“Kitty’s Chronicle” is a monthly newsletter distributed to all Mercy Associates. Each month the latest issue is posted online in the Associates section of our website. The newsletter contains news and views, requests for prayers and material for reflection.
Prayers for the Sick, Resources from the Wisdom Circles, Items of Interest, Important Dates, Women in Canadian History and a delicious Cranberry lemon loaf recipe are among the many topics covered in our latest issue.
A feature of this month’s issue is “Places to Go” including a recommendation for “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience”.
Visit the Associates section of our website to find out about Becoming an Associate and the Associate Program.
As the members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland increase in age and diminish in numbers, the Congregation, in conversation with colleagues, has been engaged in a discernment process regarding the future. A decision was made by the general assembly of the sisters, the 22 General Chapter (2021), to establish a legal entity that would oversee and carry out the governance of the various “sponsored ministries” of the Congregation. That entity, a legal corporation, was registered on August 10, 2023 as Mercy Wellsprings, Incorporated.
Effective 29 July 2024, the Board of Directors of Mercy Wellsprings has appointed Ms. Susan Elliott MBA (Hons) as the first Executive Director.
Poverty, migration and gender inequality contribute to social vulnerability which traffickers exploit through force, threats, fraud and false promises of better lives and work opportunities. Consequently, vulnerable persons are bought and sold for financial or self-serving purposes. Over 27 million people around the globe are affected by this tragic situation.
The tradition of the Olympic Truce began in ancient Greece in the ninth century BC through a treaty signed by three Greek city states which were almost constantly at war. The Truce allowed safe participation for all athletes and spectators during the Olympic Games. In our current reality in society, politics and sport, revival of this tradition aims to provide a halt to war and a return to safety for all peoples around the world.
Recognizing the situation of many elderly people, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life chose as its theme for this year “Do not cast me off in my old age” (Psalm 71:9). Announcing the theme in a press release, the Dicastery noted the loneliness prevalent in the life of many elderly persons who are “so often the victims of the throw-away culture.”
After the completion of her studies at St. Brides, Minnie entered the Sisters of Mercy, and at her reception into the novitiate received the name Sister Mary Benedicta. She was professed on December 27, 1887. During her years at St. Bride’s Sister M. Benedicta’s musical talent was developed under the direction of the highly skilled Sister M. Xaverius Dowsley, and she herself became an accomplished musician. She wrote the music for one of Archbishop Howley’s poems, Dear Old Southside Hills.