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===Founding===
===Founding===
The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy began when Catherine McAuley used an inheritance to build a large house on Baggot Street, Dublin, as a school for poor girls and a shelter for homeless servant girls and women. She was assisted in the works of the house by local women. As the number of lay co-workers at Baggot Street increased, so did severe lay and clerical criticism of the House: Why did these women look like a religious order, yet not abide by the normal regulations of religious orders? Who was this "upstart" Miss McAuley? Why was the "unlearned sex" doing the work of the clergy?
The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy began when Catherine McAuley used an inheritance to build a large house on Baggot Street, Dublin, as a school for poor girls and a shelter for homeless servant girls and women. She was assisted in the works of the house by local women. There was no idea then of founding a religious institution; McAuley's plan was to establish a society of secular ladies who would spend a few hours daily in instructing the poor. Gradually the ladies adopted was a black dress and cape of the same material reaching to the belt, a white collar and a lace cap and veil. In 1828, [[Daniel Murray (bishop)|Archbishop Daniel Murray]] advised Miss McAuley to choose some name by which the little group might be known, and she chose that of "Sisters of Mercy", having the design of making the works of mercy the distinctive feature of the institute. She was, moreover, desirous that the members should combine with the silence and prayer of the Carmelite, the active labors of a Sister of Charity. The position of the institute was anomalous, its members were not bound by vows nor were they under a particular rule. Archbishop Murray asked the Sisters of Mercy to declare their intentions as to the future of their institute, whether it was to be classed as a religious congregation or to become secularized. The associates unanimously decided to become religious. It was deemed better to have this congregation unconnected with any already existing community.<ref name=Austin/>


On the Octave of the Ascension 1829 the archbishop blessed the chapel of the institution and dedicated it to Our Lady of Mercy. This combination of the contemplative and the active life necessary for the duties of the congregation called forth so much opposition that it seemed as though the community, now numbering twelve, must disband; but it was settled that several of the sisters should make their novitiates in some approved religious house and after their profession return to the institute to train the others to religious life. The [[Presentation Sisters]], whose rule was based on the [[Rule of St. Augustine]], seemed best adapted for the training of the first novices of the new congregation and Miss McAuley, Miss Elizabeth Harley, and Miss Anna Maria Doyle began their novitiate at George's Hill, Dublin, on 8 September 1830.<ref name=Austin/> While they were in training, [[Mary Francis Xavier Warde|Miss Mary Warde]] managed the affairs of the Baggot Street house.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15553a.htm Austin, Mary Stanislas. "Mary Francis Xavier Warde." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 30 January 2020{{PD-notice}}</ref> On 12 December 1831, Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle, and Mary Elizabeth Harley professed their religious vows as the first Sisters of Mercy, thereby founding the congregation.
By 1830 Catherine and her co-workers realized that the stability of the works of mercy they performed, including visiting the sick poor in their homes and in hospitals, and their continued appeal to co-workers, called for revision of their lay community. So, on 8 September, Catherine McAuley, Anna Maria Doyle, and Elizabeth Harley entered the Presentation Convent in Dublin to begin formal preparation for founding the Sisters of Mercy.

On 12 December 1831, Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle, and Mary Elizabeth Harley professed their religious vows as the first Sisters of Mercy, thereby founding the congregation. The rule and constitutions of the congregation were not completed until 1834, nor approved until 1835, yet they contained in substance only that which had been observed from the year 1827.


===Expansion===
===Expansion===
⚫
In the 10 years between the founding and her death on 11 November 1841, McAuley had established additional independent foundations in Ireland and England:<ref>[https://www.sistersofmercy.org/about-us/our-history/ "Our History", Sisters of Mercy of the Americas]</ref> Tullamore (1836), Charleville (1836), Carlow (1837), Cork (1837), Limerick (1838), Bermondsey, London (1839), Galway (1840), Birr (1840), and Birmingham (1841), and branch houses of the Dublin community in Kingstown (1835) and Booterstown (1838).
The rapid expansion of the Sisters of Mercy in the six years 1835-1841 flowed from Catherine McAuley's ever generous response to human need.
⚫
She founded nine additional autonomous Convents of Mercy in Tullamore (1836), Charleville (1836), Carlow (1837), Cork (1837), Limerick (1838), Bermondsey, London (1839), Galway (1840), Birr (1840), and Birmingham (1841), and branch houses of the Dublin community in Kingstown (1835) and Booterstown (1838).


