Mrs Rita Butler, friend of the Sisters of Mercy Newcastle under Lyme and Coolock went to San Diego to visit her daughter and attended Saint Bridgid Parish during the month of April, May and June. Mrs Butler returned to Newcastle last week and was excited to show the sisters photographs of her visit. One photograph was of particular interest it was of a brick from the Church wall. “Catherine McAuley, Foundress -1831, Sisters of Mercy” As you can see from the following the work of Venerable Catherine still goes on in St. Bridget Parish San Diego.

A group of the Mercy Associates from Coolock and Norton met to share their views on our new website. Some of the comments... “ It is so easy to read I love the large print” “The photographs are so much clearer, we can see ourselves” “The pastel colours are easy on the eyes” “I like to look back on the names of all who need prayers and pray for them” “I was proud when I showed the map to my friends, they were surprised at the number of places the groups are in” “ Thanks to Mark” Some of the Associates celebrated over tea and went away proud to belong to such a powerful association.

Mercy Associates from all over the Country descended on Ireland in April. In a whirlwind four day trip they took in the sites of Baggot Street in Dublin, St Joseph’s Convent of Mercy in Tullamore, Birr, Clonmacnoise Monastery and Athlone. They also managed to fit in a visit to a distillery (the religious connection is still unknown !), so sit back and have a look at what they got up to.

Associates from the three groups gathered in St.Josephs Church, North Shields on 9th June for their retreat day, led by Sister Mary Horan RSM. The theme of the retreat was "Show Mercy to our Common Home - 8th Work of Mercy", based on Laudato Si’ , Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. Sister Mary gave the associates an inspiring and thought provoking day. Prayerful and reflective of our world today. The second reflection of the day was ‘The Earth is an Awesome Place, charged with the grandeur of God.’ These are the words which summed up the day for me. Please God we all listen to these words, and do our ‘bit’ to protect this beautiful earth God gave us. Our thanks to Sister Mary for travelling North for the retreat. Article kindly provided by Monica Mills High Heaton Associate

Service of Commitment Celebration in Coolock, Newcastle under Lyme Wednesday 4th February saw over 30 Mercy Associates renew their commitment in two separate meetings and three new members make theirs for the first time. Sister Bridie welcomed us all to Coolock and led us in the opening prayer... "Jesus, we come before you today to ask you to renew us in your Spirit that we may be formed and reformed in God's likeness. May we continue to grow in the faith that has been nurtured in us by our parents and others and like Catherine be apostles of Mercy to those we are in contact with in our day to day living. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen." Our three new members, Mary Chetwin, Pat Cordall and Pat Staff then made their commitment. Our three new members making their commitment Our three new Associates were then presented with their badges and certificates by Brid and Maurice Reagan and Noel Hewitt All the Associates then preceded to renew their commitment... "God of Mercy, we commit ourselves to live lives of love as Associates. Inspired by the person of Catherine, we accept the challenge to live the Gospel of Jesus and to be people of Mercy who are visible in the world today. Help us to grow in personal prayer and to serve you and your people in collaboration with the Sisters of Mercy. In a spirit of faith, we seek with the Sisters, to share the gifts and talents you have given us and to discover anew how your loving compassion touches others lives because of our availability and openness to them. We ask you, Catherine, to walk this journey of faith with us. Glory to God whose power working in us can do more than we can ask or imagine. Amen." Grateful thanks go to Sister Bridie and Sister Betty for a wonderful meeting and for providing us with a 'good cup of tea' afterwards making it a truly enjoyable celebration.

The thoughts of Margaret Oldham from the Newcastle Mercy Associates As an Associate of the Sisters of Mercy for two years I was very excited to be going on my first pilgrimage to Our Lady's Shrine at Knock. On the way to Knock we visited some of the local convents which had been founded by Catherine McAuley in the 1800's. I had heard a lot about Catherine from the Sisters Bridie and Betty at Coolock in Newcastle under Lyme, but nothing could prepare me for the powerful encounters to come. For me, from all the beautiful moments I experienced during the pilgrimage perhaps three of them stand out the most The first was the great warmth of welcome we received from all the Sisters at all the Convents we visited. Most certainly congratulations are due to all the chef's and cooks for the delicious fresh buttered scones which melted in the mouth and sustained us on our journey. My second special moment must be seeing and walking on and experiencing first hand the highly polished original floor boards where Catherine herself had walked, and the china that had been decorated and used by her and her ladies. Gazing through the sash cord windows at the view she had loved, particularly noticing the way the window frames were intersected to form a cross so meaningful to her was a very moving moment. The third and perhaps the best moment of the tour was the immersing of oneself into the atmosphere of each place. I found particularly that reading Catherine's handwritten letters and the beautiful poetry which so expressed her personality and her love and values in life helped me to feel in some way connected to this extraordinary and amazing lady so worthy of the beatification sought by the Sisters and Associates." images to follow...

