Nearly 600 Mount St. Mary Academy students, faculty and staff spent the morning of September 24 volunteering at more than 30 locations across central Arkansas in honor of Mercy Day. Around the world, Mercy Day is celebrated by the global Mercy family – sisters, associates, companions, donors, staff, students, and more – to commemorate the day Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, opened the first House of Mercy in Ireland in 1827 to serve the sick and the poor.
In the spirit of Catherine McAuley, and as a sponsored ministry of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Mount honors this important anniversary each year by completing acts of service on its campus, in its surrounding neighborhood and throughout the Little Rock area. The impact of the annual day of service was as great as ever and brought the 2026 theme – Rooted in Mercy – to life. Overall, the school community contributed approximately 1,000 hours of volunteer work on September 24.
Many students poured their energy into meaningful projects on campus, such as preparing materials for layettes for premature babies, writing letters for retired Sisters of Mercy, organizing information packets for the Arkansas Pregnancy Resource Center, and making lightweight Halloween costumes for infants in local NICUs. Those who were able to share their gifts of service in the wider Little Rock community did so by cleaning and picking up trash, preparing meals, sorting clothing, organizing supplies, deep cleaning shared spaces, repairing bicycles, and helping with various additional tasks at churches, schools and organizations that serve those in need.
This year, work was completed at the following sites: ACCESS, The Allen School, Allsopp Park, Bale Elementary, Calvary Cemetery, Camp Aldersgate, CALS Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center, CARTI, Christ Little Rock, Christ the King Catholic School, Dorcas House, Easterseals Arkansas, Forest Heights Elementary, Grace Lutheran Early Childhood Development Center, The Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock, Home for Healing, Jericho Way Day Resource Center, Keep Little Rock Beautiful, Little Rock Compassion Center, Live Thankfully Little Rock, Museum of Discovery, North Little Rock Catholic Academy, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic School, Prospect Terrace Park, Providence Park, Recycle Bikes for Kids, River City Ministry, Ronald McDonald House, St. Theresa Catholic School, War Memorial Park, Women & Children First, and Mount St. Mary Academy.
Regardless of where it took place or whom it served, each assignment helped to carry forward the legacy of Catherine McAuley and her call to serve with love and compassion.