⚫
In May 1842, at the request of [[Michael Anthony Fleming|Bishop Fleming]], a small colony of Sisters of Mercy crossed the Atlantic to found the congregation at [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's, Newfoundland]]. The sisters arrived in [[Perth]], Australia in 1846, and in 1850, a band from [[Carlow]] arrived in [[New Zealand]]. Sisters from Limerick opened a house in [[Glasgow]] in 1849, and in 1868 the English community established a house in [[Guernsey]].<ref name=Austin>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10199a.htm Austin, Mary Stanislas. "Sisters of Mercy." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 October 2015{{PD-notice}}</ref>
Catherine McAuley died on 11 November 1841.


==Mercy International Association==
⚫
In May 1842, at the request of [[Michael Anthony Fleming|Bishop Fleming]], a small colony of Sisters of Mercy crossed the Atlantic to found the congregation at [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's, Newfoundland]]. The sisters arrived in [[Perth]], Australia in 1846, and in 1850, a band from [[Carlow]] arrived in [[New Zealand]]. Sisters from Limerick opened a house in [[Glasgow]] in 1849, and in 1868 the English community established a house in [[Guernsey]].<ref name=Austin>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10199a.htm Austin, Mary Stanislas. "Sisters of Mercy." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 Oct. 2015</ref>
In 1992 leaders of the various congregations former the "Mercy International Association" to foster collaboration and cooperation. The Mercy International Centre is located in Dublin. Members of the Association are:
* Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
* Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia
* Sisters of Mercy of Great Britain
* Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy (Ireland)
* Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand
* Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland
* Religious Sisters of Mercy (Philippines)<ref>[https://www.sistersofmercy.org/about-us/mercy-international-association/ "Mercy International Association", Sisters of Mercy of the Americas]</ref>


In 1992 the leaders of the various congregations created the '''Mercy International Association''' to foster collaboration and cooperation. The purpose of the association is to provide support and foster collaboration, organisation and inspiration for the ministries of the Sisters of Mercy and their associates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mercyworld.org/|title=Mercy World|website=www.mercyworld.org|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>


===Historical events===
===Historical events===
Line 359: Line 363:


==References==
==References==

{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
⚫
{{catholic|title=Sisters of Mercy}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
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* [http://www.mercyfoundation.com.au/ Mercy Foundation, Australia]
* [http://www.mercyfoundation.com.au/ Mercy Foundation, Australia]
* [http://mercyhomeny.org/ Mercy Home]
* [http://mercyhomeny.org/ Mercy Home]
⚫
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Sisters of Mercy}}
*{{EW charity|288158|The Union of the Sisters of Mercy of Great Britain}}
*{{EW charity|288158|The Union of the Sisters of Mercy of Great Britain}}
* [http://www.ourladyofmercy.org.uk Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, Great Britain]
* [http://www.ourladyofmercy.org.uk Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, Great Britain]

Revision as of 07:05, 31 January 2020

For the rock band of this name, see The Sisters of Mercy. For the song by Leonard Cohen, see Songs of Leonard Cohen.

Sisters of Mercy
AbbreviationR.S.M.
Formation12 December 1831
Founded atDublin, Ireland
TypeReligious congregation
Members
11,000
Foundress
Catherine McAuley
Websitewww.mercyworld.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Religious Sisters of Mercy (R.S.M.) are members of a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley (1778–1841). As of 2019, the institute has about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They also started many education and health care facilities around the globe.

History

Main article: Catherine McAuley

Founding

The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy began when Catherine McAuley used an inheritance to build a large house on Baggot Street, Dublin, as a school for poor girls and a shelter for homeless servant girls and women. She was assisted in the works of the house by local women. There was no idea then of founding a religious institution; McAuley's plan was to establish a society of secular ladies who would spend a few hours daily in instructing the poor. Gradually the ladies adopted was a black dress and cape of the same material reaching to the belt, a white collar and a lace cap and veil. In 1828, Archbishop Daniel Murray advised Miss McAuley to choose some name by which the little group might be known, and she chose that of "Sisters of Mercy", having the design of making the works of mercy the distinctive feature of the institute. She was, moreover, desirous that the members should combine with the silence and prayer of the Carmelite, the active labors of a Sister of Charity. The position of the institute was anomalous, its members were not bound by vows nor were they under a particular rule. Archbishop Murray asked the Sisters of Mercy to declare their intentions as to the future of their institute, whether it was to be classed as a religious congregation or to become secularized. The associates unanimously decided to become religious. It was deemed better to have this congregation unconnected with any already existing community.[1]

On the Octave of the Ascension 1829 the archbishop blessed the chapel of the institution and dedicated it to Our Lady of Mercy. This combination of the contemplative and the active life necessary for the duties of the congregation called forth so much opposition that it seemed as though the community, now numbering twelve, must disband; but it was settled that several of the sisters should make their novitiates in some approved religious house and after their profession return to the institute to train the others to religious life. The Presentation Sisters, whose rule was based on the Rule of St. Augustine, seemed best adapted for the training of the first novices of the new congregation and Miss McAuley, Miss Elizabeth Harley, and Miss Anna Maria Doyle began their novitiate at George's Hill, Dublin, on 8 September 1830.[1] While they were in training, Miss Mary Warde managed the affairs of the Baggot Street house.[2] On 12 December 1831, Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle, and Mary Elizabeth Harley professed their religious vows as the first Sisters of Mercy, thereby founding the congregation.