The ‘Maryland Mercy Associates’ met on 14 March. I was delighted to accept an invitation to attend what was a most inspiring, moving and encouraging meeting. The enthusiasm for Mercy was tangible. There was lots of cheerful, happy conversation which reminded me of Catherine’s words, “You must be cheerful and happy animating all around you.” But we know that Catherine our foundress experienced great suffering in her life – from the loss of her parents at an early age, through her struggles to serve the poor and confront the injustices of society, and in her relationships with authority in the church. Through it all, she could pray “…pray fervently to take all bitterness from me…” In her acceptance of suffering she found happiness, and ultimately she could say “The Congregation was founded on Calvary, there to serve a suffering Redeemer.” So that evening we followed the Way of The Cross through a Powerpoint presentation (beautifully put together by Sr. Annette) which reflected the sufferings of Jesus, how Catherine accepted the cross in her life, and the sufferings in our world today. Catherine, who has been attending meetings for some time, made her commitment as a Mercy Associate. We welcomed Stella who is interested in Venerable Catherine’s Story, and the Associates present renewed their Commitment. Sr. Maura and I renewed our Vows. Afterwards, Maura and I shared how the Associateship had inspired and encouraged us, and the Associates shared some of their experiences of how they came to know the Sisters of Mercy. With the permission of Cath, I quote some of her words: “I have very fond memories of The Sisters of Mercy who were responsible for my early education both at Maryland (when it was used as a school) and when we moved to St. Adrian’s when it was built – I was seven at that time so it must have been around 1960. The nuns had already established SS Alban and Stephen School. The Education we had was probably second to none in terms of its breadth and depth. Sr. Margaret was my first teacher – in those days she was Sr. Mary Paul. The main influences were Sr. Mary Teresa Joseph and Mother Edith. I also remember how kind and welcoming the Sisters were to my Father (a non-Catholic). He was a night worker and my Mother left the house very early in the morning to go to work, so he took us to Maryland. He admired all the nuns greatly and I know they thought a lot of him.” Thank you Cath for that lovely tribute and reminding us of our history and the great women who have gone before us. Our meeting coincided with that morning’s post in which we received a copy of the article entitled “Women of Faith made History.” In it Marie Martin praises the founders of Religious Orders, Mary Aikenhead, Catherine McAuley, Nano Nagle, Margaret Aylward and others. It concludes by saying “The women who founded these orders should be given their rightful place in Irish history. They were the prophets of their day. In appreciating their vision and courage, we too can be inspired to discern and remedy the problems of our time.” How blessed we are as Sisters and Associates to be called to follow their spirit and example. Thank you to the Maryland Associates for inspiring and encouraging us. Article kindly provided by Sr. Margaret Jones

Coolock Celebrates May Caulfield’s Birthday. On Wednesday 2nd May Mercy Associates gathered in Coolock for their monthly meeting. They had a big surprise for one of the group. A birthday party.!! This was no ordinary Birthday though as Mrs May Caulfield had reached the age of 90. 37 Associates attended and had a wonderful celebration, many glad to meet again after their Pilgrimage to Ireland. During the afternoon they recalled the journey in the footsteps of Venerable Catherine and shared photographs. Happy Birthday May ! !

North Shields Associates Coffee Morning for Muhoroni mission. The associates in North Shields are passionate with their fundraising for Sister Vincent Finnerty RSM, and her mission work in Muhoroni, Kenya. Following mass on 17th April, a coffee morning was held in St. Joseph’s Hall. The grand total of £ 245.40 was raised, a marvellous sum to help Sister Vincent, with her work for God’s poor. Well done ladies for the enjoyable morning. Article kindly provided by Monica and Tommy Mills High Heaton Associates.

