MERCYNortheastnortheast.nonprofitsoapbox.com/storage/documents/...mission of Catherine McAuley. In light of my being invited to this gathering, Sister Mary Kay Dobrovolny, assistant

MERCY Northeast n page 1 n November 2011

NortheastThe Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the AmericasAlbany n Connecticut n New Hampshire n Por tland n Providence n Vermont

MERCYMercy Northeast is a bimonthly publication for Northeast Community Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Associates and Companions in Mercy. Send comments to: [email protected].

VOLUME 7 • Number 6

Northeast Community Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

“Five years and three months ago, we officially became the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Northeast Community,” said Sister Lindora Cabral, president of the Northeast Community, as she welcomed all to the Community’s Fifth Anniversary

Celebration. Close to 300 sisters, associates, companions, and staff gathered at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire, on October 1 to celebrate this milestone. Sister Lindora also welcomed members of the Northeast Mercy family who could not physically attend the celebration, but were able to watch the event in real time via “live-stream” video on our SharePoint platform.

In her remarks, she noted that over the last five years, the Community has come a long way—in terms of structure, in getting to know each other,

St. Peter’s Hospital Opens New Patient Care PavilionSister Lindora Cabral attended the grand opening of the new six-

story patient care pavilion at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, New York, on Wednesday, September 14. Others in attendance at the ribbon cutting were Rev. Kenneth Doyle, chancellor of the Diocese of Albany, and Honorable Gerald D. Jennings, mayor of Albany.

The $258 million campus modernization project comprises 600,000 square feet of space and includes new cardiac and vascular surgery facilities which are among the nation’s most advanced for surgical and post-surgical care. Other improvements include the new Hearst Family Center which houses some of the region’s most advanced maternity services; a reconfigured St. Peter’s Cancer Care Center where patients can receive the most advanced radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy; the two-story Massry Family atrium with a 116-foot

(from left): Neil Breslin, state senator of New York; Gerald D. Jennings, mayor of Albany; Thomas R. Tyrell, chairman of St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation; Rev. Kenneth Doyle, chancellor, Diocese of Al-bany; Sydney Tucker Jones, chairman of the board of trustees, St. Peter’s Health Care Services; Sister Lindora Cabral, president, Sisters of Mercy - Northeast Community; Steven P. Boyle, chief executive officer, St. Peter’s Health Partners; George R. Hearst III, publisher of the Times Union and chair of St. Peter’s Hospital Cornerstone Capital Campaign; Ron Canestrari, assemblyman of New York; and Rabbi David Eligberg of Temple Israel. Photo submitted by St. Peter’s Hospital Office of Corporate Communications.

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Sister Lindora Cabral, president of the Northeast Community, gives opening remarks at the Fifth Anniversary Celebration. Photo submitted by Sister Ruth Ravey.

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Leadership Team MessageDear Sisters, Associates and Companions,

November is filled with days and seasons of thanksgiving and remembrance—All Souls Day, All Saints Day and especially November 11, when we celebrate Catherine McAuley and her great vision as we recall her day of death. Through these days we also remember all those people who were part of our lives. We celebrate them in our own ways— by telling stories, sharing pictures, reflecting on their lives, crying a little because we miss them, and giving thanks for all they mean to us. Thanksgiving Day gives us another opportunity to give thanks for our own lives as well as our Mercy Community, families and friends. This season is truly a wonderful part of our journey!

Speaking of a journey, Margaret Silf invites us to become a “wayfarer” in her book Wayfaring, inviting us “to walk your own living pathway in the companionship of Jesus of Nazareth. ...This is a pilgrimage journey, not a tourist outing. It is a journey that changes the traveler, a process that shapes the soul in ways we cannot predict.”

She is guided on her journey with the following quotation:

“The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found but made, and the making of those pathways changes both the maker and the destination.” (anonymous)

No doubt we are creating our Mercy future these days, individually and as a Community, especially as we bring to life our Declaration of the Fifth Institute Chapter. I believe that the more we pray and reflect on the Declaration in relation to Scriptures of the day and the news of the day, the greater opportunity we will have to be inspired to action as a Community and move to a collective consciousness.

