January 2025 Edition
The Heart of Mercy: Stories of Faith, Excellence, and Service
As many of our schools celebrate Catholic Schools Week (January 26 - February 1, 2025), we are delighted to share this special issue of our e-zine highlighting how Mercy schools have embraced and embodied the values of faith, excellence and service this past semester.
The submissions and photos we received tell a powerful story of resilience, creativity and community. In a world that often presents challenges, these moments remind us of the critical role a Mercy Catholic education plays in nurturing compassionate leaders, fostering educational courage and inspiring service to others. Thank you to all who contributed to Mercy Impact, bringing to life the heart of Mercy Education!
Mount St. Mary Academy
Little Rock, Arkansas
Mount St. Mary Academy's annual student-led canned food drive, Robin Hood Days, collected a grand total of 68,996 cans and cash equivalent this past November. For 50 years, this schoolwide service project has helped provide food and monetary donations to local organizations that provide meals for Arkansas families in need leading up to the holiday season. It is estimated that more than 1 million canned goods total have been collected by Mount St. Mary Academy since the event began in 1974.
Infant of Prague Catholic Nursery and Kindergarten
Service to others is an essential part of the IOPCNK curriculum through the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy. Our youngest infants all the way up to the kindergarten class contributed to our food drive for the people in the Philippines who had been impacted by flooding.
Our service projects enable the children to grow and understand the complexity and challenge of living fully the gospel of Jesus Christ, responding in action to the call to be loving and compassionate. It is also a good chance for all of us to come together in big and small ways to help the needy of our community.
Bishop Feehan High School
Our students organized a Veterans Day Prayer Service that brought our school community together in prayer to honor the brave men and women who have served our country. The service was an opportunity for reflection and gratitude for all veterans and their families.
Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women
Rochester, New York
Our students have demonstrated the values of Faith, Excellence, and Service by continuing their annual tradition of supporting over 18 refugee families during their Christmas Basket collection. By fulfilling the families' wishes and delivering essential gifts, the students exemplified excellence in their efforts to make a meaningful impact in their community. This act of service not only brought joy to those in need but also strengthened the students' sense of faith and commitment to serving others during the holiday season.
Christ the Teacher Catholic School
For this year's faculty and staff retreat, we incorporated the Sisters of Mercy Critical Concern for Nonviolence alongside our Catholic Diocese of Wilmington theme of "We Walk By Faith." We began the day with Mass at Saint Margaret of Scotland, followed by a workshop led by Sister Ivette Diaz, RSM, an international speaker on faith and interculturality. After the seminar, faculty and staff worked together to prepare casseroles to be delivered to Saint John's Hospice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mercy High School
Farmington Hills, Michigan
The Mercy HS Michigan Office of Mission & Ministry launched a new, unique approach to student service engagement through Making a Difference 365 Community Connections Fair, which brought non-profit organizations from across Metro Detroit to campus in October. Students engaged with representatives, learned about each organization’s mission and signed up for volunteer opportunities. They also worked together in Adviser Groups to make cozy blankets for kids in hospitals with Fleece & Thank You and packed Clean Birth Kits for Global Health Charities.
Mercy Junior College, Inc.
Tubod Lanao del Norte, Philippines
The outreach to the district jail is an annual tradition of the school every December. We bring gifts to the prisoners such as food and toiletries. The Student Core Group represented the school with some faculty. The funds for the outreach were contributed by the students every Monday as part of funds for the poor.
Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica
To promote our Catholic faith, our Mercy Schools joined other school communities in attending a special Mass for the Archdiocese of Kingston’s “Catholic Schools Week."
Convent of Mercy Academy, “Alpha” focused on the “Lord’s Prayer,” during a spiritual workshop as recommended by Pope Francis for the 2024 Year of Prayer.
In a showcase of excellence, graduation and prize giving ceremonies were held at the Alpha Vocational Training Centre and the St. John Bosco Vocational Training Centre to proudly mark our at-risk students’ completion of their skills training programmes.
Samarah Buckle, a St. John Bosco VTC student, engaged in youth mental health advocacy work by participating in the “HEART NSTA TRUST Essay Competition on Mental Wellness for Youth.” She highlighted mental health challenges faced by youth; proposed ways of guiding Jamaica’s approach to these issues; and shared how St. John Bosco supports students’ mental health via various psychosocial services.
Upper Elementary students (4th - 6th graders) at Mercy Montessori collected, prepared, prayed over, and delivered Thanksgiving Baskets to Mercy Neighborhood Ministries.
Mount Saint Mary Academy
Watchung, New Jersey
Members of the Mount’s Civic Engagement Club (formerly known as JSA) and AP U.S. Government and Politics (APGOPO) classes organized an Election Fair, which was held on Election Day. This event aimed to deepen our school community’s understanding of voting rights history and the election process, fostering awareness among our future voters. “Through this hands-on learning experience, we hoped to prepare students to make informed choices in the democratic process,” said Joanne Cadigan-Peters, Social Studies Department Chairperson.
Waldron Mercy Academy
Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Each year, members of the WMA community collect presents and gift cards for individuals and families associated with our outreach partners: Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, Catholic Worker, Saint Katherine School, St. Columba’s, and Bethesda Project. We are so blessed to work with these amazing organizations and so grateful to be able to give back in this way. This year we were able to provide special gifts for over 160 people and gift cards to 90 more!
Saint Catharine Academy
Bronx, New York
As the nation turned its eyes towards the fires ravaging Los Angeles, the community of St. Catharine Academy focused on those displaced by fire much closer to home. In early January a fire consumed a building on Wallace Avenue, only a few short blocks from St. Catharine's. Responding to the call to Clothe the Naked and Shelter the Homeless, SCA students engaged in advocacy, education and support. Student leaders spoke at an all-school assembly and raised money for the displaced families. They also collected, sorted and delivered items to the Red Cross collection center for distribution to the families whose homes were destroyed by the fire.