Sisters and Schools, Partners in Mission
When Catherine McAuley opened the House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Dublin, she established the first “Mercy school,” a classroom dedicated to training young women. From these humble beginnings Mercy Education has spread, ever faithful to the legacy of Catherine and countless sisters who have founded and served within our schools. Today, though fewer sisters minister within our schools, their involvement in our educational institutions remains critically important.
Sisters of Mercy: Guiding Our Today, Inspiring Our Tomorrow
On March 15, the faculty and staff at Waldron Mercy Academy and Waldron Mercy Child Care came together at the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, to share stories, joys, challenges and dreams during their spring retreat. Using the synodal listening process, Bernadette Rudolph of Cranaleith Spiritual Center guided conversations between the lay people and nearly 20 Sisters of Mercy, helping the attendees focus on the future of Mercy Education and how best to sustain the Mercy charism. Read more about the retreat here.
Mercy Education on Tour
On March 26, Mercy Education staff launched a U.S. tour which will take them to areas where there are a number of sisters who live close to a Mercy school. Their first stop was Cumberland, Rhode Island, at Mercymount Country Day School, where sisters in the Providence region gathered with Mercy Education staff Sister Lisa Griffith, RSM, and Susan Smith and Sister Pat Coward, RSM, Institute Minister.
As a representative of the Institute Leadership Team, Sister Pat talked about the founding of Mercy Education within the larger context of the Journey of Oneness, a process by which Sisters of Mercy have reimagined and redesigned structures to be more supportive and responsive to their needs as an international community. Sister Lisa and Susan offered an overview of Mercy Education and its relationship with member schools, including governance structures and reserved powers.
Area sisters also learned more about their two local schools. Sister Rayleen Giannotti, Principal of Mercymount, and Amy Gravell, President of St. Mary Academy – Bay View in Riverside, Rhode Island, shared updates from their respective schools including enrollment and admissions, recent successes, challenges and opportunities. More stops on the tour will be shared in the coming months.
Opportunities such as these recent events at Mercymount and Waldron are paramount to deepening relationships among sisters and schools, who partner together in ensuring the charism can continue to flourish in our Mercy Education community. But opportunities for mutuality abound even outside of these formal gatherings! Mercy schools count on the support of sisters the whole year through—their “word of mouth,” their attendance at school functions, and their presence among students, whether it’s sharing a cup of tea or reading a book to a class. Working together, Mercy sisters and Mercy schools nurture and inspire the next generation of highly competent and deeply compassionate leaders.
Photo from Waldron Mercy’s spring retreat on March 15. From left, Sister Marianna Walsh, RSM; Sister Suzanne Gallagher, RSM; Anjanee Sankar, Waldron Mercy Child Care teacher; Amy Orapallo, Montessori Assistant.
