[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 59 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E779-E780]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 150TH CELEBRATION OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY IN CONNECTICUT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 9, 2002

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
150th Celebration of the Sisters of Mercy mission in the state of 
Connecticut. Since their founding in Hartford in 1852, the Sisters have 
established many important organizations, including St. Mary Home for 
the Aged, 1880; the Ministry for the Deaf-American School for the Deaf, 
1896; Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, 1905; Saint Joseph College, 1932; 
Mercy High School, 1963; Our Lady of Mercy School, 1964; Foreign 
Mission in Guatemala, 1981; Mercy Center at Madison, 1973; Mercy 
Housing & Shelter, 1983; Trust House Collaborative Learning Center, 
1996; and the Collaborative Center for Justice, 1999.
  The Sisters have turned their original stated purpose of the care of 
orphans and other works of Mercy into selfless acts that have improved 
the lives of millions of individuals.
  Their work in education alone has influenced countless numbers of 
students who have in turn contributed to the development of both the 
Church community and the Connecticut community as a whole. The Sisters 
of Mercy have consciously identified the most pressing needs of the 
community and effectively used their resources to address those needs. 
Whether it be helping the economically poor, sick, elderly, imprisoned 
or ignorant, showing a special concern for women and children, or 
carrying out foreign missionary work, the actions of the Sisters can be 
described as nothing less than altruistic. They have supplemented time-
honored strategies with conventional methods to address human needs in 
health care and pastoral and social services. The Sisters have 
generously provided for the spiritual welfare of thousands.
  In July 1991, 7,000 Sisters of Mercy united as the Institute of the 
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas to become an international community. 
The Institute includes 25 regional communities with 5,500 members who 
serve in North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Guam and the 
Philippines. The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas sponsor or cosponsor 
seven major national healthcare systems, 20 colleges and universities, 
20 elementary and preschools, 39 secondary schools, and hundreds of 
affordable housing developments. They also serve in programs ranging 
from hospices for persons with HIV/AIDS, to adult literacy centers and 
resettlement programs for refugees.

[[Page E780]]

  It is the hope, on this Sesquicentennial Celebration, that their 
continued energy will allow them to focus on the state's residents and 
those beyond its borders who are in need for many years to come. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in commending the Sisters of Mercy for 150 
years of service and commitment in the state of Connecticut. 
Personally, I would also like to thank Sister Patricia Rooney, RSM for 
her tireless work and effort, as well as my dear friend and former 
boss, Sister Marita Charles, RSM, who was principal of St. Mary's 
School in East Hartford, CT.

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