Sisters of Mercy Mark Important Milestone in Journey of Oneness

You may have heard that the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have been on a “Journey of Oneness” for the past several years. July 1, 2021, marked an important milestone in their Journey of Oneness.

As we are all part of the Mercy community and share strong relationships with sisters in our schools and communities, we have outlined some of the new modes of leadership and communication. Please reach out to us at mercyedu@sistersofmercy.org if you have any questions.

What is the Journey of Oneness?

The Journey of Oneness has been all about strengthening the ability of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas to make a difference in our world. Through the Journey of Oneness, Sisters of Mercy have been reimagining and redesigning structures to be more supportive and responsive to their needs as an international community.

The redesigned structures may be what is most visible to those who are lay members of the Mercy community, but the heart of the Journey of Oneness is truly about sustaining the mission of Mercy into the future.

Some redesigned structures to be aware of…

Leadership

Since 2017, the leadership structure for the Sisters of Mercy has transitioned from an Institute Leadership Team and several Community Leadership Teams to, as of July 1, 2021, an Institute Leadership Team with appointed Institute Ministers and Sisters Life Ministers.

  • The Institute Leadership Team is the one elected body of leaders for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas which includes the Caribbean, Central America and South America, the Pacific and the continental US. The current team was elected for a six-year term, 2017-2023.
  • We celebrate as a Mercy Education community those sisters who have been appointed as Institute Ministers and Sisters Life Ministers! Their terms began on July 1, 2021.
    • Institute Ministers work together as a team to provide consultation to the Institute President in carrying out her governance responsibilities, assist the Institute Leadership Team in their responsibilities and provide intermediary leadership between the Institute Leadership Team and sisters.
    • Sisters Life Ministers relate to sisters in matters of ministry, community life and transitions.

Institute Ministry Office

Sister Lisa Griffith, RSM, as executive director of Mercy Education, will continue to interact as needed with co-directors, Sister Christine McCann, RSM, and Jane Sprankel, of the new Institute Ministry Office, which will support ministries sponsored or co-sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, as the former community leadership teams did.

Institute Communications

In addition to the redesigned structures, Institute Communications have been revamped to provide new ways for the Mercy community to stay informed.

  • The Sisters of Mercy website has been redesigned with a focus on increasing awareness of the Sisters of Mercy’s work and service and influence people to explore their faith, advocate for justice and more. Check it out here! Here are a few key pages to note:
  • Mercy Now, the e-newsletter of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, will increase its publication cycle from biweekly to weekly. As of today, Flash will include a link to Mercy Now to provide an opportunity for all in our education community to stay informed about happenings in the wider Mercy community—scroll down to the footer of the Flash email for the link. We’ll also continue to highlight important updates from the Sisters of Mercy in Flash.
  • The final issue of ¡Viva! Mercy, the bimonthly print magazine, will be published in July. This publication is being discontinued as leadership and staff continue to reflect on ways to share stories about the mission of Mercy with their international readership.

Thank you for your mindfulness to these changes and for all you do to enliven the mission of Mercy in your school communities!

Related posts:

Prayers for Teacher Appreciation Week
Sisters and Schools, Partners in Mission
Planting Seeds for a Sustainable Future

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