The Gathering Place was opened in 1994 in our former Mercy School as a place where disadvantaged people from the city can find a somewhere to socialize, have health needs tended to, do laundry, get a hot meal and find welcome and and a non-judgemental atmosphere.
With the advent of Covid the need for some of our homeless population to have a bed for the night was recognized. The Auditorium of the former school was fitted with 30 cots to provide shelter and warmth during the cold nights of winter.
Mercy Convent, the home of the first Sisters of Mercy on this side of the Atlantic, was home to 6 Sisters of Mercy in the year 2020, when the realization came to the Congregation that more space and services were needed for the homeless in our city.
The decision was made to turn over the Convent to The Gathering Place and plans were set in motion with the Provincial and Federal Government to renovate the Convent for its future use.
The community of sisters living there at the time were pleased to seek other accommodations as they knew that our founder Catherine McAuley would be happy with the intended future use of the Convent.
As of March 2023 the Convent has been stripped down to its retaining walls and pillars, showing the magnificent carpentry and stone work of the 1850s.
Plans for constructing spaces for 60 overnight guests plus some temporary one bedroom apartments are advancing and, when finished, guests can receive three meals a day and avail of other important services available in the adjoining building of The Gathering Place.
The historic and beautiful chapel will remain intact and will provide a “sacred space” for programs and for contemplative space for the guests of The Gathering Place.
To be able to serve God’s poor through this former school and Convent is a gift for our city and our Congregation and to know that the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are being lived out in this space is a blessing.
El Gathering Place se inauguró en 1994 en la antigua Mercy School como un lugar donde las personas desfavorecidas de la ciudad pueden encontrar un lugar donde socializar, atender sus necesidades sanitarias, hacer la colada, tomar una comida caliente y encontrar un ambiente acogedor y libre de prejuicios.
Con la llegada de Covid se reconoció la necesidad de que algunos de nuestros sin techo tuvieran una cama para pasar la noche. En el auditorio de la antigua escuela se instalaron 30 catres para dar cobijo y calor durante las frías noches de invierno.
El Convento de la Misericordia, hogar de las primeras Hermanas de la Misericordia a este lado del Atlántico, albergaba a 6 Hermanas de la Misericordia en el año 2020, cuando la Congregación se dio cuenta de que se necesitaba más espacio y servicios para las personas sin hogar de nuestra ciudad.
Se tomó la decisión de ceder el Convento a The Gathering Place y se pusieron en marcha planes con el Gobierno Provincial y Federal para renovar el Convento para su futuro uso. La comunidad de hermanas que vivía allí en ese momento se alegró de buscar otro alojamiento, ya que sabían que nuestra fundadora Catherine McAuley estaría contenta con el futuro uso previsto del Convento.
En marzo de 2023 el Convento ha sido desmantelado hasta sus muros de contención y pilares, mostrando la magnífica carpintería y el trabajo en piedra de la década de 1850.
Lugar de encuentro y Convento de la Misericordia
Avanzan los planes para construir espacios para 60 huéspedes que pernocten, además de algunos apartamentos temporales de un dormitorio y, cuando esté terminado, los huéspedes podrán recibir tres comidas al día y disponer de otros importantes servicios disponibles en el edificio contiguo de The Gathering Place.
La histórica y hermosa capilla permanecerá intacta y proporcionará un “espacio sagrado” para programas y para espacio contemplativo para los huéspedes de The Gathering Place.
Poder servir a los pobres de Dios a través de esta antigua escuela y Convento es un regalo para nuestra ciudad y nuestra Congregación y saber que las Obras de Misericordia Corporales y Espirituales se viven en este espacio es una bendición.
By this time, the Sisters had been in Newfoundland for almost a year, a year in which they devoted themselves to the visitation and care of the poor and the sick of the town, traversing the narrow streets and visiting the rude shacks in which many of the Irish Catholics lived. Forty-two pupils were enrolled when the school opened, and in the following year fifty-five students were in attendance.
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, has been celebrated as Vocation Sunday since 1964. 
