Catherine McAuley
Encyclopedia
The Venerable Mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley (born on 29 September 1778, at Stormanstown House, in Dublin, Ireland – died 11 November 1841, at the House of Mercy she had built on Baggot Street, Dublin) was an Irish
nun, who founded the Sisters of Mercy
in 1831. The Order has always been associated with teaching, especially in Ireland, where the nuns taught Catholics (and at times Protestants) at a time when education was mainly reserved for members of the established Church of Ireland
.
Having lost her father as a small child, Catherine became orphaned at 18 with the death of her mother. By this time the family had little money so Catherine and her two siblings moved to live with relatives. Unfortunately her relatives also struggled financially, and so Catherine went to live with wealthy friends of her relatives, the Callahans. Catherine spent her time learning about her religion, praying, and serving the needy.
When Mr Callahan died, he left his entire fortune to Catherine.
She inherited a considerable fortune at the age of 48, she chose to use it to build a house where she and other compassionate women could take in homeless women and children to provide care and an education for them.
She never intended to found a community of religious women. The church (clergy and people) of the time, however, were not supportive of groups of lay women working independently of church structures. Catherine's clerical mentor urged her to form a religious Institute. Catherine and two other women entered the formation program of the Presentation Sisters to formally prepare for life as women religious. At the end of one year they professed vows and returned to the House of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy
consider 12 December 1831, the day of their founding as a religious community.
Catherine lived only ten years as a Sister of Mercy, Sister Mary Catherine, but in that time she established twelve foundations in Ireland and two in England. At the time of her death there were 150 Sisters of Mercy. Shortly thereafter, small groups of sisters left Ireland to establish new foundations on the east and west coasts of the United States, in Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Total worldwide vowed membership is about 10,000. The Mercy International Centre
in Dublin, Ireland is the international "home" of Sisters of Mercy worldwide.
In 1978, the cause for the beatification
of the Servant of God
Catherine McAuley was opened by Pope Paul VI
, and in 1990, upon recognition of her heroic virtue
s, Pope John Paul II
declared her Venerable
. This places her on the path towards possible sainthood.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
nun, who founded the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in 1831. The Order has always been associated with teaching, especially in Ireland, where the nuns taught Catholics (and at times Protestants) at a time when education was mainly reserved for members of the established Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
.
When Mr Callahan died, he left his entire fortune to Catherine.
She inherited a considerable fortune at the age of 48, she chose to use it to build a house where she and other compassionate women could take in homeless women and children to provide care and an education for them.
She never intended to found a community of religious women. The church (clergy and people) of the time, however, were not supportive of groups of lay women working independently of church structures. Catherine's clerical mentor urged her to form a religious Institute. Catherine and two other women entered the formation program of the Presentation Sisters to formally prepare for life as women religious. At the end of one year they professed vows and returned to the House of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
consider 12 December 1831, the day of their founding as a religious community.
Catherine lived only ten years as a Sister of Mercy, Sister Mary Catherine, but in that time she established twelve foundations in Ireland and two in England. At the time of her death there were 150 Sisters of Mercy. Shortly thereafter, small groups of sisters left Ireland to establish new foundations on the east and west coasts of the United States, in Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Total worldwide vowed membership is about 10,000. The Mercy International Centre
Mercy International Centre
Mercy International Centre is the original house of the Sisters of Mercy. Built in 1824 by Catherine McAuley, it is located on Lower Baggot Street, Dublin, Ireland....
in Dublin, Ireland is the international "home" of Sisters of Mercy worldwide.
In 1978, the cause for the beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of the Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
Catherine McAuley was opened by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
, and in 1990, upon recognition of her heroic virtue
Heroic virtue
Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Roman Catholic church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it connotes a degree of bravery, fame, and...
s, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
declared her Venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
. This places her on the path towards possible sainthood.
