Category: Congregation

St. Joseph’s Convent Celebrating 100 Years

Posted on by Diane Smyth

December 3, 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of St. Joseph’s Convent. 

An early photo of St Joseph’s Convent

Sisters of Mercy however, had been ministering in the area around Signal Hill, St. John’s,  as early as 1863, making the daily trek from Mercy Convent on Military Road.

In an address to the people of St. Joseph’s Parish, reported in  the September 10, 1918 issue of The Daily News, Archbishop Roche recalled the long history of the Sisters of Mercy in the area:

The people of St. Joseph’s have obligations of a special nature toward the Sisters of Mercy.  For more than half a century, they have been, practically without interruption, teaching the children of this end of town…    I hope that it may not be too much to expect that in the not- too- distant future the Sisters may have a home in this parish, so as to be near their work and to be able to do for the children what they cannot do under these conditions…

Four years later, the Archbishop’s hopes were realized when St. Joseph’s Convent (known in earlier years as Castle Rennie or Castle Lindberg) was formally blessed and opened.  The Sisters who formed the first community were: Sisters M. Benedicta Fitzgibbons, M. Michael Gillis, M. Ignatius Molloy and a postulant, Margaret Kent.

One hundred years later, six Sisters call St. Joseph’s their home.

Una foto antigua del convento de San José

Sin embargo, las Hermanas de la Misericordia ya ejercían su ministerio en los alrededores de Signal Hill, St. John’s, desde 1863, haciendo el trayecto diario desde el Convento de la Misericordia en Military Road.

En un discurso a los habitantes de la parroquia de St. Joseph, publicado en el número del 10 de septiembre de 1918 de The Daily News, el arzobispo Roche recordó la larga historia de las Hermanas de la Misericordia en la zona:

La gente de St. Joseph tiene obligaciones de naturaleza especial hacia las Hermanas de la Misericordia.  Durante más de medio siglo, han estado, prácticamente sin interrupción, enseñando a los niños de este extremo de la ciudad… Espero que no sea demasiado esperar que en un futuro no muy lejano las Hermanas puedan tener un hogar en esta parroquia, para estar cerca de su trabajo y poder hacer por los niños lo que ellas no pueden hacer en estas condiciones…”.

Cuatro años más tarde, las esperanzas del Arzobispo se hicieron realidad cuando el Convento de San José (conocido en los primeros años como Castillo Rennie o Castillo Lindberg) fue formalmente bendecido e inaugurado.  Las Hermanas que formaron la primera comunidad fueron: Las Hermanas M. Benedicta Fitzgibbons, M. Michael Gillis, M. Ignatius Molloy y una postulante, Margaret Kent.

Cien años más tarde, seis Hermanas llaman a San José su hogar.

Prayer/Reflection for 12 December, Foundation Day

Posted on by Diane Smyth
Statue of Catherine McAuley in the grounds of Baggot Street

12 December 1831  marks the date on which Catherine McAuley and her companions, Anna Maria Doyle and Elizabeth Harley, returned to Baggot Street from the Presentation Convent at Georges Hill, having just professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy. And so began the story of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy,  brought to Newfoundland on 3 June 1842, the first foundation of the Sisters of Mercy in the New World.

Join us in celebrating this special date in the Mercy story using the prayer reflection prepared for the occasion.

El 12 de diciembre de 1831 marca la fecha en que Catalina McAuley y sus compañeras, Anna María Doyle y Elizabeth Harley, regresaron a Baggot Street desde el Convento de la Presentación en Georges Hill, tras haber profesado sus votos como las primeras Hermanas de la Misericordia. Así comenzó la historia de la Congregación de las Hermanas de la Misericordia, llevada a Terranova el 3 de junio de 1842, la primera fundación de las Hermanas de la Misericordia en el Nuevo Mundo.

Acompáñanos en la celebración de esta fecha especial en la historia de la Misericordia utilizando la reflexión de la oración preparada para la ocasión.

 

Sent-forth: Appreciation Gathering at Conception Harbour

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On Sunday, September 18th, the people of Conception Harbour organized a sent-forth appreciation gathering for Sisters Geraldine Mason and Ellen Sullivan.

