Three Whispers from the Holy Spirit

By Kali McMorris, Principal, Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha”

When God, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to Mercy, the gift is the Spirit, the Charism, the Union.

As I approach 10 years of serving as a Mercy leader, my thoughts and dreams grow more reflective, drawing me into something of an Examen. They may be familiar to you.

Have I been true to Catherine’s mission?
Have I honoured the spirit of Jessie Ripoll, our Jamaican Foundress?
Have I respected those who formed me, and those who welcomed me into Mercy?
Have I acted for God alone?

At the Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha,” the staff and students carry a distinctive spirit of authentic hospitality. The welcoming embrace of our sisterhood (with a few brothers) in this Jubilee of Hope says to my questioning heart: “Keep going.”

Three Whispers From the Holy Spirit

Our nation recently endured one of the most destructive Atlantic hurricanes imaginable, a Category 5 storm named Melissa. Leading up to and since, the Holy Spirit has whispered to me three times.

First Whisper: You are not alone.

Hurricane Melissa took days to reach Jamaica. For nearly a week, we moved from suspicion to preparation to four long days of waiting. That waiting was its own torment. Messages from so many across Mercy Education poured in. I opened my messaging app and found consolation. I will never forget the photos from Maria Johnston in Belize, whose students at Muffles College created prayer corners, dedicated to our protection from the oncoming disaster.

Their compassion strengthened me. It drew me closer to Catherine McAuley herself, who knew that Mercy comforts.

Second Whisper: Take care of the children.

Melissa devastated Jamaica. Families were displaced, diseases emerged, historic structures collapsed, and the land itself bore deep wounds. Yet our Jamaican people hold on, In Hope.

In the days immediately following the storm, our leadership team was unified: If they come to us, we will take care of them until they can return to their schools and homes.

We welcomed nine students from the hardest-hit areas—free of cost, and with minimal requirements for temporary admission. Some simply needed stability; all carried the trauma of loss and came from schools which had been severely damaged.

One of the nine, whom I will call Kay, lived in a chattel house in Westmorland that was swept away by the storm. She resisted us, raged at us, broke every rule, even as students defended her and teachers chipped away at her armour with unyielding patience. She tried to leave, and I held her tightly and whispered, “You have a home with us.” Kay softened. She still disliked our rules, but she began to heal. She has returned to her community now, yet she is ours, and she knows we are hers. Mercy protects.

The third whisper – Remember who we are.

Catherine left us the Spirit which enables us to use our lives to do the Works of Mercy and focus on our Critical Concerns.

My colleagues on staff and my students have been Compelled by Mercy to respond to Hurricane Melissa. I am inspired by their outreach, empathy, courage and resilience. We have collected as a school, and as a system, money, food and drink to fill physical needs. Always leaning on God, we have gathered to pray and to heal. We are women and men of Mercy.

In this Advent season of preparation:

Remember who we are and whom we serve. And when we grow weary, let us lean on one another—for the Holy Spirit’s gift to us is Mercy: its charism, its people, its work, and its unity. We are not alone.