The Sisters of Mercy…
The Sisters of Mercy were founded in Ireland by Catherine McAuley. In the ten years
between the founding of the order and her death, foundress Catherine McAuley established
14 independent foundations in Ireland and England. Shortly after she died, sisters
began to establish foundations in Newfoundland, the United States, Argentina and
New Zealand.
Catherine McAuley was born in North Dublin in 1778. Following the death of her father
in 1783, life for her became difficult both economically and socially. As a teenager
she nursed her mother through a prolonged illness until she died. After that, economic
circumstances necessitated moving from one relative to another in order to have
a roof over her head. Sometimes this meant being separated from her brother and
sister.
In 1803, Mr and Mrs William Callaghan, a wealthy childless couple adopted her. She
moved with them to live in Coolock in the outskirts of Dublin. While she was living
with them she commenced her mission of mercy to the neighbouring poor and sick.
In addition she nursed Mrs Callaghan through a lengthy illness until she died in
1819 and subsequently nursed Mr Callaghan before his death in 1822. The Callaghan
estate was left to Catherine McAuley and she used it to fund her building development
in Baggot Street for the care of the poor and socially disadvantaged.
In 1831 she founded the Sisters of Mercy, a Religious Congregation largely involved
in the care of the poor, the sick and educationally disadvantaged. In the early
days her work was mostly among the people of Dublin, but in time the Congregation
spread and became one of the largest Congregations of women, not alone in Ireland,
but in the world.
Catherine McAuley was a woman of great vision. She was an innovator in what she
did, but also in how she did things. The care of the sick was always close to her
heart and so in 1832, when an outbreak of cholera in Dublin was claiming hundreds
of lives and people fled in fear of succumbing to the disease, she organised a team
of Sisters to care for the sick at an improvised hospital in Townsend Street.
Her life as a Sister of Mercy only spanned ten years. In that time she worked tirelessly
to respond to the need of the poor and sick. She set up a number of foundations
for this purpose both in Ireland and England and was about to make her first foundation
in America when illness overtook her. She died in 1841.
She was a woman of prayer and of deep faith. Her philosophy was “Let us take
one day only in the hands at a time, merely making a resolve for tomorrow. Thus
we may hope to go on, taking short, careful steps, not great strides… Each
day is a step we take towards Eternity… The final step will bring us into
the presence of God”
Click here for an in-depth account of Catherine McAuley’s life.