Service
Mercy in Action
Compassion and Service are core attributes of Merion Mercy. The foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley, is renowned for her integration of contemplation and action, and MMA’s service programs exist to further the call of the Gospel, teaching students to integrate faith and justice.
At our private, Catholic, all girls school, service isn’t just about doing a good deed; it’s about living a values-centered life. Our girls put mercy in action every day, be it helping locally with partners in the Philadelphia area, working in community for a week or longer through the Mercy Mission Corps Summer Program, or raising funds during events.
Service allows your daughter to hear life stories different from her own and to find common ground with those whom she serves.
Mercy Mission Corps
The Mercy Mission Corps (MMC) is an organization unique to Merion Mercy Academy, which provides opportunities for students, faculty, staff, parents and alumnae to put their faith into action through service.
Our multifaceted outreach opportunities are closely aligned with the Mercy Critical Concerns:
MMC encourages service activity across our entire MMA community by organizing a variety of ways to serve others through the ministries of labor and presence.
Activities are open for all students to participate, and there are opportunities for students to demonstrate greater commitment and leadership by helping to plan and facilitate service opportunities during our club rotation meetings.
“At Merion Mercy I developed a devotion to service through the Blue Key Society and Mercy Mission Corps. This passion for service will continue throughout my college career.”
—Liseth Mejia-Perez '22, Philadelphia
Mercy Immersions
For over 25 years, Mercy Immersons (previously known as Summer Service Trips) has provided educational and service immersion opportunities for students during the summer following junior year. Students and faculty travel to domestic and international sites to serve impoverished areas, working in collaboration with community partners, and in solidarity with people of diverse cultures. Volunteers live in community for a week or longer and are called to reflect on their roles as women of mercy.
Service opportunities during summer are not limited to immersion trips. Single day service opportunities are offered to the entire MMA community throughout the summer. See our Outreach Opportunities, below, for a list of our Community Partners.
CRS Platinum Member
Merion Mercy is a Platinum member of the Global High School Partnership (GHS) with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Our students are proud to be involved with this organization and to stand in global solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world.
The Mercy Girl Effect
The Mercy Girl Effect brings together students from Mercy schools around the country to raise awareness of global issues, and empower young female leaders to improve the quality of life for females in developing nations.
Each spring, Merion Mercy hosts Mission Week, where students take part in activities that are intended to foster school spirit and also raise awareness and money for the current year's project.
- In 2021, the money raised went to the Arise Foundation, an NGO with the mission of ending human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
- In 2022, we supported "Women at the Well," raising funds to build wells in Nigeria so that girl could spend their days in school instead of traveling long distances to carry water back to their families.
- In 2023, the theme was "School in a Box," an effort to provide school supplies for students in the Mukuru Slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
In past years, the MMA students helped to raise money to build a library in Kenya, schools in Cambodia and South Sudan, and hut-houses for refugees in Nigeria.
Outreach Opportunities for Families
Our Outreach program offers service opportunities to the extended MMA community. Students and family members are invited and encouraged to volunteer at various sites. Below is a list of our community partners.