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The Keys Have Been Returned: Baggot Street Reopens Its Doors
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After nine months of extensive remedial works, the keys to Baggot Street have finally been returned to us.
Much of the work carried out over the past months has been unseen by visitors, focusing primarily on essential fire remediation and safety upgrades throughout the building. While the freshly painted walls, ceilings and floors may be the most visible signs of change, behind them lies a significant investment in preserving and protecting this special place for future generations.
As we prepare to reopen, not all spaces are exactly as they once were. Some rooms have been thoughtfully reinstated, including Catherine's Office and the Parlour, while a new Community Room will offer visitors a comfortable place to gather and enjoy a cup of tea. Other areas are still being dressed and prepared, and some spaces are not yet fully ready.
Marking the 200th anniversary of the First House of Mercy
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Mercy 200 Stories
A Living Story of Mercy: The Opening of the All Hallows’ Heritage Centre
Mercy 200 Stories
A Living Story of Mercy: The Opening of the All Hallows’ Heritage Centre
Claire Easton, Dean of Mission at All Hallows' School in Brisbane, Australia shares a #Mercy200 Story with us this month on the recent opening of the All Hallows' Heritage Centre which took place as part of school's anniversary celebrations. All Hallows', a Mercy School founded by Mother Vincent Whitty - one of Catherine McAuley's contemporaries, is celebrating it's 165th anniversary in 2026. This is a story of the enduring legacy of Mercy in Brisbane and it highlights the importance of preserving the sense of mission that is so important to keeping Mercy alive and relevant.
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Mercy 200 Stories
Healthy Mothers, Hopeful Futures: Mercy’s Mission in Action in Baltimore
Mercy 200 Stories
Healthy Mothers, Hopeful Futures: Mercy’s Mission in Action in Baltimore
Kara Stambach is Director of Grants and Communications with the Mercy Health Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland, US.
She shares the story of Mercy’s Mission in Action in Baltimore USA, highlighting how the spirit and vision of Catherine McAuley is present and alive in the work of the CenteringPregnancy Program. She shares how that same spirit lives on today through the CenteringPregnancy Program at the Mead Maternal Health and Preventive Care Center.
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200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
Official logo available for 200th anniversary of Catherine's House
200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
Official logo available for 200th anniversary of Catherine's House
The official logo for the 200th anniversary of the Founding of Catherine McAuley's First House of Mercy at 64a Lower Baggot Street, Dublin in 1827 is now available. The anniversary logo is rich in historical and symbolic meaning. Catherine McAuley is pictured as a lay woman, depicted in Mercy blue. Her position just to the front and centre signals her role as founder and her openness to those she served. We are encouraging you to request the logo kit and to share the logo across the Mercy World. It is also available in Spanish.
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200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
We want your #Mercy200Stories
200th anniversary of First House of Mercy
We want your #Mercy200Stories
#Mercy200Stories is one of our key projects marking the 200th anniversary of the founding of the first House of Mercy by Catherine McAuley on 24 September 1827. This global storytelling project is an invitation to the Mercy World to gather and share 200 stories that reveal Mercy in action, Mercy in place, and Mercy as lived experience across the world today. Share your stories with us today!
Mercy Matters: Heritage and Spirituality
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Fact
On This Day
26 June 1855
Foundation to Newry, Co Down from Kinsale - Mother Catherine O'Connor rsm.
27 June 1960
Final profession of first Maori Sister, Elizabeth Ihaka rsm.
29 June 1885
Death of M Evangelista Fitzpatrick, Foundress of Buenos Aires and Adelaide.
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Heritage
Heritage Corner with Caroline Thompson
A rose by aby other name would smell as sweet! Many of you will have seen the Mercy Rose – the brilliant yellow rose which is named after Catherine McAuley. Where the rose came from is an interesting story of networking and perseverance - much like the day to day of Catherine’s mission of mercy for those made poor and vulnerable in her world.
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Spirituality
Spiritual Reflection: Take from my heart all painful anxiety
1837 is often considered as one of the hardest years of Catherine Mc Auley's life - with five deaths, fatiguing travels etc. In her spirituality reflection this month, Caroline Thompson shares that "These revelations about Catherine McAuley’s life remind us that pain and grief are a part of life and we should always tread softly around people we encounter in the day to day as you never know what hurt they carry."
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Programmes and Pilgrimage
Announcing our Young Mercy Leaders Comms Crew 2026
We are counting down to our Young Mercy Leaders (YML) Pilgrimage to Mercy International Centre from 28th - 31st July 2026 and are looking forward to welcoming college students from the Mercy World to Dublin. We will be handing over reporting duties for the pilgrimage to five new members of the YML Comms Crew.
