Dear Friends,

These words from Adrienne Rich, "The moment of change is the only poem” strike me as apt for the unfolding of things as we will bid farewell to Sister Mary Daly. She is moving to St. Mary Home in West Hartford after 31 years at Mercy by the Sea. 

Sister Mary, spiritual guide, artist, mentor, presenter, wise woman to countless people, leaves an enduring legacy. One cannot walk the land or though the Center without noticing her presence. She is in the white rose that hangs in the chapel, in the Mary C. Daly Art Gallery and her paintings adorn the walls throughout the building.

However, I would venture that she is most especially present in the on-going seeking of the Divine in the hundreds who have been spiritually formed and accompanied by Mary through these 31 years. What gift and what grace Mercy by the Sea has been privileged with through Mary! We are so grateful for all she has been and wish her God’s abundant blessings as the poem of her life now continues to be written in a new place.  

In Mercy,

Sr. Anne Curtis, RSM
Executive Director

Ministering at Mercy by the Sea for the past 31 years has been a life enriching, life-giving experience.

Just consider the place of the ministry; the woods, the ever-changing sky, the grounds with its gardens and rocks, the sunrises and sunsets, the moon over the sea, to say nothing of the sea itself – in calm, in storm, at high tide and low - and when it is rolling over my outstretched arms. Could there be a more beautiful spot to serve?

Then there are the people enabling my ministry, those who over the years have supported and furthered the work of this ministry by planning, registering, cooking, cleaning, cutting trees and painting walls, answering phones, and scores of hidden services.

There are those with whom I lived and collaborated in the ministry, spiritual directors and program presenters. And there are the people to whom I ministered, God-seekers from all walks of life who are the reason for the place, the workers, the collaborators, and my presence here for 31 years.

What a great joy.