February 2, 2016

By Paloma Yanez

Pope Francis has declared 2016 the Year of Mercy. For three Dominican Sisters in the Chicago-land are that means trying to live out their mission in their daily lives.

At Dominican, Sister Melissa Waters says its clear to her what the Year of Mercy means. The Year of Mercy means that all of us are called on to ask God to help us to look on others, to look at life, whatever our circumstances, with the eyes of God –with a spirit of caring, of generosity, of forgiveness, or mercy.

Others sisters are sharing their message on cyberspace. Sister Kathleen Long works at the Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan, IL, but used her blog to reflect on the options she has in her ministry. Her work in the parish has enriched her awareness of the needs in our immigrant community. The option she chooses to take there is to assist them in their journey in becoming citizens and not reject them. Sister Kathleen asks her readers to reflect about what their own options are as they begin this new year.

Another Dominican Sister, Mary Ellen Green, writes on her blog how President Barack Obama’s inaugural address in 2012 parallels the Pope’s message. “It is for us now to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,” she wrote.

yanepalo@my.dom.edu