It is not enough to be compassionate. You must ACT!

DEIRDRE MULLAN, RSMMERCY GLOBAL CONCERNAs I put pen to paper to write this finalreport/reflection as the Executive Director of MercyGlobal Concern (MGC), one word keeps rising to thesurface: Gratitude. My final paper is not a list ofmeetings attended, statements submitted, bookspublished or workshops organized, but rather ashort story about a journey, and the people on thejourney who continue to make Mercy GlobalConcern the one place in the world where the MercyFamily can meet to make a difference.

Little did I know, when I accepted the invitation to cometo New York City and the United Nations, what lay instore for me. I come from a city with two names – Derryand Londonderry – a place of great hearts, generousand creative spirits, but also a place which has knowndeep sadness, a city that has borne its fair share of theIrish Troubles. And so, on October 1, 2001, I left behind

my family, community, friends and wonderfulMinistry of Education to embrace the great

unknown. I crossed the Atlantic Oceanwith some trepidation and arrived to a

city in turmoil. It was just a fewweeks after the horrific events of

9/11. I felt strangely at home inthe chaos!

The United Nations hasalways represented the

embodiment of the“world’sconscience” and is

the place wheregovernmentsassemble toenshrinetheir legal

and moral commitments. It is the home of internationalrules that, if followed, would breed great peace andsecurity and, if it was up to the task, could challenge thebarbarism and lawlessness of our times. When I arrivedto take up my position, I realized very quickly that if Iwas to be effective as a player in this system, I had toreach out and bring the outside in. And so began myjourney as the representative of Mercy InternationalAssociation at the United Nations.

So many people, so much to learn in a steep learningcurve. I focused immediately on the Mercy Public andso began our series of booklets to educate, engage andinform our Sisters, associates and friends about the greatissues of the day, and the potential we have at ourfingertips right here at the UN to engage withgovernments all over the world. There is no time forsilence here!

Over the years, I have observed that our justice-doing asreligious women is notoriously naïve and ignorantabout the systemic nature of poverty. Most of the workwe do on poverty eradication is mere tokenism. Wegive generously to poor people and in so doing, weexonerate governments from addressing what isprimarily a political problem. Teaching advocacy skills iskey to addressing this issue.

One of my first commitments was to join Religious atthe UN (RUN), which turned out to be one of the mosteffective organizations in place here. RUN works as a

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must ACT!

creative network, operating in a consistent andcollaborative way with a quality of engagement andmonitoring that puts many governments to shame. Iam deeply indebted to the men and women religiouswith whom I have worked and walked the corridors ofthe UN for the past ten years.

I also learned very quickly that to work at the UN oneneeds to have a clear and strong vision of what ispossible; to be open to discovering what gives life; todream the impossible and design and reconstructanother world view, or to think outside the box with aboldness that is about destiny and empowerment forall. It is to create the space to think differently or, asprofessional photographer Dewitt Jones says soeloquently, “Creativity is the ability to look at theordinary, and see the extraordinary.”Embracing the idea of Universal Citizenship is key toworking in a collaborative way in the socio-politicalenvironment of the UN. The Irish poet John O’Donohuedescribes it in this way:

...The industry of distractionMakes us forgetThat we live in a universeAnd we become convertsTo the religion of stressAnd adore its deity of progress,That we may have the courageNot to stay lostIn the familiar placesBut come to kneel downBefore the poorTo discover what we must doTo turn our anxietyInto righteous anger,And find our way home.1

As I began to live my life in ever-widening circles, myworldview widened. Through meeting or visiting withour Mercy Family all over the world, I no longer felt justa citizen of Ireland and gradually adopted the conceptof becoming something bigger and more inclusive. As Iinteracted and met our members, I came to know thatmany of our Sisters live fully – though not in the glare ofthe spotlight – what we are supposed to be about asSisters of Mercy. For me, they have continuouslyrepresented the living witnesses who bring theBeatitudes to life; they respond to Mercy and ourChristian endeavours with integrity and a passion for life.At times, when I have felt discouraged or lonely, Iremember those of you in the classrooms, clinics,hospices, slums and barrios who bring energy andreceive energy, renaming and claiming the truth aboutGod. When I think about what you attempt to do, I amreminded what Irene Claremont De Castillejo says:

1. John O’Donohue, A Book of Blessings, TransworldPublishers, London, 2007, pp. 163-164.

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must ACT!

