More of "Reflections from the Sisters of Mercy"

Bonus content from the 75th anniversary issue of TODAY magazine

Sisters of Mercy: Dublin to Gwynedd Valley

Catherine McAuley, born in Dublin, Ireland in 1778, was influenced by her father's steadfast Catholic faith and concern for the Dublin's poor. McAuley's devoted care for Catherine and William Callaghan, a couple who opened their home to her, resulted in her receiving a large bequest that would enable her to help those in need.

On September 27, 1827, the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, opened the House of Mercy at Baggot and Herbert Streets in Dublin to provide shelter and education for young women who came to Dublin seeking employment. Other women joined McAuley at the House of Mercy. Daniel Murray, archbishop of Dublin, witnessing the work of McAuley and her companions, suggested that she establish a religious community. On December 12, 1831, after completing a novitiate with the Presentation Sisters, McAuley pronounced her vows as the first Sister of Mercy.

In 1843, Mother Mary Frances Warde established the first Mercy foundation in the United States in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1861, she agreed to send sisters to Philadelphia from the Manchester, New Hampshire, foundation. Mother Patricia Waldron and nine other sisters arrived at Assumption B.V.M. Parish in Philadelphia on August 22, 1861, to staff the parish school. 

The above was excerpted from Gwynedd-Mercy College: The Campus History Series book.

Browse our timeline to learn how many years later, Sisters of Mercy from Philadelphia established Gwynedd-Mercy Junior College in 1948.