A great celebration was had at our Meeting on Tuesday 20th March 2018 when 13 Associates renewed their Commitment at the Sisters of Mercy House and Sisters Maura Halpin and Maureen Murphy renewed their Vows. Our joy was increased as we welcomed 2 new Associates to our fold – Mrs. Maureen Carney and Mrs. Mary Greene - who for the first time made their Commitment to the Mercy ideal in the spirit of Venerable Catherine McAuley. It might have been cold outside but we were warmed by the light of our candles and the love that was generated by the message of Venerable Catherine and the love we have for each other. Article kindly provided by Jan Keegan Stechford Mercy Associate

The National Commission took time out from the 'days business' at the recent meeting in Coolock, Newcastle under Lyme to recognise the years of service provided by Marie Gray. Marie joined the National Commission at its very beginning, some 18 years ago now and has spent the past six years as Chair of the Commission before handing over the reins to Marian Kennedy towards the end of last year. Marie was presented with an abundance of gifts, most notably a statue of Our Lady, who Marie has a great devotion to and which is borne out by her annual visit to Lourdes to accompany handicapped and disabled children.

Mercy Associates National Commission Meeting Saturday 10th March 2018 Coolock, Newcastle under Lyme BULLETIN NO. 14 ‘Let us rejoice when good is done, no matter by whom it may be accomplished.’ (The Little Book of Catherine of Dublin) NATIONAL COMMISSION The National Commission is a body of Mercy Associates and Sisters who have responsibility for the Mercy Associate Movement (M.A.M.). They meet twice yearly to review all aspects of the M.A.M. especially its Spiritual Development. The members of the Commission are: Miss Marian Kennedy (Chair), Sister Noreen Cullen rsm (Vice-Chair), Mrs May Raughter (Secretary), Canon Alan McLean (Chaplain), Sister Bridie Stephens rsm (Chaplain), Sister Margaret Jones rsm (Chaplain), Mr Maurice Regan (Treasurer), Sister Betty Larkin rsm, Sister Mary Gorman rsm, Sister Annette McCartan rsm, Mrs Maria Overend, Mrs Marie Gray, Mrs Bríd Regan, Mr Mark Lear, Mrs Jeanette Olero, Sister Geraldine Lawlor rsm, (Trustee) Sister Joan Breen rsm (Trustee). NEW COMMISSION MEMBERS We welcome Sister Annette McCartan, Mark Lear and Jeanette Olero to the Commission and we look forward to benefitting from their various knowledge and expertise. PILGRIMAGE TO KNOCK, APRIL 2018 Plans for the forthcoming Pilgrimage to Knock are now complete. 40 Sisters and Associates will travel from Gatwick and Birmingham to Dublin on the 15th April to begin their Pilgrimage. The itinerary includes: Visit to Coolock, Baggot Street, Tullamore, Birr, Clonmacnoise Monastery, Ballintubber Abbey and Knock Shrine. There will be a full report in the September Bulletin. FUTURE PLANNING Included with this Bulletin is a letter from our Chair, Marian Kennedy inviting any Associate who would be interested in joining the Commission to please inform your link person who will then pass on your details to the Secretary. Details of the Role of Commission Members is also included. A register will be kept and, should a vacancy arise, those who have shown an interest will be notified. NEWS FOR WEBSITE Please do visit the website at: www.mercyassociates.org.uk We invite all groups to share the website with friends and family. I know a number of you are very busy in your parish/community and we would love to hear from you - just a few lines and a photograph if possible, for sharing on the website. By reading your stories may encourage others to send in theirs. So please keep the news coming! There is also a page for prayer intentions so please inform us of family or friends who are sick or who have recently died. If you have recently changed any of your details, make sure we have the right contact information for you. (killalamay@hotmail.com) YOUTH MERCY ASSOCIATES Groups: Coolock YMA, North Shields YMA, Maghull YMA and St John’s Wood YMA The YMA continue to meet in their groups and take part in various activities. For further information visit the Youth Website: www.youthmercyassociates.org.uk OTHER NEWS The next National Commission meeting will be on Saturday 15th September 2018 at Bermondsey. If you have new members for commissioning please contact Sister Bridie Stephens (bridie.stephens@iolmercy.org.uk) or Sister Margaret Jones WEBSITES: www.mercyassociates.org.uk; www.youthmercyassociates.org.uk; www.mercyworld.org; www.sistersofmercyunion.org.uk; www.ourladyofmercy.org.uk PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE CATHERINE MCAULEY Loving God, you chose Catherine McAuley for the service of your people who are poor, sick and uneducated. You inspired her to found the Sisters of Mercy so that these good works might endure. Give to each of us a portion of her compassionate spirit and an ardent desire to serve your suffering people. Bless all our undertakings and grant that union and charity may always thrive among us. Graciously hear our prayer for Catherine, and by granting the favours we ask through her intercession, hasten the day when her sanctity will be celebrated by all the Church. Amen