Sr Deirdre Mullan
 Sister Deirdre Mullan is director of Mercy Global Concern and represents the Sisters of Mercy at the United Nations in New York.
Q: When were the seeds of your vocation sown?
A. The seeds of my vocation were sown in my home and also by the witness of my sister who worked in Kenya and also my uncle a priest in Peru. I also saw first hand the kindness and generosity or my parents to all who called at our home.
Q: Why did you choose this particular order?
A. I was taught by the Sisters of Mercy in school and witnessed their selfless caring for the children and their desire to have us succeed by encouraging us to reach for the stars.
Q: what aspect of religious life have you found most rewarding?
A. The Sisters with whom I interact; Their compassion, witness and dedication for the most vulnerable and also the sense of community and caring that I have experienced all of my Religious Life.
Q: What have you found most difficult?
A. Sometimes in my present ministry I find being over 3000 miles from home difficult.
Q: How do you see the work you are currently involved in?
A. I believe that the ministry at the UN is a ministry of influence and has enabled me to open up the possibilities of helping change to take place in places where many people are vulnerable and poor because of deliberate government policies. I believe that advocacy opportunities there have help to create policy changes at the country level. I work and interact with many wonderful, gifted people from all walks of life who believe that another world view is possible. One of the greatest blessings of this ministry has been the opportunity to meet Mercy sisters from around the globe who have come to the United Nations in New York
Q: What are the biggest challenges of the work?
A. The UN works at a slow pace because of the bureaucracy and this is sometimes both frustrating and challenging, especially when one has witnessed poverty at the grass roots level.
Q: What skills do you need?
A. The ability to think outside the box, to network and work with a wide variety of cultures, traditions and people who dream that another world is possible. Networking is an essential communication tool in this ministry.
Q: Have you a tip on how to pray?
A. Make time and have it a priority in the day to day business of life otherwise, one can be consumed in the work and forget why we do the work we do!
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A. When there is a conflict to attend an event to do that which cannot be repeated.
Q: What's your favourite movie?
Q: Which figure from history would you like to invite to a dinner party?
A. Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy and ask her over a comfortable cup of tea, how we are doing as a Congregation and where she would dare us to go to work in our hurting fragile world.
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