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Social Justice Tag: Women

A monthly series of in-depth, curated articles exploring Mercy's Critical Concerns and their intersection with current events and the work of justice.

July 2026

Articles from Mercy:

Local Justice News & Upcoming Mercy Events

Justice Resources & Links

Critical Considerations

Are contradictions determining U.S. elections?

Karen Donahue, RSM

This month, the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, this milestone comes at a time characterized by high levels of political polarization and just four months before the 2026 midterm elections, elections that could well determine the future direction of the country.

Two recent articles shed some light on questions that have puzzled political observers over the past several election cycles: why do people vote for candidates who do not promote their interests, or vote for candidates who are seriously flawed?

In an article published in the Guardian, Saida Grundy, associate professor of sociology and African American studies at Boston University, said that white working-class voters who comprise the MAGA base are motivated less by economic concerns than by “access to power over other racial groups.” Grundy goes on to examine the long history of efforts to prevent African American and low-income white workers from joining together and acting in solidarity around their common concerns.

She observes that when governments support multiracial democracy or are seen as responsive to Black social movements, working class and poor whites tend to support politicians who push for tax cuts and slash the programs on which low-income people rely. In closing she says, “No amount of persuasion will move those who have chosen to maintain control and violence over putting food on the table when the point of their trade-off is keeping others from putting food on theirs.”

In response to the senatorial primary elections in Maine and Texas, where two scandal-ridden candidates won, Charlie Hunt, an associate Professor of political science at Boise State University, discusses party polarization and negative partisanship, two factors which have greater consequences today than in past years.

The gap between the two major parties on policy choices, issue positions and culture is wide today. This polarization is moving beyond these differences to personal animosity between Republicans and Democrats and is escalating to the point where they not only disagree but see the other party as a threat.

Voters are now “making decisions based not on who should win elections but rather on who shouldn’t. The opposing party is not just the less preferred option – it’s a threat that must be stopped at all costs. Voters constantly report feeling the need to “hold their noses” and vote for the “lesser of two evils.” The alternative – the other party taking power – is too grave to permit a truly principled stand. As a result, the race to the bottom continues, because the other side will always be worse.”

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Featured Contributor

Ecumenical Advocacy Days as a first timer

John Charles McAllister-Ashley; Institute Justice Team

John Charles, a member of the Justice Team, attended Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) in Washington, D.C. for the first time in April 2026. This reflection is offered as a window into a first-time advocate’s experience for the benefit of other first-timers. This year marked EAD’s return to in-person advocacy after COVID-19 took the events online in 2020 after decades of annual events in D.C. The event, co-sponsored by the Mercy Justice Team, adopted a more grassroots-style feel in 2026 and is scheduled to return to D.C. in mid-April 2027.

This was the first time that I had attended an event with so many like-minded individuals. I learned so much and made amazing connections in a short 48 hours. From meeting people I only see periodically in on-screen, digital boxes (thank you, Zoom!) to making lasting connections with new people, it was an overwhelming experience but also so powerful to see that the work of justice is getting done by people in so many walks of life. I met a number of people who hold our Justice Director, Marianne Comfort, in high regard, and that really sealed the deal that I was in the right place.

I attended two workshops at EAD. Christian Watkins from NETWORK shared about How to Fight Authoritarianism, and Alex Parker of the ELCA Advocacy Office presented Advocacy 101, a solid foundation of where to start your advocacy as a beginner. I took a lot of what he said into our visits with House and Senate office staff.

Honestly, I was not in my element during our Capitol Hill visits, but I was accompanied by experienced advocates who carried the meetings, showed me the ropes, and made room for me to participate at a comfortable level. Our meetings, especially the first, were very productive. We met with Kweisi Mfume’s Legislative Director, Andrew Heineman. He spoke to us with respect and was very supportive of the FEMA Act of 2025 (H.R. 4669) and the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (S. 455 / H.R. 1061). We also met with Senator Chris Van Hollen’s Legislative Correspondents, Myesha Hussein and Leo Confalone. They were both receptive to the FEMA Act and Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, but they were nowhere near as vocally supportive as our previous meeting. Finally, we met with Angela Alsobrooks’s National Security Advisor, Jonathan Lord. I was surprised our meeting was with him, as our subject bills were not in his area of expertise, but he seemed very optimistic about the FEMA Act and stated he would look into the Sensitive Locations Act. I was able to make a memorable connection in Senator Alsobrooks’s office, as I have a family member that works on her staff.

