Last year the Daughters of Mercy of the Third Order of Saint Francis celebrated the centenary of their foundation. The congregation was established in today‘s Croatia in the year 1920, and eight years after its foundation it was incorporated in the Third Order of Saint Francis.
Today the Daughters of Mercy are present in 14 different countries of Europe, Africa and Latin America, in 52 separate communities. They help the poor and needy, care for the sick, teach in schools and are particularly involved in the education and upbringing of girls and young women. They also give catechetical instruction and perform other important duties in the parishes. In short, they help wherever they find people in corporal or spiritual need.
The Daughter of Mercy in Maluku
The sisters are also active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest countries on earth. And the congregation here is blessed with young vocations. In Maluku, in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa, two African sisters have already taken their permanent vows, while one sister has now taken her temporal vows and five other young women are just beginning their spiritual formation.
The sisters in Maluku are particularly active in caring for young girls, children at risk and young mothers in difficulties. However, since they work for love and do not have any financial income, they are dependent on outside help to cover the costs of such things as rent for their house, electricity, water, food and medical provision, transport and all the many other things they urgently need. Although they live very modestly, the financial burden of all these things is too much for them. And it is becoming ever more difficult for their sisters in religion in other countries to help and support them, since in many countries they too are facing severe economic crisis, while at the same time the pandemic is making it harder for them to survive themselves.
ACN’s support
And so the sisters have turned to ACN, confident of our support. Sister Mirela and her fellow sisters have great confidence in Divine Providence – and likewise in the generosity of our benefactors. We have no wish to disappoint their trust and so we have already promised them 6000 Euros.
