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 Mercy’s attempt to create the
“world’s largest cup of tea” on Saturday, Sept. 26 is seeking
authentication by Guinness World Records, the universally recognized
authority on record-breaking achievement.
A Guinness official was unable to
attend the event, but documentation and video footage of the attempt
has been shipped to the Guinness headquarters in London for
verification.
“The slope of the land where the tea
cup was placed limited our ability to fill it to capacity,”
explained J.D. Webster, Mercy’s Director of Nutritional Services.
“So, we were a little shy of reaching our goal of 700 gallons.”
Six hundred and sixty gallons of tea
filled the giant tea cup on Saturday, Sept. 26.
“The teacup measures 9.5 ft. at the
rim with an additional 3 ft for the cup handle and 5.5 ft. tall,”
Webster explained. “Currently, the largest teacup recorded is 4 ft.
by 4 ft. and holds 400 liters or 105.6 gallons.” Webster added.
“Despite being less that our goal, our Mercy teacup should shatter
that record.”
The event also served as the
observation of “Mercy Day,” which is celebrated annually in
September by the Sisters of Mercy to commemorate the opening of the
first House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, in 1827.
In addition to the teacup, the event
included a community picnic with large inflatables for children and
a photo exhibit of the Sisters’ of Mercy.
Proceeds from the event will benefit
the Mercy Health Center Cancer Center expansion.
One might ask how a teacup relates to
Mercy hospital. The answer dates back almost 150 years to the
beginning of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland.
The teacup has long been recognized
as a symbol of hospitality in the Sisters of Mercy heritage and
harkens back to a story of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley, who,
on her deathbed, implored her caretakers to, “see that the Sisters
have a comfortable cup of tea when I am gone.”
Since that time, the teacup has
served as a visual representation for the genuine hospitality and
compassionate care for which Mercy co-workers are known.
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