Good morning, our dear Holinians, faculty and staff, guests, and members of Ven.

Catherine McAuley Youth Association, and most especially to the sisters, Sr. Angela,
our beloved director, and Sr. Grace. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all
to this 20th Mercy Day celebration in our school to give thanks to God through Mary for
the gift of mercy. And I thank God that we all gathered here to celebrate that.

As we know, Mercy Day is an important day for the Sisters of Mercy since it commemorates the opening
of the first House of Mercy on September 24, 1827 by Catherine McAuley and her two companions,
Anna Maria Doyle and Catherine Byrn. The seed that Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Religious
Sisters of Mercy, planted through the opening of the House of Mercy has continued to grow over the
years and is still blooming today. So, we are here to celebrate Catherine and her legacy.

The Religious Sisters of Mercy in the Philippines celebrate the 69th anniversary of the arrival of the first
Religious Sisters of Mercy from Dublin, Ireland, so this year's Mercy Day is especially significant for us.
We co-missionaries can continue to write our own mercy stories because of the unwavering mercy
shown by those pioneering sisters and many others who followed in other parts of the world. We
continue to be receptive to this missionary call just as they were when they first heard it.

Mercy Day became a day of celebration in school rather than a day off for schools owned and
administered by the Religious Sisters of Mercy. Mercy became an avenue of pride and legacy. We
started talking about the Mercy charism as our identity, and schools and other Mercy ministries adopted
it and celebrated it on Mercy Day. Mercy's charisma was bestowed upon Catherine McAuley. That gift,
or charism, has been passed down through generations to those who embrace the spirit of mercy; in
turn, they receive the same charisma. The mercy charism lives in all of us, and we must use it for the
benefit of others. We must show mercy to others!