Only a few achieve the colossal task of holdingtogether, without being split asunder, the clarity oftheir vision alongside an ability to take their place ina materialistic world. They are the modernheroes…Artists at least have a form within whichthey can hold their own conflicting oppositestogether. But there are some who have norecognized artistic form to serve this purpose, theyare the artists of the living. To my mind these are thesupreme heroes in a soulless society.2

Many memories flashbefore my eyes as I lookback with gratitude onthese past ten years. The“Bridging the Gap”conferences and thebrave new world which

so many desire await our creative engagement. TheMercy women who travelled across continents andoceans to be part of eight “Gap” teams ignited a flame ofinterconnectedness by offering each other a creativeway of engaging with and imagining the conditionsrequired for transformative change to happen.

When schools and colleges came to visit our Mercy officeat the UN, young minds and hearts, filled with thepassion of youth, offered and challenged MGC to thinkabout developing and linking with this uniqueopportunity to create a vision of networking withagencies and organizations committed to transformativejustice. I know that many of our young people were

invited to step out of the comfort zones of the local,the national and the confines of our various structural

configurations, into the international global arena,where the values of the Reign of God confront usin those who are displaced, unwanted, hungryand deprived in a world of plenty.

As I close the door of Mercy GlobalConcern for the last time, I do so with aheart full of gratitude.

2. Irene Claremont De Castillejo in The Heart Arousedby David Whyte, Doubleday, 1994, p. 1.

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must ACT!

• To the women and men who have become mycolleagues and friends at the UN, thank you.

• To the people in the UN Systems who never forgottheir roots as members of civil society, especiallyNoeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary General of AsiaPacific and former Executive Director of UNIFEM,for her example, wisdom, advice as a member ofthe MGC advisory board and especially for herfriendship. Thank you, Noeleen.

• I thank my friend Carol Rittner, RSM for herfriendship and support over the past number ofyears. Thank you, Carol.

• To Ellen Vopicka, the faithful friend of MercyGlobal Concern, who supported and financedmany of the creative initiatives which set MGCapart as a place of advocacy and learning. Thankyou, Ellen.

• To Pat Hartigan, for having the vision and foresightover 30 years ago to get the Sisters of MercyECSOC status, and who again and again foundways to support and encourage the many projectswe delivered over the years. Thank you, Pat.

• To all of YOU who took part in the “Gap”programmes and other MGC seminars, internshipsand activities for your wisdom, commitment andsense of dreaming. Thank you.

• I thank Anne Walshe at Fraynework Multimediafor her careful editing of the hundreds of pieceswhich I sent every week and for her faithfulnessto the story.

• I thank Don Mullan, Glen Powell and WendyWhitworth for their help over the years.

• I thank the members of Mercy InternationalAssociation over the years for their support andencouragement.

• I am grateful to the MGC advisory team who werealways at the end of the phone and travelled manymiles, leaving aside their own schedules, tosupport the work of Mercy at the UN.

• I thank very specially all my family and friendsespecially Moya, Ann, Assumpta, Deirdre Mary,Michael, Cartherine, Teresa, Nellie and Paschal fortheir calls, letters, emails and encouragement overthe years. You were constant bridge-builders andyour voice and news from home kept me bothgrounded and connected to the ordinary.

• Finally, I thank the Congregation of the Sisters ofMercy of Ireland, especially the Northern Province,for encouraging me to apply for and avail myself ofthis unique opportunity to engage with the perilsand possibilities of our time.

As I discern the many offers I have for the next stage inthis exciting life, I am reminded of the words of authorand philosopher Howard Thurman: “Don’t just ask whatthe world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, andthen go do it, because what the world needs is peoplewho have come alive.”

Deirdre Mullan, RSMMay 31, 2011

Deirdremullanun@aol.com