High school establishes event to highlight Mercy values

The Mercy values established by Catherine McCauley when she started the Sisters of Mercy in 1827 are still being fostered at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock.
On Feb. 5, 1851, five sisters and four postulants began teaching in Little Rock. Their determination to bring a Catholic education to Arkansas established the roots that have become Mercy leadership and teaching the Mercy values.
For more than 20 years, Sister Deborah Troillett, RSM, has served at the all-girls high school and as her time in the ministry progressed she became more aware of the many women leaders in the Little Rock area that were associated with Mount St. Mary as alumnae or as parents who were choosing Mount St. Mary for their daughters. As a result of this, she began to dream of a “signature” event that would celebrate the mission and Mercy values that were being shown by the leaders.
There are eight Mercy values, including hospitality; compassion, mercy and justice; and service to the poor, sick and uneducated.
With Mount St. Mary celebrating the 160th anniversary of its founding, this dream became a reality. On April 5, Mount St. Mary celebrated the inaugural Mercy and Me luncheon. For the sold-out luncheon, nearly 700 alumnae, parents, students and volunteers came together at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock. Along with celebrating the leadership of the women who attended Mount St. Mary and throughout the community, the luncheon also helped raise money to insure that all students are always able to pursue leadership opportunities, no matter their economic situation. The proceeds will benefit tuition assistance and leadership development.
“Perseverance is the drive to keep going when things get tough and the will to reach your goals no matter how long it takes or the obstacles,” mother Patti Moellers Drake of Little Rock said.
Drake, a member of Christ the King Church in Little Rock, spoke of her childhood and how there were always leaders to follow being the middle of nine children in Pine Bluff.
In November 2009, Drake’s daughter, Mary, was in a serious car wreck. She should never have survived, but through this Drake said God was calling her family to follow him. Nothing that happened during Mary’s hospital stay did Drake see as mere coincidence but as a call to trust in the Lord and surrender to his will.
Jennifer Weiler Broach, a 1985 graduate of Mount St. Mary, spoke on the call to leadership. An Army veteran, she told how her time spent at Mount St. Mary as an athlete showed her teamwork and helped in her position as a first sergeant in the Army. She said it offered her the opportunity to learn without limits and fail without ridicule. Broach said it was a financial struggle to attend MSM but encouraged all in attendance to pledge to the school in order to help subsidize the students’ tuition, so that all girls seeking an education at the Mount could attend regardless of their financial situation.
The luncheon ended with the Mercy and Me video, where students, faculty and staff spoke on what it means to be a leader and how the Mercy values affected everyone both inside and outside.
“I feel certain that everyone present took away deepened faith, renewed hope and deep joy from the event. I hope everyone came away with a refreshed appreciation for the mission vision and values of Mount St. Mary Academy,” Sister Deborah said.
“As a Mount alum and a person who continues to work with MSM through music and faith formation, it was a joy to be there and feel the spirit of God, the Mercy tradition and to see the students’ youthful faces of hope and promise,” said Susej Burks Thompson, a 1995 alumna.

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