Mercy Outreach
Built upon a longstanding Mercy tradition, service activities play an integral role in supporting students in learning the meaning of Mercy by reaching out to those in need. Service activities span every grade level and draw the entire school community together to foster a sense of responsibility for the less fortunate. Each school year, our students and their families can be counted on to give selflessly of their time, talent and treasure to many organizations, including the following:
- Dollars for Peru, a traditional Mercy Day celebration collecting pennies for the Sisters of Mercy Peruvian mission. All students are urged to bring in their own contribution for this friendly grade vs. grade competition. All donations are totalled on a grade basis and the announcement of the big winner is eagerly anticipated. All monies collected as part of Dollars for Peru are donated to the Sisters of Mercy's sponsored works in Peru which operates to aid women and children by promoting the development of practical career skills.
- Manna on Main Street
- Spring House Estates, where Service Club members visit with “Senior Partners” in the medical facility.
- Families in need in St. Vincent’s and other Philadelphia parishes who have had their Christmas enhanced by gifts purchased with the proceeds from the National Junior Honor Society bake sale, the Student Council poinsettia sale and all the gifts collected on our Christmas Family Prayer Service.
Mercy Connections
What is Mercy Connections? It is an endeavor through which Gwynedd-Mercy Academy students have an opportunity grow in awareness of those less fortunate than themselves. Each grade is connected to a particular ministry that has ties to the Sisters of Mercy – ministries that involve direct service to the poor, sick, or uneducated. During the course of the year, the students ‘connect’ with the ministry by learning about its mission and often times, meeting the people involved in the particular work of Mercy.
- Kindergarten - McAuley Convent
- 1st Grade - Mercy Hospice
- 2nd Grade - Honickman Learning Center
- 3rd Grade - Project Mercy
- 4th Grade - Mercy Neighborhood Ministries
- 5th Grade - Women of Hope
- 6th and 7th Grades - Hope Partnership for Education
- 8th Grade - Project HOME