She founded the House of Mercy in Dublin in 1827. … Catherine’s legacy of mercy lives on throughout the world, as 13,000 Mercy sisters minister in 45 countries, carrying the torch of compassion for others as they address five critical concerns: Earth, Immigration, Nonviolence, Racism, and Women.

What impact did Catherine McAuley have?

Catherine McAuley founded the order of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin in 1831. In a society marred by socio-political forces that protected the privileged and oppressed the poor, the majority of whom were Catholics, Catherine McAuley became one of Irelands greatest social reformers.

What was Catherine Mcauleys mission?

Catherine McAuley opened the doors of the ‘House of Mercy’ in Dublin, Ireland, in 1827. Her dream of providing disadvantaged women and children with housing, education and religious and social services – enabling them to find a brighter future – had become a reality. Catherine founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831.

How is Catherine McAuley remembered?

The Venerable Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin in 1831 to provide compassionate assistance to the poor. … Dedicating her life to caring for the poor, particularly women, Catherine opened the House of Mercy in 1827: a facility built to house and educate poor women.

How did Catherine McAuley inspire others?

Catherine McAuley devoted her considerable personal energy and wealth to redressing poverty. Catherine opened a school and initiated visits to the poor, primarily women and children and to the sick in hospitals and in their homes. Other women joined her in this work and so the history of the Sisters of Mercy began.

How many kids Catherine McAuley adopt?

Now 44 years old, Catherine understood that it was her responsibility to use these resources to serve the poor. She began her work by adopting four orphaned children and teaching at the local parish school.

Why should Catherine McAuley become a saint?

Death. Catherine McAuley died of tuberculosis on 11 November 1841 at Baggot Street, at the age of sixty-three. … In 1978, the cause for the beatification of the Servant of God Catherine McAuley was opened by Pope Paul VI. In 1990, upon recognition of her heroic virtues, Pope John Paul II declared her Venerable.

On what day did Catherine McAuley profess her vows?

Catherine was 52 years of age. Fifteen months later, on December 12, 1831, the three novices professed their vows giving birth to the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy.

What was Catherine McAuley's childhood like?

Catherine’s early childhood was, unlike some other influential figures of the Catholic Church, very loving, with both her father and mother raising her and her two siblings comfortably. However, when her father James died in 1783, when Catherine was approximately 5 years old, leaving her mother widowed and unemployed.

Was Catherine McAuley Baptised?

When Catherine was five her father died, and for the next twenty years she lived on charity in the homes of protestant relations. Finally, she became companion to a Mr and Mrs Callaghan, both of whom were so touched by her charity and christian witness that they were baptised on their death-beds.

Article first time published on

What is the Sisters of Mercy's mission?

Sisters of Mercy is an international community of Roman Catholic women religious vowed to serve people who suffer from poverty, sickness and lack of education with a special concern for women and children.

What is the mercy mission?

mercy missions. DEFINITIONS1. a journey that is made to help someone who is in danger or is having serious problems. The US led the mercy mission to protect aid supplies from armed rebels.

What is the name of the house that was built by Catherine McAuley?

The House of Mercy was opened on September 24, 1827, 190 years ago — and it is still standing, as Mercy International Centre, still promoting the spiritual and corporal works of mercy to which Catherine McAuley gave not only her fortune but her very life.

Why do you think it was important that Catherine opened the House of Mercy?

In a time when the law prohibited the education of Catholics, and well before the government thought of universal education, Catherine opened the doors of her Baggot Street school to 200 poor children. The House of Mercy also taught academic and technical skills to young women to prepare them for employment.

How do the Sisters of Mercy impact today's society?

The Sisters of Mercy engage in a wide range of apostolic works, including education, the care of the sick in their homes and in hospitals, the care of the aged and of orphans, and other forms of social service.

Who founded the Sisters of Mercy?

Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland. McAuley sought, through her service to the poor, sick and uneducated, to reveal the mercy of God in our world.

What did Katharine use her money for when she got her inheritance?

At the time of her death, she had used more than $12 million of her inheritance for her charitable and apostolic missions, working in conjunction with the U.S. Indian Office, through which she helped found the Society for the Preservation of the Faith Among Indian Children (or Preservation Society).

How much money did Catherine McAuley inherit?

After Mrs. Callaghan died in 1819 and her husband died three years later in 1822, McAuley inherited the Callaghan estate which was valued at almost $150,000. Her inheritance gave her the opportunity to extend her involvement in charitable work.

What does the word Canonisation mean?

1 : to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint. 2 : to make canonical. 3 : to sanction by ecclesiastical authority. 4 : to attribute authoritative sanction or approval to. 5 : to treat as illustrious, preeminent, or sacred his mother had canonized all his timidities as common sense— Scott Fitzgerald.

Who were the Callaghans?

The principal Munster sept of the name Callaghan were lords of Cineál Aodha in South Cork originally. This area is west of Mallow along the Blackwater river valley. The family were dispossessed of their ancestral home and 24,000 acres (97 km2) by the Cromwellian Plantation and settled in East Clare.

Was Catherine Mcauleys family poor?

Both parents died before Catherine, and her younger sister and brother, Mary and James reached adulthood, and, while living with relatives, the three of them experienced wealth, bankruptcy and poverty as well as a strongly anti-Catholic atmosphere.

WHO adopted Catherine McAuley?

Catherine was first fostered by a Protestant surgeon named Conway, then by the Armstrong family. Both families were well-to-do and both fell on hard times, but when she was 18 she was adopted by a Mr. and Mrs. Callahan, distant relatives, who were childless and wealthy.

What religion was Catherine McAuley?

With a legacy from her Protestant foster parents, McAuley, a Roman Catholic, commissioned a large building in Dublin. On Sept. 24, 1827, she opened it as the House of Mercy, an institution for the education of orphans and the poor.

Is Sisters of Mercy goth?

Bauhaus, The Cure and even Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters Of Mercy have categorically stated that they are not and never were goth. … There are bands that helped set the scene for goth, like German artist Nico, her one-time collaborators in The Velvet Underground and gloomy post-punks Joy Division.

What are the four vows that Sisters of Mercy take?

Mary is also a Mercy institution and is run by a Mercy sister. The sisters take four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience and service to the poor, the sick and those in need of education.

How many Sisters of Mercy are there in Australia?

The Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia was formed in 1981, from the 17 Australian congregations of the Religious Sisters of Mercy. The Institute of the Sisters of Mercy followed the lead of Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland in 1831.

What are the 7 Mercy values?

Our values of compassion, hospitality, respect, innovation, stewardship and teamwork guide us in all that we do. They reflect the key behaviours that guide our interactions with each other and everyone we serve.

What is the Mercy tradition?

The Mercy tradition is based on the values of compassion, respect, integrity, justice, hope and joy, as inspired by Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy.

What are the mercy education values?

We model the values of compassion, justice, respect, hospitality, service and courage in the way we teach and relate to others in living mercy. … The school leadership team provides an inspiring educational vision and enables practical measures for its realisation.