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MCAULEY Aug-10-2006 (620 words) With photo. xxxn
Prayer cards promote sainthood cause for Sisters of Mercy foundress
By Catholic News Service
ERIE, Pa. (CNS) -- Mercy Sister Teresa Okonski has a special affection for the foundress of her religious community, Mother Catherine McAuley.
Recently, the Erie sister traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where Mother McAuley (1778-1841) started the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. There, she visited the House of Mercy that Mother McAuley built for poor women and children. Also, reflective moments at her grave provided Sister Teresa with a life-changing experience.
"I felt an awesome connection to her," she said. "I learned in a new way the tremendous generosity of this woman." That, she said, included Mother McAuley's use of her inheritance to build the House of Mercy for about $1 million.
"She was a woman who lived totally for God. It was because of her holiness that she was able to do so much in such a short period of time," Sister Teresa said.
This July Sister Teresa helped announce an effort by the Mercy Regional Community of Erie to join other Mercy communities from all over the world in distributing special prayer cards to promote Mother McAuley for sainthood.
Pope Paul VI opened Mother McAuley's cause for sainthood in 1978. Pope John Paul II in 1990 declared her venerable, signifying the completion of the first major step to sainthood.
The second step is beatification. After one miracle attributed to her intercession is verified, she may be declared blessed. The third step is canonization. A second miracle verified by the church is ordinarily required before the candidate can be proclaimed a saint.
"We want the prayer cards to be a source of spiritual refreshment for people and also call their attention to Catherine's cause for sainthood," said Mercy Sister Bernadette Bell, president of the Erie community.
Sister Bernadette said Mother McAuley did not want to be named a saint, but Sisters of Mercy worldwide thought Mother McAuley and her ministries had become so international that the sainthood effort was renewed.
"We feel she was a blessed woman," Sister Bernadette said.
The prayer cards are being distributed at Mercy ministries and Catholic parishes in the Erie area.
The front of each card is marked with a circle in which there are two likenesses of Mother McAuley: one from a painting, the other an image taken from a bronze statue. The distinctive Mercy cross is at the bottom of the circle as if to anchor the images.
Three different 5-by-7-inch cards have a brief biography of Mother McAuley; a prayer for her beatification; and a prayer titled "Suscipe." Smaller cards have an assortment of Mother McAuley's quotes on the spiritual life. A bookmark offers a prayer for those who are ill.
Both the beatification prayer card and bookmark also ask anyone who obtains a favor through Mother McAuley's intercession to contact Mercy Sister Anne Hannon, vice postulator of the effort to have Mother McAuley canonized. Her mailing address is: Sisters of Mercy, Riverside, Birr, County Offaly, Ireland; her e-mail address is: annehannonrsm@eircom.net.
"It is important for anyone who has had a favor granted through Catherine's intercession to contact Sister Anne," Sister Bernadette said.
Sister Teresa said Mother McAuley had a special compassion for the sick.
"I believe that our pursuit of her canonization through the promotion of her prayers for the sick will not only benefit those who are physically and/or emotionally ill, but will also alert the public to a woman whom we can emulate for her goodness and generosity," she said.
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Editor's Note: The cards are available at any Sisters of Mercy motherhouse or by contacting the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas by telephone at (301) 587-0423, or by e-mail to: info@sistersofmercy.org.
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Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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