SPRINGFIELD – Kerry Weber wanted to put her religious beliefs in action and her new book “Mercy in the City” is the recounting of her journey to do so.

Weber will be appearing at the Christ Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 13 for a free workshop about integrating Acts of Mercy into one’s life. To participate, registration is required and can be done by emailing cccspfld@gmail.com.

The author is a Cathedral High School graduate who lived in Springfield and East Longmeadow. She is the managing editor of America, the national Catholic weekly journal published by the Jesuits.

The subtitle of her books is “How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job” and she explained to Reminder Publications her interest initially came about when she was researching an article on a priest who was teaching theology class in San Quentin Prison in California.

She began thinking about the Acts of Mercy she learned in grade school – to feed the hungry; to clothe the naked; to shelter the homeless; to visit the sick; to visit the imprisoned; and to bury the dead – and how to bring those into her life.

Volunteer service was nothing new to her as she spent one year as a full-time volunteer with the Mercy Volunteer Corps as a special-education teacher in St. Michaels, AZ, on the Navajo Nation.

This effort was different. “It was the struggles and the joy of trying to live out the service we are called to do,” she said.

The goal was to “foster a real relationship” with a community, she added.

She said of the Acts of Mercy the most logistically challenging was prison ministry. “There are a lot of steps getting into prison,” she noted.

She also wondered how her efforts would be received when she volunteered at a homeless shelter. She realized that as a volunteer she would be a “guest in their home.” Her concerns proved to be unnecessary as it was “a really lovely experience to be in community.”

Although the effort to bring the Acts of Mercy into one’s life is multifaceted she said there are two major issues. The first is to “make a change to more fully incorporate direct service work” into one’s life, while the other is to “recognize the mercy that is already there.”

She said there are people who cannot find the time to volunteer because they are caring for children or elderly or sick parents.

“They don’t realize these are Acts of Mercy, too,” Weber said. “Mercy isn’t done just to strangers.”

The timing of the workshop coincides with her own original decision to include Acts of Mercy in her life.

“Lent gives us the chance to go more deeply into these topics – how to orient our life toward God in a more deliberate way,” Weber said.

She said that living in this manner is not just for Catholics or Christians. “It’s a message for all people of good will.” She added, “An aspect of mercy is inclusion.”

Acts of Mercy can be done either as part of an organized group or as an individual, Weber noted. Either way, “it allows us to connect to others in the community,” she said.