As Mercy Sisters and associates from Rochester, Buffalo, Erie and Pittsburgh, Pa., and the Philippines united to form the New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community, a sister from Rochester is taking a leading role in developing that new community, which will begin Jan. 1, 2008.
During a July 17-22 assembly in Buffalo, Sister Patricia Prinzing of Rochester was elected a councilor of the community leadership team along with three other sisters.
“We are part of a leadership team that really assists in the running of the new community,” said Sister Prinzing, who is transition coordinator for the new community and has worked in the Rochester finance office since 2004.
The team is charged with creating a vision for the community and strategic planning, maintaining day-to-day operations and getting the corporation organized, she said.
“We have a lot of contact with our members,” Sister Prinzing said.
The goal of uniting the previously distinct communities is to strengthen leadership and missions, Sister Prinzing said. She noted that the team’s hope is to have regional assets, such as Rochester’s Mercy Prayer Center, shared throughout the larger community.
“I’m very committed to this, and excited about this,” said Sister Prinzing, who previously served as a vice president of the Rochester Regional Community leadership team, vice president for mission services for St. James Mercy Health System in Hornell, and as both a religious educator and a primary-grade teacher.
In 2001, the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of the Americas announced it would gather 25 regional communities and missions into six communities; the New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community is the third to be formed. Mercy Sisters have been serving in the Diocese of Rochester for 150 years, and the Rochester regional community includes 162 sisters and 145 associates.
