renewal. Schools began closing or wer~ struggling to stay open for one more year. During this time, Sister Nathan had transferred to Holy Family School, again as principal. In an effort to conserve and preserve, schools began to merge in the early to mid-seventies. Sister cooperated with her former school," Holy Name, and a new Holy Family-Holy Name merger began to take shape, followed by a similar experiment involving St. John-St. James in ~he same city. Recalling these mergers, Sister affirms that they signaled a time of renewed strength and hope, .with joint school boards working hard to succeed. After 14 years as principal, the classroom lured Sister Nathan. After substituting for a sick teacher for several months while remaining principal, she realized the time had come for the closer student contact experienced by classroom teachers. The next three years found her teaching math at St. John School, Attleboro. Her "break" did not last long, however; an SOS arrived from dear old Holy Family-Holy Name in search of a new principal. While she admits that she might not have responded to a call from another direction, Sister Nathan found herself heading once again for County Street, New Bedford. Today, in a building housing both her school and Holy Family High School, she has longer corridors to walk and new challenges to meet. She do,es so with characteristic redheaded determination. In this day of spiraling costs, she has great admiration for the parents who sacrifice much· so their children can obtain a good Catholic education.
"In our support of all who struggle for full dign'ty, we are influeneed lJy Catherine HeAuley's speeial eoneern for women." In some respects, it is more difficult to isolate service areas where Sisters of Mercy do not work with women than to list the multitude of ministry moments where their gentle touch affects their sisters.·There are re ~
gatherings, and 1Dorning Genesis 2 groups for homemakers. There is that special understanding of the teaching religious when' food or warm clothing is needed by one of her little ones. And beyond instances of individual care and concern, many women in need are now experiencing an outreach from Mercy Sisters in specifically-defined programs for women. One such ministry is that of Dorcas' Place in South Providence. In imitation of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley, codirectors Sister Mary Reilly and Mrs. Deborah Thompson have begun a Parent-Child Literacy Program, intended to assist young women in need of basic education. Most of those coming to Dorcas' Place are mothers. Just as Catherine extended to the needy women of Dublin her love, compassion and a chance for education, so at Dorcas' Place, women find acceptance, and understanding for whatever "place" life now finds them. In the Scriptures, Dorcas was a gentle, wealthy weman who gathered other women around her and "clothed them with new hope," This is a principal aim of Mary and Deborah as they struggle in ministry with women desiring a greater dignity. Another activity, now in operation for nearly four years, the Providence Family Learning Center, serves young women 16 and older who have given birth to a child, and who wish to secure the G.E.D. certificate. Mercy Sister Margaret Carey and Sister Mary Bisson, S.S.J. are giving their students a sense of selfesteem along with academic learning. . Sisters Patricia Custy and Maureen Mitchell are experienced teachers of developmentally disadvantaged children at Nazareth Hall, Fall River. Recently they have undertaken an extension of that ministry in offering temporary "respite care" to mothers of the children - a program modeled on that of Jean Vanier's L'Arche residences. These Sisters see that such a ministry to families of the dis, abled is a special calling and a particular need, one becoming more apparent in the present decade.
local, national and, international issues. This information is disseminated to persons and groups within and outside the Mercy
friendship, food and clothing, the McAuley House folk work
unceasingly
to
address
the
community to provide impetus
causes of the misery facing their people.
for action. Since coalitions often prove effective, the Mercy Peace and
tions, we invite wom-
Justice Center collaborates with
others concemed about similar issues: The Rhode Island Third World Solidarity, Women for a Non-Nuclear Future, and the New England Center for Corporate Responsibility. It is the hope of the Mercy community that in the near future other concerned women and men may be included as staff persons of the office. When asked about the value and necessity of her work, Sister Barbara commented: "I believe it is essential that those of us with religious conviction generate a sense of hope so that oppressive structures can be changed to .serve all persons." Sister Elizabeth Morancy, a legislator in the Rhude Island General Assembly, pursues education and help for the poor through political structures. In representing the people of her district, she carries the plight of many distressed and displaced persons into the political arena. From these neighbors and constituents, Sister Elizabeth learns first hand the devastation being wrought by the inequities of the 1981-1982 federal and state budgets. McAuley House, one of the sponsored institutions of the province community, is codirected by two Sisters of Mercy, Terry Beaudreau· and Eleanor Rock, and supported by hundreds of volunteers and benefactors. The staff at McAuley speak often of their own need_ for reflection as they struggle to grow in understanding of Catherine McAuley's charism of hospitality. Originally conceived and begun by Sister Eileen Murphy, McAuley House continues to serve hundreds of hungry people each week, and to challenge the awareness level of those who receive food and those who serve. While relieving some immediate' needs for warmth,
"In
souae
congrega-
en atad tneta who are
rommltted to
atloth~..
state of life to share with us in various aspeets of Merey Ufe and ministry."
In 1969 and 1971, the community chapters of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union passed several pieces of legislation which began to affect the local provinces in. different degrees. The implementation of one such statement" has been long in coming to the local province in the southern New England area: the acceptance of associate members into the communities and ministries of the Sisters. It was in 1976-1977 that the question of the extent of association was studied and researched. From then until 1980, considerable discussion and reflection took place regarding the different degrees and kinds of membership which might be embraced. Certain women and men who are interested in cooperating with the ministries of the Mercy community, or who wish to share in certain aspects of community life and prayer, are not called to the fullness of incorporation as vowed community members. Recognizing this, the community has invited and has formalized a relationship with sever~l persons who agree to be "in association with" this province of the Sisters of Mercy. There arE! two Mercy Associates living within the Fall River diocese and four in .Pr9vidence. One of the latter members, Mrs. Deborah Thompson, affirms that "association with Mercy enables me to give service to women in need in a manner that would be impossible apart from the support system of the community." Those interested in such a commitment may contact the Mercy Provincialate, Cumberland, R.I. 02864. -By Sisters Patricia Farley and Jane Higgins, R.S.M.
"Through direet serviee or indireetly through our influenee, we seek to relieve mbery and to address its eauses. To thb end we em"raee education at all levels, and the furtheranee of soelal, politieal, eeonomie and spiritual well-"eing." The ministry of education remains primary among the works of the Sisters of Mercy, although new needs call for new emphases to be placed on the importance of social, political and economic goals. Several ministries that have developed in recent years indicate this newer thrust. The Cumberland Office of Peace and Justice, headed by Fall River native Sister Barba.,:oa Riley, gathers information about,
HMONG REFUGEE Mary Thao shows traditional design of her people to Sister Francine Filipek. '(Russey Photo)