Catherine the Laywoman: A Dream That Continues

Before there was a congregation of Sisters of Mercy, there was a woman with a dream.

Catherine McAuley envisioned a way of serving people in need that began with the gifts, energy, and commitment of lay people working together. We will explore Catherine’s life as a laywoman, her dream for compassionate service, and the circumstances that eventually led to the founding of the religious congregation we know today as the Sisters of Mercy.

Together, we will trace the remarkable journey from Catherine’s original vision of a lay organization, through the development of religious life, to our own moment in which lay expressions of the Mercy charism are once again growing in strength and significance.

As we approach the 200th anniversary of the opening of the House of Mercy, we will ask: 

What might Catherine’s original dream be asking of us today? And how might we claim our own responsibility for carrying the Mercy charism into the future?