Cohort 3 of MGA Emerging Leaders Fellowship Graduates!

The third and final overseas immersion of Cohort Three of the MGA Emerging Leaders Fellows is drawing to a close in Dublin, Ireland! The Fellows have had the pleasure of staying at Catherine’s House, now Mercy International Centre, the first house of Mercy built by Catherine McAuley to address the needs of Dublin’s poor. Upon their arrival, the Fellows enjoyed a historical tour of the house, led by Sr Margaret Daly rsm, as well as a day trip to the beautiful landscape of Glendalough, an early monastic settlement founded by St Kevin in the 6th century.

This week, the Fellows attended a mesmerising Riverdance performance, enjoyed many traditional Irish pub meals together, visited Irish development organisation, VITA, and listened to an insightful presentation about Catherine McAuley's leadership style by Patricia O'Donovan rsm, CEO of MIA. They also made a trip to Coolock House, where Catherine McAuley experienced a formative period of her life, living with and caring for the Callaghan family for over twenty years. 

From July 10-11, the Fellows presented their research projects on Mercy justice issues, developed over the course of the 12-month program. These presentations, as well as the Fellows’ reports and resources, are now available for viewing here on the MIA website! We invite the Mercy World to dig into these rich presentations and put the Fellows’ hard work into action in your communities.

Today, the immersion concluded with a beautiful graduation ceremony. We were honoured to have Susan Pascoe as our keynote speaker. Susan is a distinguished leader renowned for her significant contributions to the non-profit sector, Catholic education, and public administration in Australia. She imparted great wisdom about her own leadership journey, from her early childhood experiences of encountering Sisters of Mercy, to her time as a facilitator at the Synod. 

Congratulations to all of the graduated Fellows!

You can watch the graduation ceremony below.