This day was an opportunity for the people to officially say ‘Thank you’ to these sisters who have impacted so much the life of the people.

The celebrations began with  Mass at 10:30am after which those present moved to the Marion Hall for the appreciation gathering.

Enjoy watching the celebration video.

El domingo 18 de septiembre, el pueblo de Conception Harbour organizó una reunión de agradecimiento a las hermanas Geraldine Mason y Ellen Sullivan.

Este día fue una oportunidad para que el pueblo dijera oficialmente “Gracias” a estas hermanas que tanto han impactado la vida del pueblo.

Las celebraciones comenzaron con la Misa a las 10:30am después de la cual los presentes se trasladaron al Marion Hall para la reunión de agradecimiento.

Disfruta viendo el vídeo de la celebración.

St. Clare’s Celebrates 100 Years

Posted on by Diane Smyth

In May of this year St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of its founding.

In this special year of celebration, the Congregational Leadership Team and the members of St. Clare’s Advisory Council made plans to celebrate Mercy Day at the hospital.

On September 27 we met for a special morning prayer in St. Clare’s chapel, along with a number of managers from the hospital. Following the prayer, members of both groups went through every unit and work- place in St. Clare’s, distributing the specially-designed anniversary pins, along with a package of Lindt chocolates for each staff member, a total of nearly 1300.

Managers and staff were most appreciative of the gesture, and were especially delighted to have the opportunity of meeting members of the Advisory Council and seeing the sisters around the units.

Mercy Day Reflection – September 24, 2022

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The great feast that unites the Mercy world is Mercy Day, 24 September.La gran fiesta que une al mundo de la Misericordia es el Día de la Misericordia, el 24 de septiembre.

Catherine McAuley, Foundress

Many blessings as we remember and celebrate Mercy Day!
¡Muchas bendiciones al recordar y celebrar el Día de la Misericordia!

A Reflection has been prepared for this day which you may wish to use to celebrate with us.
Se ha preparado una Reflexión para este día que puede utilizar para celebrar con nosotros.

 

 

Developments for The Gathering Place

Posted on by Diane Smyth

For the past couple of weeks work has begun in the interior of Mercy Convent to prepare for the construction of the shelter and transition accommodations for the homeless that will be administered by The Gathering Place.

We currently have a 30-bed shelter operating daily out of the auditorium of the former Mercy School. The interior of the convent will be totally re-constructed to a design suited to the program of care of those who have no home that will eventually see them settled in a permanent housing arrangement.
The majority of the funding for this project comes from the Federal and Provincial housing strategies.
We have been fortunate to have a generous donor who has already given two million dollars along with other corporate and individual donors.
The chapel of Mercy will not be renovated and will serve as part of the Gathering Place project and other possible use yet to be defined.

Celebrating 421 Years of Life and Ministry!

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Six Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland have celebrated 70 years of life and ministry.

On August 15, 2022 the Eucharistic Liturgy was celebrated in the chapel at The Residence at Littledale in St. John’s. In the afternoon a gathering of all the Sisters who could attend was filled with music and song and good food. A special anniversary cake was cut and shared and gifts were presented.

This was the first time that the Congregation celebrated 70 years (platinum jubilee)! Sister Loretta Dower had reached her 70th Jubilee in 2021 and was included with the group of this year.

Sr Annette Hawco

Over the next 10 years we will have about 45 sisters who will reach the platinum jubilee!

In 2023 year Sister Annette Hawco will reach her 80th anniversary of reception and her 100th birthday!

Opening of Our Holy Doors (Newfoundland)

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On Sunday, December 13, 2015 Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Rome. In Dublin on that same Day, during Foundation Day celebrations, the red Doors of Mercy International Centre were opened.

The Leadership Team Newfoundland invited every local community or Sister living alone and every place of ministry, on or near December 12, to name their Holy Door of Mercy, to celebrate its opening and to place on it a symbol. The Team made a composite of all our Holy Doors in Newfoundland and Peru as a reminder of the privilege we have in being doorkeepers and guardians of the in-between places of Mercy in our world.