Overall, it was a great experience but not uncomplicated. The House and Senate office buildings create some sensory challenges with hard, echo-prone walls and confusing floorplans, and my discomfort was compounded by the feeling that I was underdressed. I enjoyed my time, but I would have felt more ready to express myself and speak up if I had done more homework on our chosen bills. I think with proper preparation, a more formal outfit, and a fresh haircut, I would fit exceptionally well in that environment and hold my own to contribute more meaningfully. Next time will be better, and there definitely will be a next time.

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Article Archive

2026

July

Critical Considerations:

Are contradictions determining U.S. elections?

Ecumenical Advocacy Days as a first timer

June

Critical Considerations:

What does habeas corpus have to do with immigration?

Nutrition assistance and the Farm Bill

Guns, Pride, Juneteenth, and the Emanuel 9

May

Critical Considerations:

Has Eisenhower’s worst nightmare come true?

The nonviolent struggle in Peru (español)

Participation in democracy

Report on global fossil fuel transition conference

Catholic high school visits Casa Misericordia and Sister Mary Waskowiak

April

The dangers of ending TPS for Haiti

Santa Marta conference on fossil fuel transition

Voting: How we know voter fraud in the U.S. is very rare

U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

“What? and “Now what?”

March

Voting: Threats to this fundamental right in democracies

Nurturing Justice and Living Faith

Permitting reform and extractivism

High School student’s reflection on advocacy immersion in Washington, D.C.

February

Critical Considerations:

We have a choice: oligarchy or democracy?

Critical Concerns in Focus: Immigration (español)

Names and naming make a difference in perceptions of reality

Reflections on Honduras

January

Critical Considerations:

Is history repeating itself in Venezuela?

U.S. withdraws from UNFCCC

(click years to expand)

2025

December

The Catholic Church responds to the threat of authoritarianism

Post—COP 30 report

Critical Considerations:

The United States: global citizen or global pariah?

November

Critical Considerations:

NSPM-7: Countering or perpetrating political violence?

Advocating on harms of extractive industries

Argentina y el avance del colonialismo / Argentina and the advance of colonialism

Countering misinformation

October

Critical Considerations:

Is it time to reform the Insurrection Act?

COP 30 in the Amazon & Raising Hope in Rome

The dangers of falsely linking Tylenol to autism

September

Mercy sisters call for urgent defense of immigrants

Social extractivism

Critical Considerations:

What is Posse Comitatus all about?

Everyday pilgrimages: the Earth is the Lord’s

August

Critical Considerations:

Are we doomed to a perpetual nuclear arms race?

Love and care of creation in local ecologies

Church document ahead of COP30

July

Critical Considerations:

What’s at stake in Israel’s destruction of Gaza?

Have you heard of Black August?

DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Mercy Life Gathering in Panama

June

Vampires, Sharecropping, and the Real History of Juneteenth

Protecting Children and Vulnerable Adults from Abuse in the Philippines

Critical Considerations:

What’s really driving border enforcement?

May

A letter to Pope Francis

Critical Considerations:

Is this really an emergency?

Trump’s attacks on women

April

The cultural battle advances

Critical Considerations:

What’s going on with tariffs?

Water extractivism in Palestine

March

Hope for Panama in truth

Deportation stigma in Jamaica

Critical Considerations:

Who benefits from tax cuts? Who pays?

April is SWANA Heritage Month

NETWORK webinar on U.S. federal policy

February

National declaration of emergency in Bajo Aguán

Critical Considerations:

Has the United States declared war on immigrants?

What energy emergency?

January

If you make a mess, clean it up! (Advocacy success in NY)

Youth claim climate victory in Montana court

Critical Considerations:

Was January 1, 2025 a wake-up call?

2024

December

Gender and climate justice

Critical Considerations:

Is the United States becoming a plutocracy?

