Our Mission of Mercy in 2026
February 20, 2026
As we enter this season of Lent, Institute Leader Sister Karon Donnellon has shared some opportunities for sisters and people of Mercy to further our mercy vision and mission throughout 2026.
A Change of Era
We are not living an era of change but a change of era. Our time requires living problems as challenges and not obstacles. Wherever you are, never build walls or borders, but meeting squares and field hospitals. Pope Francis, Florence Italy, October 2015
The late Pope Francis’ prophetic words ring true a decade on, as the world in which we are living is being so fundamentally transformed that it is bringing new challenges that are often difficult to understand. This change of era requires new responses from us as we continue to seek to make a positive impact on our planet that is sadly going further down the path of climate destruction and where barriers, hate and division are increasingly seen as normal.
The reality that we are in change of era is also being felt in our own lives. If not replaced by a new narrative, transition and change can naturally result in a focus on hopelessness and diminishment. However, hopelessness and diminishment have never been and should never be allowed to take hold of our mission of Mercy. It is for this reason, that over the past two years, we have kept inviting a response to the question ‘What does the World still need from the Mercies?’.
Last year, we sought to live the answer to this question by joining the universal church in focusing on how we can be Pilgrims of Hope. This year, we are inviting you to focus on how we can live Mercy in a purposeful way, informed by the paschal journey, in a world that is desperately calling on us to respond.
These and other questions that will arise are not new ones. Most of us have been seeking an answer to them for nearly our whole lives. However, the change of era in which we are living today is unprecedented. We can only truly bring about a more merciful world through both our individual and collective responses and so in the coming months we will be offering opportunities to explore these questions together.
Integral Ecology, A Process of Metanoia – Lent
During this Lenten season, you are invited to explore the Institute’s Integral Ecology Framework (click here) by connecting its themes to the Lenten call to metanoia (profound returning or transformation) and kenosis (self-emptying). This will be via a series of fortnightly Zoom sessions.
Wednesday, 25 February, 11 March and 25 March
12-1.15pm AEDT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81692251296
Meeting ID: 81692251296
The Paschal Triduum – Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday
Over the Triduum, we will be offered the opportunity to reflect on the paschal journey in our own lives as we, in the words of Pope Leo, seek to place the mystery of God back at the centre of our lives, as we renew our commitment to follow Jesus in the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection. There will be material for each day of the Triduum that includes some inspiring and thought-provoking reflections by Mary Pellegrino csj.
Presence and Absence of the Risen Christ – To Pentecost Sunday
On Easter Tuesday, April 7 at 10am AEST we will be hosting a Zoom where we will reflect on our Triduum journey. We will also spend time focussing on the lead up to Pentecost and the themes of presence and absence of the risen Christ in our lives. As you go forth from the Zoom, you will be invited to carry these reflections with you and be open to new ones in the weeks leading up to Pentecost.
Living Mercy Purposefully – Pentecost Sunday to December
From Pentecost through to Foundation Day in December and even beyond, we will embark on a time of renewal in what we are calling Living Mercy Purposefully. We can only offer God’s Mercy if we know it in our own lives, particularly in this dramatic change of era. We will spend some time reflecting on what in this life of Mercy gives me purpose right now. How do I share that with those I encounter each day? What at this time in our world does living mercy purposefully mean for us?
Join Us
There will be more information provided on this website over the coming months. It is a wonderful adventure God is calling us into each day and over the coming months the opportunity to share it with each other is a blessing. It will only be by working as one that we can navigate this change of era and continue our mission of bringing Mercy to the lives of those around us.
Sister Karon Donnellon RSM