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I found this article article from a MAST Journal from 1997 years ago and it was there that I found out our Foundress Catherine McAuley had two mottos on her ring and inspired me to follow that tradition for my ring! My interior is “This Will Be My Joy” and my exterior is a quote from Catherine herself “Heartily Rejoice”.

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As a community, we make quite a few decisions together and sometimes that means having a formal vote. This picture is from the first time I got to vote in community and the whole gathering celebrated with me!

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We light our Mercy candle at Mercy events and whenever it strikes us (or rather, we strike with a match?). Everyone please help remind me to carefully pack mine for Savannah! Then I’ll use the same candle that I received at my welcoming, used for my Novitiate, first vows, renewal of vows, and other little moments in between, and my perpetual vows and beyond!

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What a privilege it is to gather with my Sisters throughout our Institute! Here are snippets from meetings, gatherings, and formation weekends to highlight the joy that we share together when we pray, listen, and share with each other!

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Upon entering the community, we are given a copy of the community’s Constitutions and invited to learn about, discuss what they mean for our life in Mercy, and pray with them.

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It is officially one month until Perpetual Vows!!! So this month I’m going to share my memories of Mercy and some of many cheering things of being a Sister of Mercy!!

Starting with our prayer book and this evening’s beautiful prayer!

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The passage of time is a wild and lovely gift. It is a night of reflection as I am spending my evening preparing the prayer I’ll share with my leadership team on Monday morning as I ask for perpetual vows!

If you’ve got a few extra prayers I would appreciate them!

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Prayers please. I’m going to be writing my vow reflections to ask for perpetual vows!!!

What better way than to capture this moment then this dear blog which I carried with me through my initial discernment?

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“God’s name is mercy. You have chosen to call yourself mercy.” Sr. Elizabeth Davis, RSM

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I just moved in to my new community yesterday. And my goodness. The transition is a lot harder for this move. I really miss my Sisters who I just moved from. The Sisters I’m with now are super sweet and delightful, and it’s still hard. Transition is hard and I know it. I just don’t like dealing with it.

One of the Sisters called me to tell me she missed me and heard on the phone I sound tired and a little sad and she said you’ve got this. You are going to do great there. As always.

I’m just so thankful for my whole community new and old.

Also, transition is no fun.

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I haven’t posted much from this account. And such is life with ebbs and flows.

Another transition is happening and I hope to remember it and this blog always helps with lovely memories.

I’m moving to my next place in community and while I’m very excited. It’s so hard. I’ve been here for three years and I love these dear Sisters so much. We had a closing prayer and a special dinner tonight. We laughed and cried, we were just together. They have allowed me to be me. I am so grateful that this has been my home. And while I’m thrilled for my next house, I’m so sad to be leaving my Sisters here.

Blessings!

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One of the Sisters in my community is the sweetest in the whole world. She is a Kindergarten aid and is terribly sad not to be with her students. She wanted to be able to share with them still so she made a YouTube account and is reading children’s books. She provides commentary and is just really relaxing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z4A0H2WjH3k

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I don’t know that I ever considered the possibility that one day I would physically carry an urn.

And yet today happened.

One of our dear Sisters passed away and the funeral was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking and so much our dear Sister.

I was thinking of my own funeral plans during the Mass (as one does) and was overwhelmed by the love poured out to this woman who spent her life pouring out love for others. So many grace filled moments today from being able to move furniture for other sisters, to being a shoulder to lean on, to lifting each other up in prayer.

Please hold our community in prayer as we will be burying her tomorrow.

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I am so abundantly blessed! I just got home from retreat and one of the Sisters in Alabama sent a card for the first anniversary of my first profession of vows (which was this weekend)! A priest friend of mine said Mass for me as well and one of our amazing novices held me in prayer and sent a note about it! All this ON TOP OF a beautiful retreat! Our God is so good!

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Maybe you've already answered this before (you can point me in the right direction), but what is it like having a significant age gap in your community?

My goodness, my apologies for the delay in answering!

There are absolutely pros and cons. Sometimes it’s hard to have a completely different frame of reference than the majority of the people you live with. Sometimes when my age peer group gathers we sometimes joke is this a nun thing or an older person thing.

But truly it is a graced experience. In a world that focuses on maintaining a constant and unattainable state of youth, I am a witness to what aging with grace can look like. I think about end of life and quality of life more than others. It’s astounding to me what I’ve been able to learn from sisters 80 and 90+!

It’s also a gift to be able to offer assistance with reaching things on the top shelf (thanks to my go go gadget long arms) and be able to carry some things so that the sisters in my house don’t have to hire someone to do it! We share in our service to one another!

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I’m going on retreat tomorrow! I am so ready for one! Praise God for this gift!

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I just had a phone call with the new Director of New Membership for my Institute. She’s so lovely and through the course of our conversation we both walked away refreshed. What a gift it is to be in community!