One hundred and fifty years ago—on 10 May 1861—the first Sisters of Mercy arrived in Brisbane. Six Sisters stepped from a small boat on the Brisbane River to begin a new life in a strange land on the other side of the world.
The Sisters were led by Mother Mary Vincent Whitty, who left Ireland in 1860—with only four days notice to pack and prepare—and joined a party of five other Sisters before accompanying Bishop James Quinn to Queensland.
The Sisters' vision was to continue the work of Mercy that had seen the establishment of the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Dublin, in which Mother Vincent Whitty was deeply involved in planning.
Within days of their arrival, the Sisters made their home visits to the acutely ill in Brisbane.
As nurses, social workers and teachers, the Sisters soon adapted to their new environment and within a month of their arrival were supervising and teaching in St Stephen's School. Two years later, the Sisters purchased their first permanent home in Queensland, which was renamed Convent of Our Lady of Mercy, All Hallow's on 1 November 1863 by Mother Vincent Whitty.
But the strength of the Sisters of Mercy was to come in the form of helping the sick and dying. While it had always been a vision of Mother Vincent Whitty to establish a Mater hospital in Brisbane, she sadly passed away in 1893 before this vision could come to fruition. Within a year of her death, Mother Vincent Whitty's successor, Sister Mary Patrick Potter, purchased ten acres of land high on a hill overlooking South Brisbane and Woollongabba—what is now known as Mater Hill.
Today, with more than 7500 staff across seven hospitals in two suburbs of south-east Queensland, the proud traditions and values of the Sisters of Mercy live on in the life story of Mater.
Sisters of Mercy Congregational Leader Sister Sandra Lupi RSM said the theme chosen for the sesquicentenary was 'Living Mercy'.
"This theme encompasses our past, present and future," Sr Sanrda said. "It is a time for rejoicing and celebrating the vision, courage and fidelity of the past; the passion for mercy that sustains and motivates us in the present; and a call that inspires us to look to a future full of hope as the legacy of mercy continues."