Legacies
- Holy Cross Primary School Papatoetoe, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
www.hcsp.co.nz - St Columba's School, Ballarat, Victoria
- Mary Immaculate College, LimerickMary Immaculate College, LimerickMary Immaculate College , also known as Mary I or MIC, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts, founded in 1898. It became academically linked to the University of Limerick in 1991. The college has approximately 3,500 students and 300 staff...
- Our Lady of Mercy College, CarysfortOur Lady of Mercy College, CarysfortOur Lady of Mercy College, Carysfort was an important College of Education in Dublin, Ireland from its foundation in 1877 until its closure in 1988...
, Dublin - Saint Leo's College, Carlow
- Saint Mary's College, Arklow, WicklowWicklowWicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
- Saint Mary's College Naas, KildareKildare-External links:*******...
- Convent of Mercy, Ballymahon, LongfordLongfordLongford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county...
- Convent of Mercy, MoateMoateMoate is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.The name An Móta is derived from the term motte-and-bailey as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the main street....
- Convent of Mercy, Navan, MeathCounty MeathCounty Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
- Mount Saint Michael, ClaremorrisClaremorrisClaremorris , is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. The population of Claremoris in the 2011 Census was 3,979....
- All Hallows' SchoolAll Hallows' SchoolAll Hallows' School is a Catholic day school for girls, located close to the central business district of Brisbane, Queensland.Founded in 1861, the school follows in the tradition of the Irish Sisters of Mercy, and caters for over 1,300 girls from years five to 12...
, BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... - Catherine McAuley Primary School, Craigmore, South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
- Saint Mary's College, Ipswich, Queensland
- UPMC MercyUPMC MercyUPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
Hospital, (Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
) - Carlow University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High SchoolMother McAuley Liberal Arts High SchoolMother McAuley Liberal Arts High School is an all-girl, Catholic high school located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois at 3737 West 99th Street. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago...
(ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) - Catherine McAuley High School (Westmead, New South Wales)
- McAuley Catholic College in Grafton, New South Wales, AustraliaGrafton, New South WalesThe city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
- McAuley High School (CincinnatiCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio) - McAuley High School (Joplin, MissouriJoplin, MissouriJoplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
) - Mercyhurst CollegeMercyhurst CollegeMercyhurst College is a Catholic liberal arts college in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.-History:On September 20, 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Erie Diocese, who were led by Mother M. Borgia...
(Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, PennsylvaniaErie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
) - Mercyhurst Preparatory SchoolMercyhurst Preparatory SchoolMercyhurst Preparatory School, commonly called Mercyhurst Prep or MPS, is a Catholic, coeducational secondary school located in Erie, Pennsylvania. In the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, the school is located behind Mercyhurst College on East Grandview Boulevard...
(Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, PennsylvaniaErie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
) - Catherine McAuley High SchoolCatherine McAuley High SchoolCatherine McAuley High School of Portland, Maine is an all-girls' college preparatory school that is run by the Sisters of Mercy. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. McAuley is the only single-sex high school in the state of Maine. The school was established by the Sisters of...
(Portland, MainePortland, MainePortland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
) - Catherine McAuley High School, Brooklyn, New YorkCatherine McAuley High School (Brooklyn)Catherine McAuley High School is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1942, it is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.-Background:...
- Catherine McAuley School, Ashbourne Ave., Limerick, Ireland catherinemcauley.ie
- Georgian Court University, Lakewood, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- The McAuley Catholic High SchoolThe McAuley Catholic High SchoolThe McAuley Catholic High School is a coeducational Catholic Day School in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The School takes its name from Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, the order which ran the School until the late 1980s....
in DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, South YorkshireSouth YorkshireSouth Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, ngland - Mother of Mercy High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- Mercy High School (Burlingame, California)Mercy High School (Burlingame, California)Mercy High School is an American private all-girls high school located in Burlingame, California. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, it is run by the Sisters of Mercy, founded by Catherine McAuley, and is located in Kohl Mansion....
