In our Catholic and Mercy tradition the month of November is a time during which we especially pray for and with the living and the dead, which is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. All Saints’, All Souls’ and Remembrance Days provide more intentional opportunities to pause, ponder and pray. We remember all those who have gone before us, especially our loved ones and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of peace during conflict and wars, and we pray for their eternal rest. Lest we forget. The Catholic belief in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting (cf. the Apostles’ Creed), offers consolation and hope in that we will be united with God and with each other in life after death.
On Remembrance Day we also remember Catherine McAuley who died on 11 November 1841. On this day each year, Sisters of Mercy gather and pray in remembrance of Catherine and all Sisters of Mercy who have died. You might like to read more about Catherine’s death and burial here, or engage in this reflection. You might also like to view and listen to this version of the Suscipe of Catherine McAuley, which features images of Catherine’s tomb and the bright yellow rose named in her honour.
‘Pray for and with the living and the dead: The living out of this command can be seen in Mother Clare’s evocative image – the Sisters gathered with the grieving family. Throughout the years this has been continued by Sisters in hospitals and schoolrooms of countries spread across the globe, in refugee camps, in parish and eucharistic communities, in the care of the young and the old, the homeless and those in danger. Through our prayer, the presence of God becomes a reality in our world into which all can enter and this will continue to be so as we ‘pray for and with the living and the dead.' (Sr Anne McMillan RSM, in reference to the line drawings by Elizabeth (Mary Clare) Agnew RSM of the early Sisters of Mercy engaged in the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy in Ireland in the 1830s. Source: https://www.mercyworld.org/about/works-of-mercy/)
‘Each day is a step we take towards eternity, and we shall continue to step from day to day until we take the last step, which will bring us into the presence of God; let us always walk before [God] in anticipation of that day.’
~ attributed to Venerable Catherine McAuley (founder of the Sisters of Mercy), taken from According to Catherine: Words of Wisdom from Catherine McAuley, A Thematic Approach by Sr Bonaventure Brennan RSM (Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Dublin, 2003).
In her letters, Catherine McAuley looks towards eternity and refers to life after death. Sadly, death was a prevalent part of Catherine’s journey, even before she founded the Sisters of Mercy: she lost her father, James, in 1783 when she was five years old; her mother, Elinor, in 1798 when she was 20 years old; and her sister, Mary, in 1827, just prior to her opening the House of Mercy on Baggot Street. She also lost a number of Sisters of Mercy during her ten years as a Sister of Mercy. It is said that from a young age Catherine feared death as a result of being by her mother’s deathbed. Over the years, Catherine sat by the bedside of so many members of her family and Sisters of Mercy and, consequently, this fear gradually subsided to the point that when the time came she welcomed her own death with peace, calm and trust in God.