Sisters of Mercy in Australia and Papua New Guinea

*** As some of the older hardcopy resources listed below may no longer be in print, access may have to be from a public library or your local Mercy community office.

ISMAPNG

The Land that I Will Show You: History of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia 1981-2011
Berenice Kerr (Sydney: Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia, 2011)
History of the changes in the configuration of congregations of Sisters of Mercy in Australia, from the founding congregations, amalgamations and creation of new ones, the Australian Union of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the Australian Federation of the Religious Sisters of Mercy and the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia.
Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea: Ministries
Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (Sydney: Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia, 2019)
Brief descriptions of the various ministries in which ISMAPNG is involved.
Download the PDF of the A5 booklet here
The Mercy Story: Leading to the Founding of ISMAPNG
Script Writers: Berenice Kerr, Veronica Lawson, Creative Director: Anne Walsh (2015)
Brief journey from the 1st Sisters of Mercy to arrive in Australia to the founding of ISMAPNG
https://vimeo.com/285699965
The Mercy Story: Coming together for Mission
Producers: Barbara Bolster, Adele Howard (2015)
Stories of ministries in the then new ISMAPNG
https://vimeo.com/259260344

Foundresses

Mercy Foundresses
Biographies of some of the founding Sisters of Mercy
https://www.mercyworld.org/catherine/mercy-foundresses/
Ursula Frayne: A Biography
Catherine Kovesi Killerby (Fremantle: University of Notre Dame, 1996)
Biography of Ursula Frayne, leader of the first group of Sisters of Mercy to come to Australia.
The Story of Ursula Frayne: A Woman of Mercy
Anne Walsh (Melbourne: John Garratt Publishing, 1997)
This set of resources which tells the story of Ursula Frayne’s arrival to Perth, her journey to Melbourne and the communities she ministered to was created to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the the Melbourne Congregation of Sisters of Mercy.
Resources include a docu-drama on DVD, a booklet giving an account of Ursula’s life story, a resource for group discussion and teacher text
Limited copies of these resources are available through missionintegration@ismapng.org.au
The Life and Legacy of Ursula Frayne
Mercy Education Ltd
Download the PDF of this A5 bi-fold leaflet here
Hard copies of this resource are also available from Mercy Education Ltd: contact@mercy.edu.au
Great Talent for Management: Mother Xavier Maguire c1819-1879
Helen Mary Delaney (Melbourne: University of Divinity, 2017)
This part chronological and part thematic account of the life of Mother Xavier Maguire who founded the Convent of Mercy Geelong is a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for degree of Master of Theology.
https://repository.divinity.edu.au/3094/1/Xavier%20Maguire%20-%20MTheol%20submission%20final%20revision%20version%2014-12-17.pdf
The Correspondence of Mother Vincent Whitty: 1839 – 1892
compiled by Anne Hetherington and Pauline Smoothy (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2011)
A volume of 340 letters written by, to and about Mother Vincent Whitty, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland

Western Australia

PERTH & WEST PERTH

Women Out of their Sphere: A History of the Sisters of Mercy in Western Australia
Anne McLay (Sisters of Mercy, Western Australia, 1992)
History of the West Australian Sisters of Mercy. Included are accounts of events in the lives of the Sisters as a group, their ministries, way of living and spirituality.
This book is currently out of print, but a digital copy can be found on https://www.mercyworld.org/f/45074/x/a9ec3f5c6e/women-out-of-their-sphere-compressed.pdf
Valiant Women: Letters from the Foundation Sisters of Mercy in Western Australia 1845-1849
Geraldine Byrne (Melbourne: Polding Press, 1981)
This book introduces the reader to the founding Sisters: Ursula Frayne, Catherine Gogarty, Anne Xavier Dillon, Ignatia de la Hoyde, Aloysius Kelly, Baptist O’Connell and Evangelista O’Reilly. The correspondence tells of the life and work the Sisters which included narratives of encounters with women, children, the aboriginal community, the local Bishop, etc.
This resource is out of print but available at the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/30528310

Victoria and Tasmania

BALLARAT EAST

The Challenge of Change: Mercy and Loreto Sisters in Ballarat 1950-1980
Heather O’Connor (Ballan: Connor Court Publishing, 2013)
This book traces the contribution of the Sisters of Mercy and the Loreto Sisters to Ballarat from 1950 to 1980 and tells us how they confronted, embraced and wove into being, the reforms of Vatican 11.

