Bay View Academy Lower School Commissions New “Friends of Mercy” Members

East Providence, RI – The St. Mary Academy - Bay View Lower School club “Friends of Mercy” commissioned nine new members on June 5, 2017. Under the guidance of their teachers Julie Battista (Lincoln), Heather Cameron (West Warwick), Stacey Peterson (Bristol) and Sheila Harrington, RSM (East Providence), the students meet after school once a month during the school year. The girls prayed together, socialized and worked on activities that spread the values of Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of the Mercy, within the Bay View community, the Mercy Community, and beyond.

This year’s activities included creating welcome bags for new Lower and Middle School students to Bay View, delivering greeting cards to the Sisters of Mercy living at Franklin Court Assisted Living Facility in Bristol, RI, collecting and packaging rosary beads for a parish priest in India, New Year's resolution messages displayed in each classroom, and a presentation to the Lower School classes of an original skit telling the story of Catherine McAuley, Frances Warde, the first professed Sister of Mercy, as well as the Sisters of Mercy today. All fourth and fifth grade girls are invited to join the Friends of Mercy at the start of each year.

The new members are:
Sienna Byrne (Rehoboth, MA)
Jessica DeFontes (Swansea, MA)
Gianna DelSignore (Johnston)
Olivia Dufresne (East Providence)
Caileigh Lynch (Attleboro, MA)
Skyla Mimoso (Bristol)
Elyanna Morales (East Providence)
Nicola Ranone (Cranston)
Julia Ward (Cranston)