Sisters of Mercy - Mamre Homestead
The Sisters of Mercy were founded in Ireland by Catherine McAuley.
Catherine McAuley - Early Years
Catherine McAuley was born into a wealthy Dublin family in 1778. By the time she reached adulthood, she had witnessed the death of both parents and experienced considerable personal poverty.
She then worked for twenty years as a companion for an elderly couple and, upon their deaths, received an unexpected inheritance..
Foundation
Driven by a deep faith and pragmatic sense of charity, Catherine McAuley opened in 1827, an institution for unemployed and impoverished women.
This proved to be the first step towards foundation in 1831 of the Sisters of Mercy, an order now established throughout the world.
Arrival in Australia
In 1846 the Sisters of Mercy came to Australia. Six sisters settled at Victoria Square in Perth, Western Australia, under the leadership of Ursula Frayne.
The foundation in Parramatta was the final group of sisters to come to New South Wales from Ireland. Mother Mary Clare Dunphy led eight other sisters to Australia from Callan County, Kilkenny in 1888, at the invitation of Cardinal Moran, the then Archbishop of Sydney.
Parramatta Congregation
The Parramatta Congregation consists of 91 sisters involved in the following areas of ministry: primary, secondary and adult education, education for social justice, counselling and spiritual renewal work, parish work both urban and rural, social welfare work, visitation, pastoral support of refugees, health care, aged care, history and art research and administration.
Mamre Project
In 1985 the Sisters of Mercy, Parramatta, initiated the Mamre Project which arose through the work of their Youth Team in St Marys/ St Clair. In a radical approach combining Job creation, training and tourism the Sisters aimed to develop personal motivation and competence through work and training relevant to community and industry needs.
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Catherine McAuley Suscipe
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Contact Us
For further information about Mamre, located convienently 2 minutes from the Sydney M4, please Contact Us.
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