Making nuclear weapons taboo

November

Critical Considerations:

What happened on November 5, 2024?

The Ecological Debt

October

Overturning the Chevron deference

Critical Considerations:

Who are the Israeli settlers and what motivates them?

Assassination of Honduran water protector deeply grieves Sisters of Mercy

September

God walks with his people: National Migration Week September 23–29

Critical Considerations:

What does CEO compensation say about corporate priorities?

Anxiety – election season can heighten it!

August

Critical Considerations:

What is Project 2025 all about?

Working to stop weapon exports to Haiti

Beyond Voting:

Participating in Elections, part 2

July

Critical Considerations:

Is there a better way to spend $91 billion?

Education, Agriculture, & Emigration in the Philippines

Beyond Voting:

Participating in Elections, part 1

June

Critical Considerations:

Are we creating a prison-industrial complex?

Conscience

Mercy student videos address the Critical Concerns

May

Critical Considerations:

Degrowth is the only sane survival plan

Argentina and the government of hate

Listening to a chorus of voices

April

Critical Considerations:

An Israeli Jesuit reflects on war in the Holy Land

Advocacy Success! Expanded Background Checks for Gun Sales

March

Military spending and national (in)security

February

The challenge Gaza war presents for American Jews

January

Gaza war threatens credibility of West’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law

2023

December

Climate Summit fails to adequately respond to gravity of climate crisis

November

Critical Considerations:

The dangers of conflating Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism

Red flag laws in jeopardy: faith voices speak to save them

October

Jewish and Palestinian perspectives on Gaza crisis

September

U.S. China tensions impact efforts to address climate change

August

When Good Economic Policy Isn’t Enough

July

States Move to Weaken Protections for Child Workers

June

Corporate Lobbyists at Climate Talks

May

Electric Vehicle Transition Challenges

April

Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery

March

Misrepresenting War

February

The Rise of Christian Nationalism

January

How the News is Reported Affects What We Know

2022

December

How Corporations Took Over the Government

November

The Independent State Legislature Theory Explained

October

The Next Phase in the Voting Wars

Local Justice News & Upcoming Events

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Mercy Justice Resource Pages

Spirituality Integration Resource for Justice (SIRJ)
Nurturing Justice and Living Faith / Fomentar la justicia y la fe viva
  • Women / Mujeres
  • Other Critical Concern-focused documents are planned but not yet completed

Peace & Justice Calendars

View the current month’s Mercy Peace & Justice Calendar on our website.

Download Past Calendars
2026

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

2025

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

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These are some of the ways in which the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas will more fully live Laudato Si’ in 2026. To see the fourth year action plan click here.

Responding to the Cry of the Earth

The Department of Climate and Sustainability commits to:

Groundbreaking for the solar project in Belmont, NC.

• Estimate 2025 carbon emissions from utilities (e.g., electricity, gas) and vehicle usage throughout the Institute and compare to 2024 emissions to determine the impact of energy efficiency initiatives implemented over the past year;

• Finalize the development of a Sustainability Dashboard to assess, monitor, and effectively communicate the implementation of sustainability initiatives at major properties throughout the Institute;

• Complete construction of the Belmont, NC, solar array project;

• Finalize details of a strategy to stabilize the shoreline and prevent future erosion from coastal storms and sea-level rise at the Mercy by the Sea Spiritual Retreat and Conference Center; and

• Continue engaging in research that fosters awareness of potential environmental and social justice concerns related to plastic/paper consumption alternatives, renewable energy, and fuel-efficient vehicles. A dynamic webpage or app will be developed to share the results of this research within and external to the Sisters of Mercy.

Mercy Volunteer Corps will continue to partner with Mercy Ecology/Mercy Ecospirituality Center with hopes to place four volunteers in a short-term summer opportunity focused on care of the land and animals and sustainability practices.

Responding to the Cry of the Poor

The Justice Team will launch its extractivism map to showcase examples of Mercy sisters, associates and co-workers educating about, advocating on and resisting extractivism projects around the world.

 Mercy Volunteer Corps will:

• add a short-term placement at ARISE Adelante, a ministry that focuses on women’s empowerment, immigration and the environment in the Rio Grande Valley near the Texas-Mexico border.

