The Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland have been busy in preparation for the Rio + 20 meetings. They were one of the Religious Congregations who influenced the Roman Catholic Leaders of Newfoundland and Labrador to produce a brochure giving information on the Rio Conference.
The Roman Catholic leaders meet twice a year to discuss various issues in their leadership. At the last meeting they decided to send a brochure to all of the parishes of this province of Canada giving information on Rio +20. This message “A Message from The Roman Catholic Bishops of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Leaders of Religious Congregations: Christian Brothers Community, Jesuit Community, Presentation Sisters, Redemptorist Community and Sisters of Mercy” is attached.
The Director of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice in St Johns, Newfoundland sent the statement prepared through Mercy Global Action Network asking government representatives to advance an ethical and equitable global vision at Rio + 20 and sent also a letter to federal and provincial government party leaders, seven federal elected representatives for Newfoundland and Labrador as well as to several other members of the provincial government one of whom has promised to present the statement and letter to the Conservative Caucus meeting .
On World Water Day the Sisters of Mercy as well as the Presentation Sisters sent letters to the Canadian Ambassador to the UN expressing grave concern about the position Canada was taking against water as a human right.
At various conferences including the Canadian Religious Conference and the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada, Sisters of Mercy raised issues that needed to be supported by the Canadian government at Rio + 20.
Messages to: Sheila O’Dea rsm
The story of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland began when Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming traveled to Dublin, Ireland where he approached Catherine McAuley to request a community of Sisters of Mercy for his island mission. To facilitate his plan, the bishop agreed to send to the convent on Baggot Street a young lady to be trained as a Sister of Mercy so that she could return to Newfoundland and found a Convent of Mercy in St. John’s. The bishop’s choice for this important role was Marianne Creedon, a young Irish lady who had lived in St. John’s since 1833 and who was familiar with the needs of the mission. Catherine McAuley received Marianne Creedon into the novitiate at Baggot Street, and on August 19, 1841, Marianne, now Sister Mary Francis, was professed as a Sister of Mercy. Nine months later, on May 2, 1842, Sister Francis Creedon, accompanied by Sisters Ursula Frayne and Rose Lynch left St. Catherine’s Convent, Baggot Street, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to form the first community of the Sisters of Mercy in the New World. They arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland on June 3, 1842. This date marks the establishment of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland..jpg)