At this time of year there are some ladies who come to mind who were real trail blazers and whose legacy continues to live on here in Orange, as well as across the world.

We have an excellent Primary School named after Venerable Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin in 1831.

While that may seem a long time ago, it didn't take very long before some of her Sisters came to Orange from Bathurst in 1878, and have lived and ministered here ever since. Around this time the Sisters of St Joseph, founded in Penola South Australia by St Mary of the Cross McKillop, made their way into many of the smaller towns and villages around Orange and later lived and worked within the Orange Parish.

The Daughters of Charity who looked after Croagh Patrick when the Patrician Brothers withdrew were well known in Orange, and the headgear they wore as part of their habit caused them to be often called the "aeroplane nuns."

It was 1987 when the Missionary Sisters of Charity, founded by Mother Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 1950 came to minister in Orange and continue to live and serve here, noticeable by the saris they wear as their designated habit.

The women who founded these religious orders of women were indeed valiant heroines who believed in their call to spread the Gospel and incarnate the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy despite any hardships or obstacles that came in their way.

As Christians we believe in a God who is merciful and compassionate, and who never refuses to forgive.

These "Works" have been listed, and can be challenging reading, even though it could be difficult to fulfil them all at one time!

The Spiritual Works are listed as Counselling the doubtful, Instructing the ignorant, Admonishing sinners, Consoling the afflicted, Forgiving injuries, Bearing wrongs patiently, and Praying for the living and the dead.

The Corporal Works list Feeding the hungry, Giving drink to the thirst, Clothing the naked, Sheltering the homeless, Visiting the sick and imprisoned and Burying the dead.

These Works are challenges and invitations to all of us, religious or lay, male or female, to care for each other and for our world.

There is a verse in one of my Songs that encapsulates this quite well.

"Be my hands, be my feet, be my heart, be my love in a selfish world, be brave and joyful and trusting, be mercy in my world".

It's God's invitation to every human being not just to talk about these virtues, but to embody them into the way we think and move and have our being.

The wonderful ladies who founded the Religious Congregations I've mentioned were never behind hand in putting these concepts into practice, and all the women who have followed in their footsteps have continued to embrace this goal.

Times change, ministries change, living conditions change and we all grow older, and hopefully, wiser, but we simply find different ways of responding to God's invitation.

A kind word, a helping hand or even just a smile can all be part of the Works of Mercy.