Woman of the Week: Catherine McAuley

by Jessica Stein

“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.” -Catherine McAuley

Though most well known for being a nun who started the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley is so much more.

Catherine was born in Dublin, Ireland in September of 1779 to the wealthy family of Elinor and James McAuley. Both of her parents passed away when she was a young girl, yet they left a lasting impression with her. Her love for the poor came from her father’s compassion and devotion to helping the needy. He would bring the poor into their house to teach them of the Catholic faith. Her mother, someone used to their comfortable lifestyle and usual social scene, taught her dignity, charm, and how to be independent.

After her parents passed, she went to go live with a couple different distant relatives. During this time in her life she learned how to serve others, discovered her desire to serve the poor, sick, and uneducated, and grew closer to God through prayer. She made such an impression on the last relatives she stayed with, that she inherited their fortune when they passed on.

She would use this money to fund the first house of mercy on Baggot Street in 1824 in Dublin. She was doing something very bold at that time: bringing the poor and uneducated into the view of the rich and well-off. They didn’t care about what they couldn’t see, so she brought it to them. The house became a home to young working girls and orphans, a school for poor children, and the beginning of a legacy that still stands today.

Along with her endeavors of helping those in need, she unintentionally founded the Sisters of Mercy. These sisters would not be like others at that time, but ones who could go out and serve the community instead of having restrictions and making vows.

Many other towns heard the news of the great work being done in Dublin and requested houses be set up there too. Nine more houses were set up all over Ireland and each attracted more women with the same desire that Catherine had those many years ago.

Catherine did something that not many other people at that time had the guts to do. She cared for those who had no one to care for them. She sparked a flame that erupted all over Ireland and eventually spread worldwide. The original houses and the community of the Sisters of Mercy are still very much alive and well today, still carrying out their mission from so long ago. Her legacy has and will continue to last lifetimes, help those in need, and inspire young women all around the world.

“We must strive to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” -Catherine McAuley