• continue its partnership with Sanctuary Farm Philadelphia by offering a yearlong volunteer placement opportunity focused on supporting healthy communities in an economically deprived neighborhood and healing through a relationship with the Earth.

Mercy Investment Services will expand and deepen the integration of environmental, social and governance investment strategies by:

• actively allocating capital to address diversity gaps amongst decision-makers and financial access within the Inclusive Opportunities Fund;

• continuing to expand the emerging managers program supporting firms being shut out of traditional capital markets and overlooked by mainstream investors;

• discouraging companies from being involved in activities that identify and exclude immigrants from full participation in society; and

• deepening Mercy Partnership Fund’s continued dedication to racial and gender equity as well as those investment strategies that emphasize international opportunities.

Staff and volunteers at ARISE Adelante in McAllen, TX.

Ecological Economics

Mercy Investment Services will:

• Continue to ground our investment actions in seeking prophetic change in climate action and solutions;

• Partner with other investors to engage corporations on water stewardship, greenhouse gas emissions, plastics use, biodiversity and other important issues; and  

• Speak out against regulatory and legislative changes that negatively impact creation.

Sustainable Lifestyles

The Department of Climate and Sustainability will:

• visit sisters and staff at various locations throughout the Institute to discuss concerns related to climate and sustainability as well as ongoing projects and also to continue to serve as a resource for Mercy ministries and other religious congregations around more sustainable lifestyles.

• continue providing articles on  sustainability topics to the Mercy Tips to Care for Earth, with the Justice Team and Communications Department, and to the Mercy schools’ newsletter on a monthly basis.

Mercy Volunteer Corps will:

• Collect utility usage data for volunteer residences located throughout the United States and investigate renewable energy options.

• Invite the Institute Justice Team and Climate and Sustainability Director to volunteer formation retreats to promote awareness about current work and to motivate/empower for personal lifestyle changes.

• Include monthly “Care for Creation” reflections (offered by the Cincinnati Mercy Community) as a regular resource in our monthly newsletter.

Ecological Education

Mercy Education, building on progress made in 2025, will continue to deepen our ministry’s commitment to ecological awareness and sustainable practices in these ways:

• Continue publishing the monthly column in our Flash newsletter, sharing practical sustainability insights from Jason Giovannettone, Director of Climate & Sustainability, to help schools put Mercy values into environmental action;

• Issue a special edition of Mercy Impact to spotlight major sustainability projects across its network, celebrating how Mercy schools are leading by example in caring for our common home;

• Explore and implement alternatives to traditional lanyards for events, since they cannot be reused for sanitary reasons. We estimate this change will keep approximately 400 lanyards out of landfills each year; and

• Engage in education around the environmental cost of technology use, including email, artificial intelligence, and digital storage. We will explore practical steps—such as adding an optional note in email signatures encouraging thoughtful communication—to reduce unnecessary digital energy consumption.

Mercy college students at the United Nations.

The Justice Team will plan a series of educational programs to deepen understanding of the root causes of our critical concerns of Earth, immigration, nonviolence, racism and women.

Mercy Volunteer Corps will collaborate with the Justice Team to host an online session for volunteers to more clearly draw links between care for the Earth, earth justice and spirituality.

Ecological Spirituality

The Justice Team will:

• promote Laudato Si Animator training to equip sisters, associates and co-workers to shift consciousness of their communities around environmental and climate justice.

• continue Friday reflections sent out to our 6,000 advocates that offer spiritual nourishment and encouragement amidst the struggles for social and environmental justice and nonviolence.

Sisters and others participate in a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation on the Hudson River.

Community Resilience and Empowerment

The Justice Team will:

• begin to plan for targeted state-level advocacy on issues related to our critical concerns. 

• begin planning for building out a Mercy justice network to more intentionally reach out to others in Mercy beyond the sisters to engage them in education, advocacy, public witness and solidarity.

Sister Rosita Sidasmed at COP30.
View last year’s grand prize winning video. (*Note: the contest themes have changed for 2026.)

