Our Commitment
14 Sister congregations throughout the state of Wisconsin have committed to spreading hope throughout the country. Each congregation has pledged to do 250 Acts of Mercy throughout 2026. This commitment is in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and is aimed at manifesting God’s mercy and forming a “more perfect union” through corporal and spiritual acts of mercy.
What Is Mercy?
A Pope Francis reminded us in the 2016 Jubilee of Mercy, “Mercy is not an abstraction but a lifestyle consisting in concrete gestures rather than mere words: reaching out and touching others and institutionalizing the works of mercy. ”
In Matthew 25, Jesus provides us with a model of some of those “concrete gestures:”
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” – Matthew 25:35-36
This list of actions is a keen reminder that mercy impacts physical and emotional wellbeing and offers the gift of hope and renewed dignity to the recipient. Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2447 defines the Works of Mercy as charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his or her spiritual and bodily necessities.
Through their very nature, these acts create relationships across boundaries. Mercy brings unity and togetherness to otherwise divisive environments, helping the giver and the receiver understand one another’s points of view in a new way.
How Will CSA Manifest Mercy?
St. Teresa of Avila challenges us to remember that “Christ has no body on Earth but ours, no hands, but ours, no feet, but ours...” The Sisters of St. Agnes regularly participate in the mission of Christ through individual acts of mercy in many ways such as offering prayer intentions during Mass, leading initiatives to support the unhoused, participating in community “drives” for clothing and other necessities, providing spiritual direction, being present with the dying, caring for water resources, and preparing food for those in need. On a congregational level, CSA shares the blessings our partners in ministry have provided to us through donations to public services who are feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless firsthand.
This new commitment offers an opportunity to renew the intention behind these acts that are often a natural part of daily life.