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In December 1831, the Presentation Sisters agreed to a new order and Catherine McAuley, Anne Doyle, and Elizabeth Harley made their profession. The Congregation of Sisters of Mercy was founded and Catherine decided to leave her home at George's Hill without waiting for breakfast. Her choice was seen as a way to reunite with her community on Baggot Street. Archbishop Murray appointed Catherine as the Mother Superior, a title that was initially met with her reluctance. A "Te Deum" and a homily celebrated their return to Baggot Street. Catherine's community addressed her as In December 1831, the Presentation Sisters agreed to a new order and Catherine McAuley, Anne Doyle, and Elizabeth Harley made their profession. The Congregation of Sisters of Mercy was founded and Catherine decided to leave her home at George's Hill without waiting for breakfast. Her choice was seen as a way to reunite with her community on Baggot Street. Archbishop Murray appointed Catherine as the Mother Superior, a title that was initially met with her reluctance. A "Te Deum" and a homily celebrated their return to Baggot Street. Catherine's community addressed her as Mother Catherine, a title that would not be superseded until outside Dublin. The compilation of a rule for the congregation was pending, with a focus on Union and Charity. According to a letter from 1839, Mother Elizabeth Moore noted that no breach of charity ever occurred among them, a title that would not be superseded until outside Dublin. The compilation of a rule for the congregation was pending, with a focus on Union and Charity. According to a letter from 1839, Mother Elizabeth Moore noted that no breach of charity ever occurred among them.

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Catherine McAuley faced struggles about whether her community should live enclosed or open to the world. Other orders, like the Visitation Sisters, had been cloistered, but she wanted a balance of prayer and active service. This created suspicion in the local church, and she was often misunderstood. The stress caused her deep worry, but it also led her closer to God. In this hard time, she wrote spiritual sayings to encourage herself and others. One of her sayings was about trusting in God’s presence to overcome every challenge. In 1828–1829, Archbishop Murray gave her priests to help at the House of Mercy. The Carmelite Fathers also gave her and her companions support, food, and holy items.

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In May 1828, Catherine McAuley moved to Baggot Street and faced strong judgement. Many of her relatives and neighbors opposed her actions and spoke badly about her. She was often misunderstood, but she stood firm, calling out corruption and offering a new message of mercy. Catherine spread hope and faith to poor families suffering from hunger, homelessness, and hardship. The Church at that time was busy rebuilding itself after years of struggle, and her work became a symbol of renewal. People later remembered her as “the Gabriel of a new message” and a source of blessings. Archbishop Daniel Murray supported her by blessing the house and naming it “Our Lady of Mercy.” Soon after, she asked local Catholics for help in funding the House of Mercy, with her appeal officially backed by Dr. Murray.

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This passage explains how Catherine McAuley’s schools helped 500 poor girls daily by giving them religious teaching and job skills to avoid ignorance and selfishness. Young working women without safe housing were also welcomed at night, where they prayed, prepared for Sacraments, and stayed protected from dangers. Support for the Institution was mostly positive, though Catherine and the archbishop did not expect some harsh replies. One anonymous letter rudely told her not to contact the writer again, but that same person later became very generous and loyal. In 1829, Catherine received a worse letter from a priest who mocked her for entering areas like business and religion, calling it improper for a woman. Catherine,hurt by criticism, refused to apologize, and the priest who wrote that letter suddenly died days later.

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In 1828, Catherine McAuley moved to Baggot Street and faced a lot of criticism. Her family didn’t support her, her neighbors were upset, and many people didn’t trust her. Yet, she still stood strong, helping the poor and spreading the message of mercy and hope. At that time, the Catholic Church was busy rebuilding itself, so her work seemed even braver. Archbishop Murray supported her by blessing the new oratory and calling it the House of Mercy. Catherine then started asking local Catholics for donations to keep the mission going.

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Catherine McAuley considered education a top priority. In 1831, she sided with Archbishop Murray in supporting Lord Stanley's education plan. She saw the new National School System as a challenge and directed her sisters to use their teaching skills to fit the children for earth without unfitting them for Heaven. She believed good teaching required kindness and patience. Her recommendations for discipline were that if children were treated well, they would not need punishment. On July 13, 1834, her application to the board was signed by several people, including Sir Philip Crampton and Sir Henry Marsh. This application was presented by Dr. Murray and was well received. The favorable answer came on November 14, 1839.

