HAVE MERCY. SHOW M
The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Professor Tricia Brown O’Hara’s First-
Year Experience (FYE) class focused
on one of the Sisters of Mercy Critical
Concerns: The Earth. To help keep our
environment and planet clean, each
student was tasked with picking up
litter anywhere they saw it until they
each picked up 175 pieces.
1843-2018
M
ercy is at the core of everything
that we do at Gwynedd Mercy
University. It’s in our heritage, it’s in
our curriculum, and it’s in our mission
and values. December 12 marks the birth
of the Mercy community in the United
States and this year we celebrates 175
years of mercy, hope and tradition that
the Sisters of Mercy have instilled in
America.
Although the Sisters of Mercy were
originally founded on December 12,
1831 in Dublin, Ireland by the Venerable
Catherine McAuley, it took several
years for the Sisters to set their sights
on America. Led by Mother Frances
Xavier Warde, the Sisters of Mercy
arrived in Pittsburgh, Pa. 12 years later,
setting up convents and ministries across
the United States. These foundations
allowed the Sisters of Mercy to operate
hospitals, tend to the poor and needy,
and establish schools and universities,
including our very own Gwynedd Mercy
University, which is also celebrating its
70 th Anniversary in 2018.
To commemorate this incredible
milestone, Gwynedd Mercy University
has decided to partake in the 175 Acts
of Mercy challenge issued by the Sisters
of Mercy of the Americas. GMercyU’s
Vice President for Mission and Ministry,
Catherine McMahon, RSM, MS,
(better known as Sister Kati), shared
the challenge with the University and
encouraged different departments,
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PRESIDENT’S REPORT
classes, and individuals to complete
their own 175 Acts of Mercy to submit
together as a University.
The GMercyU Community has
collectively pledged to undertake more
than 7,000 Acts of Mercy by December
12, 2018, which marks the official
celebration of the 175th Anniversary.
These Acts of Mercy include collecting
175 food donations for GMercyU’s
on-campus food pantry Catherine’s
Cupboard, visiting 175 patients at
Parkhouse Nursing Facility, and knitting
175 baby hats to donate to Project Linus.
The Men’s Lacrosse team traveled
to Wissahickon Middle School
to volunteer at the “Helping
Hands Day,” assisting students in
grades K-12 to complete various
service projects. They collectively
volunteered more than 175 hours,
completing projects to aid the
homeless, elderly, veterans,
hospitalized children, animals, and
more. They also plan to continue
participating in this event each Fall.
The School of Business collected 175
donations to give to the Laurel House
for Domestic Violence in support of
the Sisters of Mercy Critical Concerns
of Nonviolence and Women. Each
year, Laurel House serves more
than 3,000 families in crisis seeking
domestic violence services, including
counseling, transitioning housing,
legal advocates,and more.
Check out the complete list of
pledges created by our students,
faculty, and staff and see how
we’re spreading Mercy around
campus and beyond!