Nga mihi atawhai – greetings to all in Mercy! A word check through the writings and sayings of Catherine McAuley suggests that service is not a word she often used. But others who witnessed the work to which she and her associates devoted themselves were quick to spot service of the poor and the sick as central to their efforts. So much so, that at a profession ceremony just six years after the Congregation was founded, Bishop John Murphy of Cork suggested that service be added to the vow formula of Sisters of Mercy, in addition to their commitment to poverty, chastity and obedience.