Young Mercy Leaders Pilgrimage
Dublin, Ireland
July 11-22, 2017
Dear Families of the Classes of 2018, 2019, 2020:
We are pleased to be able to offer the opportunity to experience the Summer 2017 Young Mercy Leaders Pilgrimage in Dublin, Ireland to our students.
The Young Mercy Leaders program began in 2011 with the visit of Mercy secondary school and college students from around the world to Mercy International Centre. They discovered together the riches of the Mercy story and were able to return to their daily lives better equipped to be leaders in their schools and world. The program was such a success that it is now taking place annually with secondary school and college programs being offered separately in alternate years.
In 2017, the Young Mercy Leaders Pilgrimage for secondary school students will be held again in Dublin, Ireland at Mercy International Centre Tuesday, July 18 through Friday, July 21, 2017.
In our Foundress Catherine McAuley's time, the building that is now Mercy International Centre, Baggot Street, Dublin, was a thriving center of education and training. It is wonderful that for these 4 days, the voices of young people from Mercy schools around the world, will once again echo through the corridors and rooms. "Our hope is that Catherine McAuley will become a living presence in the lives of those who participate in this pilgrimage," says Breege Donohoe RSM, a member of the 2013 planning committee. - mercyworld.org
In the week prior the Pilgrimage itself, we will explore the beautiful country of Ireland. Our tour will be guided by Irish Catholic tour escort and storyteller Batt Burns and will include stops in Knock, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Sneem, Killarney and many more of Ireland's most treasured places. While in Batt's hometown of Sneem we will work with their local Youth Ministry Group on a service project and spend the evening with the locals enjoying traditional Irish music and dancing.
When we make our way back to Dublin, we will make a stop at Blarney Castle. We will close our Sunday with the Catherine McAuley Walking Tour of Dublin where we can experience more richly the Mercy story by exploring many landmarks of importance in the life of Catherine and the history of the Sisters of Mercy. Monday we will explore more of the rich history of Dublin.
We will be holding an informational meeting with our representative from Corporate Travel for parents whose daughters may be interested in joining us for this once in a lifetime Mercy immersion experience! The first meeting to be held on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 at 7:00pm in the Mercy Media Center.
At that time we will be able to provide you with all the trip details and answer all of your questions. Please click here to read the informational brochure prior to the meeting.
Below is a link to the Mercy International Centre web site Young Mercy Leaders' Pilgrimage page where you will find information and videos from the summer 2015 Pilgrimage.
http://www.mercyworld.org/news_centre/view_article.cfm?id=1276
We are very excited to be able to offer this experience to our students and look forward to seeing you at the upcoming informational meeting.
Yours In Mercy,
Judi Griggs-Dennis