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‘Contemplative Seeing ~ The Sight to Insight There is noth right now – other than to fal stillness. Visio Divina – Allow speak to you through image -Valda Dickinson rsm

‘Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things’ (Ps 119:18) Sacred Eyes © Mary Southard CSJ. Used under licence

‘No wonder of it: sheer plod makes plough down sillion Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.’ (The Windhover, Gerard Manley Hopkins)

‘Hopkins invites us to a contemplative seeing of earth and our place in it, a seeing with our feet on the ground and a ‘faith with eyes wide open.’ The Windhover invites us to seeing and hearing with the whole self. With the little kestrel, we are inserted into the noble passion of creation that mimes variously the Creator’s own passion in Christ.’

‘Looking through the eyes of love: Embrace with M

‘It is a gift to see beyond the first see beyond appearances into th perceived. Contemplative seein beyond the surface into meanin revelatory moment of sight. It is sacramentality.’

-Jo O’Donovan rsm Kestrel (Windhover)

-Mary Katherine Doyle rsm

CONTEM SEEI www.mercyglobalpresence.org

e Opening of Eyes – from hing else we have to do ll into deeper and deeper wing God to speak to es.’

‘Contemplative seeing is the willingness to sit in the dark and let the truth reveal itself to my inner and outer eyes without my need to control the outcome – to let the truth “dawn” on me – and in that dawning, to be transformed. Perhaps, this was the state of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus.’

‘If we were to create a word cloud to describe contemplation, it would include the words seeing, eyes, heart, stillness, silence, presence, listening, openness.’ -Elizabeth Davis rsm

-Michelle Gorman rsm

‘This time of “pause” is an invitation from God to look at our lives, to see and believe that what matters most is to trust fully in God’s divine providence.’ -Maria Teresa Retana rsm

Mercy and Hope’, by Ma. Victoria Pederanga

Sequoia (the Sacrificial Tree)

t level of sight, to he heart of what is ng does that. It leads us ng. It moves us into the s the experience of living

‘Ring out the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in.’ (Anthem, Leonard Cohen)

MPLATIVE ING

Theme 1, Segment 4: Integrated national Association

www.mercyworld.org

‘If I were a mirror I would want to reflect… The compassionate heart; the God within If I were a mirror I would be a reflection of a compassionate heart Wrapping around the you looking untiringly at me.’ -Larretta Rivera-Williams rsm

‘The winds, the earthquakes, and the fires of our world do indeed render compassion a gentle and soft whisper sometimes... In the midst of global conflicts, wars, disasters, and inequalities, the spirit of Mercy is rooted in simple hospitality: a comfortable cup of tea. And yet, this tender act is a force to reckon with. In the simplest and humblest act is where true power lies, and many whispers can become a chorus.’

‘No less than two days after the accident, Leila Abdullah and her husband Danny, at the site where their children’s lives had ended so abruptly, opened their hearts to the driver who by his self -destructive actions had wiped out half their family. While dealing with their unimaginable and unfathomable loss, Danny and Leila chose to forgive Samuel Davidson.’

-Julia Morisi

-Carmel McDonough rsm

‘Can you hear the heartbeat? Those words resonate deep within. It is a question we all need to ask – and answer. How do you hear a heartbeat? How do we hear God’s heartbeat? The image of the apostle John leaning on the breast of Jesus reminds us that we are like the beloved disciple called to have our heads on Jesus’ breast to hear his heartbeat and from there look out at the world.’ -Sandra Lupi rsm

Sculpture of Catherine McAuley at All H Sculptor: Meliesa Judge

‘Oh, Mother Vincent Whitty, I wish As a student body, they are fierce in today, I heard two of our students c speak out about the treatment of w it known that they will not stand fo cheers of response from the audien united in this, still, all these years l -Steph Langley, on the 160th Anniversary

COMPASS HEA www.mercyglobalpresence.org

‘Pa Henare Tate, Fr Henare Tate mihi atu koe e pa – who has since passed, spoke of aroha or love and compassion as being in the presence of the breath of God. A compassionate heart, and in Māori belief, aroha, happens in the presence of people with the presence of the spirit.’ -Richard Kerr-Bell

‘The most frequent phrase in the Gospels is “Jesus was moved with or filled with compassion.”’

‘I have to kneel before the Father, put my ear against his chest and listen, without interruption to the heartbeat of God. Then, and only then, can I say carefully and very gently what I hear.’

-Elizabeth Davis rsm

(Henri Nouwen)

Hallows’ School, Brisbane

you could see our girls today. n their pursuit for Justice. Only call on a sea of their peers to women in society and to make or violence against women. The nce must tell you that they stand later, as you and your Sisters did.’ of All Hallows’ School in Brisbane.

‘Having a compassionate heart means allowing the heart to be touched profoundly by identifying with the nameless ones, allowing our vision to change us.’ (Howard Gray sj)

SIONATE ART

Theme 2, Segment 4: Integrated national Association

www.mercyworld.org

‘We are to be the mat carriers of the paralyzed, the coffin bearers in Nain, the arms on which the lame lean, those who listen to the mute and cry out for wider human listening, those who eat with and try to influence the tax collectors… the hands assisting the blind, the voices that encourage lepers to come forward, the boy who brings and shares his two fish, the Simons of Cyrene, the centurions who offer sponges soaked in wine. Through such mercying, we may slowly awaken ourselves and others from the harmful sleep of our inhumanity.’ - Mary Sullivan rsm

Somos mujeres de ...Donde hay dificultades...v ...Donde hay obstáculos ...Donde hay imposibilidades Somos mujeres de espera ¡Somos mujeres de

