S. Deirdre Mullan, RSM Discusses Women at the Well Initiative

S. Deirdre Mullan, RSM, visited Mount Saint Mary Academy on World Water Day - March 22 - to discuss with administration, faculty, staff, and students the importance of water resources for impoverished countries in conjunction with the Mercy Girl Effect: Women at the Well initiative. 

 

She shared lunch in the Heritage Room with members of the Student Council Executive Board, as well as S. Lisa D. Gambacorto, RSM, Ed.S. (Directress), Assistant Directresses Jacqueline Muratore and Denise Materia, and Ruth Anne Munroe, Director of Campus Ministry and Student Council Coordinator. She also offered an impactful presentation before the student body in the S. Lisa Gambacorto Theater in the afternoon. 

 

S. Deirdre also met with Sophia Tiboni '25 who raised $6,205 for the Mercy Girl Effect: Women at the Well from the Dress Express Boutique, an initiative which promotes the collection and repurposing of formal and semi-formal dresses for charity. Sarah Murphy '22 also assisted with the Dress Express Boutique.

 

A Sister of Mercy from Ireland, S. Deirdre spent a quarter of a century as a teacher and administrator. She holds a doctoral degree in the feminization of poverty and is a staunch advocate for female education. S. Deirdre served as the Executive Director of Mercy Global Concern at the United Nations for over 10 years and directed the Partnership for Global Justice. Since 2014 she has worked with UNICEF, the body at the UN focusing on children’s and girls’ education and is the consultant adviser on their initiative “Partnering Religious Congregations with UNICEF.”   

 

"In June 2021, the Executive Board was able to attend the Mercy Girl Leadership Conference in which we had the opportunity to listen to S. Deirdre and hear more about her work," said Margaret Ferris '22, a member of the Student Council Executive Board. "We were so inspired by her presentation that we knew we needed the rest of the Mount community to hear from her as well. Her presentation served as a reminder to the school that we are working together for something much bigger than ourselves. There was a very positive community feedback after her presentation, and we are so proud of all of the efforts by the school to promote clean, accessible water to those in need."

 

 

Hannah Cunniffe '22 added, "Listening to S. Deirdre speak at the Mercy Girl Leadership Conference, we knew that having her come to the Mount would provide our community a great opportunity to learn more about the importance of the ethical issue of water, this year's project, and how our donation will directly impact the lives of so many girls. S. Deirdre's presentation brought our attention to the meaning and impact of Women at the Well and I am so proud of how our school community has responded to this initiative to bring clean, accessible water to those in need of this basic human right.”

 

Caitlin Cotter '22 noted, "S. Deirdre's presentation emphasized the importance of supporting this initiative and raising awareness for water carriers. It is so important that as a school community, we continue to support individuals and communities that do not have direct access to clean water and work toward assisting those in need."