Who was Catherine McAuley?

Throughout the Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary website, beginning with the homepage, there are references to "Catherine McAuley." Who was she and why is she so important to our mission? Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin Ireland in 1831 after recognizing the many needs of people who were economically poor in early nineteenth-century Ireland and determined that she and women like her could make a difference. Catherine's genius was that she bridged the connection between the rich and the poor, employing whatever advantage her own background and her connection with people of influence afforded her in the relief and advancement of those in great need. 

The first Sisters of Mercy made their way to the United States in 1843, and in the years to follow, the works of Mercy have expanded to embrace education, health care and pastoral and social services in hundreds of sites today in countries all over the world. In all things, we refer back to Catherine McAuley's word of wisdom and prayer. 

For more information about the life of the Venerable Catherine McAuley, please click here.

Download a copy of the Suscipe, Catherine McAuley's best known prayer.