Expansion

In the 10 years between the founding and her death on 11 November 1841, McAuley had established additional independent foundations in Ireland and England:[3] Tullamore (1836), Charleville (1836), Carlow (1837), Cork (1837), Limerick (1838), Bermondsey, London (1839), Galway (1840), Birr (1840), and Birmingham (1841), and branch houses of the Dublin community in Kingstown (1835) and Booterstown (1838).

In May 1842, at the request of Bishop Fleming, a small colony of Sisters of Mercy crossed the Atlantic to found the congregation at St. John's, Newfoundland. The sisters arrived in Perth, Australia in 1846, and in 1850, a band from Carlow arrived in New Zealand. Sisters from Limerick opened a house in Glasgow in 1849, and in 1868 the English community established a house in Guernsey.[1]

Mercy International Association

In 1992 leaders of the various congregations former the "Mercy International Association" to foster collaboration and cooperation. The Mercy International Centre is located in Dublin. Members of the Association are:

  • Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
  • Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia
  • Sisters of Mercy of Great Britain
  • Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy (Ireland)
  • Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand
  • Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland
  • Religious Sisters of Mercy (Philippines)[4]


Historical events

The sisters were the first nurses to respond to the British Government request for nurses in the Crimea in 1853. They ran several hospitals during the war and provided nurses who were not under the control of Florence Nightingale. However their involvement was overshadowed by hers for political reasons.[5]

Vows and activities

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. Members take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the evangelical counsels commonly vowed in religious life, and, in addition, vows of service. They continue to participate in the life of the surrounding community. In keeping with their mission of serving the poor and needy, many sisters engage in teaching, medical care, and community programs. The organization is active in lobbying and politics.

Constitution

The Sisters of Mercy are constituted as religious and charitable organizations in a number of countries. Mercy International Association is a registered charity in the Republic of Ireland.[6]

Controversies

Main articles: Abuse scandal in the Sisters of Mercy and Magdalene Laundries in Ireland

On 20 May 2009, the institute was condemned in an Irish government report known as the Ryan Report, the work of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The Sisters of Mercy in Ireland are one of four congregations of religious women there who have come under scrutiny and criticism for their part in running Magdalene laundries in decades past, where women were brought by the state or their families for being unmarried and pregnant, or for other reasons. The report found that girls supervised by orders of nuns, chiefly the Sisters of Mercy, suffered much less sexual abuse but instead endured frequent assaults and humiliation designed to make them feel worthless. [7]

The Mercy Sisters have noted they were not compensated for caring for the women and that the laundries were not profit-making ventures. "We acknowledge fully the limitations of the service we provided for these women when compared with today's standards and sincerely wish that it could have been different. We trust that the implications of the changed context are understood by the wider society."[8]

In 2011, a monument was erected in Ennis at the site of the former industrial school 'in appreciation' of the Sisters of Mercy.[citation needed]

Schools founded or run by Sisters of Mercy

Australia

Canada

  • Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, St. John's, Newfoundland
  • St. Augustine's Elementary School, St. John's, Newfoundland
  • St. Bride's College, St. John's, Newfoundland

Ireland

Convent of Mercy, Templemore, County Tipperary

Jamaica

New Zealand

In 1849 Bishop Pompallier visited St Leo's Convent in Carlow, Ireland, seeking sisters to emigrate; eight left from St Leo's, led by Mother Mary Cecilia. They travelled to New Zealand, learning Māori along the way, establishing the Sisters of Mercy in Auckland as the first female religious community in New Zealand in 1850.[9][10]

Philippines

  • Holy Infant College, Tacloban City

United Kingdom

Mylnhurst, Sheffield

United States

  • Little Flower School, Reno, Nevada [14]

