News of the Sisters of Mercy was spreading rapidly in 1831. These walking nuns were founded in Dublin by Catherine McAuley. The Sisters of Mercy term walking nuns was derisive at first. Real nuns did not leave their convents. They did not walk the streets as Catherine’s Sisters did.
But it was soon realised that this new form of religious life was God’s gift to His Church. It was for this new and complex period in western society. Catherine’s Sisters visited the sick and poor. They visited them in their own homes. They visited them in the dreadful hospitals of those days.
They ran day and night schools for the poor. Where possible, they found shelter for the homeless and orphans. They sought in every way possible to improve the lot of women. It was exactly the support that the clergy of the newly re-established parishes needed.
The Mercy Parish history is intertwined. Invitations to Catherine McAuley came thick and fast. They were to set up convents in Britain. In her ten short years of religious life, she personally made two foundations in England. Bermondsey, London was founded in 1839. Handsworth, Birmingham was founded in 1841. She visited the site for a third foundation in Liverpool in 1841. She received prospective candidates from Liverpool for their novitiate in Baggot Street. Catherine McAuley died in November 1841 before the foundation to Liverpool was made. It was in August 1843 that the Liverpool foundation was actually made. The Sisters moved into the Pugin designed Convent in Mount Vernon.
On Monday 25th November a very special celebration was held in Bermondsey, London. It was to commemorate the 185th anniversary. It was the anniversary of the first Mercy foundation outside of Ireland. In November 1839, Catherine McAuley led a group of Sisters. The group included Sr. Clare Moore and two English novices. They established a community in The Tree of Foundations. The ritual heralded all the subsequent foundations. It was made from that one foundation established on 21st November 1839.
It recalled the saying, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow”. It was a most joyful occasion. Sisters of Mercy came from all over the United Kingdom. They celebrated with the Bermondsey community. It was truly a parish celebration. Parishioners and pupil representatives came from the local schools. Even members of the local fire brigade attended.
Sr Patrica O’ Donovan rsm is CEO of Mercy International Association. Sr. Margaret Daly rsm is Head of Heritage and Spirituality at MIA. Both travelled to London to join the celebrations. Following Mass, everyone in the church was invited to the convent. They enjoyed the Sisters’ generous hospitality. There was plenty of meeting and greeting. There was a good cup of tea. Songs and stories were shared while memories of times past surfaced. The Mercy Parish stands as a testament to the enduring legacy.