The Australasian Mercy Archivists’ Conference was held from September 8-11 at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney. Joanne Molloy RSM, Rockhampton Congregation Archivist, reports on the event.

All Sisters of Mercy, members and friends are warmly invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of Mercy Works Inc., the relief and development agency of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia. The AGM will be held on Wednesday November 18, 2009 from 6:00 to 8:00pm at Stormanston House, 27 McLaren Street, North Sydney.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference supports the commitment of youth to issues of social justice, and accordingly, the focus of their Social Justice Sunday Statement is “And You Will Be My Witnesses: Young people and justice”.

Musicians, storytellers and comedians will join with some of Australia’s leading social justice advocates, practitioners and thinkers, to highlight issues of local and global concern at the Mercy Justice Conference in Queanbeyan, near Canberra, from November 6-8, 2009. Hurry, conference registrations close on October 14!

2009 is the sesquicentenary year of the Goulburn Sisters of Mercy. Following the main celebrations in Goulburn from October 23-25, the congregation will hold a novena of prayer for deceased sisters from November 11-20. Shirley Garland RSM (Goulburn) outlines what will be happening.

A fifth Mercy Leadership Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Brisbane Sisters of Mercy, is scheduled for April 10-19, 2010 at the Mercy International Centre in Dublin. Attendance is open to all Mercy people – sisters, sssociates and partners in ministry – but the primary target group is those in governance and senior management positions in Mercy ministries. The programme will guide participants to a deeper appreciation of the life and work of Catherine McAuley, and they will be led to reflect how their learnings can be integrated into Mercy ministry today. Download the attached brochure.

MERCY IN ACTION is a regular section which profiles individual Sisters of Mercy across the Australian Institute. This fortnight we feature Coral Hedley RSM (Gunnedah) and Maria Zhao RSM (Parramatta).

Sister Veronica Lawson RSM (Ballarat East) offers a reflection on the readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). To access this reflection, click on "MORE" and then click on the picture of the Bible where you can read the Scripture as well as the reflection.

It seemed that the whole population of Wosera in East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea was present on September 7, when the “Sister Isobel Clinic” was blessed by Bishop Tony Burgess and opened by Theresia Tina RSM (Leader, Sisters of Mercy, PNG). Joan MacGinley RSM reports.

Following on from the successful national e-conference on St Paul in June, the Broken Bay Institute and the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Commission for Mission and Faith Formation are organising another national e-conference on Wednesday November 4. The focus this time will be the Gospel of St Luke. Ballarat Sister of Mercy, Dr Elizabeth Dowling and Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Mark Coleridge are the key presenters.