Every year, on September 24, the global Mercy Family celebrate Mercy Day, marking the opening of the first House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Dublin.
I was struck by the 2025 Mercy Day theme of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: The Cloak of Mercy. The theme invites us to reflect on the image of God’s mercy as a cloak: sheltering, uniting and calling us to extend compassion to others.
It draws on Catholic Social Teaching themes and reminds us of the message of Jesus “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36
When I was at the beautiful Mercy Day Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, listening to the wonderful choir and orchestra of the Academy of Mary Immaculate, it was easy to feel enveloped by that Cloak of Mercy. When I was joined by the brilliant and dedicated leaders of the Mercy Ministry Companions ministries at our recent conference, it was hard not to feel enveloped in that Cloak of Mercy.
The challenge is not to think of the Cloak of Mercy as something we receive, but to be prepared to offer it to others, especially those on the margins.
With so much division in the world and so much dehumanising of ‘others’ such as refugees or minorities, or any who need our help, we must try to remember to see the face of God in all our neighbours and extend to them the Cloak of Mercy.
Through our values and acts of compassion, justice, respect, hope and hospitality we can extend that Cloak of Mercy to those who most need shelter, warmth and dignity.
Anthony Loschiavo, Executive Officer