Each year, on September 24, Mercy schools around the globe recognize Mercy Day, the opening of the first "House of Mercy" in 1827 in Dublin, Ireland. Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, devoted her life to the poor, sick, and uneducated. These works became the hallmark of the Mercy charism. Today, Merion Mercy Academy proudly continues her legacy of caring and compassion in the name of Mercy.
This year, Mercy Education—of which Merion Mercy is a member—marked Mercy Day and its milestone five-year anniversary by inviting Mercy schools to “celebrate with service” and accrue, collectively, five years of service across its 55 schools—43,800 hours altogether. Merion Mercy marked the occasion by creating environmental action posters and ecobricking, preparing snack bags for Face to Face in Germantown, and writing letters to the Sisters of Mercy with younger students at Waldron Academy.
After Mass and a special luncheon, Mercy Day at Merion Mercy concluded with nine alumnae speakers whose careers relate to the Sisters of Mercy’s Critical Concerns: Earth, Immigration, Nonviolence, Racism and Women.
View our Mercy Day 2022 video here!
Alumnae Speakers
Meaghan Killeen Fishbone ’99 is a 2004 graduate from Saint Joseph’s University with a bachelor’s degree in Food Marketing and a 2010 MBA, Meaghan has worked in the consumer packaged goods industry for more than 22 years. She has spent the last 12 years selling Method brands and within the last three years began selling products under the Lifestyle Brands (LSB) Division of SC Johnson. The mission at LSB is to be a force for bold transformative growth, focusing on delivering a positive impact for people and the planet. Her latest role at LSB is Sr. Director of Sales.
Caitlin Harrison ’14 is a Field Support Coordinator for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Migration and Refugee Services where she oversees the implementation of the Matching Grant program at 14 USCCB affiliate offices across the United States. The program helps refugees, asylees, and other new arrivals find employment and overcome barriers to self-sufficiency. Previously, Caitlin worked as a Program Analyst at the Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and modern foreign languages from Syracuse University.
Melissa Lucchesi ’99 has spent her entire adult life advocating for the rights of women, especially trauma survivors. She spent years in the sexual violence field as an educator and advocate, running a nonprofit for survivor healing. As a coordinator at a national campus security agency, she trained countless campuses across the country on Clery Act and Title IX and how to best support campus survivors. She sat on a White House roundtable for anti-violence against women and children, and cowrote an update to the Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights. Educating on trauma-informed care led her to opening a business, Moon Sage Mama, LLC, where she supports those with trauma history as they birth their babies, and educates providers to be trauma-informed. Melissa is a sexual violence survivor herself.
Clare McCabe ’16 is a first year doctoral student in history at Temple University, where she studies gender and race in Early America. She has worked for the Museum of the American Revolution as a museum educator for two years. Clare graduated with a B.A. in History from Fordham University in 2020.
Taylor McClain ’16 earned her bachelor’s degree in Classical Culture and Society and Political Science from Bryn Mawr College, after which she served the City of Philadelphia through AmeriCorps VISTA at the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. This spring she began at Riverbend Environmental Education Center as the Development Coordinator. Taylor is passionate about creating opportunities for children and adults to experience the beauty and wonder of nature and to see themselves as a part of the natural world.
Erin O’Brien ’14 is a Legal Advocate with HIAS Pennsylvania's Immigrant Youth Advocacy Program through which she provides direct representation to unaccompanied minors seeking lawful immigration status before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Immigration Court. Erin received her J.D. from Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law in 2022. Prior to attending law school, Erin lived in Granada, Spain, where she taught English in a bilingual all-girls school. Erin received her B.A. in Global Studies and Spanish with a Business Minor from Providence College in 2018.
Keeley Berry Seymour ’02 is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who co-founded Evolve Counseling Services, a group practice in Paoli, PA, providing mental health services to adolescents and adults. Keeley earned her bachelor's degree from Loyola University Maryland, and her master’s degree in Social Work from The University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has a certificate in Advanced Trauma Treatment from The Ferentz Institute in Baltimore and a postgraduate certificate from the Postpartum Stress Center on treating postpartum depression and anxiety. Keeley has provided trauma-informed therapeutic services in a variety of settings to those struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, and other mental health issues, and has worked with the immigrant population both in community organizing as well as case management and counseling services through Catholic Charities and CASA de Maryland in Baltimore. Keeley has a special interest in working with women's issues both on a societal level and individual level.
Tahirah Thea Stevens-Gaillard '08 is the Director of Student Engagement & Leadership at her alma mater, Neumann University in Aston, PA, where she received an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and a Master's in Education. Currently pursuing her master's in clinical mental health, upon graduation Tahirah plans to develop a Christian counseling curriculum for schools and youth programs and open a "Pro-Kid" counseling center and a home for runaway girls and young women.
Allison Walker ’89 has spent more than 20 years in the events industry, producing large public events for organizations as varied as the ALS Association, Temple University, Comcast Spectacor, the 6 ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Philadelphia Zoo. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Villanova University and an M.Ed. in Sport Management and Leisure Studies from Temple University. Allison started her career as an Event Manager at the Philadelphia Zoo and returned to the Zoo as Director of Event Sales and Operations this February. In this role she helps to fulfill the Zoo's mission of creating joyful discovery and inspiring action for animals and habitats.