Visit of Sisters of Mercy from Mercy International Centre, Dublin

During September, the community at St Mary’s Convent, Handsworth received a visit from two Sisters of Mercy from Mercy International Centre in Dublin – Catherine’s first House of Mercy in Baggot Street.  Our visitors were Sister Margaret Daly (Head of Heritage and Spirituality at Mercy International Centre) and Sister Phil Murphy (a Volunteer at Mercy International Centre).  Here, Sister Margaret Daly recounts their visit:
 
On Tuesday 10th September 2024, Sisters Phil and I left Baggot Street about noon and travelled to Birmingham.  The purpose of our visit was to collect an artefact for our newly developed exhibition Catherine Mc Auley and the Mission of Mercy. The Union of the Sisters of Mercy of Great Britain agreed to give us a loan of three artefacts associated with Sister Juliana Hardman (first Superior of St Mary’s, Handsworth). We arrived in St Mary’s Convent, Handsworth in the late afternoon and were met with a warm Mercy welcome.  When Catherine McAuley made the same journey, it was much more arduous. In fact, she stated in a letter to Frances Warde “We…sailed on Friday – got here about 4 o’c on Saturday”
St Mary’s Convent is Catherine’s last foundation.  In the same letter Catherine wrote “The Convent is beautiful – and fully furnished for 20 Sisters. Mr. Pugin (architect) would not permit cloth of any kind on the rooms – rush chairs and oak tables – but all is so admirable” (c August 25, 1841)
During our visit Jenny Smith (Archivist) gave us a wonderful tour of this house with all its heritage and story of the Mercy Mission.  Along with the panels accounting the Sisters of Mercy’s ministry we also were able to spend time in the room where Catherine McAuley slept, in the garden where she walked, and the chapel where she prayed.  “The stained glass and the ceiling of the chapel, with the word ‘Mercy’ at least one hundred times, in various characters are very beautiful. It may be said that the sisters are surrounded with Mercy.” (Letter to a Sister of Mercy, late August 1841).
For both Sister Phil and I working as we do in Mercy International Centre, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to visit her last house.  We are very grateful to the community in St. Mary’s and to Jenny (Archivist) for their hospitality and kindness. 
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Jenny shows Sisters Margaret and Phil the Heritage trail

Sisters Margaret and Phil visit the statues of Sisters Juliana Hardman and Catherine McAuley in the prayer garden.