Next year on Mercy Day - September 24, 2027 - we will mark the 200th…
A Minute of Mercy
This page will be updated weekly with brief prayers and reflections that can be read in about a minute and easily incorporated into morning announcements, classroom prayers, liturgies and other gatherings in your school communities. Our hope is to offer a simple way to pause, reflect, and deepen our shared commitment to the Mercy values that guide our work and mission.
The Work of Our Hands
Tender God, as a community of Mercy
we pray for Your blessing.
We pray that the work of our hands will forever
be a sign of Mercy among Your people.
Help us reach out to each other in times of suffering and pain.
Help us give of our time and talents to those who are in need.
We pray that our hands will be instruments of peace, bringing forth Mercy
“Blest Are They Who Show Mercy: Mercy Shall be Theirs”
… I asked: Where are the merciful?
And the merciful answered:
We are the merciful
and we hear you
We are standing at every pathway
ready to heal what needs healing
ready to forgive what needs forgiving
Compassion is our way of life
Forgiveness is our pastime
We throw it around unconditionally
like dew on summer grass
like rain on dry, parched earth …
Wiederkehr, Macrina. Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections. New Jersey: Silver Burdett Ginn, 1979. This prayer is included in A Reflection of God’s Mercy, Prayer Services, Liturgies and Resources for Mercy School Communities, Sandy Flaherty, 2019
Heart of Mercy
God of Tenderness and Compassion, You live at the heart of Mercy. You have blessed us with Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy, and all those in our history who have reflected the light of Your Mercy to us. May the example of those who have gone before us instill in us a spirit of hospitality and welcome. May the Mercy tradition of concern for the poor awaken in us compassion for those less fortunate. May the tradition of Mercy challenge us to reach out in love to all those we encounter. We ask this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
A Woman of Faith and Dedication
Merciful God,
source of goodness,
You show us in Catherine McAuley,
a woman of faith and dedication.
Teach us we pray:
To embrace her love for all people.
Her compassion for the poor.
Her belief in the power of education.
Her ability to inspire others.
Her courage in defending the
dignity of all people.
May we, like Catherine McAuley,
use our gifts to realize your love in
our lives, our workplace (school) and our
communities. Amen.
Be As Shining Lamps, page 65.
Catherine’s Prayer for Guidance
Come, O life-giving Spirit, transform us. Stir up in us the flame of love which is your gift. Give us wisdom to see as you see. Give us understanding to hear as you hear. Give us courage and strength to walk the way of justice and integrity. Kindle in us wonder and awe, that we may have grateful spirits. You who dwell within us, praying unceasingly, fill us with love and devotion. Holy Wisdom, guide us in the choices we must make. Give us discerning hearts that we may choose what is good, in accord with your desire. Loving God of mercy, finish in us the work you have begun. Amen.
Source: Book, Praying in the Spirit of Catherine McAuley: A Collection of Prayers written or compiled by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Prayer for Union and Charity
Grand us peace and harmony, O God, and assist us always to preserve union and charity in the midst of our diversity, differences, and difficulties. May the sun never set on our anger; rather, may a spirit of reconciliation dwell among us. Through our experience of your forgiving love may we have the grace both to forgive those who have hurt us and to seek pardon from those whom we have offended. Be with us as we come and go, so that our hearts may always be centered in you. We ask this through Jesus, the gracious sign of your love and forgiveness.
Source: Book, Praying in the Spirit of Catherine McAuley: A Collection of Prayers written or compiled by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
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