Essay: Catherine McAuley / Sisters of Mercy

Catherine McAuley once said, “We must strive to do ordinary things extraordinarily well” (“TOP 24 QUOTES”).  Catherine did not solely do these things well, she did them for God.  At a young age, she recognized the awe of faith and found herself drawn to the way of God.  She spent the rest of her life helping the poor and less faithful.  Catherine McAuley lead a life devoted to God by providing for children and women who could not support themselves. She  built the framework for a religious order known as The Sisters of Mercy, which as a whole played a major role in the Crimean war and gave roots to nursing standards. Catherine McAuley utilized her religious sentiment and care for others to establish the Sisters of Mercy, and lead them to tend to the community in need.
Catherine Elizabeth was born on September 29, 1778 (Luddy). She grew up in Dublin with her mother, father, and her sister Mary.  The family then moved to another house on Fishamble street a few years later in 1783, where her brother James would soon be born.  Later in September that year, her father James became ill and passed away at the age of 65, leaving her mother Elinor with 3 young children and very little money to feed them with. A year later, Elinor moved the family and again just 3 years after.  Catherine was tutored at home, both literate and cultured  (Sullivan).  She lived a great childhood, playing with her brother who called her kitty, and growing up with her sister who trusted her dearly.  As she grew up, she became closer to her Catholic faith as her mother grew farther from it.  Her mother Elinor passed away in 1798 and proceeded to live with her Uncle Owen and his family.  She realized it was monetarily unethical for Uncle Owen to feed another mouth, seeing he had a wife and a child of his own.  She later took an offer from the Armstrongs, relatives of her mother, whom her brother and sister were already living with.  Once again in the 1800s, as Catherine was in her late twenties, she relocated to reside with the Callaghans, long time friends of the Armstrongs.   As she made her last move, she was unaware this relationship would forever change her life.
The Callaghans were a very prosperous family.  Together, Catherine and the Callaghans resided on a twenty-two acre estate known as Coolock, with a beautiful view of the mountains.  Since Catherine remained very close to her Catholic faith, she was visited on many occasions by her priest-friend Father Thomas Betagh who educated her about the Catholic religion. (McAuley, Catherine, and Mary Ignatia. p.7)  As her lessons with Father Thomas pursued, she decided to confirm her beliefs and enter into the life of the church in order to allow her relationship with her faith to prosper.  Soon after, she received her first communion at St. Mary’s Church.
Mrs. Callaghan loved Catherine greatly.  Even though she was not Catholic, she encouraged Catherine’s aspirations and passion for her faith.  In 1819, Mrs. Callaghan passed away.  Throughout her sickness, Catherine saw her suffering and would invite a priest over in attempt to comfort her.  In 1821, Catherine suffered another loss of her dear friend Ann Conway.  When Ann was suffering through her last stages of tuberculosis, Catherine adopted her newborn baby Teresa and her oldest daughter Catherine when poor Ann died.  Teresa and Catherine lived with her and Mr. Callaghan at Coolock.  Mr. Callaghan was aging rather fast and it became time to sign his will.  In this document, he stated,
“I also leave and bequeath to the said Catherine McAuley all the Grand Canal stock or loan which I may acrue at the time of my death, together with all arrears of interest that may be then due on the same, and it is my request that the said Catherine McAuley do take and assume the surname of Callaghan.  As to all the rest, residue, and remainder of my property real and personal… I leave, devise, and bequeath the same to the said Catherine McAuley and said Mary Ann Powell…”.  (McAuley, Catherine, and Mary Ignatia. p11)
Mary Ann Powell was a relative of Mrs. Callaghan and also lived at the Coolock estate.  She resented Catherine very much for her freedom at Coolock and how loved she was by the Callaghans.  Mrs. Powell made comments to the lawyers about her plans for the estate and did not have Catherine in the plan.  Mr. Callaghan found out and added a codicil that granted Catherine sole custody of the estate.  In November 1822, William Callaghan passed away. Catherine was then gifted her bequest Mr. Callaghan had devotedly left her.
Catherine knew she wanted to help the poor and cherish her faith, therefore when she received her inheritance from Mr. Callaghan, she opened the Baggot Street house.  The house was renamed the “House of Mercy’ by Rev. Patrick Wood in 1828. The House of Mercy included a place for the poor and less fortunate women,  a church, a school, and a work area that was used for training those who were hired for jobs. The House of Mercy also housed anyone who wanted to join Catherine on her mission.  When the Archbishop of Dublin came to see what Catherine had fulfilled, he insisted Catherine establish a religious parish.  Catherine reluctantly agreed, and began her journey of becoming a nun with two of her friends.  The order, known as The Religious Sisters of Mercy, was official in 1831 (“Catherine McAuley”).  The Sisters of Mercy did not wear the traditional habit; instead, the women wore plain clothing because it did not restrict them from helping the community outside. In a letter, Daniel O’Connell stated:
“Look at the Sisters of Mercy, wrapped in coarse black cloaks-hear, hear-they are seen gliding along, persons apparently poor-while a slight glance at the foot shews the educated Lady. They are hastening to the loan couch of some sick fellow creature fast sinking into the grave with none to console, none to soothe [sic]. . . .-oh such is too good to be oppressed. Great cheering.” (Meehan).
