Catherine McAuley's favorite Gospel passage was one in which Jesus told us that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters to do to him. We greet God in every person we serve, in every person we meet. Our prayer roots us in this conviction and impels us to give our lives doing the works of mercy.
Whether it is serving lines of hungry men and women at a food bank or bringing a hot meal to an elderly shut-in, Mercy Sisters have always reached out to help provide food for those who have none. Our Sisters and collaborators can be found serving meals on the first Thursday of the month at Loaves and Fishes in Sacramento or collecting food for hungry families through our schools and ministries. Shasta Senior Nutrition Program which provides food for hundreds of seniors in Northern California is a subsidiary of CHW North State.
For more information click:
www.mercy.org/shasta_senior_nut.asp
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Catherine McAuley's first ministry was housing. She recognized the importance of safe, secure shelter for people . In l989 the Auburn Regional Community became a co-sponsor of Mercy Housing, Inc. which provides affordable, service intensive housing for families and seniors.
Addressing the critical need for affordable housing in the Sacramento metropolitan region, Mercy Housing California has been able to provide four facilities: St. Francis Terrace, housing for families and seniors; Russell Manor, a senior residence; Mercy Village Folsom, for families and seniors and is a partner with Sacramento Cottage Housing in providing housing for the chronically homeless at Bishop Francis A. Quinn Cottages, Sacramento. Mercy Village Folsom has a special commitment to serve families of those incarcerated at Folsom Prison. Mercy Housing also sponsors Villa Columba, a senior residence in Red Bluff, CA.
Mercy McMahon Terrace is another of our housing facilities. A residence for independent seniors or for those who need assisted living, it is a subsidiary of Mercy Healthcare Sacramento.
For more information about Mercy Housing click: www.mercyhousing.org
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When the Sisters first arrived in Sacramento in 1857, their primary focus was on educating the young and orphaned. Nearly four decades later, a group of doctors approached the Sisters about another venture—taking over a small hospital called Ridge Home. The Sisters gladly obliged, but soon found the facility to be too small. In 1896, they broke ground for a new, 30-bed hospital across the street, which they named Mater Misericordiae Hospital. Today, the Sisters local health ministry is carried out in the form of Mercy Healthcare Sacramento, the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the region, with six hospitals in Sacramento, Yolo and Nevada counties. Mercy’s healthcare mission extends beyond its hospitals, providing thousands of members of the community with improved access to medical care through free and low-cost clinics, health education and screenings.
In l944, a group of Redding doctors approached the Sisters with a request similar to the one made in Sacramento nearly a half-century earlier. The Sisters responded again by starting Mercy Medical Center Redding. Over the years, this health ministry has also grown to accommodate the community’s growing healthcare needs. Today, CHW North State is the most comprehensive health system serving far Northern California. CHW North State embraces a holistic approach to health that provides for the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of those it serves.
Inspired by the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, Mercy Healthcare Sacramento and CHW North State collaborate with others, to promote healthy communities, healing and wellness by providing compassionate, quality, cost-effective healthcare to the communities they serve, especially those who are poor. Advocacy for those who are poor is an important part of the Mercy mission.
Understanding that more can be done when you combine talents and resources, the Mercy Sisters of Auburn and Burlingame shared a vision of expanding Catholic-sponsored healthcare through collaboration. In l986, they merged their hospitals and formed Catholic Healthcare West, which has evolved into a leading nonprofit system of hospitals, ancillary facilities, home care and physician organizations serving California, Arizona and Nevada.
For more information on the health care services of the Sisters click:
Mercy Healthcare Sacramento www.mercysacramento.org
Catholic Healthcare West, North State www.mercy.org
Catholic Healthcare West www.chw.edu
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Like Mother Baptist who began the Sisters' visitation of San Quentin Prison, the ministry of reaching out to the prisoner continues today. Sister Kathleen McCarthy, RSM serves as a Chaplain at California State Prison, Solano. Kathleen provides spiritual counsel for prisoners of many faiths. Other Sisters volunteer their time to visit prisoners at the Medical Facility in Vacaville while some Mercy Associates serve those in county facilities.
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Education in all its forms is an important part of the Mercy mission. Catherine McAuley saw education as the path to a life of dignity and empowerment. Today, Sisters continue the education mission in many ways. Our Sisters serve in four elementary schools and one high school, Holy Cross, West Sacramento; St. Joseph, North Sacramento; St. Rose, Roseville; and Sacred Heart, Sacramento; and at Christian Brothers High School, Sacramento.
Recognizing the importance of educational success, the Sisters sponsor Mercy Education Resource Center (MERC). MERC is an innovative educational approach which assists learning challenged students in achieving success. Through combining assessment, diagnostic tutoring and counseling, MERC gives students the extra help needed for educational mastery. The Center also provides counseling for adults and consultation and training for school faculties
Education is not limited to traditional settings. Sister Cora Salazar has been instrumental in establishing programs such as Families In Self-Help which assists immigrant families to adapt to United States culture. Sisters also minister in literacy programs and ministry formation programs.
Social Services and Counseling are also a vital part of the works of mercy. Sisters work as in such diverse areas as Maryhouse, a day shelter for women and children; child protective services and school counseling programs as well providing individual counseling services.
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Telling the Good News of Jesus is at the heart of the Mercy mission. In everything we do we want to make God's love known. Sisters strive to help persons respond to the challenge of the Prophet Micah: To act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with their God. Through religious education programs, retreats and prayer opportunities the Sisters assist persons to live the Gospel way of forgiveness, justice, and love for others. Sisters work for the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, in parish religious education programs and as Pastoral Associates. Among the parish communities served are Sacred Heart, Sacramento; St. Anthony, Winters; Presentation, Sacramento; St. Joseph, Auburn; St John the Evangelist, Carmichael; St. John the Evangelist, Dunsmuir; St. Joseph, McCloud; and St. Joseph, North Sacramento.
In response to the longing for God and the hunger for meaning in today's culture, the Auburn Regional Community provides a place apart where beauty, hospitality and a spirit of prayer invite persons to deepen their sense of the Holy and clarify their direction in life. A retreat and conference center, Mercy Center Auburn, provides opportunities to enhance the life of prayer and spiritual growth of persons and communities.
For more information about Mercy Center Auburn click:
www.mercyauburn.org
The Works of Mercy are rooted and shaped by prayer. Friends, benefactors, coworkers and those in need are always part of the prayer remembrance of the Mercy Sisters. Confident in God's providence and love, the Sisters bring before God the sufferings of a broken world and ask for mercy and healing. While this work of prayer is the work of every Sister, it is the special ministry of our retired and infirm members.
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