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MERCY, SISTERS OF: The name of several religious congregations of women in the Roman Catholic Church.

1. Institute of Our Blessed Lady, of Mercy: A congregation founded by Catherine Elizabeth McAuley (q.v.). The beginnings of this order go back to 1827 when the founder, then forty years of age, and having recently inherited a large fortune, established in Dublin (on the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, Sept. 24) an institution for the harboring of destitute women and orphans and for the tied of

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poor schools. The house was placed in charge of Miss Anna M. Doyle who was assisted in the school work by Miss Katherine Byrne. At that period there was no intention of founding a religious order, but rather of organizing a society of secular ladies who, between the period of leaving school and settling in life, might devote a portion of their time to the instruction of the poor and to other works of charity. But as several of her associates evinced a desire to make this a life-work and become sisters, Miss McAuley was led to establish, with the permission of the archbishop, a religious community under the title: "Institute of Our Blessed Lady of Mercy." In 1828 the members adopted a distinctive costume, but it was not until Dec. 12, 1831, after a year's novitiate in the Presentation Monastery of George's Hill, that they made their religious profession, taking the three vows according to the presentation form. Returning to their convent, Sister Mary Katherine was appointed superior by Dr. Murray, archbishop of Dublin, but for several years the institute had no written rule. The costume adopted by the foundresa consists of a habit of coarse black serge, or cashmere, falling in folds from the throat to the feet in front, and lengthened into a train behind. It is confined to the waist by a leathern girdle, or cincture, on which the beads and cross of the order are suspended. The sleeves are long and wide, falling in plaits from the shoulders, with tight undersleeves. The habit and veil are very ample: the guimp is a deep linen collar, worn in front, and the coif, an envelop of the same material, covers the head, partly concealing the face. The rule of the institute, based on that of St. Augustine, was approved by Pope Gregory XVI. June 8, 1841. The specific objects of the order are the education of the poor, the visitation of the sick, and the protection of distressed women of good character. Besides the three ordinary vows of religion the sisters bind themselves to the service of the sick, the poor, and the ignorant, and they also take a vow of stability or perseverance in the institute. The order comprises two classes of sisters, choir and lay religious, and each separate community is subject canonically to the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated. Forty-three convents of the order were established before the death of the founder in 1841. There are houses of the order also in England, Scotland, Australia, and the United States. The Sisters of Mercy were first introduced into the United States in 1843 by Bishop O'Connor of Pittsburg, where the beginnings of the American foundation were materially furthered by the generosity of Miss Eliza Jane Tiernan who, on joining the community, bestowed upon it a large fortune inherited from her father. The development of the order in the United States was quite rapid, and it had in 1909 about forty mother houses in various cities from Maine to California. The sisters conduct schools, academies, hospitals, asylums, etc. The number of pupils under their charge is about 80,000, and the total number of professed sisters is about 4,500.

2. Sisters of Mercy of Seez, France: A congregation founded in 1823 in the diocese of Seez, France, by five pious women under the direction

of a zealous priest, M. Bazin. They first took the name "Sisters of Charity," but in 1825 it was changed to "Sisters of Mercy" in order that the new community might be distinguished from that of the Sisters of Charity founded by St. Vincent de Paul. The object of the order is to minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of the sick, and especially of the poor in their homes. There are foundations of the order in England as well as in France.

8. Sisters of Mercy of Montreal (Sceura de la mis &icorde): A congregation established in Montreal, Quebec (where the mother house is located), by Bishop Ignatius Bourget in 1848. The foundress was Madame Rosalie Jettk (in religion, Mother Mary of the Nativity), but from the beginning she declined to accept the office of superior, and Sister St. Jane de Chantal was placed in charge. The specific object of the institute is to assist women in labor, both rich and poor, especially the latter, whom the sisters receive in their institutions or visit in their homes. In receiving patients no discrimination is made in respect to religion, color, nationality, or place of residence. No questions are asked, and all precautions are taken to protect the honor of patients and avert the crime of infanticide. The children are cared for both in the main institu tions and in homes established especially for the purpose. Patients who desire to remain in the institution for a time after their convalescence are placed in charge of a sister. They follow a certain rule of life, without, however, contracting any religious obligation, and are known as " conse crated " (conaacreees). If they choose to remain in the convent permanently and show the proper dispositions, they are allowed, after a period of probation, to become "Magdalena," and after a further probationary period they are admitted to take the vows of the subsidiary Magdalen order. The congregation is governed by a mother general who is elected every six years. The institute was approved by Pope Pius IX., June 7, 1867. These sisters have establishments not only in Canada, but also in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.

James F. Driscoll.

Bibliography: Heimbucher Orden und Kongreg iii. 388-387, 554; Currier, Religious Ordara, pp. 578 595: OflcW Catholic Directory, New York, 1909.

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