Attached are the components (four panels) of our Collage for the Opening of our Holy Doors of Mercy. Sisters, Associates and Partners in Mercy have received the actual Collage which is in a larger size and which opens to be able to stand up on prayer tables or other special places.

FRONT of Collage

 

INSIDE of Collage

Will we as doorkeepers hold wide the door to invite those who are hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, sick, strange, or naked to come in to find Mercy?
¿Mantendrán ustedes como guardianas, la puerta abierta para invitar a quienes tienen hambre o sed, a las personas prisioneras, a quienes están enfermas, forasteras o desnudas, a entrar y encontrar Misericordia?

 

¿Vigilarán ustedes como guardianas de la puerta nuestras «salidas y regresos» (Salmo 121, 8) al arriesgarnos a esta nueva forma de ver Misericordia y ser Misericordia en tiempos que pueden ser tan aterradores y desalentadores?
Will we as doorkeepers guard our “going out and our coming in” (Ps 121:8) as we dare this new way of seeing Mercy and being Mercy in times that can be so fearful and discouraging?

SIDE PANELS

Since the making of this composite many other Associates and Partners in Mercy either as groups or as individuals continue to create symbolic doors for not only opening the Holy Doors but even more for living the Mercy that comes into and goes out through these doors.

Messages to: Elizabeth Marrie rsm – Leadership Team

Celebrations at St. Lawrence

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Marking 138 years of the presence of the Sisters of Mercy in the area from 1871 – 2009

The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy had received word from Mary (Tarrant) Hodge early in August that the people of St. Lawrence, little St. Lawrence, Lawn and surrounding areas wanted to have a celebration to  recognize the ministry of the Sisters of Mercy in those areas and to officially  thank them. Three Sisters, Sister M. Rose Murphy, M. Xavier Tarahan, and M. Stanislaus Taylor, had arrived in St. Lawrence in 1871 and the last Sister to minister there was Sr. Lucia Walsh who left in 2009.  Would the Sisters who had ministered, or who had come from there be able to attend the festivities planned on the weekend of October 20th and 21st, 2012, asked Mary?  She insisted that the Congregational Leader HAD to be there!  The Planning Committee would not entertain her absence but were willing to change the date of the event to suit her agenda.  Elizabeth Davis was free to go on the 20th and 21st.

We heard little tidbits of information in the ensuing weeks:  Father Cecil Critch would be doing ALL the cooking, there would be entertainment, and there would be surprises worth waiting for.  The official invitation arrived and we began looking forward with great anticipation to this fabulous weekend.  We hoped the weather would cooperate for the drive to the Burin peninsula.

Saturday, October 20th was the most beautiful day, weather-wise, that we had had all year! Sisters from St. John’s left very early in the morning when traffic was light and the moose had not yet ventured out from their night’s haunts.  The sun shone its mightiest, the sky was cloudless, the environment was ecologically correct and when we drove off the Trans-Canada and travelled down the Peninsula highway the splendor of the gold, yellows, browns and sometimes reds of the autumn leaves was absolutely breathtaking.  Those of us with digital cameras were kept busy trying to capture the beauty before us.  This was particularly difficult especially if our driver had no intention of letting us out of the car to shoot the scenery!

We had been told to proceed to the Golden Age Club upon our arrival: the majority of us fitted into the category of Golden Age so it was most appropriate that this be our first rendezvous.  The rails on either side of the ramp going into the building were festooned with blue and gold balloons and a large Welcome poster was above the entrance. A white-apronned lady was at the door ringing an old school bell to welcome us in! The greetings began inside in profusion as many of the ladies there had been our students…

Remembering Our Newfoundland Mercy Story 3:

Anniversary of the Founding of Mercy on West Coast of Newfoundland

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On July 28, 1893, Sisters M. Antonio Egan, M. Corsini Dempsey, M. Veronica Payne and M. Sylvester Carver, former members of the Sisters of Mercy of Providence, Rhode Island, left Boston, bound for Sandy Point on the west coast of Newfoundland. Mrs. Henrietta Brownell, a friend of Sister M. Antonio and a benefactor of the mission, along with Bishop Michael Howley, Vicar Apostolic of Western Newfoundland, accompanied the band of missionaries to their new home.