Mary, the woman we know as Mother of God, was one like us, a person who lived each day and faced the joys and the challenges of each day. We meet her first in Scripture as a frightened adolescent who is being asked to do an almost impossible thing. The last time we meet her in Scripture she is an older woman, more confident perhaps, yet still being asked to do an almost impossible thing
In my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, when anyone meets a stranger, the first questions are “What is your name and who are you called after?” and “Who are your parents?” The first page of our New Testament, the beginning words of the Gospel of Matthew, could well have been written by a Newfoundlander! In these words we find the answer to the same questions about Mary
At the Annunciation, a young woman whose name is Mary is visited by an angel who tells her that she is to bear a son who will be special in many ways. When Mary challenges the possibility of this ever happening, the angel’s reply is decisive, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Lk 1:35). With this assurance, the young woman replies, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38)
Mary’s response was immediate. She spoke the most words spoken by any woman in the New Testament. She used echoes of words spoken by the women of the Old Testament: Deborah, Miriam and Hannah. In this song, she passionately gave what the theologian Edward Schillebeeckx called “a toast to our God,” which we call the Magnificat.
In the days before Mary was to give birth, she and Joseph were forced to go to Bethlehem to be counted for the census. They had no choice in this matter. The late stages of Mary’s pregnancy and the difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem did not matter to the political leadership of the day.
On another visit to the Temple to celebrate Passover when Jesus was twelve years old, Jesus remains behind and speaks with the teachers with authority, and then he says these mysterious words to his parents, “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” This time the writer tells us that “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”
The young Jewish peasant girl has become a confident woman, a teacher, a mentor and a commanding presence. She has grown into her calling to be a partner with God in the work of Incarnation and Redemption. Having given life to her son, she now calls him into his new life of public ministry, she remains with him to support and nurture him to the end, and she will remain when he is gone to support and nurture the church which continues his presence on earth.
“Spirituality is that which gives us the strength to go on for it is the assurance that God is in the struggle. Spirituality spells out our connectedness to God, our human roots, the rest of nature, one another and ourselves.” In this way in 1994 the Third World Theologians redefined spirituality and began our thinking on “right relationships.”
Let us reflect on Mary in right relationship with the environment. First we must speak to our emerging understanding of ecology, a new sense of how all creation has been created by God, is good and is interconnected. In the 13th century Meister Eckhart said, “Apprehend God in all things, for God is in all things. Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God.”
There are several beautiful passages in the Gospels in which we get an understanding of Mary’s sense of self. At the Annunciation, we see Mary’s poignant inner turmoil in the face of an awesome task being asked of her, “But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). She then asks outright the question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34)
These women ancestors of Jesus suffer indignities and oppression, but live to reflect the face of God, the righteous One, the merciful One, the maternal One, the One who is found in the company of those who are marginalized, oppressed, suffering, poor and powerless. Jesus, the son of Mary, has indeed inherited the qualities of his foremothers.
The beautiful prayer of the Magnificat which Luke ascribes to Mary is a powerful description of Mary in right relationship with other people. While the first part of her psalm focuses on Mary in relationship with her God, the second part expresses Mary’s love for people. Mary rejoices in God her Saviour because God‘s mercy is from generation to generation.
Mary was first and foremost a Jewish woman, a practicing Jew who remained faithful to Judaism. She would have been aware of the Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred books she called Torah and we Christians call the Old Testament. She bears the name of the leader Miriam about whom God said in the book of Micah (6:4), “I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, seeks to highlight and promote efforts dedicated to protecting our planet and its natural resources. The theme for this year’s Earth Day, Invest in our Planet focuses on engaging governments, institutions, businesses and citizens in the work of restoring the health of our planet. We are all too aware of today’s many environmental crises that negatively affect our planet and pose a serious risk to our health and our future – global warming, deforestation, widespread pollution, loss of biodiversity, endangered wildlife, shortages of clean water, etc.
There are more than 370 million Indigenous People in some 70 countries worldwide. Since 2000, it plays a critical role in addressing issues faced by Indigenous Peoples -ensuring their rights and concerns are considered by the UN.