Collective consciousness seems to surround us these days as we witness gatherings of people upset with the economic and political situations, lack of climate control and the many injustices in our world and church. Whether these gatherings are widespread or local, people are speaking out and challenging others to make changes in how we live our lives and what future we are creating. Hopefully parts of our Declaration or our own Assembly Documents are beginning to be in our Mercy collective consciousness. How will we speak out and show our commitment to act and be moved to make changes for the common good?

With the Advent Season approaching, we have the opportunity to focus on readings suggested by members of the spirituality, justice and ecology committees, inviting us to reflect together on our spirituality/theology and how it influences our commitment to the needs of our world. May our Advent prayer help bring our Northeast Community of sisters, associates, companions and partners in ministry closer to the action steps so many of us are longing for. Let our journey of creating our future be blessed with wisdom and courage, changing what needs to be changed, fostering what will bring vibrancy to our Community and others.

During this season of remembering, we will do well to remember that our loved ones who helped create the path on which we journey, still surround us with their courage, urging us to create a future that will change each of us and shape our souls in ways we cannot predict.

Blessings,

Sister Lindora for Sisters Pat, Kathleen, Marie, and Donna


Wisdom WomenSister Mary Cedric Crossley

Named Mildred Eileen in 1927, Sister Mary Cedric was the fourth of seven children whose faith was nurtured at home by her Catholic mother and her Episcopalian father. She went to public school and also attended catechism classes three times a week. Some of Mary Cedric’s fondest memories with her mother are of learning her prayers. She prayed with her mother to discern a call to religious life when she felt the promptings as a junior at St. Xavier’s in Providence, the Mercy high school she attended. The trust in God that Mary Cedric received (and still richly owns) from her father is a confidence that she need never fear harm.

Mary Cedric loved playing school as a child, so when her high school art teacher identified her artistic talent, Mary Cedric was willing to change her original career consideration of nursing to teaching as a Sister of Mercy. So began her journey in 1945, and the unfolding of her gift of art expressed through teaching children and adults, as well as floral design. One of her students said he knew Mary Cedric’s favorite subjects were religion and art because she was most joyful during those classes.

The most fulfilling experience that Mary Cedric treasures is an opportunity to make an icon retreat with a Russian iconologist. During a sabbatical, she learned the beauty of story telling through icons. In retirement, completing icons for interested buyers continued this rewarding endeavor until limited eyesight made it impossible to continue.

For the past two years, Mary Cedric has resided at Franklin Court Assisted Living in Bristol, Rhode Island, and, when the light allows, she is able to do some flower designs in brilliant shades of water color on greeting cards. Mary Cedric is full of gratitude for being a Sister of Mercy.

Sister Gertrude Donnelly“Behold the handmaid of the Lord - Be it done unto me according to Your Word.”

This has been Sister Gertrude Donnelly’s motto since she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Cumberland, Rhode Island, in August 1933. The only child of her widowed father, Walter (her mother died when Gertrude was 12), she fondly remembers the loving nurturance of her aunts and her dad. As a young girl, Gertrude felt the desire to be a religious while a student at her parish school, where she was taught by the Faithful Companions of Jesus. This desire bloomed in high school where Gertrude enjoyed her relationship with the Sisters of Mercy.

As a young sister, Gertrude found teaching to be a most effective ministry—she loved helping to develop youth to become good adults. Her ministries grew as she became su-perior of a college community, then later an elementary school principal. Along the path of her many ministries, Gertrude made lasting friendships that were icing added to the cake of life.

Because of respiratory health issues, Gertrude relocated to Arizona where she did a variety of parish ministries for 18 years. Retiring at 84, Gertrude presently lives at Mount St. Rita Health Centre in Cumberland where she is often seen visiting patients, driving her “rascal” motorized scooter to chapel or other activities. Now 97 years old, Gertrude spends “extra” prayer time on her dream—preparing for the final meeting with Jesus, and in interceding for the needs of others. Gertrude is most grateful for the gift of years as a Sister of Mercy.


A Journey Undertaken in Light of a Story: Dublin Pilgrimage of Young Mercy LeadersBy Sister Dale Jarvis

One hundred eighty years after founding the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley’s vision continues today. Catherine’s hope was especially evident this past August when over 150 young women and men from Mercy high schools and colleges gathered at Mercy International Centre in Dublin, Ireland. These young people came from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. They came for one reason – they wanted to know more about Catherine McAuley, the woman who started the Sisters of Mercy whose mission continues in each of their places of education.