- Mercy High School (Middletown, Connecticut)Mercy High School (Middletown, Connecticut)Mercy High School is a private, Roman Catholic, all-girls high school in Middletown, Connecticut. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich. The first class graduated from Mercy High School in 1966....
- Mercy High School (Farmington Hills, Michigan)Mercy High School (Farmington Hills, Michigan)Mercy High School is a private, Roman Catholic, all-girls high school in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit and is recognized as a national Exemplary Private High School by the United States Department of Education.-Background:Mercy was...
- Mercy Secondary School, MounthawkMercy Secondary School, MounthawkMercy Secondary School, Mounthawk is a Catholic school and has approximately 1,300 pupils and 105 teachers . It is the largest school in Kerry, and one of the largest secondary schools in Ireland. It The number of classes per year range between 7 and 10. It opened in 2001 by Minister For Education...
, Tralee, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... - Merion Mercy Academy (Merion Station, PennsylvaniaMerion, PennsylvaniaMerion Station is an unincorporated community in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is contiguous to Philadelphia and is also bordered by Wynnewood, Narberth, and Bala Cynwyd...
) - McAuley Place Living Center Muskegon, MichiganMuskegon, MichiganMuskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
- Notre Dame High SchoolNotre Dame High School-Canada:*Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, Wilcox, Saskatchewan*Collège Notre-Dame , Ontario*Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School , Ontario*Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School , Ontario*Notre Dame College School, Welland, Ontario...
(Elmira, New York) - Saint Catherine Academy Belize City, Belize
- St Catherine's CollegeSt Catherine's College, WellingtonSt Catherine's College is a Catholic secondary school for girls located in Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand. It was founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy. There was formerly a primary school on the site opened by the Sisters of Mercy in 1918. On 30 March 1983, St Catherine's College became an...
, WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - St Mary's CollegeSt Mary's College, WellingtonSt Mary's College Wellington is situated in the suburb of Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. The school is an integrated all girls Catholic secondary school for years 9-13.-History:...
, WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Salve Regina University, (NewportNewport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island) - Mount Mercy Academy (Buffalo, New York)
- Trocaire College (Buffalo, New York)
- McAuley High SchoolMcAuley High School (New Zealand)McAuley High School is a Catholic girls’ secondary school in Otahuhu, New Zealand. The school was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1962, and run by the order until the 1990s....
, OtahuhuOtahuhuOtahuhu is a suburb of Auckland. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tamaki River estuary to the east...
, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Lauralton Hall, Academy of Our Lady of Mercy (Milford, Connecticut)
- Mercedes College (Perth)Mercedes College (Perth)Mercedes College is a private, all girls' high school located in the CBD of Perth, Western Australia.The school was founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, thus making it the oldest independent Catholic girls' school in Australia, and the oldest existing secondary school in Perth.There are...
, Australia - Mercedes College (Springfield, South Australia) Australia
- Saint Mary's College AucklandSaint Mary's College AucklandSt Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.-History:St Mary’s College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Our Lady of Mercy Academy (Syosset, New York)
- The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy (Louisville, Kentucky)
- Mercy College, Western Australia
- Mercy Regional College, Camperdown
- Gwynedd-Mercy College, Gwynedd Valley Pennsylvania
- Misericordia University, Dallas, Pennsylvania (formerly College Misericordia)
External links
- Sisters of Mercy of the America
- Mercy Volunteer Corps
- Mercy Associates
- Mercy International Centre
- Catherine's Canonization Cause
- Catherine McAuley Westmead,Australia
- McAuley Foundation, Australia
- Catherine McAuley High School of Portland, Maine
- The McAuley High School of Cincinnati, Ohio
- Mother McAuley High School of Chicago, Illinois
- The McAuley School, Doncaster, United Kingdom
- Mount Aloysius College, Cresson, Pennsylvania
- Mercy College of Northwest Ohio
- Mount Mercy Academy, Buffalo, New York
- Trocaire College, Buffalo, New York
- Catherine McAuley School, Limerick, Ireland