Scottish Catholic Observer

On Friday April 20, Ruth Davidson, who is also an MSP for Edinburgh Central, put forward the motion titled St Catharine’s Convent.

Ms Davidson stated within the motion that ‘the Parliament recognises the contribution of the Mercy Project, which is run by the Sisters of Mercy at St Catharine’s Convent in Edinburgh, and is marking its silver jubilee, following its launch in April 1993.’

Sr Mary Aelred opened the Homeless Project and Mercy Centre and since then the ministry has grown and flourished.

In her motion Ruth Davidson commended ‘the ongoing commitment and efforts of the convent, and the project’s diverse body of local and international volunteers and third-sector partners, in the mission to alleviate homelessness and social deprivation in communities.”

The motion from the MSP, who is a member of the Church of Scotland, gained cross-party support from 18 MSPs with the exception of the Scottish Green Party and the Liberal Democrats.

The Mercy Centre at St. Catharine’s provides for the most broken and needy in Scottish society.

A spokesperson for the project said: “Since Mercy is as simple as sharing bread, as wide as loving people into wholeness, as challenging as working for global justice, we try to make these concepts a living reality at St. Catharine’s by offering the broken and marginalised of Edinburgh and beyond a wide range of services.”