Sr. Elizabeth McCarthy, RSM
Pastoral Associate
Sacred Heart Parish
Mount Vernon, NY


My motto is from one of the Easter readings when the Apostles go fishing after the death of Jesus and He appears to them on the shore. They recognize Him with the words, “It is the Lord.” Each day I look to see where I can meet the Lord in the different people and events of that day.

My career path began in the classroom. I was a teacher for many years. In fact, I taught before I entered the convent—grades 4 through 8. Eventually I was asked to train as a special ed teacher and I did that for four years as a Sister of Mercy. But I haven’t taught formally in about 30 years. During this period I worked for the New York City Health Department in Harlem, I coordinated a night school program for English as a second language and high school equivalency. And later I worked in Yonkers for eight years, interviewing prisoners in local jails to see if they would be a good risk for release. This meant conducting interviews and investigations and filing reports. I could have continued in this role, but I had a sense that I wanted to do something that involved Church work. At the time I was living in Mount Vernon where there was a real ministry need for seniors and people coming into the Church. So about 16 years ago I made the switch and have been doing pastoral since.

Among my responsibilities at Sacred Heart is the RCIA program or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. I serve people of all ages who want to formally join the Church. Right now I am working with 30-40 people who are in the process of preparing for Baptism and the sacraments.

I also work with the senior community of the parish. We serve nearly 100 people with monthly social programs and trips. And I help train our altar servers, young boys and girls who want to become active in our parish life. What I really love about my work is the variety. I work with young people, seniors, single parents, adults with so many different needs. Also, the parish is culturally diverse. So the challenge I face is meeting everyone’s needs and bringing the message of our Lord into their lives.

I was very influenced by the Sisters of Mercy in grade school and high school. Their charism of spiritual and corporal works of mercy was a great source of inspiration and challenge to me. So at age 24 I decided to enter the convent. All these years later, I continue to experience a lot of satisfaction, joy, and peace from my decision to become a Sister of Mercy. A big part of that is community life. It has always been a great source of support whether we are coming together in prayer or in service to others.

If you are looking for a way to reach out to others, and an opportunity to build up the Kingdom, then becoming a Sister of Mercy is a marvelous means of achieving that goal. My life has been very full.