Parish Ministry

• Blayney Blades
• Blayney Community Childcare

Parish Ministry

"Every Sister, whatever her appointed task, shares in the mission of the Congregation."
Constitutions of the Sisters of Mercy, Ireland: Chapter 2: 48

From the beginning of the Congregation, Visitation has always been part of the works of Mercy. Indeed, in the early days in Dublin, Sisters of Mercy were known as 'the walking nuns'. Today this tradition lives on in the vibrant lives of Sisters of Mercy throughout our Province. When Sisters retire from formal apostolates, they very quickly become more actively involved in the Ministry of Visitation of local people. For many Sisters, it is a real exchange of Presence and a Ministry that is valued by all.

Many of our Sisters also work in Parish Ministry, helping to build a range of collaborative Ministries to connect with the lives of the people in the Parish. One such is Sr Margueritta McCarthy, who is a member of a Parish team in Tullamore, a town in Co Offaly with a population of 11,000 people. The areas that Sr Margueritta has responsibility for include:

• Prayer
• Baptism
• Bereavement Counselling
• Hospitality
• Socially excluded women

She has developed a number of teams of volunteers who arrange prayer/scripture programmes; baptism programmes for parents; bereavement support (on a one-to-one or group basis); a telephone listening/advice service; development programmes for women's groups and hospitality for special events ie confirmation, mass for the sick etc.

There are many other Sisters throughout the Province who work in Parish Ministry along similar lines.

Contact: Sr Margueritta McCarthy
Email: mercynth.province@btinternet.com

Prayer Guidance Ministry

Prayer Guidance Ministry at 2 St Brigid's Court, Athboy, reaches out to people of all ages and circumstances, through offering one-to-one retreats that can be availed of in the context of their daily lives. Its focus is on local parish groups and it has proven to be a great builder of Christian Community. Those who complete a Week of Guided Prayer are invited to attend the ongoing monthly meetings - but this is entirely voluntary.

Because of the growing demand for such retreats, both in Athboy and elsewhere, it has been necessary to provide formation and training for new guides, and more recently, formation and training for Supervisors for this ministry.

Contact: Sr Bonnie Brennan/Noeleen Reilly
Email: brigidscourt@oceanfree.net

Prayer Guidance Ministry is offered in other locations in the Province. There are also many other Sisters who offer Retreats/Spiritual Direction in a variety of locations. For further information please contact:

Sr Rita McCrystal
OR
Sr Rosemary Conlon at: mercynth.province@btinternet.com

Women's Community Projects (Mullingar)

The project is located in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, an area which lies to the south of the Province, and shares a border with the Western Province. The aim of the project is to facilitate the empowerment of women through education, training and community enterprise development. The group seeks to achieve this vision through a range of programmes including:

• Adult Learning (Computers, Bookkeeping, Community Arts, Personal Dev etc.)
• Home & Business Care Allied Services Training Programme (Business English, Office Skills, Retail Sales, Consumer Awareness etc.)
• Women's Focus and Development Programme (Women's Studies, Self Development, Parenting, Relaxation etc.)
• Non-National Programme (English as a Foreign Language, Intercultural Awareness etc.).

These programmes are supported by a number of other services including counselling, budgeting and an extensive range of childcare facilities for babies from 6 weeks right through to after-school care for children up to 12 years.

The Parish Community Employment Project provides support staff to the many activities of the Project's Community enterprises. Mullingar Homecare Service (domestic/business cleaning and catering) and Mullingar Ironing Service provides a service to the local community, while also creating employment for many women.

Approximately 200 women attend the various educational/training facilities, and c 100 children attend the childcare daily. A total of 65 staff (29 full-time and 36 part-time) are employed.

Sr Finbarr Breslin is manager and the project operates under a Board of Management structure with five sub-committees. Funding is obtained from a range of statutory and voluntary bodies.

Contact: Roisin Kelly, Co-ordinator
Telephone no: 044 44301

Castleblayney Trust

Castleblayney Trust works with homeless, needy and unemployed people to improve their care, support, rehabilitation, accommodation and employment opportunities. Its raison d'etre is scripture based, namely "to love tenderly, to act justly and to walk humbly with God". (Micah 6:8). The aims/objectives of the Trust are:

• To provide temporary accommodation for those who are genuinely homeless
• To attend to the genuine needs of all who present themselves without prejudging or labelling
• To make a preferential option for those whom society rates badly
• To seek and to create job opportunities for the long-term unemployed and for women
• To take an holistic approach to each person regardless of the stated problem
• To foster links with statutory and voluntary groups to ensure complementarity, to avoid duplication and to influence policy
• To actively engage people in lobbying against inequality, oppression, exploitation, discrimination and injustice of all kinds
• To effectively, efficiently, and economically manage the affairs of the Trust.

Contact: Sr Celine McArdle (Co-ordinator)
Tel:028 85548127

Blayney Blades

This is a women's group, founded in 1995 with financial support from the Castleblayney Sisters. The group's vision is that all who avail of its services are encouraged and supported in their quest for a fuller