The Sisters of Mercy, Singleton Congregation, dates back to 1875, when Bishop James Murray invited Sisters of the Ennis Community to the Diocese of Maitland. They built a substantial mother convent in stages from 1893 to 1925, and conducted a wide ranging ministry, including running the Monte Pio Home from 1910 to 1972. In 2011 the Singleton Congregation amalgamated with the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea and ceased to exist as a separate entity.
Bishop James Murray had invited Sisters of the Ennis Community to the Diocese of Maitland in 1875. They built a substantial mother convent in stages from 1893 to 1925, and conducted a wide ranging ministry, including running Monte Pio from 1910 to 1972.
In 1981, the 17 congregations of the Sisters of Mercy, while retaining autonomy, combined in a new administrative structure to form the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia (ISMA). In 2011 the Singleton Congregation amalgamated with the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea and ceased to exist as a separate entity.
The Sisters of Mercy remain active in the Newcastle area, having located one of their regional offices in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese.
1875 - 2011 Sisters of Mercy, Singleton Congregation
2011 - Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea
Sources used to compile this entry: Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia, 2011, http://institute.mercy.org.au/; Sisters of Mercy, Singleton (RSM), Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, 2013, https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/church-mission/catholic-life/religious-congregations/sisters-of-mercy-in-australia-and-papua-new-guinea/; Institute of Sisters of Mercy in Australia and Papua New Guinea: History, Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, https://mercy.org.au/stories/beginning-with-catherine-mcauley/; Thinee, Kristy and Bradford, Tracy, Connecting Kin: Guide to Records, A guide to help people separated from their families search for their records [completed in 1998], New South Wales Department of Community Services, Sydney, New South Wales, 1998, https://clan.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/connectkin_guide.pdf.
Prepared by: Naomi Parry
Created: 8 March 2011, Last modified: 19 September 2014
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nsw/biogs/NE00193b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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