MELBOURNE

The Labourer’s Friends
Maree Allen (Melbourne: Hargreen Publishing Company in conjunction with Sisters of Mercy Melbourne Congregation, 1989)
An account of the of the work of the Sisters of Mercy in Perth from1846, moving to Melbourne in 1857 and subsequently spreading through Victoria and Tasmania.

New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory

BATHURST

Through Catherine’s Eyes: stories of Mercy ministries since Vatican II
Paula Smith, Patricia Powell (Bathurst: On the Stone Publishers, 2016)
A History of the former Bathurst Congregation of Sisters of Mercy

GOULBURN

Walking Nuns – Sisters of Mercy Goulburn Congregation Sesquicentenary
Sisters of Mercy, Goulburn Congregation, (Canberra: Sisters of Mercy Goulburn Congregation, 2009)
The booklet celebrated the sesquicentenary of a group of Sisters of Mercy in Eastern Australia and gave an overview of the amalgamated houses of Goulburn, Albury and Yass and the foundations from each of these ‘Mother” houses. It includes aspects of the life of the Sisters, developed further by an Exhibition, and referred to a certain “invisibility” as photography was minimal till the 1960s.
This resource is out of print but available at the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/28901261?q&versionId=44598244
Down the Flat, on the Hills….and Beyond
Sisters of Mercy, Albury (Albury: Sisters of Mercy, 2018)
This booklet was developed to mark the celebration of the Sesquicentenary of the Sister’ arrival in Albury in 1868. It outlines the work of the Foundress Mother Mary Ignatius Murphy and the story of the life of the Sisters and their foundations in that area.
Held in our Hearts
Casey, Eileen M. (Fyshwick, ACT: Panther, 2000)
This book is heavily influenced by the work of Mother Mary Columbiere McKillop who had passed on her written manuscript recording the story of the Sisters and their foundations in the Goulburn Congregation.
This resource is out of print but available through the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/7911072
Mount Carmel Centenary 1875-1975
Sisters of Mercy, Yass (Yass, N.S.W.: Sisters of Mercy, Yass,1975)
This booklet was published at the time of the centenary of the sisters’ arrival in Yass. It is a record of events relating to the sisters’ work in the schools in Yass and their particular ministry to the Indigenous people living in the Yass district.
This resource is out of print but available through the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/180988454
* also in possession of the Archives of Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Leichardt, NSW
Reminiscences. Foundation of Albury
Sr M Anthony Stuart (1868)
Sr Anthony Stuart wrote her reminiscences of the life of the Sisters in Albury and the surrounding area. She particularly highlights the events surrounding the arrival of the Sisters in Albury and early events as they established the community.
* This manuscript was not published but a copy can be obtained from Archives of Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Leichardt, NSW
Sisters of Mercy, Yass, Life of a Valiant Woman
Mother Mary Gertrude Grogan (Sydney: Sisters of Mercy, Yass, 1925)
This is the story of the life and work of Mother Paul Fielding, the foundress of the Yass community in 1875.
This resource is out of print but available through the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/14324591
* also in possession of the Archives of Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Leichardt, NSW
A History of the Sisters of Mercy, Goulburn
Mother Mary Columbiere McKillop (date unknown)
Notes collected by Mother Mary Columbiere McKillop held the office of Mother General of the Goulburn Congregation on a number of separate periods of leadership. She had a vast experience of the life and growth of the Congregation and she gathered her notes into a hand written account of this story.
* in possession of the Archives of Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Leichardt, NSW

GRAFTON

As Gentle Rain
Raphael, Mary and Mary Celestine (Sydney: Halstead Press, 1960)
This resource is out of print but available through the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/23338714
The Grafton Bronzes and booklet
Grafton Congregation (Ballarat: KingPrint, 2013)
Each bronze in the series created by artist Gael O’Leary, tells an aspect of the story of the former Grafton Congregation. The booklet contains a picture and brief commentary of each bronze.

GUNNEDAH

St. Mary’s College Gunnedah: A Profile of the first Hundred Years 1879 to 1979.
Judith Carney, (Gunnedah: St. Mary’s College 2007)
This resource can be purchased from St Mary’s College PO Box 730, Gunnedah NSW 2380, Ph: (02) 6742 2124
“That they may have Life, Life to the Full” (John 10:10): Biographies of Deceased Sisters of Mercy of Gunnedah Congregation 1896 – 2006
(Gunnedah: Gunnedah Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, 2007)
This resource is out of print but available through the following libraries https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/43562527

NORTH SYDNEY

Singing to the end of the service
Maureen McGuirk (Caringbah: Playright Publishing, 2007)
This tells the story of Elizabeth McQuoin, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in North Sydney.

