1860s
By the mid-1800s, New Orleans had a well-earned reputation as the unhealthiest place in the country. Hot, humid summers, open sewers and cramped living conditions bred disease, and yellow fever epidemics were common. In 1869, six Sisters of Mercy journeyed from St. Louis to New Orleans to teach Irish students at St. Alphonsus School. They arrived on a rainy Easter Sunday, settling in a multi-cultural neighborhood where one church served the Irish, the second Germans and a third the French-speaking Creoles.
The Sisters taught the French children and visited the imprisoned and the sick, carrying bread, dried rice, beans and a jar of soup for each family.
1870s
In the aftermath of the Civil War and the epidemics of the 1870s, the Sisters developed a health care ministry, daycare for working mothers, an orphanage and a shelter for elderly women and those seeking employment. They also taught religion and basic education to boys at night.
1924
In 1924, Mercy Hospital opened and was staffed by the Sisters for the next 70 years. In 1994, it merged with Southern Baptist hospital and was acquired by Tenet Healthcare Corporation.
2006
The Sisters continue teaching children at St. Alphonsus until August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit. The school serves as a temporary shelter for those who didn’t evacuate. It reopens in January 2006 as an early childhood education center.
2026
Today, Mercy serves Louisiana through our outreach ministry, Mercy Family Center. Since 1992, Mercy Family Center (MFC) has consistently and creatively responded to the needs in the Greater New Orleans area by providing comprehensive, community-based mental health services for children, adolescents, adults and families. MFC has clinic locations in Metairie, Mandeville, and serves the entire Southeast LA region. Our highly-trained professional staff of psychiatrists, psychologists and licensed clinical social workers provides quality mental health assessment and intervention services, regardless of income level.
MFC treats over 4,000 patients with over 13,500 encounters annually and has admitted over 400 children and 200 adults as new patients in the past twelve months. Over 40% of MFC’s services are Medicaid-funded, fee assisted or free.