The Mercy Justice Team needs you, a Mercy student, to create a short, social media style PSA (public service announcement) video – think Reels or TikTok – that reflects the Sisters of Mercy’s Critical Concerns. Put those creative ideas and video skills to work and you could win $500!

What does it mean to allow others to be fully human without judgment?

The 2026 contest theme is: Embracing Dignity and Respect. Through the lenses of the Mercy Critical Concerns and the Core Values of Mercy Education, use your video to engage one of these ideas:

How can we stand up with others or stand up for others?

How can we go beyond tolerance to embrace diversity?

To receive information, updates and reminders about this year’s contest, sign up here and we’ll be in touch. Click here to learn rules for entry and how to upload your video.

View the grand prize winning video from 2024. (*Note: the contest themes have changed for 2026.)

Purpose

For this year’s contest we are seeking short, PSA style videos (30 to 90 seconds) that are suitable for sharing on social media platforms such as TikTok or Reels. In an increasingly divided and polarized world, your video should reflect the charism of Mercy and connect to one or more of the Mercy Critical Concerns. Videos could focus on:

Why it is important to value or celebrate our differences

Encouraging support of oppressed or marginalized groups in society

A story of standing in solidarity with others

Contest Webinar

Watch our 13 minute webinar to learn more about this year’s contest.

Who Can Enter

Any student or group of students, high school age or older, enrolled in Mercy high schools, colleges/universities, or involved in a Mercy-affiliated ministry.

Use this tip-sheet to help you as you begin the process of creating your video.

Format

Read the complete rules

Length: 30 to 90 seconds

Language: English or Spanish

Other Requirements

1. Title. Each video must have a title. The title must be indicated on the submission form. The title does not need to be included in the video itself.

2. Credits. Credits must include the name of those involved in the creation of the video. The credits must also include citations for any images, audio, or text used in the video that is not original. The credits do not need to be included in the video itself, but must be included in the submission form.

The Sisters of Mercy may delete title and credit screens before posting videos on social media.

Entrants are strongly encouraged to use original footage and graphics as much as possible.

Important Note on Rules: In order to honor copyright protections, rules regarding use of images and music were updated for the 2022 contest and remain in effect for 2026. See the complete rules for details.

Deadline

All entries must be received by April 1, 2026.

Prizes

A panel of judges will use these criteria to select the winning video. Individual winners will receive financial awards. The Grand Prize Winner receives $500.

Winning entries may be featured on the Sisters of Mercy Institute web site and social media channels. Winners and their winning institution will be formally announced.

Interested?

If you think you might be interested in entering this contest, fill out this form to receive contest information and updates.

Past Winners

Click here to view all of our past winners.

These are some of the ways in which the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas will more fully live Laudato Si’ in 2025. To see the third year action plan click here.

Responding to the Cry of the Earth

The climate sustainability director will:

  • Estimate initial annual carbon emissions from utilities (e.g., electricity, gas, and water) and vehicle usage throughout the Institute;
  • Work with the solar installation company to implement agreed-upon solar and battery design for the Belmont, NC, solar array project; and 
  • Work with a contractor to stabilize the shoreline at Mercy by the Sea Spiritual Retreat and Conference Center to prevent future erosion from coastal storms and sea-level rise.

Responding to the Cry of the Poor

The Justice Team will deepen education and advocacy about the harms of extractivism to communities and the environment through: 

  • Engaging communities beyond the Sisters of Mercy in small groups using our Awakening to a New Consciousness on Extractivism resources;
  • Accompanying communities most harmed by extractivism, including through local extractivism immersion experiences; and 
  • Giving special attention to water injustices experienced by communities on the front lines of extractive industries, in partnership with Mercy Global Action’s water justice initiative. 
  • The Justice Team will organize immersion experiences at the U.S.-Mexico border to expand the number of sisters, associates, companions and co-workers who are educated about immigration policy and the reality at the border and connections between immigration and environmental and climate justice.  
  • Mercy Investment Services will expand and deepen the integration of environmental, social and governance investment strategies by:
    • Actively allocating capital to address diversity gaps amongst decision-makers and financial access within the Inclusive Opportunities Fund;  
    • Continuing expanding the emerging managers program supporting firms owned or products managed by people with diverse or underrepresented backgrounds; and  
    • Deepening Mercy Partnership Fund’s continued dedication to racial and gender equity as well as those that emphasize international opportunities.

