The Sisters of Mercy in the Auburn Regional Community are beginning a new Mercy moment. This is a new moment with new opportunities for us and for all who work and pray with us! The Sisters of Mercy from California to Michigan soon will form one West Midwest Community.

Our Journey
Throughout our 175 year history, the Sisters of Mercy have been dedicated to our mission of service to the poor, the uneducated, the sick and those in need of compassion, especially women and children. With the caring support of people like you, we have continued to share mercy, bringing light and life where there was little or none.

We have modified and changed our structure many times over the last 175 year, always adapting to current needs and to changes in our numbers. In 1991, 25 regional Mercy communities came together to form the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. As the Institute’s founding document stated, we became one to “strengthen and enable one another in mission.”

A New Moment
With this same revitalizing goal in mind, our 25 regional communities of the Institute are coming together to form six communities in North and South America, the Philippines and Guam. We are not changing who we are as Sisters of Mercy; we are only changing how we organize ourselves. The West Midwest Community will include over 900 Sisters of Mercy and more than 500 Mercy Associates and Companions in Mercy from the existing regional communities in the western and midwestern U.S.: Auburn, California; Burlingame, California; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Omaha, Nebraska.

Moving Forward with the Sisters of Mercy

Why are we changing?
One of the clear purposes of Gospel-based religious life is to focus on those in need. We will meet their needs more effectively by combining our resources and creating a streamlined, efficient governing structure. Right now we have six structures; we only need one. Coming together as the West Midwest Community will allow us to be responsible stewards of our ministries, resources, talents, and energy. Our Constitutions state clearly: “By collaborating with others in works of mercy we continually learn from them how to be more merciful.”

Change is not new for us. Since our founding, we have modified our structure many times, continually adapting to current needs and to changes in our numbers. Through it all, our mission has continued.

How will we change?
Currently, we are exploring all aspects of how we organize ourselves from our office locations to our finances to our system of governance. The Community Leadership Team to be elected in 2008 will have its offices in Omaha, Nebraska. Sisters in the six regional communities will continue their ministries in their respective geographical areas.

When will this happen?
The West Midwest Community will officially begin on July 1, 2008. We are gradually adopting new procedures as decisions are finalized.

How will this impact our ministries?
The support of all our partners in ministry is crucial to the work that we do. The sisters you know and the ministries you care about will continue to evolve in response to need and opportunity as they have in the past. As you can see from the examples in the photos, all of the Mercys are dedicated to vitally important ministries. We ask for your continued support in making the mission of Mercy a reality.