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200th anniversary
Heritage Webinar Series: The Path to the First House of Mercy 1827
The Path to the First House of Mercy 1827 is the theme we have chosen for a new Heritage Webinar series from Mercy International Association. Self-registration is open now for the third webinar in the series which will focus on the History of Baggot Street. This webinar will be offered by Caroline Thompson on Wednesday 22nd of July 2026.
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Heritage and Spirituality
Watch our Heritage Webinar on Poverty in Catherine McAuley's time
On Wednesday 24th June we hosted the second webinar in our Heritage Series - the Path to the First House of Mercy 1827. We were delighted to welcome attendees from across the Mercy World including Australia, US, Ireland, UK, South America, New Zealand and Canada. If you missed the session, which was delivered by Caroline Thompson, you can now watch it on our YouTube channel.
Further Resources
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Worth Reading
Follow our daily #MercyMoment
We invite you to follow our daily #MercyMoment on our website and on our social media (Facebook and Instagram). Our daily pause for reflection is available in English and Spanish and offers an inspiring, thought-provoking quote from the Mercy World and beyond. You can access all our reflections in our FLICKR archive too!
Worth Reading)
Worth Knowing
Australian Catholic University confers honorary doctorate on Sr Patricia Nolan of Sisters of Mercy Brisbane
Sr Patricia Nolan RSM OAM of the Sisters of Mercy Brisbane, Australia, has been conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Australian Catholic University. The honorary degree acknowledges Sr Patricia's contribution to Catholic education across the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, and particularly her role in the preparation for the setting up of the Brisbane Campus of Australian Catholic University. Patricia accepted the award at a private ceremony on Wednesday 17 June 2026.
Worth Knowing)
Worth Reading
A Gift from Ursula Frayne Catholic College, Perth, Western Australia for Catherine's House of Mercy in Dublin
On 26th May, we were honoured to receive a special gift of a Message Stick from the community of Ursula Frayne Catholic College in Perth, Australia. The gift, which was presented to our CEO Mary O’Donovan by Greg LeGuier, who travelled from Perth to Dublin, was commissioned especially for Catherine’s House in Dublin. It was created by Cheryl Lennox-Bradley, a Nanda and Yamitji woman from Maya Country in Western Australia, whose own life has been deeply shaped by the Mercy tradition.
Worth Reading)
Worth Playing
Listen to Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica humanitas
The English editorial team of Vatican Radio – Vatican News has prepared an audiobook of Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Magnifica humanitas. The recording is usefully divided into seven sections: an introduction, each of the five chapters and then the conclusion. In his encyclical Pope Leo is appealing for the safeguarding of humanity, promotion of truth, dignity of work, social justice, and peace.
Worth Listening)
Worth Reading
Theme announced for World Day of Prayer for Creation
Pope Leo XIV has chosen “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4) as the theme for the 2026 edition of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, traditionally celebrated on 1st September. A statement from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development making the announcement, states that the Holy Father’s Message for the Day highlights the connection between armed conflict and environmental degradation.
Worth Reading)
Worth Watching
Charism Corner - a series from Mercy Education
Have you heard about Mercy Education’s monthly reflection series, Charism Corner? Each reflection explores how the Mercy charism is lived in our Mercy school communities and responds to the needs of today’s world. The series was originally authored by Sister Regina Ward, RSM, former Associate Director for Mercy Education, and has since grown into a beautiful, collaborative effort with contributors from across the global Mercy Education community. Voices from many perspectives have enriched the series, offering inspiration and insight grounded in lived experience.
Worth Watching)
Worth Knowing
Sister Brigid Tembo celebrates transfer of vows in Chicago
Sister Brigid Tembo completed her transfer of vows and professed the Mercy vow of service to the poor, the sick and the uneducated during a joyous liturgy on Sunday, 14 June 2026, in Mercy Chapel in Chicago, Illinois. The ceremony incorporated elements and symbols from the culture of Brigid’s home country of Zambia.
Worth Knowing)
Worth Knowing
Artificial Intelligence - a new question for the Laudato Si' Movement
In Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV invites us to reflect on how technology is shaping our lives, our relationships, and our common home. As AI becomes part of daily life around the world, the Laudato Si' Movement wants to better understand what this reality looks like in our movement. Is AI affecting your work, ministry, or community? Do you see it as a source of hope, concern, or both?What questions should faith communities be asking? There is a short survey to complete, the responses to which will enable the LSM to decide how to engage with Ai through the lens of Integral Ecology.
Worth Knowing)
Mercy eNews
The newsletter of Mercy International Association is published monthly and distributed to subscribers via email. If you have any queries about the newsletter, please contact mercyenews@mercyinternational.ie
For more information on the directors click here
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