I was invited to go as a representative of the New Membership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. What a wonderful opportunity this was for me! It was also a grand opportunity for a vocation director to be at a gathering of so many young women and men who know Mercy and the charism and mission of Catherine McAuley.

In light of my being invited to this gathering, Sister Mary Kay Dobrovolny, assistant director for spirituality and heritage at Mercy International Association, asked me to do two presentations. The first was a request to do a workshop on Mercy global justice because of my past experiences, and the second was a workshop on discernment because of my present work in vocation ministry.

I conducted the workshop on discernment four times over the three-day period and, to my surprise, many of the young women and men, as well as some of the chaperones, were eager to engage in this topic. I called the workshop, “What Am I Going to Do with My One Wild and Precious Life?” quoting from Mary Oliver’s poetry. The young people were challenged as people of faith on how they can best address the concerns of a world so in need of healing and compassion. They were left with the questions: “What does God want of me?” and “Where can I best serve God’s people today?”

In my second workshop entitled, “Networking Globally, How Mercy Makes a Difference in a Digital Age,” my focus was to emphasize the importance of doing justice both systemically and locally and how to use the internet in this work. The first half of the workshop I invited Sister Aine O’Connor, the interim director at Mercy Global Concern, to share her work at the United Nations. Aine spoke of the many ways we are engaged and the compelling needs of our world today. In the second half of the workshop, I was able to Skype onto the Indian Island Reservation in Maine and interview Sister Sue Lachapelle (a Sister of Mercy who lives and works on Indian Island) as well as Esther and Patrick Bear, Penobscot Indians.

Through our presence at the U.N., we address global realities, like human trafficking, war, and the needs of indigenous peoples. By the work of so many sisters on the ground, we see the lived realities of injustices as they exist. For me, this was a very dramatic way to emphasize the work of the Sisters of Mercy around the world. We work systemically, but we also are blessed and privileged to share in the lives of so many people for whom and with whom we minister.

Some of the best moments during the three- day gathering at Mercy International Centre were how we continue to share the message of Catherine – as relevant today as it was 180 years ago. It was a joy to see how impressed the young people were, seeing the sisters from around the world working, praying and being together. But most of all, knowing that the spirit of Mercy is still so alive around the world, in so many places, in the lives of so many young people.

“Now her vision is driving me on. It is a glorious thing to be a Sister of Mercy.” – Sister Frances Warde

Sister Cathy Edge from Scotland (second from left), Sister Aine O’Connor from Mercy Global Concern (fourth from left), and Sister Dale Jarvis from the Northeast Community (second from right), with students from Sacred Heart School in Australia at Mercy International Centre, Dublin, Ireland. Photo submitted by Sister Dale Jarvis.


Connecticut Associates Host “Living Mercy” Afternoon TeaBy Sister Ann McGovern

Those discerning what call of Mercy they may be hearing came to a “Living Mercy” afternoon tea at Seascape at Mercy Center, Madison, Connecticut, on September 18. Mercy Companion Sue LaVoie, Sister Ann McGovern, and Mercy Associate Kathy Swift, shared what life in each distinct form of Mercy – sister, associate and companion – was about.

Whether companion, sister, or associate, all share a call to Mercy which is firmly rooted in Catherine McAuley, the charism of Mercy, and living Gospel values in today’s world. Each form seeks ways to meet the needs of the day. Prayer, community, and ministry blend in each person’s life and are all essential elements of a life of Mercy.

After the 20 attendees learned how to pursue whichever form of Mercy life they felt God was calling them to, they adjourned for a comfortable cup of tea.

The “Living Mercy” afternoon tea can easily be duplicated for a parish or a prayer group in any area of the Northeast. For further information, please contact Sister Ann McGovern, Kathy Swift or Sue LaVoie.

Irene O’Day (second from left) shares her experience as a Mercy Associate at the “Living Mercy” afternoon tea. Photo submitted by Sister Ann McGovern.