Ecological Economics

Mercy Investment Services will:

  • Continue to ground our investment actions in seeking prophetic change in climate action and solutions;
  • Partner with other investors to engage corporations on water stewardship, greenhouse gas emissions, plastics use, biodiversity and other important issues; and  
  • Use our position as a faith-based investor to defend the rights of investors to choose investments that care for the Earth.

Sustainable Lifestyles

  • The Director of Climate and Sustainability will develop and update flyers to create awareness of and provide practical sustainable lifestyle tips related to meetings and events, office supplies and electronics, health and wellness, emergency management and sustainability on a tight budget. 
  • The Justice Team and Climate and Sustainability Director will continue the monthly Mercy Tips to Care for Earth. 

Ecological Education

  • Mercy Education System of the Americas plans to:
    • Revamp the environmental science course in its Mercy Learning Online program, specifically the water lesson, to incorporate resources from Mercy Global Action; 
    • Launch a monthly column in its weekly newsletter highlighting sustainability initiatives across Mercy schools;
    • Enhance sustainability efforts at meetings and events by being mindful of supplies ordered and encouraging participants to bring reusable water bottles; and 
    • Promote active participation in Laudato Si pilgrimages across the schools.
  • A Mercy associate in Guyana will socialize her guidebook and set of advocacy tools for communities to understand the risks of the growing oil and gas industry in her country, and that will become a template for similar education elsewhere.
  • The Climate and Sustainability Director will visit the sisters and staff to discuss concerns related to climate and sustainability as well as ongoing projects, and also serve as a resource for Mercy ministries and other religious congregations.
  • The Justice Team will invite Mercy high school, college and university students to submit short videos on reducing consumption to better care for earth and on the positive impact that women have in the world. The winning videos will be showcased on our website.
  •  The Justice Team will plan a blog series to highlight the ways in which sisters, associates, companions and co-workers are hearing the cry of Earth and the cry of people who are poor.

Ecological Spirituality

  • The Justice Team, along with partner Catholic organizations in the U.S., will promote and provide support to sisters, associates, companions and ministries organizing Laudato Si pilgrimages to celebrate the encyclical’s 10th anniversary. 
  • The Justice Team will promote Laudato Si Animator trainings to equip sisters, associates and co-workers to shift consciousness of their communities around environmental and climate justice. 

Community Participation and Empowerment

  • The Justice Team will engage in advocacy and education leading up to COP 30 in Brazil with partners from ecclesial networks (REPAM, REMAM and REGCHAG) and the Churches and Mining Network. 
  • The Justice Team will lead U.S. advocacy among congregations of women religious and interfaith partners to stem deforestation, address the harms of mining in the energy transition, and support environmental protections and climate policies.  
View last year’s grand prize winning video. (*Note: the contest themes have changed for 2025.)

The Mercy Justice Team needs you, a Mercy student, to create a short, social media style PSA (public service announcement) video – think Reels or TikTok – that reflects the Sisters of Mercy’s Critical Concerns. Put those creative ideas and video skills to work and you could win $500!

How do women impact the world for good?

How can individuals reduce their consumption to better care for the Earth?

What is a policy or campaign that could help people reduce their consumption?

Who are the heroines of the Mercy Critical Concerns?

To receive information, updates and reminders about this year’s contest, complete this form and we’ll be in touch. Click here to learn rules for entry and how to upload your video.

View the grand prize winning videos from 2023. (*Note: the contest themes have changed for 2025.)

Purpose

For this year’s contest we are seeking short, PSA style videos (30 to 90 seconds) that are suitable for sharing on social media platforms such as TikTok or Reels. Video entries must focus on one of these topics:

The Power of Women
  • Videos should reflect the charism of Mercy and highlight the gifts and contributions that women, either individually or collectively, bring to society.
  • Videos could promote the contributions of women, tell the story, past or present, of a woman or women engaged in Mercy or justice, or dream about the future for women in society.
Reducing Consumption
  • Videos should reflect the Mercy Critical Concerns, especially the Critical Concern for Earth, but do not need to identify the Critical Concerns specifically.
  • Videos should encourage actions toward reducing consumption either on the personal or societal level.
  • Videos could be inspirational or motivational, provide a ‘how-to’ process for reducing consumption or provide information about the consequences of conspicuous consumption.

