To our dear Holinians, faculty, staff, guests, and members of Ven.

Catherine McAuley Youth Association, and most especially to the sisters,

Sr. Angela, our beloved directress, and Sr. Grace, a pleasant morning to
each one of you. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to this
20th Mercy Day celebration in our school to give thanks to God through
Mary for the gift of mercy. And I thank God that we all gathered here to
celebrate that.

As we know, Mercy Day is an important day for the Sisters of Mercy. It is

the anniversary of the opening of the first House of Mercy by Catherine
McAuley and her two companions, Anna Maria Doyle and Catherine Byrn,
on September 24, 1827. The seed that was planted through the opening of
the House of Mercy by Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Religious
Sisters of Mercy, continues to blossom some years later and up until now.
So, we are here to celebrate Catherine and her legacy.

This year’s Mercy Day is particularly significant for the Religious Sisters of
Mercy Philippines as we celebrate the 69th anniversary of the arrival of the
first Religious Sisters of Mercy from Dublin, Ireland. The relentless
expression of mercy shown by those pioneering sisters and many others
who followed in other parts of the world has enabled us co-missionaries to
be able to write our own mercy story each day. Just as they heard the
missionary call, we too remain open to this missionary call.

For schools owned and administered by the Religious Sisters of Mercy,

Mercy Day became a day of celebration in school rather than a day off.
Mercy became a point of legacy and pride. We began to talk about Mercy
charism as our identity, and schools, as well as other Mercy ministries,
owned it and celebrated it on Mercy Day. Catherine McAuley was given the
charisma of Mercy. That gift, or charism, has been handed down
generation after generation to those who embrace the spirit of mercy; they
in turn receive the same charisma. Mercy charism is alive in all of us, and
we need to use it for the good of others. We need to be merciful to others!

I hope this program will be memorable for all of us. Once again welcome,
and good morning.