Celebrating 150 Years of Service to Our Community
In 2007, the Sisters of Mercy celebrated their 150th anniversary of caring for those in need in our community. Mercy Foundation salutes this remarkable group of women who traveled half way around the world from Ireland to an unknown frontier called California – to care for the sick, the poor and the uneducated.
One hundred fifty years ago the Sisters of Mercy entered Sacramento's life and became an integral part of Sacramento's story. Just before dawn on the morning of October 2, 1857, a river steamer slipped into Sacramento’s dock bringing with it merchants, miners and five Sisters of Mercy. At the request of Bishop Joseph Alemany, the Sisters came to establish a school, care for its orphans and do whatever was needed to assist its poor and needy.
Inspired by the vision of their foundress Catherine McAuley, the Sisters dedicated themselves to the service of those who were poor, sick, uneducated and in need. They didn’t just have a plan. They had a mission.
In spite of both physical and financial hardships, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s Academy; established the Catholic Orphanage of Sacramento, and provided a safety net of social services for those in greatest need St. Joseph’s Academy offered women a challenging academic program, commercial training, boarding school accommodations for daughters of rural families and a belief in the value and importance of women’s contributions to society.
Over the next 150 years, the Sisters expanded their ministry to include over 14 elementary schools and four high schools. Today, Mercy education flourishes in a variety of modes including Mercy Education Resource Center and Cristo Rey High School. Although they came as teachers, the Sisters became the city’s first visiting nurses, caring for Sacramentans who endured devastating floods in 1862 as well as waves of malaria, typhoid fever and tuberculosis.
Members of the medical community prevailed upon them to open a hospital to respond to the health care needs of the city. In 1896 Mater Misericordiae Hospital, known as the Sister’s Hospital, opened at 23rd and R Streets. Shortly thereafter, the Sisters added a nursing school, training others who could join in their work.
Mercy continues its healthcare mission through four local Mercy hospitals (including Methodist Hospital of Sacramento) and its free health clinics. And, it reaches out through Mercy Housing to develop affordable housing and support services for those who are poor or disadvantaged.
For 150 years the Sisters have continued their service to Northern California, changing with the changing needs. Its past is a promise that Mercy is the same…yesterday, today and tomorrow.
