Mercy International Research Conference 2007
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The Mercy International Research Conference was held at Mercy Center, Burlingame, California, on November 9-12, 2007.
The twenty-six invited researchers came from all over the Mercy world, including nearly all of the congregations of Sisters of Mercy whose leaders compose the Mercy International Association (MIA).
They engaged in a Theological Reflection Process. The theme of the conference was:
“‘Fire Cast on the Earth—Kindling’: Being Mercy in the Twenty-First Century.”
The words of Catherine McAuley in the theme are from her letter to Elizabeth Moore on 28 July 1840. She is commenting on the Christ-given zeal and mercifulness of the English postulants preparing for the foundation in Birmingham.
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Social Analysis: A Canadian Perspective
Elizabeth M. Davis is Congregation Leader of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland (Canada) and a doctoral student in Scripture at the University of Toronto. She has taught high school, has served as Chief Executive Officer of St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital and the Regional Health Authority in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and presently serves on several national health boards in Canada.
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Africa: Urbanisation & Proliferation of Slums
Kenyan born, Anne Itotia first trained as a teacher and worked both in class and school administration for ten years. Currently, she is on sabbatical after six years of team Leadership at the Congregational level (2000-2006). She has also worked as the African Justice Desk coordinator in Pretoria, South Africa.
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Global Human Trafficking: A Mercy Concern
Elizabeth McMillan teaches theology in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and is engaged in community organizing with women and in religious vocation and formation ministry. In the past she has taught at the seminary of the Missionary Fraternity of Mary in Guatemala City (1992-1998), at Carlow College, Pittsburgh, and at Loyola University in Chicago. Betsy holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, and an M.A. from Marquette University.
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The History and Experience of Latinos/Hispanics in the United States
Ana Maria Pineda, born in San Salvador and raised in the Latino sector of San Francisco, holds an S.T.D. in Pastoral Theology from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Spain. She is an Associate Professor in Religious Studies at Santa Clara University since 1997. Ana Maria has received the Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence from Barry University, Florida, and an Honorary Doctorate in Theology from Saint Xavier University, Chicago, and is a founding member of the influential Hispanic Theological Initiative which provides scholarships and mentoring for Latino doctoral theological students.
Social Analysis: Pacific Islands Perspective
Senolita Vakata is a member of the Sisters of Mercy, Aotearoa New Zealand. She currently ministers on the islands of Tonga, South West Pacific, working with Caritas Tonga and coordinating the diocesan office for Justice and Development. Among many other endeavors, Senolita organizes workshops on Environmental Justice. She holds a degree in theology from Yarra Theological Union, Melbourne, Australia.