Contest Webinar

Watch our 17 minute webinar to learn more about this year’s contest.

Who Can Enter

Any student or group of students, high school age or older, enrolled in Mercy high schools, colleges/universities, or involved in a Mercy-affiliated ministry.

Use this tip-sheet to help you as you begin the process of creating your video.

Format

Read the complete rules

Length: 30 to 90 seconds

Language: English or Spanish

Other Requirements

1. Title. Each video must have a title. The title must be indicated on the submission form. The title does not need to be included in the video itself.

2. Credits. Credits must include the name of those involved in the creation of the video. The credits must also include citations for any images, audio, or text used in the video that is not original. The credits do not need to be included in the video itself, but must be included in the submission form.

The Sisters of Mercy may delete title and credit screens before posting videos on social media.

Entrants are strongly encouraged to use original footage and graphics as much as possible.

Important Note on Rules: In order to honor copyright protections, rules regarding use of images and music were updated for the 2022 contest and remain in effect for 2025. See the complete rules for details.

Deadline

All entries must be received by April 1, 2025.

Prizes

A panel of judges will use these criteria to select the winning video. Individual winners will receive financial awards. The Grand Prize Winner receives $500.

Winning entries may be featured on the Sisters of Mercy Institute web site and social media channels. Winners and their winning institution will be formally announced.

Interested?

If you think you might be interested in entering this contest, fill out this form to receive contest information and updates.

Past Winners

Click here to view all of our past winners.

These are some of the ways in which the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas will more fully live Laudato Si’ in 2024. To see the second year action plan click here.

Responding to the Cry of the Earth

  • The climate sustainability director will:
    • Collect utility usage data for smaller residences (i.e., apartments and houses) located throughout the United States. 
    • Expand community solar subscriptions to many of our houses and apartments for which such programs are available. 
    • Continue the electric vehicle (EV) pilot project at Merion, PA, with the purchase of an additional vehicle and the installation of additional EV chargers.  One other location will be selected to house an EV. Official guidance regarding the use, maintenance, and charging of EVs, along with concerns regarding metal mining, will be developed and implemented. 
    • Finalize guidance regarding the use of various sustainable and compostable alternatives to single-use plastic products.  A pilot location will be selected to test the overall process for implementing various parts of the guidance and determining what is needed (in addition to the installation of water-filling stations) in order to make the elimination of certain plastic products practical.  Complete the pilot solar project on the Belmont, NC, campus by the end of 2024.
  • Mercy Focus on Haiti aims to support the construction of 10 cisterns per month in the Gros Marne region, for the collection of rain water, using locally available materials. Cistern beneficiaries will receive training in the fundamentals of vegetable gardening, tree planting and reforestation, supporting both food production and the opportunity to sell surplus at market.

