Living Mercy Purposefully: Responding to Every Season of Life
July 3, 2026
The Institute’s renewed focus on Living Mercy Purposefully, which was launched on Pentecost Sunday, comes with an invitation to become more intentional about the way we live the Mercy charism each day in the season of life in which we are currently experiencing.
Institute Leader, Sister Karon Donnellon, said that we began our Living Mercy Purposefully focus by reminding sisters and people of Mercy that most of us have been living Mercy for all our lives.
“The invitation was obviously not one of beginning to live Mercy, but to pause, reflect and ask how God might be calling each of us to live it more purposefully in this particular season of our lives,” she said.
“It is an invitation that feels especially timely, given Pope Francis reminded us some years ago that we are living in a world undergoing such significant and dramatic change that it can be described not as an era of change, but as a change of era.
“Living Mercy Purposefully is about how we can respond to this change of era in the world and to the changes of era that we may be navigating in our own lives.”
A Different Season, the Same Call
Mary Pellegrino CSJ reflected on these changes of era during a recent Zoom session.
She described young adulthood as a time of exploration and discovery, midlife as a period of responsibility and reorientation, and later life as a season that invites wisdom, reflection and renewed purpose.
As part of our focus in July, we have opened up Mary’s words by inviting five inspiring Mercy women to reflect on how they are living out their mission of Mercy in the season of life they are currently experiencing – click here.
Sister Karon said it is about recognising that every person shares in the one Mercy mission in every season of life.
“As our world changes, so too do our lives. We move through different stages of life, each bringing new opportunities to respond to God’s call, even though it may be unclear where God is calling us and our physical limitations and living circumstances may make it harder to feel that we are still contributing to the mission of Mercy.
“The mission of Mercy was never really about grand gestures, so each of us can contribute to this mission through our actions, both large and small.
“This is why we are inviting people to adopt Our Daily Mercy Examen at the start of our Living Mercy Purposefully journey. It is a simple reflection that helps us recognise the opportunities to give and receive Mercy each day and the gift this may be for our world.
“Pleasingly, we have heard from sisters and other Mercy people who have already come to a new appreciation of Mercy in their lives through using the Examen.”
Join Us
Sister Karon said that everyone can become involved in Living Mercy Purposefully.
“As sisters and people of Mercy, we do not have a monopoly on the word Mercy or its manifestation in the world. People of goodwill everywhere can, and do, live Mercy in a purposeful way.
“At the start of each month, there are new resources, including a video, a guide to having a conversation with others, and a reflection sheet that will be posted on our website. We are providing these resources so that you can use them on your own, in your workplace, or with friends and family.
“I invite anyone reading this to get involved, whether through the resources we are providing or simply by taking time each evening to reflect by asking the questions of Our Daily Mercy Examen.
As Catherine McAuley reminded us, “We can never say, It is enough“. Our response can be one of ensuring a sense of purpose in each day so that the fire of Mercy remains in our hearts, minds and actions.”
Visit the Living Mercy Purposefully page – https://institute.mercy.org.au/living-mercy-purposefully/