(From left) Associate Elaine Sipe of Hickory, North Carolina; Mercy Association Director Lincoln Sigwald; Associate Agnes Cannella of Savannah, Georgia; and Sister Marilyn Gottemoeller, associate director of Mercy association gathered at the October meeting of Mercy Association Leadership Network in Michigan.

Mercy associates throughout the Institute have a new identity statement. Representatives from the six Communities unanimously approved the statement on Saturday, October 9, 2010, at the annual meeting of the

Mercy Association Leadership Network (MALN) at Mercy Center in
Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Mercy Associates are women and men who hear and respond to a call
from God, an invitation to Gospel holiness lived through sharing in the
mission of Mercy. They desire to walk with and care for those who are
poor, sick, and uneducated. Associates, while maintaining individual
lifestyles, seek to embody the spirit of Mercy in partnership with the
Community of the Sisters of Mercy through a mutual covenant. As
identified by Foundress, Catherine McAuley, the mission of Mercy is
central for Associates, who share in prayer, community, ministry,
and friendship.

With the theme of “Passion, Purpose, and Promise,” members of the
MALN Coordinating Committee led associates and sisters in a weekend
of prayer, reflection, dialogue and discernment. Sister Mary Trainer
delivered the keynote address, “What Would Catherine Say to
Associates Today?” Associate Mary MacDonald presented a session
on using technology more effectively in association and Sister Felice
Sauers explored justice and equity regarding association funding.