Become a Mercy Associate

Mercy Associates are ordinary, everyday people who feel a connection with mercy and who express this in their daily lives. Together with the Mercy Sisters, they hold the story of mercy and are called to be the story tellers into the future.

Like us, Jesus lived his life in the ordinary, earning his living as a carpenter, travelling with his friends, and sharing meals, times of celebration, and times of sadness with those he met. Catherine McAuley also responded to the needs she saw around her, setting in motion an expression of God’s compassion which is still alive today. Sometimes we can think that sharing mercy is about looking for ‘big’ opportunities, but for Catherine and her companions, their daily lives were flavoured through and through with small acts of mercy towards those they met.

In your Mercy ministry and your day to day life, you too give life to the charism of mercy in countless ways, big and small. Amidst the busyness of life, how do you find time and space to reflect on your involvement in the mercy story? Would you like to meet occasionally with others from your workplace or location to reflect on your experience of giving and receiving mercy.

Mercy Associates may be for you if:

• Your feel the need for a supportive small community of like minds, sharing together and reflecting on what it means to be part of the mercy tradition.
• You want to deepen your faith and experience of the mercy tradition and express it in your daily living and loving.

Being a Mercy Associate is not a solitary pursuit but involves joining with others who share a commitment to mercy and drawing support from that community. The focus, frequency of meetings, and style of the group is for each group to determine as it develops. There are over a dozen Mercy Associates groups across Australia as well as in PNG and Timor Leste. Contact us via the link below to discuss the options you have for becoming a Mercy Associate.

 

The Vision Statement of Mercy Associates:

Mercy Associates are called to live and share the compassion of God revealed in the life of Jesus Christ, in Scripture and through the vision and charism of Catherine McAuley.

Guided by mercy values of compassion, justice, hospitality and hope, they:

• celebrate and give thanks for God’s merciful love
• nurture their relationship with God to enable them to witness to their faith in prayer and action
• give expression to God’s mercy:
• in response to the needs of these times;
• in the ordinariness of their daily lives;
• and in all their relationships
• journey with each other and the Sisters of Mercy.

Becoming a Mercy Associate:

If you feel drawn to experiencing a richer and more fulfilling connection with mercy, you may want to consider becoming a Mercy Associate. The movement is open to lay women and men of all ages from post-secondary school onwards.

You are invited to contact the Mercy Associates Executive officer at mercyassociates@ismapng.org.au

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