Annual Breakfast Benefits Women in HaitiBy Associate Ellen Baker

The annual breakfast for women in Haiti was held October 16 at St. Patrick School in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. What started as a simple idea to find a way to raise funds for the women of Plaisance, Haiti, has become a much-anticipated event for the Mercy community as well as the communities of Jaffrey and Peterborough, New Hampshire. The Jaffrey Knights of Columbus supplied all the cooking equipment and local businesses showed their support through monetary donations and supplying items at no cost or at discounted rates. A bus tour from Swampscott, Massachusetts, even combined attending the breakfast with a foliage tour of the area.

The proceeds from the breakfast benefit the women of Plaisance, Haiti. However, there is another important aspect of the breakfast—nearly 300 tickets are donated each year to local agencies, such as the Salvation Army, to distribute to people seeking assistance. “It is a gratifying and humbling experience to know the dignity of each person at the breakfast is respected,” said Mercy Associate Joan O’Donnell. “Everyone walks in with a ticket and is welcomed as Catherine McAuley would wish … and everyone is thanked for attending.”

Committee co-chairs Sister Melinda Hill and Joan O’Donnell start planning the Haiti breakfast in July every year. Sisters, associates, companions, and friends take an active role throughout the process to help ensure the success of the event.

The Haiti breakfasts, which started in 2004, have become one of the most successful fundraisers for the Haiti Fund, established in 1997, to respond to the poverty and needs of the Haitian people. Money raised from fundraisers and donations (over $120,000 to date) is sent regularly to assist the women of Plaisance in their small businesses.

Co-chairs Sister Melinda Hill (standing, second from left) and Associate Joan O’Donnell (standing, third from left) at this year’s annual breakfast for women in Haiti. Photo submitted by Sister Madonna Moran.


and sharing life in many ways. As part of the celebration, the Community Leadership Team (CLT) invited Sister Kathleen McAlpin— professor of spirituality at Regis College in Toronto and novice director for the Sisters of Mercy in Laredo, Texas— to lead the Northeast Community in a theological reflection.

In the morning session attendees were led on a theological reflection based on the story of the two travelers on the road to Emmaus from the Gospel of Luke. In the afternoon, participants were taken through an exercise of contemplation and reflection on the words of Mercy found in the Institute Chapter Declaration and the Northeast Assembly Actions.

Sister Kathleen asked those

gathered, “How do we live Mercy spirituality in integrating our faith with our lives? What are the words of Catherine (McAuley) that help us to do this? What are some of the Mercy stories in our own heritage, our own deep story, our own history that help us to live Mercy?” She asked attendees to think about how that story continues today and how they continue to live out the grace of Mercy.

Between the morning and afternoon sessions, all in attendance shared lunch and a cake to mark the occasion of five years as a Community. Attendees were also treated to a special slideshow, depicting five years as Northeast Community, prepared by Sister Mary Pendergast.

Sister Donna Conroy, a

member of the Community Leadership Team, expressed that she was happy to see how many sisters were able to attend, and to know that those who could not, had the opportunity to participate from home. “I was heartened by the reality that I could name most of the sisters in the room! That speaks to me about how we are growing in familiarity with each other and in our identity as the Northeast Community,” she said.

long skylight; and a new parking garage with 1,500 spaces.The number of beds at St. Peter’s will remain at 442; however, the new pavilion made it possible to increase

the percentage of private rooms to 60 percent, from the former level of 10 percent.St. Peter’s Hospital was founded in 1869 by the Sisters of Mercy. With 4,500 employees and a budget

of $400 million, St. Peter’s is one of Albany’s largest employers. Later this year, St. Peter’s will merge with Northeast Health and Seton Health to form St. Peter’s Partners, which will make it the region’s most extensive patient care system.

(from left) Sisters Kathy McInnis, Karen Ross, Mary Whelan, and Barbara Nelson enjoying the festivities. Photo submitted by Sister Ruth Ravey.

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St. Peter’s Hospital...continued from page 1

The Mercy Elementary Education Network (MEEN) Convention was held October 7-9, in Savannah, Georgia. The theme of this year’s convention was “Enduring Mercy,” developed by Sister Lourdes Sheehan from the South Central Community. Sister Lourdes is a former principal, superintendent, director of board formation at the NCEA, and education director for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

(first row, from left) Sisters Marilyn Fanning, Laura Della Santa, Martha Mulligan, and Maria Elena Cervantes; (second row, from left) Sisters Ruth Ravey, Marie Diane Russo, Ann McKenna, Jeanne Barry, and Barbara Gould; (third row, from left) Sisters Mary Ellen Owens, Joanne LaFreniere and Juliann Parent. Photo submitted by Sister Ruth Ravey.