Responding to the Cry of the Poor

  • The Justice Team will deepen education and advocacy about the harms of extractivism to communities and the environment through: 
    • Mapping of extractivism near locations where the Institute has a significant presence; 
    • Educating the wider Mercy community about the experiences of communities most harmed by extractivism; 
    • Sharing more widely the statement on extractivism distributed among Chapter participants; 
    • Expanding our knowledge of extractivism to include practices such as agribusiness extracting nutrients from the land and the tourism industry dredging ports for cruise ships; and  
    • Solidarity and accompaniment of communities most harmed by extractivism
  • Sisters will continue participating in ecclesial networks (ie, in Meso-America and the regions of El Gran Chaco y el Acuífero Guaraní in South America) and will educate the rest of the congregation about how the Church is accompanying communities in these critical eco-systems.   
  • The Justice Team will participate in the “we are going to change the history of the climate and the planet!” campaign with the peoples of the Amazon in advance of international climate talks (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, in 2025.
  • Mercy Volunteer Corps has placed a volunteer yet again at Sanctuary Farm in Philadelphia and will offer short-term volunteer experiences at Mercy Ecological Center in Vermont.
  • Mercy Investment Services will expand and deepen the integration of environmental, social and governance investment strategies by:
    • Actively allocating capital to address diversity gaps amongst decision-makers and financial access within the Inclusive Opportunities Fund;  
    • Expanding the emerging managers program supporting firms owned or products managed by people with diverse or underrepresented backgrounds;  
    • Deepening Mercy Partnership Fund’s continued dedication to racial and gender equity as well as those that emphasize international opportunities; and  
    • Using our shareholder voice to explicitly call on companies to mitigate their impacts on people of color and to increase equity for disadvantaged communities.
  • Mercy Focus on Haiti will complete the fourth cohort of its poverty eradication program for women, and raise funds and set the stage for the fifth cohort. Participants from the first cohort will be able to create Village Savings and Loan Associations, which was offered to later cohorts as safe places to save money and access small loans. The first cohort participants also will be offered a tablet-based training program to develop the basics of finance and business skills.   Mercy Focus on Haiti will arrange for a physician member from the U.S. to make virtual visits with residents and walk-throughs of Bon Maison Samaritain, a house for persons who are elderly and infirm or mentally ill. Deteriorating conditions in Haiti have prevented in-person visits from the U.S.

Ecological Economics

  • Mercy Investment Services will:
    • Participate in learning opportunities to deepen our understanding of Catholic investing through documents such as Mensuram Bonam and Laudate Deum; 
    • Increase funding of mission-based environmental, social and governance investment managers and thematic managers in the equity fund;  
    • Originate additional commitments to impact managers in the Environmental Solutions Fund, which invests in renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, materials recycling, green buildings and sustainable agriculture;  
    • Commit additional investments to projects whose primary thematic area is environmental sustainability, impacts from the extractive sector or migration, or that address a just transition to a low‐carbon future in the Mercy Partnership Fund;  
    • Partner with other investors to engage corporations on water stewardship, greenhouse gas emissions, plastics use, biodiversity and other important issues; and  engage with other like-minded impact investors through the Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative, which is led by Francesco Collaborative, and through continued leadership within the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. 

Sustainable Lifestyles

  • The Justice Team and Climate and Sustainability Director will start exploring possibilities for working with other congregations of women religious to influence practices of dining service companies who serve our convents, retirement centers and other facilities. 
  • The Justice Team and Climate and Sustainability Director will continue the  Mercy Tips to Care for Earth as a monthly feature on the website. 

Ecological Education

  • Mercy Education has planned several activities for 2024:
    • “Generation Mercy,” an online meeting for students who are involved in Earth initiatives/clubs at their school, in the first half of the year; 
    • A commitment to highlight Earth in their newsletter at least 1 issue per month; 
    • Promote Mercy Meatless Mondays for the Lenten season; and 
    • Share some suggestions for Earth challenges for schools (i.e. zero waste meetings) to try to implement before Earth Day in April, then share about these in the newsletter/social media.
  • The Justice Team will organize an immersion trip to a region of western Pennsylvania experiencing an expansion of fracking and petrochemical facilities. 
  • The Justice Team will organize three immersion experiences at the U.S.-Mexico border to expand the number of sisters, associates, companions and co-workers who are educated about immigration policy and the reality at the border. One of these experiences will be solely for staff and board members of Mercy Investment Services.  
  • A Mercy associate in Guyana will develop a guidebook and set of advocacy tools for communities to understand the risks of the growing oil and gas industry in her country, and that will become a template for similar education elsewhere.  

Ecological Spirituality

  • The Justice Team will promote Laudato Si animators’ trainings and create a network of Mercy animators to work together and support one another. 
  • The Institute will participate in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ exploration and implementation of transformative justice work. 

Community Participation and Empowerment

  • The Justice Team will educate our network on the issues and the importance of voting our values in advance of the 2024 elections in the United States. 
  • The Justice Team will participate in a newly forming collaborative of Catholic organizations engaged in environmental and climate justice education, advocacy and practices.