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Duffy, M. (2009). Celebrating the charism of Mercy today. Paper delivered at the Light for the Journey, Townsville Catholic Education, July.

Charism is, above all, a living passion for a particular dimension of the Gospel (p.1). The living charism of a school must always find its foundations in the gospel. The founders of religious institutes were inspired by a particular gospel message and translated that into a response. Today we are challenged to return to that initial inspiration and make it relevant to today's world. (Anne Henderson)

Catherine was a woman of daring vision, heartfelt compassion, humour and immense practicality,and, within and beyond all these qualities, we know her as a woman of deep faith, a woman of prayer ... Catherine reflected in one of he letters: We have one solid comfort in all this tripping about: our hearts can always be in the same place, centred in God for whom alone we go forward or stay back (p.2). As above, we need to find our inspiraton in the lfe of Jesus, just as Catherine did. A common theme in the readngs is the necessity to avoid developing "cultism" around any particular charism. (Anne Henderson)

... we strive to hold in careful balance our lives of prayer and lives of service... And such is the spirit which so many of you share as you gather in your school communities to ponder and to live gospel values (p.3). While the founders of the various charisms were moved to action, reflection and prayer must be pracitsed. For Mercy schools, this means reflecton on the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy.(Anne Henderson)

Catherine's life resonated strongly with the biblical scholar's description of mercy as an inner feeling of sympathy or love that shows itself outwardly in action. Throughout her life she generously responded to the needs of the poor and uneducated in ways that were practical, innovative and highly professional (p.4). While Catherine gained her inspiration from the Merciful Christ, she chose ways to reflect this in the actions she took to rectify the injustices she witnessed in her time, particularly to women. (Anne Henderson)