Hospitals and healthcare work

Australia

Ireland

Philippines

  • Mother of Mercy Hospital, Tacloban

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

Michael O'Connor was born in Cobh, Ireland. In June 1841, O'Connor was appointed Vicar General of Western Pennsylvania, and two years later, Bishop of the newly constituted Diocese of Pittsburg. He traveled to Rome for his consecration and on his return, stopped in Ireland to recruit clergy for his new diocese, obtaining eight seminarians from Maynooth College and seven Sisters of Mercy from Dublin. The sisters arrived in Pittsburgh in December 1843, led by Sister Frances Warde.[15]

In 1858, Mother Mary Teresa Maher led a group of ten Sisters of Mercy to Cincinnati from Kinsale, Ireland.[16] In 1892, the eleven Sisters of Mercy came to Cincinnati at the invitation of Archbishop John Baptist Purcell. They soon opened a Night School for Young Women. Mother of Mercy High School was founded in 1915. They also later founded a hospital in Hamilton, Ohio. They also direct Bethany House Services for homeless women and children.[17]

By the 1920s there were 39 separate Sisters of Mercy congregations across the United States and Latin America. In 1929 the "Sisters of Mercy of the Union" was founded, merging many of the congregations into one single entity with nine provinces. Seventeen communities remained independent. A federation of all the Mercy congregations was formed and in the 1970s, a common constitution was developed. Further work toward consolidation continued, and in July 1991, the "Sisters of Mercy of the Americas was established". In December 2018, the sisters marked 175 in the US.[8] (The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan developed from the Sisters of Mercy in 1973 and remains a separate congregation.)

In July 2017 "Mercy Education System of the Americas" (MESA) was formally established to unite and serve the Mercy education ministries in Argentina, Belize, Guam, Honduras, Jamaica, the Philippines and the United States.[18]

Education

Secondary schools

Colleges and universities

Defunct

Belize

Honduras

  • Instituto María Regina (La Ceiba, Honduras)

Healthcare

The Sisters founded dozens of hospitals in the United States,[20] and sponsors, or co-sponsors, six health systems. The organization also operates health care ministries in Belize, Guam, Guyana, Peru and the Philippines.[8]

Mercy Health is an NPO Catholic healthcare organization in the Midwestern United States, and is headquartered in the suburban western St. Louis County suburb of Chesterfield, Missouri.

In 1916, the Sisters of Mercy established Sisters of Mercy's St. Joseph's Sanitarium, in Asheville, North Carolina, to treat tuberculosis patients, which later became St. Joseph's Hospital. In 1998, St. Joseph's Hospital was sold to Memorial Mission Hospital. The Sisters continue to operate urgent care centers in the Asheville area, under the name Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Austin, Mary Stanislas. "Sisters of Mercy." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 October 2015Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Austin, Mary Stanislas. "Mary Francis Xavier Warde." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 30 January 2020Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "Our History", Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
  4. ^ "Mercy International Association", Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
  5. ^ "NURSING DURING THE CRIMEAN WAR". www.churchinhistory.org.
  6. ^ Registered Charity no. CHY 10078.
  7. ^ McDonald, Henry; correspondent, Ireland (20 May 2009). "'Endemic' rape and abuse of Irish children in Catholic care, inquiry finds". Retrieved 27 September 2017 – via www.theguardian.com.
  8. ^ a b c Stockman, Dan. "McAuley's legacy: Sisters of Mercy of the Americas celebrate 175 years in US", Global Sisters Report, December 20, 2018
  9. ^ Delany, Veronica. "Mary Cecilia Maher". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Sisters of Mercy New Zealand | Auckland 1850 – A Voyage Made 'Only for God'". Sistersofmercy.org.nz. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Holy Cross School Papatoetoe". Hcsp.school.nz. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  12. ^ "St Edward's, Lisson Grove, Marylebone, London". Retrieved 27 September 2017.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Black Country History". blackcountryhistory.org. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  14. ^ “School History.” Little Flower School, www.littleflowerschoolnv.org/school-history.html.
  15. ^ Canevin, Regis. "Pittsburgh." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 26 July 2019Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  16. ^ Schwab, Sarah. "The Sisters of Mercy in Cincinnati", The Irish in Cincinnati
  17. ^ Brink, Carolyn. "Sisters of Mercy of the Americas", July 16, 2012
  18. ^ MESA
  19. ^ "Mount Mercy Academy". Mtmercy.org. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  20. ^ sistersofmercy.org
  21. ^ https://www.asheville.com/news/som0911.html

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sisters of Mercy". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Further reading

  • Connolly, Mary Beth Fraser. Women of Faith: The Chicago Sisters of Mercy and the Evolution of a Religious Community (Oxford University Press, 2014)
  • Herron, Mary Eulalia (Sr.). The Sisters Of Mercy In The United States 1843-1928", (The Macmillan Company, 1929)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sisters_of_Mercy&oldid=938447798"