Brief History
The community was founded in 1988 as the
Ecumenical Brothers of the Mercy of God (BMG).
Our founder, did preliminary outreach
and recruited a few prospective members who
gathered at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford,
Connecticut. The initial ceremony of
first vows by two brothers and reception
of two novices took place in October, 1989,
at the St. Pius X Capuchin Friary, Middletown
Connecticut.
All
these early members were from New England,
so the small group was able to meet monthly
for Sundays of prayer, discussion, and camaraderie.
In 1990, meetings were moved to Sacred
Heart Oratory, Vernon CT. Another brother
pronounced first vows there that year.
Since then, additional members have been
received every year, except in 1994 when
a two-year formation program was instituted.
As
the community began to spread geographically,
not all members could attend monthly gatherings.
The New England group continued to
do so and, in 1992, the first national events,
a Religious Life Weekend Retreat in the spring and Chapter I in the fall, were convened at the Christian
Brothers Center, Narragansett RI.
The
entity was incorporated in Rhode Island as
a non-profit organization on the Feast of
the Transfiguration, August 6, 1992. At
Chapter I, the group adopted a democratic
model of self-governance, decided to include
women, changed its name to Mercy of God Community
(MGC), and adopted a formal Rule and Bylaws. The first election of a Leadership
Council was held at Chapter II, in October,
1993. In 1994, the U. S. Internal
Revenue Service recognized MGC as a religious
order and granted tax-exempt status.
The internet domain name "MGC.ORG"
was obtained and the original website was
launched on the Feast of St. Clare, August
11, 1996. Chapter III was convened
in October, 1996. The tenth anniversary
celebration highlighted the spring meeting/
retreat in June, 1998.
Chapter VIII was held in October, 2011. Chapter
XI was held on October 2-5, 2020 Virtually
Via Zoom due to the worldwide Pandemic Covid-19.
While adhering to our historic foundations,
we aspire to a present and future as outlined
in our Charism Statement.