We are women of th …where there are difficulties …where there are obstacle …where there are impo we see poss We are women of hope, l We are women

Las Hermanas de la Misericordia de Terranova y Labrador viajando con Perú y su gente

‘Let us ask for the grace to become witnesses of mercy. Only in this way will our faith be alive and our lives unified. Only in this way will we proclaim the Gospel of God, which is the Gospel of mercy’

‘Mercying has a rhythm of breathin the mercy of God for us, and breath world. In our contemplative prayer Mercy, and it spills forth into our rel Catherine McAuley spoke frequent centered in God and the spiritual an

(Pope Francis)

- Jean Adam rsm & Carolyn McWatters rs

MERC www.mercyglobalpresence.org

‘In all the voices – theologian, artist, distinct voice, scientist, minister, global thinker, prayer maker – which voice speaks most passionately to me about mercying?’ Water pitcher from Newfoundland and Labrador by sculptor, Gerald Squires

la resurrección... vemos oportunidades... s...vemos desafíos... s, ¡vemos posibilidades! anza, vida y compasión. la misericordia!

he resurrection... s, we see opportunities... es, we see challenges... ossible situations, sibilities! life, and compassion! n of mercy!

Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland & Labrador journeying with Peru & people of Peru

ng in, breathing out. Breathing in hing out the mercy of God to the we are being transformed into lationships with all creation. tly of this relationship of being nd corporal works of Mercy.’

(Musing for the Journey)

‘We look to the Scriptures to see what “mercying” means. In the Old Testament, in the book of Micah, the prophet invites us, “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8). In the New Testament, the good Samaritan teaches us, “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Lk 10:34). In the Hindu holy books, the Sanskrit word for mercy is दया (daya), in its literal meaning, “Suffering in the suffering of all beings.”’

Ceramic Tile, St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital, St. John’s Newfoundland. Gerald Squires

‘The pandemic has increased the rates of crime and hunger in most towns of our country… “Mercying” is at risk, and a huge challenge and often becomes only a feeling at this time of the global pandemic in Papua New Guinea.’ - Theresia Tina rsm

‘Mercying’ is our daily gift and our daily challenge.’ - Elizabeth MacNeal

- Elizabeth Davis rsm

CYING

Theme 3, Segment 4: Integrated national Association

www.mercyworld.org

‘Jesus invites all of us to “Go and do likewise” – to shape all around us a culture of mercy and compassion, to be clothed in compassion, to walk in the way of mercy as the principal path pointed out by Jesus, to be passionate about encountering others on the path to seeking peace, to live in the image of the One whose name is mercy.’ -Elizabeth Davis rsm

Galilee Spirituality (Circle) Team, Sligo/Roscommon, Ireland

‘Twenty years ago, a circle appeared on the Sligo/Roscommon border. It was a circle drawn on the face of lakes and mountains. Wisdom was present, the divine artisan, delighting in the human community making its foundation there. This circle has been a source of grace and protection for the people of the area over these years. The Mercy community has held and served the locality with creative, prayerful presence expressed in hospitality and opportunities to deepen and nourish the spirit.’ -Dr Anne Francis

We should be as the compass ………….Our cen should spring from as their source ~ Cather

‘Encounter is in some ways, a proxy for “mercy” placing the emphasis on compassion rather than judgment. We are called to not only meet Christ in the poor, but that the poor perceive Christ in us and in our actions. By being rooted in Christ’s personal experience we can contribute to a “culture of mercy” that deeply renews hearts and opens up to a new reality.’

‘Through the eyes of Mercy, w with the voices of Mercy, in t we are emboldened to live ou in Mercy and Justice to heal

-Sandra Lupi rsm

-Timothy Sherlock (Song Commissioned

CREATING CIRC AND A CULTU www.mercyglobalpresence.org

‘One cannot think of creating circles and culture of mercy without reflecting on Pope Francis’s image of the church as oriented towards missionary activities. It is crucial that we note that the missionary activity of the church is directed towards contemporary outskirts that strongly mark human existence. My ministry in South Sudan has opened my eyes and now I can see that outskirts are the new challenge for the church. Nevertheless, the church’s main mission remains that of revealing more strongly signs of God’s presence and closeness in the world.’ -Scholasticah Nganda rsm

ntre is God, from whom all our actions rine McAuley (Artwork by Tara Egger)

‘Whenever I think of the word mercy, I think of the Hail Mary as it is sometimes prayed in Hebrew and Arabic. Blessed is the fruit of your womb. That word for womb, rechem or raham, shares the same linguistic root as mercy in both languages. Mercy is a womb. It is something that encloses us, keeps us safe, and more than that, it is the place where we are formed.’

‘Like Catherine McAuley, let us gather in mission and prayer, inviting the fullness of the loving sphere of God awaiting an invitation to join our circles. Find your porch with friends, or circle of likeminded people knowing that the Spirit will engage in our global efforts to use our hands to do the works of mercy and our hearts to be compassion to and for our suffering world.’

-Dr. Victoria Biggs

-Tylia Barnes

with the hands of Mercy, the spirit of Mercy ur lives anew, a hurting world.’

‘The Samaritan’s first response is not to do it alone but to create circles of mercy. The first circle he creates comes from Earth with the oil and wine, the fruits of the Earth. He then uses his animal to carry the injured man and the road to take him to the inn. The built environment of the inn also becomes part of that circle of mercy. And, finally, he trusts the inn keeper to continue the healing when he left.’

by Sisters of Mercy Brisbane)

-Elizabeth Davis rsm

CLES OF MERCY URE OF MERCY

Theme 4, Segment 4: Integrated national Association