Cumberland, Rhode Island Office Welcomes New EmployeesThe Cumberland, Rhode Island office welcomed three new employees, two of whom are members of the Community’s communications department (Joan Lamar and Pam Rowden), and one of whom (Keri Young) is an employee of Mercy Volunteer Corps (MVC) but who will be working out of the Cumberland office.

Joan most recently comes from higher education communications where she has extensive experience in print production, web content, and social media. She also wrote numerous articles for online and print news vehicles during her five years in higher education. She will be managing all print communications projects, such as the Mission Partnership Report, the monthly employee newsletter (Mercy Messenger), and bi-monthly Community newsletter (Mercy Northeast) and will provide her editorial and writing expertise in service

to various staff departments and Community committees, including New Membership and Ecology.With 24 years of design experience, Pam will oversee the creation of all media, marketing, communications,

and presentation materials to meet the needs of a range of internal and external audiences. A SharePoint expert, Pam will oversee the management of it here in the Northeast and will look for ways to improve its efficiency and usefulness for both sisters and staff. She will also serve as the Northeast’s in-house design resource for the external website as well as all print and electronic materials.

Mercy Volunteer Corps, the only sponsored ministry of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, has introduced a new staffing model, one that will place one Community coordinator within each of the six Communities in the Institute. In this newly created position, Keri will have three primary areas of responsibility: collaborating with Northeast Community sisters to identify service sites in the Northeast for MVC volunteers, with a goal of one or two sites for the 2012-13 service year; traveling to service and career fairs at Northeast colleges to recruit potential applicants to the MVC program; and helping to spread the word of Mercy in the Northeast. (For more information on MVC, visit www.mercyvolunteers.org.)

Our Lady of Mercy School Spanish Teacher Ministers in PeruSister Ann McKenna, a Spanish teacher from Our Lady of Mercy School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island,

spent two weeks this summer in Peru as a translator on a medical mission trip. Twenty-one members of the Mercy medical team traveled to Chulucanas, Peru, to set up a clinic for poor children. The team consisted of pediatric doctors and nurses from John Hopkins Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as translators and support staff.

Sister Ann was asked by another Sister of Mercy to lend her translating skills to the mission effort. Her skills proved invaluable as patients would tell her their problem in Spanish and she would then translate that to the medical staff.

When she returned to Our Lady of Mercy, she spoke about mothers and children who traveled as much as six hours to come to the clinic. For some of these children, it was simply an annual visit; however, for many others, serious illnesses were treated and some were recommended for surgery. The medical team treated over 2,000 children and performed 47 surgeries while there.

“It was both a challenging and humbling experience for me to be of service to poor children in the northwestern regions of Peru,” said Sister Ann. She has been invited back to Peru and hopes to return for next year’s medical mission trip. She told the East Greenwich Pendulum that she saw God at work, especially in the patients there. “They’re impoverished, but they’re wealthy in so many other ways,” she said.

Sister Ann McKenna on medical mission trip in Peru. Photo submitted by Sister Ann McKenna.

(from left: Joan Lamar, communications specialist; Keri Young, Northeast community coordinator, Mercy Volunteer Corps; Pam Rowden, technology & design specialist)


Northeast Archive Collections Move to North CarolinaBy Sister Anne Vaccarest

In November of 2006, Sister Eleanor Little came to Windham, New Hampshire, to set up the Northeast Community archives, which combined the collections of the six former regional communities. Since then she has spent considerable time organizing the Northeast collection and handling requests for information. Every project has been different, she said. Some inquirers have come to Windham to do research; others call or communicate by email. Frequently, requests have been referred from the Institute through its website.

In recent months, Eleanor has been preparing for the relocation of the collections containing the histories of the six former regional communities (Albany, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Portland, Providence, and Vermont) to Belmont, North Carolina, the site of the new Institute archives. The collection that dates from the formation of the Northeast Community on July 1, 2006, will remain in the Northeast because it is a growing collection. It holds anything pertaining to the Northeast Community, including active ministries and records of sisters who have died since the community was formed. Each of the Communities of the Institute will keep its current, growing collection.

