Following is the text of the greeting Sister Helen Harding, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Mercy, gave to welcome everyone to the Eucharistic Liturgy celebrated by the Most Reverend Martin William Currie, Archbishop of St. John’s, on January 7, 2008 at St. Pius Xth Church to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Opening of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home. 

Greeting for 50^th Anniversary of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home

January 7, 2008

On behalf of the Sisters of Mercy, I joyfully welcome you to our liturgical celebration honoring the 50^th Anniversary of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home.  I extend a special welcome to our invited guests:

Archbishop Currie, our main celebrant this evening.  Your Grace, we warmly welcome you and wish you many blessings in your new position as Archbishop of St. John’s.

The Honorable Mr. Roberts, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador

Archbishop Penney

Minister Wiseman, representing Premier Williams

Reverend Fathers, Sisters, Brothers

Ms. Joan Dawe, Board Chair of Eastern Health

Ms. Louise Jones, Acting CEO of Eastern Health

Leaders of various organizations within Eastern Health

Leaders of various religious denominations

Chair, Board Members, Administration, staff and volunteers of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home, both present and former

To our honored guests, the residents of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home who are present with us this evening, we offer a very special and warm welcome.

I thank all of you for joining with us in celebration this evening.  Your presence gives a special distinction to the evening and is greatly appreciated.

This 50^th anniversary celebration of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home gives us an opportunity to remember and give thanks for the many blessings of the past fifty years.

With gratitude and appreciation, we recall and acknowledge the vision and leadership of Archbishop Skinner in his initiatives to build a Home for the aged at a time when there was no other facility of its kind in the province.  Many of us still remember the Cent a Meal Campaign that had been initiated within the Archdiocese and undoubtedly a number of us were actively involved in it.

It was a privilege and an honour for us, the Sisters of Mercy, to have been invited to take responsibility for the administration and day-to-day operations of the new Home.   The invitation called us to a new expression of ministry, a new way to move forward in our mission of compassion and service to the people of our province.

During the past 50 years St. Patrick’s has welcome many residents.  A number of these residents spent many years there; others not as long; but we, the sisters, managers, staff and volunteers have been privileged to continue the healing mission of Jesus by caring for them and responding to their needs.  We welcomed them to St. Patrick’s and assured them of our love and care. We heard their life stories; stories of family, of service, of achievement, of commitment as well as stories of sacrifice, struggle, loss and resilience.   At times we shared in their grief and sense of loss as they experienced the death of family members or friends.  We rejoiced with them in their moments of joy and celebration.  We prayed with them as they turned to God to praise, to give thanks, to bless or even to meet their God in their own dying.  We have been blessed as well to have known many of their family members and loved ones and to have received their love, support and encouragement.

Our mission at St. Patrick’s is to provide quality and compassionate care for our residents in a secure, safe, pleasant and homelike environment.  The fulfillment of this mission is made possible only through the collaboration of many dedicated staff and volunteers. Therefore, on this anniversary celebration, I wish to publicly express sincere gratitude to the managers, staff and volunteers of St. Patrick’s for their service, commitment, generosity and care of the residents over the past fifty years.  The Board of Directors and the Sisters of Mercy appreciate and value the staff contribution and express heartfelt thanks to the present and to former administration and staff members.

As St. Patrick’s Mercy Home continues to celebrate its 50^th anniversary in various ways throughout the year, it looks toward the future with hope. In partnership with other health care institutions, St. Patrick’s hopes to continue responding to the needs of the community by providing a warm, welcoming place of hospitality, presence and comfort to all who will eventually call it home.