150th Anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy in Philadelphia

Celebrate a century-and-a-half of helping people in need in Philadelphia! The year-long festivities will include:

Proclamation from the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia

Vespers and Opening Reception – Sunday, August 22, 2010
Convent of Mercy, Merion, PA – 7 p.m.

Vesper Proclamation, Readings and Reflection

Photos from Solemn Vespers

Speaker Series (Part 1) - Saturday, September 25, 2010
Merion Mercy Academy, Merion, PA – 12:30 p.m.

Speaker: Marilyn Lacey, RSM
Presentation Title:  Boundless Mercy of God

Marilyn Lacey, RSM, is passionate about making the world a more welcoming place for refugees and migrants.  She has stood with the displaced for the past 30 years.  The poor, she says, have been a wellspring of many blessings for her, not the least being of which is the Mercy charism that burns so strongly in her heart. She was personally honored by the Dalai Lama in 2001 as an "Unsung Hero of Compassion" for her work in Asian and African refugee camps and for her leadership with US refugee resettlement. Though she holds an M.S.W. from U.C. Berkeley and an honorary doctorate from College of St. Mary in Omaha, she insists that the refugees have been her best teachers.  In 2009 Marilyn wrote a memoir, THIS FLOWING TOWARD ME: A Story of God Arriving in Strangers.  She is now the founding director of Mercy Beyond Borders, a nonprofit partnering with displaced women and girls in Southern Sudan to alleviate their extreme poverty. 

Benefactor’s Mass – Sunday, October 10, 2010
Convent of Mercy, Merion, PA – 10 a.m.

Circle of Mercy Concert – Monday, October 18, 2010
Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA - 7 p.m.

Mercy Day of Service – Saturday, November 20, 2010

In solidarity with the Sisters of Mercy and their fourth vow of service to the poor, sick and uneducated, a day of service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 20 at sites with Mercy affiliations throughout the Philadelphia area. This date was chosen because it commemorates the day the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Merion, and the reception day of Mother Patricia Waldron in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland. Mother Patricia was instrumental in the founding of the Sisters of Mercy in Merion, and she and nine other sisters also opened the community’s first school at Assumption B.V.M. Parish at 11th and Spring Garden Streets in Philadelphia.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of service projects such as painting, planting, cleaning, and postal mailings. Anyone interested in volunteering must register with the site coordinator (listed on the Service Opportunities Page) by Friday, Nov. 12. All volunteers are welcome to attend a 4 p.m. Mass at St. Malachy Church (which fulfills Sunday obligation). Donations of non-perishable food items for St. Malachy’s food pantry can be brought to Mass at the church, which is located at 11th and Master Streets in Philadelphia.

Speaker Series (Part 2) – Saturday, March 19, 2011
Merion Mercy Academy, Merion, PA – 12:30 p.m.
Speaker: Mary Aquin O'Neill, RSM

Closing Liturgy– Sunday, September 25, 2011 - 2 p.m.
Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, PA
Followed by a reception, Convent of Mercy, Merion, PA