In preparing for the move, Eleanor had to remove everything from metal cabinets and file drawers and place the contents in acid-free boxes. The acid-free folders and boxes help to preserve the original documents. Each box had to be labeled showing where it would be going in the collection. In Belmont the boxes were placed on state-of-the-art moveable shelving.

The biggest task, said Eleanor, was getting the collections in order. She was grateful for the help she received from the former regional community archivists. Each of the collections had to be color coded, and had to be packed and unpacked in order. A professional moving company that specializes in the relocation of library and archive collections handled the move. On November 7 and 8, they packed and loaded the boxes, departed for North Carolina on November 9, and arrived on November 10. Eleanor was in Belmont when the collections arrived, and remained there for a week to arrange items on the shelves and ensure that the collections were in order. Institute archivist Grant Gerlich and archives assistant Betsy Johnson supervised the process.

Sisters Judith Dolloff (former NH archivist) and Eleanor Little finish packing a carton. Photo submitted by Sister Anne Vaccarest.

The Connecticut “Band of 1961” ReuniteTwelve members of the Connecticut Sisters of Mercy

novitiate class of 1961 reunited to commemorate 50 years of friendship begun at the Madison motherhouse. Although all of the “band members,” as they refer to themselves, ultimate-ly returned to lay life, they remained in contact with each other throughout their diverse careers over the past several decades.

The group gathered on August 27, 2011, at Ann Sullivan’s house, in Northford, Connecticut, just as Hurricane Irene was about to hit the Northeast. They brought memorabilia from their days in the convent, but the major focus of their gather-ing was to remember, share, and enjoy the friendship begun so many years ago, when Mercy brought strangers together who today remain friends.

“Although 50 years have passed, time could not dampen the spirit that first bonded us in Madison,” said Anna Vana-core.

(front row, from left) Kathy Long-Lombardo, Linda Sautner-Caesar, Dot Mahon, Suzanne McEnerney-Aleandro, Ellie Augur, Kathy Kerr-Stankewicz; (second row, from left) Ann Sullivan, Ann Vanacore, Louise Fiengo, Kay Matson-Walsh, Kay Albrycht-Pechinski, Madeleine Nagele-Cannon. (Absent from picture, Helen Reynolds). Photo submitted by Ann Sullivan.


Community Fund Development Hosts First Sponsored Ministry Bi-annual MeetingAfter almost three years of fund development for the Northeast Community, development director Robin

L. Cabral, CFRE, has successfully begun a dialogue with the Mercy sponsored ministry fund development professionals.

When she first started working with the Community, she conducted a full-scale audit and met with all key constituents. Through this process, she quickly realized there was great concern regarding fund development for the Northeast within the context of the sponsored ministries; but she also saw the pure potential for collaboration with their fund development operations. As a result of the audit, the Community fund development office facilitated an initial meeting with the sponsored ministries this past April to begin this important dialogue. Led by Sandra Delsesto, a member of the Northeast Community Sponsorship Council, the initial meeting brought together development staff from sponsored ministries, including staff from Mount St. Rita’s Health Centre, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, Mercy Center of Burlington, Vermont and McAuley Ministries of Providence, Rhode Island. The group decided they would like to have bi-annual meetings to further dialogue and collaboration.

The first bi-annual meeting, held on October 6 in Windham, New Hampshire, reviewed the Northeast Community’s case for support, reflected on a survey of the ministries conducted by Northeast fund development office, and began a visioning and action planning process resulting in the start of a plan for the Community fund development office and the sponsored ministries development operations.

Goals for the plan include capacity building for the ministries leading to their greater self-sufficiency, exploration of natural partnerships, and relationship building. Elements of the plan include developing a joint “case” brochure to be used for fundraising efforts, establishing a database of best-case practice resources, sharing of plans and calendars for coordination, and establishing a Mercy donor recognition day.

“I was extremely pleased that we have some very concrete action steps to begin putting together a true plan for our collaboration,” said Robin. “We are now moving from thinking about Mercy fund development as ‘competition’ toward ‘collaboration’ and are actually developing a plan of working together, when possible, to support our efforts,” she continued.

The impact on the donor, and philanthropy in general, is that a donor will be shown the whole breadth of Mercy and will be given a range of giving opportunities within that spectrum. “This is a powerful model that has the opportunity of becoming an industry best-case practice,” Robin said.