The order was referred to as the “walking nuns” because of how much time they dedicated on the streets helping the less fortunate.  (“Catherine McAuley”).  As lay people saw the work that Catherine and her sisters were doing, they too became inspired and wanted to join the mission, causing the order to greatly increase in size.
The Sisters of Mercy came together because they shared the same ideals as Catherine; they cared for the wellbeing of the community.  Their desire to help and care for others initiated their association with nursing.  Beginning in Dublin, the women of the Sisters of Mercy would visit the sick and hopeless in their homes and provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care based on their needs (Meehan). In 1832, Ireland suffered a great cholera epidemic.  The sisters were called on by the public to help care for the sick and dying at the hospital.  The Sisters of Mercy watched over patients at the Townsend Street Depot hospital for seven months.  They provided the same care as any nurse would give, examples being keeping the patients comfortable, getting them food and water, and nursing their spiritual and emotional health as well.  (Meehan) Catherine had the most control and acted as the manager of the women in order to make sure every patient was taken care of.  Catherine also had the responsibility of hospice patients and those who had already passed away.  Because they received such wonderful training when working during the cholera epidemic, the Sisters of Mercy were called back to help in other times of hardship.
In the course of the cholera epidemic, Catherine was a strong leader.  Throughout her life, she was a role model to many because of her leadership, faithfulness, and genuine loving personality.  Catherine McAuley established twelve convents and spread the love of God with everyone she touched.  On November 11, 1841 Catherine McAuley passed away at the sisters of Mercy house from tuberculosis. (CITE) She was only 63 years old.  She established a religious order that would continue her legacy for eternity, and play a large role in one of the most brutal wars of history, the Crimean War.
One of the most significant roles the Sisters of Mercy played was tending to soldiers during the Crimean War.  The Crimean War began in October 1853, fought between the Russian Empire and the British, Ottoman Turkish, and French and was fought over conflicts regarding rights and an area of land.  Many of the battles fought during this war were brutal, such as the “Charge of the Light Brigade’ and the Battle of the Alma (Luddy).  Soldiers were dying due to cholera, wounds, and infections such as sepsis, which could have been avoided and treated if enough help was staffed.  Because of the casualty number continuing to increase, the Sisters of Mercy came to help in 1854.  Florence Nightingale, a pioneer in the nursing profession,  was one of the first to jump into the madness and help those suffering at a hospital in Turkey.  She was appointed the head nurse and all nurses would report to her.  Nightingale had a team of thirty-eight nurses and in October 1854, her and her team were requested in Paris by Bishop Grant, the Bishop of the diocese, to then get sent to work at the military hospitals in Constantinople.  Bishop Grant also sent out a plead to the Sisters of Mercy requesting more volunteers.  Mother Mary Vincent Whitty, the superior of the Sisters of Mercy House, sent a letter asking for two volunteers from each convent that had possible nursing experience.  (Paradis).  Fifteen sisters were gathered together to make the journey to Constantinople to help the cause.  Their duties included washing sheets, making mattresses by filling sacks with straw, washing the floors, treating diseases, mailing letters, and being emotionally supportive.
Although the sisters were busy taking care of the injured and sick, they still found time to pray.  They had rooms to themselves to pray and cherished mealtime together.  Without the touch of community and pray, the women may not have made it through the tough times of the war.  The Sister’s prayed with the patients as well and when the patients were curious about the Catholic faith they were given information and books.  Bishop Grant did not want the Sisters trying to conform any of the injured, so doing these acts, although out of good nature and patient curiosity, came off as proselytizing. (Paradis).  This and anti-Catholic hostility lead to the Sister’s going back to Ireland a little bit before the end of the Crimean war.
Because of the influence they had nurturing the injured during the Crimean war, the sisters of Mercy had a lasting impact on the nursing profession.  Their approach revolved around patient centered care, which has transformed into a nursing principle around the globe.  In an article titled “cncncnncncn”, ….. states “The “careful nursing” that the Sisters of Mercy sought to practice was holistic in nature and included the gift of time given to individual needs. This included the patient or soldiers emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.  Today, these values are stressed to all healthcare providers but especially nurses because they are the ones by the patient’s side twenty four seven.  The Sister’s supported the emotional state of those suffering from substantial pain or injuries.  They nurtured the spiritual needs for persons by praying with them or reading the Bible to them.  Of course, they also cared for their physical trauma by cleaning and bandaging their wounds.
Catherine McAuley was a pioneer in the religious and nursing world due to her love for God, shown in her creation of the Sisters of Mercy, who provided care with and in legacy of Catherine.  Catherine McAuley’s family and friendships had a positive impact on her life that lead her to her affinity for faith.  Her religious obsession motivated her to birth the Sisters of Mercy, proving the love of God through the work in the community that they provided.  This was especially shown in their help in the Crimean War fostering the soldiers and injured back to health, or comforting those who were dying.  Today, nursing ideals maintain to represent Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy with the continuation of patient centered care, a root of the nursing profession that will be a part of the career for eternity.