Upon arrival at Sandy Point, the sisters received an enthusiastic welcome from the people of Sandy point. The Evening Telegram of August 12, 1893 reported as follows:

As the steamer neared the wharf, a great crowd gathered and salvos
of guns were heard on every side. The line of procession from the wharf to the
Bishop’s house (where the nuns are to be temporarily located) was spanned
by several arches of evergreens … and decorated with wreaths, mottoes and
flags, among which the tri-color of France was particularly conspicuous.

From the Annals of St. Michael’s Convent, St. George’s we learn that once the festivities were over, “the sisters found themselves face to face with the stern difficulties of mission life in a new and poor country.” The annalist went on to say that “the contrast between the school environment of Sandy Point and that of Providence, Rhode Island can be better imagined than described …”

Although plagued with many difficulties and struggles in both community and ministry,the sisters remained steadfast in their dedication to the ideals of the mission they had undertaken so eagerly. In 1899 with the construction of the railway line in St. George’s, the sisters moved from Sandy Point to the new St. Michael’s Convent and school in St. George’s, where they were able to enjoy better accommodations and easier access to resources. The first two boarding students – Sarah Blanchard and Sarah Doyle from Codroy Valley – arrived at St. Michael’s Academy in 1900 to avail of the educational opportunities of the new school. Sarah Doyle entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1906, taking the religious name of Sister Mary Dominic. She was a great-aunt of Sister Sylvia Doyle.

Foundation of Sisters of Mercy, Sandy Point from Diane on Vimeo.

More stories documenting our Newfoundland Mercy Story can be read in “Archival Moments“

El 28 de julio de 1893, las Hermanas M. Antonio Egan, M. Corsini Dempsey, M. Veronica Payne y M. Sylvester Carver, antiguas miembros de las Hermanas de la Misericordia de Providence, Rhode Island, salieron de Boston con destino a Sandy Point, en la costa occidental de Terranova. La Sra. Henrietta Brownell, amiga de la Hermana M. Antonio y benefactora de la misión, junto con el Obispo Michael Howley, Vicario Apostólico de Terranova Occidental, acompañaron al grupo de misioneras a su nuevo hogar.

A su llegada a Sandy Point, las hermanas recibieron una entusiasta bienvenida por parte de los habitantes de Sandy Point. El Evening Telegram del 12 de agosto de 1893 informaba de lo siguiente:

Cuando el vapor se acercó al muelle, una gran multitud se reunió y salvas
de armas se oian por todas partes. La linea de la procesion desde el muelle hasta la
de la ciudad, y de la ciudad, y de la ciudad, y de la ciudad, y de la ciudad, y de la ciudad.
y decorada con coronas, lemas y banderas, entre las que destacaba la tricolor.
banderas, entre las que destacaba la tricolor de Francia.

En los Anales del Convento de San Miguel, St. George’s, nos enteramos de que, una vez terminadas las festividades, “las hermanas se encontraron cara a cara con las duras dificultades de la vida de misión en un país nuevo y pobre”. El annalista continuó diciendo que “el contraste entre el ambiente escolar de Sandy Point y el de Providence, Rhode Island puede ser mejor imaginado que descrito…”

Aunque plagadas de muchas dificultades y luchas tanto en la comunidad como en el ministerio,
las hermanas se mantuvieron firmes en su dedicación a los ideales de la misión que habían emprendido con tanto entusiasmo. En 1899, con la construcción de la línea de ferrocarril en St. George’s, las hermanas se trasladaron de Sandy Point al nuevo convento y colegio de St. Michael’s en St. George’s, donde pudieron disfrutar de mejores alojamientos y un acceso más fácil a los recursos. Las dos primeras alumnas internas – Sarah Blanchard y Sarah Doyle de Codroy Valley – llegaron a la Academia de San Miguel en 1900 para aprovechar las oportunidades educativas de la nueva escuela. Sarah Doyle ingresó en las Hermanas de la Misericordia en 1906, tomando el nombre religioso de Hermana Mary Dominic. Era tía abuela de la Hermana Sylvia Doyle.