At its next bi-annual meeting, scheduled for April 2012, the Northeast Community fund development office is planning a capacity building and networking development day for the sponsored ministries.

Should you have any questions about the Community’s fund development efforts, do not hesitate to contact Robin Cabral, director of development at (401) 333-6333 ext. 116, or email [email protected].

is a bimonthly publication for Sisters of Mercy, Companions in Mercy and Mercy Associates of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Northeast Community. Submissions for the next issue are due the 15th of the month after the month of this publication.

Send comments to: Joan Lamar at [email protected].

Sisters of Mercy –Northeast CommunityDepartment of Communications15 Highland View RoadCumberland, RI 02864-1124(401) 333-6333 ext. 148Fax (401) 333-6450www.mercyne.org

Associate Ellen BakerRobin CabralSister Dale JarvisSister Perpetua LesterSister Frances LynchToccara McCoy

Sister Jane McGarrahanSister Ann McGovernSister Ann McKennaSister Ruth RaveySister Barbara RomanAnn Sullivan

Contributing to this Issue:NortheastMERCY


Community Celebrationsin AlbanyAlbany sisters and associates celebrated Mercy Day on September 25 at the Convent of Mercy Chapel. The liturgy, celebrated by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, also marked the recognition of jubilees for sisters celebrating 50, 60 and 70 years of profession.

60-Year Jubilarians, from left, Sisters Elizabeth Ann Mattus, Bernadette Magee and Jane McCullough

70-Year Jubilarian Sister Rita Mary (not pictured, Sisters Helen Yonkers and Alice O’Hara)

Golden Jubilarians, from left, Sisters Sharon Ann Boyd and Doris Rogers

in New HampshireSisters, associates and companions gathered in Windham on September 25 to celebrate Mercy Day and the jubilees of 16 sisters. Golden Jubiliarian Sister Janice Loiselle gave the jubilee reflection, speaking of how the response to the needs of the times has developed and changed over the years. “We are committed – individually and communally – to collaborate with others to alleviate the causes of poverty and injustice in our time,” she said. All enjoyed the catered dinner following the liturgy.

Seated, from left, Sisters Justine Colliton (60), Terence Gallagher (60), Danielle Hamm (50), Neri Burrows (65), Barbara Keenan (60), Barbara J. St. Jean (50). Standing, from left: Sisters Florence Dorey (65), Sheila Garvey (50), Mary Griffin (65), Patrick Burke (60), Dympna Smith (65), Anne L. Marineau (60), Bonaventure Granfield (70), Janice Loiselle (50), Mary Sears (50). Not present for the photo: Sister Denise Therriault


in ProvidenceProvidence sisters and associates celebrated the jubilees of 26 sisters on September 25 at a liturgy at Mount St. Rita’s Health Centre chapel in Cumberland followed by a lovely dinner at Luciano’s restaurant in nearby Wrentham, Massachusetts. At the liturgy, Sister Martha Mulligan and Associate Kristen Souci presented a dialogue that could have occurred between Catherine McAuley and Frances Warde.

50-Year Jubilarians, from left, seated, Sisters Eleanor Little, Virginia Burke, Ellen Martin; from left, standing, Sisters Marialyn Riley, Donald Marie Kerr, Diane Russo

60-Year Jubilarians, from left, standing, Sisters Viola Gross, Barbara Riley, Geraldyn McGreevy, Lois Dunn, Eleanor Rock, Ann Welch, Patricia Otillio, Carmen Demeule; from left, seated, Sisters Carol Louise Hopkins, Nancy Conley, Patricia Farley, Marguerite Montalto

70-Year Jubilarians, from left, Sisters Noel Blute (died October 20, 2011), Marie O’Neill, Marcella Shanley, and Margaret Smith

Sister Madeline SanSouci celebrates 75 years.

Sister Faustina Cronin celebrates 80 years as a Sister of Mercy.


11.11.11170th Anniversary of

Catherine McAuley’s Death

“Now fearing that I might forget it again, will you tell the sisters to get a good cup of tea – I think the community room

would be a good place – when I am gone, to comfort one another. But God will comfort them.”

Catherine McAuley, died on November 11, 1841

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas –Northeast Community15 Highland View RoadCumberland, RI 02864-1124

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