Nearly two centuries ago,
a young Irish woman was moved to respond to the suffering and poverty
she witnessed around her. Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters
of Mercy, devoted her life to ministering to Dublin's poor, sick and uneducated.
In doing so, she established a heritage of caregiving and commitment that
continues today in Sisters of Mercy religious communities throughout the
world.
Catherine was born in 1778 to a Catholic
family and was left an orphan and penniless at an early age. Adopted by
a wealthy, Protestant couple who had no children of their own, Catherine
could have been a leader in high society. Instead, she spent her time
seeking out the poor who lacked education, physical care and religious
belief.
At the age of 36, Catherine became sole
heir of a vast fortune. Her one aim in life was to use her wealth to alleviate
the ills of the poor and to assist them in realizing their true potential.
Catherine began her work by building the "House of Mercy," a
shelter for abandoned and abused women and children from Dublin's slums.
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