Mercy Heritage Tour Update

The Mercy Heritage Tour is a multi-day experience in Ireland which significantly enriches participants' understanding of the role of Catherine McAuley in shaping the student experience and educational foundation of College of Health Professions and McAuley School of Nursing graduates. Faculty, student, and alumni participants are exposed to an international perspective of healthcare as it relates to the college's objectives during this international experience in Dublin, Ireland.

On our way to Baggott Street to visit with Mercy International, the UDM group walked through the campus of Trinity College, which was established in 1592. Our group posed in front of a library formerly named The Berkeley, because students at Trinity discovered the person for whom it was named was a slave owner. UDM students were interested to hear how social activism, occurring in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, was interpreted by students in Ireland. The sign has been covered until students and administration can work through a process of the library’s renaming.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni from CHP & MSON pose on the campus of Trinity College Dublin.

The UDM group spent the morning touring the Mercy International Association with program coordinator Susan Cahill, where the story of McAuley’s life and early setup of the Sisters of Mercy community was described. Cahill provided context to McAuley’s development as a voice for justice, especially for women and children. The group learned about the impact of religious discrimination against Catholics in Ireland under the Penal Laws. It is also in this context that McAuley’s development in her spirituality and theology grew. Because of the generosity of so many in her life, McAuley received both intellectual and financial gifts that facilitated her development of the community of religious sisters who were active and interactive among the needs of the poor in Dublin.

Catherine McAuley’s room on Baggott Street, and the place where she died.

Cahill explained to the UDM group about McAuley’s final days, including her intentional planning for the future of the Sisters of Mercy and some of her internal, spiritual struggles, as noted in letters and testimonies from fellow sisters. In the background, Nursing student Michelle Bodnariuk, Adjunct Faculty Machiel Standfield, Director of Academic and Student Affairs Karin La Rose-Neil, and Clinical Associate Professor Mary Serowoky listen.

Chapel at Mercy International, Baggott Street

Candles on the back altar at the chapel at Mercy International

McAuley’s grave is located in the inner courtyard of Mercy International. Her desire to be buried in the ground, “like the poor” was shared by Cahill as a mark of her humility and desire to be accessible to the community of the Sisters of Mercy as much as possible. Students are standing outside the entrance to her grave while taking in further details of the final days of McAuley’s life and the early transitions of the Sisters of Mercy once her leadership had ended.

McAuley’s grave

The small chapel housing McAuley’s grave. Students were welcomed to spend time in personal prayer with McAuley and several did.

In the afternoon, the UDM group traveled to Coolock House, the original home of the Callaghan family. McAuley was a companion and house manager for the Callaghans, and because of her faithful service to both of them, even amidst their ailing health, a large portion of their estate was bequeathed to McAuley and served as the initial financial contribution to her early ministry. A small community of Irish Sisters of Mercy currently occupies the home. It is on the grounds of both a primary and secondary school. Coolock House also offers space for prayer and reflection to various groups.

Sr. Bridget, RSM is sharing information about the community life of the Sisters of Mercy who currently live in Coolock House.  MSON graduate Alyssa Theisen '23 and Nursing student Allie Molloy are featured in the background.

Students share a cup of tea and biscuits within Coolock House, a mark of Mercy hospitality. Photo credit: Candace Barbera, CHP student.

MSON student Grace Maloof enjoys conversation with a Sister of Mercy living at Coolock House. Photo credit: Andrea Kwasky.

 The entire UDM group outside of Coolock House, Dublin, Ireland.