The Mercy Way at Saint Joseph's College
In 1827 Catherine McAuley set in motion a ministry that focused on the marginalized in Dublin, Ireland, with a focus on education, protecting vulnerable women, and tending to the sick. The effect of her and her compatriots’ work resulted in a Catholic religious order whose impact would soon spread throughout the word: the Sisters of Mercy. Saint Joseph’s College is an expression of that work to the citizens of Maine and beyond. Catherine began her work as a lay person, and with the decline in Sisters at many Mercy institutions like Saint Joseph’s, the work of Mercy is being entrusted back to lay people. That is, the work of Mercy is now the work of us all. While each department contributes to the Mercy Way at Saint Joseph’s in distinctive ways, the following principles guide our work together as a Mercy community.
Mission
“The principal aim of this congregation is to educate poor girls, to lodge and keep for young women until they can provide for themselves in some suitable way, and to visit the sick poor.” - Catherine McAuley
A commitment to the mission and core values of Saint Joseph’s College, as well as to the heritage and ongoing work of the Sisters of Mercy, that pervades and animates our institutional culture and identity.
Learning
“The Sisters shall feel convinced that no work of charity can be more productive of good to society, or more conducive to the happiness of the poor, than the careful instruction of women.” - Rules and Constitutions of the Sisters of Mercy
A holistic focus on learning--mind, body, spirit, and community--that inspires everyone to behold reality with wonder and meaning, to seek hope for the future, and to use their knowledge and skills in service of others.
Collaboration
“God has never bestowed All His blessings on one person. He did not give to St. Peter what he gave to St. Paul, nor to either what he gave to St. John.” - Catherine McAuley
Working together in a manner that invites creativity, a diversity of perspectives, mutual respect, and participation in a vibrant community.
Hospitality
“We should often reflect that our progress in spiritual life consists in the faithful discharge of the duties belonging to our state, as regards both ourselves and our neighbor.” - Catherine McAuley
Welcoming every person as a gift entrusted to us by God, especially our neighbors near and far, in a manner that deepens community relationships and encourages respect for human dignity.
Action & Contemplation
“The Sisters of this Institute shall therefore most sedulously attend to this most salutary exercise [of prayer and meditation]; in this shall they take delight and seek in it their comfort and refreshment for the labors and fatigues of the Institute.” - Rules and Constitutions of the Sisters of Mercy
Translating compassion into action with opportunities for reflection on how they shape our work together and serve the common good through moral and creative leadership.