A Reflection on Mercy Charism as I Prepare for “In Catherine’s Boots: A Mercy Pilgrimage to Ireland”

By Theresa Gannon, Middle School Director at Waldron Mercy Academy

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could have our faculty retreat on Baggot Street?”

“Let’s plan a trip together to Baggot Street!”

“Did you know that Jane is going to Baggot street this summer?”

“Did you see the picture of Suzanne (Dennis, Mary, fill in a name) with the statue of Catherine McAuley on Baggot Street?”

As these conversations occur each and every year, an outsider might wonder, what is the pull? What is the magnetic attraction? Why is this so important to so many? Why do you feel joy and an overwhelming sense of well being for the kindred spirits proudly standing next to the statue of Catherine?

The Mercy Charism, gifted by the Holy Spirit to Catherine McAuley, has spread and been carried on for generations.

As a Mercy educator, it is an honor to witness the unfolding of our students’ growth in, and with, the Mercy charism, going on to shape them into mercy-filled young men and women, and later adults. This is demonstrated in little kindnesses to each other in the hallways of the school; the service that our students perform through our outreach programs; the newly formed Interfaith program for our eighth-graders; and the continued commitment to service our alumni embrace in their respective high schools and beyond. Alumni who have entered fields of social justice in inner cities, or who have returned to teach in our Mercy schools, are living testaments that Mercy works and is alive and well. It is humbling to be a part of creating and spreading good in the world.

As an administrator, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to the passing on of the Mercy charism and tradition. Walking in the path of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy, I often stop before a parent meeting, a student conversation, an interaction with a teacher or peer and ask myself how Catherine would approach this conversation, and I pray. Having read The Path of Mercy: The Life of Catherine McAuley by Sister Mary C. Sullivan, RSM, I marveled at Catherine’s tenacity and perseverance. In times of difficulty, I often reflect on her tumultuous road to bringing Mercy into the lives of so many. She provides me with strength and determination to continue her legacy.

Recently I learned that I would be among those taking part in the pilgrimage to Ireland offered by Mercy Education. Being in Catherine’s presence at her house on Baggot Street will be the closest I can get to her beyond prayer, and I know I will feel her spirit. She is an inspiration, and I want to see where it all began for her and walk on the same floors and streets that she did, asking her for the strength, guidance and direction to keep moving forward in the tradition that she began so long ago.

A colleague of mine often says, “Mercy is not taught, it is caught.” Taking that a step further, I would suggest that Mercy is a way of life which becomes inherently a part of your being. As a result, visiting the House of Mercy where it all began seems intuitive. What is especially attractive about In Catherine’s Boots: A Mercy Pilgrimage to Ireland is that I will be joining likeminded peers in Mercy and together we will be rekindling our “shining lamps,” brightening the torches of Mercy charism and as we return to our respective communities sharing a rippling spiritual gift to so many. I am truly beyond grateful, humbled and so looking forward to this Mercy journey!