PARRAMATTA

These Women? Women Religious in the History of Australia – The Sisters of Mercy Parramatta
Madeleine Sophie McGrath, (Kensington: New South Wales University Press, 1988)

SINGLETON

Through Light and Shade: Sisters of Mercy Singleton 1875-1995
Colleen Kelly (Newcastle: Cambridge Press, 1997)

WILCANNIA FORBES

A History of the Sisters of Mercy Wilcannia Forbes Congregation 1884-1959
Mary Ryan (Allawah: Sisters of Mercy Wilcannia Forbes Congregation, 2004)

South Australia

ADELAIDE

Women on the Move: Mercy’s Triple Spiral
Anne McLay (Adelaide: Sisters of Mercy Adelaide, 1996)
A History of the Adelaide Sisters of Mercy Ireland to Argentina 1856-1880 to South Australia 1880
Our Argentinian Connection: 140 Years of the Sisters of Mercy in SA
Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea
A brief history of the former Adelaide Congregation of Sisters of Mercy
https://vimeo.com/413776542

Queensland

BRISBANE

Beyond Our Dreams: A Century of the Works of Mercy in Queensland
Xaverius O’Donoghue (Brisbane: The Jacaranda Press, 1961)
Written to celebrate the centenary of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland, this book is an account of the beginnings and growth of the Order. It is a story of the activities of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland at All Hallows’ Convent and School, at the Mater Hospitals, at Nudgee Home and at the suburban and country convents around Queensland.
Mercy Women Making History: from the pen of Mother Vincent Whitty
Kath Burke, et al (Brisbane: Corporation of the Trustees of the Order of Sisters of Mercy in Queensland, 2001)
This volume of letters fto and from Mother Vincent Whitty was published as part of activities commenorating the 140th anniversary of the arrival of Sisters fo Mercy in Queensland.
Mother Vincent Whitty: Woman and Educator in a Masculine Society
Xaverius O’Donoghue (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1972)
Story of Mother Vincent Whitty, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland and her contribution to Catholic education there.

CAIRNS

120 years of Mercy Ministry in the Diocese of Cairns
Sisters of Mercy Cairns Congregation (Melbourne: Fraynework, 2010)
This DVD acknowledges and reflects on the support given to the Sisters throughout the diocese
Contact Seville Mercy Conference Centre
Prophets of Hope
Sisters of Mercy Cairns Congregation (1988)
This DVD tell the story of the sisters in Cooktown, Herberton and Cairns.
(This resource is currently unavailable. Details will appear here when it is)
Summoned by Love
Sisters of Mercy Cairns Congregation (1988)
This DVD tell the story of the sisters in Cooktown, Herberton and Cairns.
(This resource is currently unavailable. Details will appear here when it is)
The James Cook Historical Museum is located on the site of the former Convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Cooktown. The story of the founding sisters is told as part of the story of the region and is among the exhibits at the Museum.
https://nationaltrustqld.org.au/heritage-sites/James-Cook-Museum

ROCKHAMPTON

For God and the Sick
Helen Gregory (Rockhampton: City Printing Works, 2015)
The book focuses on the vision of the Sisters of Mercy,Rockhampton and their co-workers and their ministry of caring for the sick.
The Quality of Mercy: The Story of the Sisters of Mercy in Central Queensland
Mary Christina (Brisbane: The Catholic Leader Press, 1964)
This resource is out of print but available through the following libraries
https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/8633965?q=The+Quality+of+Mercy%3A+The+Story+of+the+Sisters+of+Mercy+in+Central+Queensland&c=book&versionId=9981972

TOWNSVILLE

An Ardent Desire To Be United To God And To Serve The Poor: A Celebration of 100 Years of the Sisters of Mercy in the Diocese of Townsville
Joan Carmichael Neal (Rockhampton: City Printing Works, 2017)

Papua New Guinea

Crossings in Mercy: The Story of the Sisters of Mercy Papua New Guinea 1956-2006
Teresa A Flaherty (St Mary’s, SA: Openbook Howden, 2008)