On Butterflies, on January 1
By Sister Pat Kenny — Our life spans outlast a butterfly’s by decades; they must do in a few days what we have years to accomplish, but don’t let that discrepancy fool you. There is purpose in every life.
Author: Roz Parr
Artwork by Sister Mary Bilderback
New Beginnings
By Sister Luz Eugenia Alvarez – The beginning of a new year usually is a time when we make New Year’s resolutions, trying to be better people.
From Iran to Vermont: A Mercy Christmas Story
By Rowshan Nemazee, Mercy Associate — I didn’t think I was leaving my native country for good. Little could I have imagined that I would one day live in Vermont and become a Mercy Associate with the Sisters of Mercy.
In the Philippines, Celebrating the Misa de Gallo, or Mass of the Roosters
By Sister Helen Libo-on – In the Philippines, we have the tradition of praying the nine days of novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary before celebrating the Feast of the Nativity.
Welcoming the Prophet of Nonviolence
By Sister Diane Guerin — In Advent, we, too, wait in joyful hope. What is our expectation? Do we welcome Jesus as a Prophet of Nonviolence? How are we, who profess in our Critical Concern of nonviolence, challenged to live this commitment each day?
Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Mercy Connection
There are so many connections between the anniversaries of Juan’s Piadosa Madre and Catherine’s Sisters of Mercy.
Waiting in Joyful Hope to Care for the Earth
By Sister Edia “Tita” Lopez Garcia — Hope becomes genuine when Mercy is in action. “Hope is not naivete, nor a childish gaze unable to see the shortcomings of reality: it is a gaze that glimpses possibilities, not a tribute to the sun.”
Wishing You a Sustainable Christmas
By Sister Sue Gallagher and Brother Ryan Roberts — Are there ways we can welcome the Christ-child more simply? In what ways are you making decisions for a more sustainable Christmas this year?
“O Come, O Come…” “Do not come. Do not come.”
By Sister Deb Troillett — “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. As we wait and pray in joyful hope, Pope Francis tells us that hope is a gift particularly of the marginalized and the suffering, and an expectation that entails solidarity and accompaniment.
Mary, in Joy-Filled Anticipation
By Rowshan Nemazee, Mercy Associate — In times of need, as a mother, Mary has been my refuge. Thus, I come to this moment more clearly through Fra Lippi’s “Annunciation,” where a youthful Mary sets her face, in awe and in assent, not toward Gabriel, but rather, toward the dove. It is a moment of awakening, of softness and maturity
filled with the gentle ardor of maternal hope.
Sacred Silence
By Sister Victoria Incrivaglia — This approaching Thanksgiving holiday will be met with new meanings of gratitude. The many months of the shutdown during the pandemic brought financial, emotional and spiritual stress for all of us. The season of autumn teaches us that we are waiting. Autumn is rich with metaphors: shorter days, prevalence of darkness, trees letting go of their leaves with the promise of new life.
Advent, Anti-Racism and Our Wait in Joyful Hope
By Sister Benvinda Pereira — As Black Catholic History Month draws to a close this year, Advent begins; we wait in joyful hope for the Savior, and still we wait for justice.