Mercy Today
Welcome
A welcome message from the Congregation Leader.
The long history of relationship amongst the four Congregations led to the decision by the sisters to become a single Congregation, Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand, on 12 December 2005.
We invite you to read the founding documents of the new Congregation.
Vision Statement
As Mercy women,
faithful to the Gospel,
the vision of Catherine McAuley,
our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
and the call of God's people today,
we celebrate becoming
a new creation for mission.
Statement of Intent - Our Bi-cultural Journey
Through Baptism we are called to share in the mission of Jesus.
As Sisters of Mercy we are called to live our charism in response to the Mercy of God in a particular expression of justice and compassion.
It is in living out the mission of our baptism and the charism of Mercy in Aotearoa New Zealand that we commit ourselves to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
This is shown through our willingness and ability to continue developing an understanding of our relationship with Tangata Whenua in our exploration of life together and our ministry in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
These statements reflect the bi-cultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand, a country uniquely founded in 1840 by Treaty between indigenous Maori Chiefs and the British Crown. Te Tiriti o Waitangi Treaty of Waitangi recognises Maori as Tangata Whenua, first people of the land. In applying the Treaty to present day circumstances and issues the key principles of partnership, protection and participation interpret Te Tiriti as a whole – its intention and spirit.
As religious women called to Mercy, Te Tiriti o Waitangi invites us to consider who we are as individuals and as a community of women committed to gospel values and the discipleship of equals. As individuals and as a congregation committed to being a merciful presence in the world, we continue the justice-seeking tradition which promotes the beauty and richness of human diversity as a gift from God.
United in Mercy, grounded in prayer, shaped by the witness of Jesus and the example of our founders, we are called to cross the boundaries of our day, which means embracing our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti invites us to establish a firm grounding in who we are individually and congregationally so that we may come to partnership with Maori strengthened by the knowledge of our individual family and cultural identity, an informed history of our country, and the story of the origins, development and charism of our congregation.