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Before 1839, Catherine McAuley began offering secondary education at new pension schools in Carlow and Cork. She believed these schools were needed for middle-class children and could also help her congregation find new members. A letter from October 18, 1839, mentioned the school in Carlow was doing well with eighteen pupils. It also noted a new school had started in Naas. In Cork, the Sisters were unfamiliar with this type of school. Mother Catherine made the decision to open a pension school there first so she would not compete with local poor schools. Over time, the Cork community opened other centers, including one for the poor and one for deaf students. Her success as an educator was based on her openness to new ideas and her willingness to learn and adapt.

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Catherine McAuley's educational ideas were open to new thoughts and were not limited by time or style. While she did not have all the answers for the city's problems, she showed a new path. This new way led to Mercy schools and colleges being established on every continent. She believed that her success was because of her faith. Catherine felt that God was the source and reason for all her work and goals. She remained always thankful for the blessings she had received. This sense of gratitude was seen in her prayers. She would pray for God to bless the Sisters of Mercy so they could be worthy of all his blessings.

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By 1830, Catherine’s group grew larger and needed more structure. They created a dress code and daily schedule to bring order to their lives. The dress was simple, with dark cloth and a plain cap, showing humility. Each day had times for prayer, work, and teaching the young women. Catherine gave spiritual talks every morning after breakfast. Special devotions like the Rosary helped form their religious way of life. Around this time, Anne O’Grady joined after leaving the Presentation Sisters. When asked if she should still be called “Sister,” Catherine kindly agreed.

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Catherine pushed Catholic charity forward with courage and mercy. She wanted her helpers to serve with kindness and to ease people’s suffering. In 1830, Father Matthias Kelly opposed her work, calling her efforts useless. Some priests disliked her role and thought she interfered with clergy duties. Despite this, Catherine kept her focus on helping the poor and sick. At the same time, disputes rose about where public Masses could be said. In 1832, Dr. Michael Blake began building a chapel at Westland Row. In 1834, this chapel was opened for public worship, near the Sisters of Mercy.

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Criteria

Summary 24

Reflection (recorded audio per person using I statements) 16

Video -0-

Organization and creativity 10

Instructions 8

Punctuality 10

Grammar and mechanics 10 78 C+

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This page explains how Catherine McAuley worked hard to support the House of Mercy at Baggot Street. She raised money through bazaars at places like the Mansion House and even asked the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria for help, receiving gifts that made the events successful. Some criticized her bold methods, but her embracing spirit attracted both Catholics and Protestants, showing her ability to unite people. Another effort for support was the annual Charity Sermon, though Catherine said she never planned to start a Religious Congregation

she only wanted to serve the poor as God expected. She also faced opposition from Rev. Matthew Kelly of St. Andrew’s, who was a clergyman of influence in Dublin between 1826 and 1831, later serving at different parishes until his death in 1856.

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In 1829, Canon Kelly harshly criticized Catherine McAuley during the opening of a chapel, wrongly thinking she was competing with another group, the Sisters of Charity, led by Mary Aikenhead. Catherine and Mary both cared for the poor and didn’t want jealousy between their groups, and their work didn’t overlap. Catherine had already made it clear in 1828 that her Baggot Street project had church support and would continue as planned. She believed God wanted her to help the poor and teach the uneducated, using a group of religious women who could later return to normal life if they wanted. Although raised Protestant, Catherine didn’t hate religious life but didn’t like the strict rules and how it was mocked by Protestants.

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The page explains that Catherine McAuley was given the archbishop's surprising permission to continue her service, despite her initial lack of qualifications. However, this stability was challenged by Dr. Murray, who brought up the established Sisters of Charity and Loreto Sisters, indicating that the Church had reservations about turning McAuley's house into a new convent.

This pressure led to an ultimatum: she had to either commit fully to religious life or stop her work entirely. With support, she chose the path to become a religious, realizing that this wasn't her original plan but a divine calling. She made this choice by putting complete trust in God, which she declared was the "foundation of all virtue." Her community developed by changing its original ideas and learning from her fourteen assistants. The archbishop affirmed that her own wishes were just as important as his in the decision-making process, leading to the official, unequivocal establishment of her group within the Church before her final act of Consecration.

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In 1830, Catherine McAuley, Ana Marie Doyle, and Elizabeth Harley, went to George’s Hill to start their training. Before leaving, Catherine made sure everything at Baggot Street was taken care of by putting Mary Anne Delany in charge and giving Frances Warde control of the money. Catherine was very serious about giving her whole life to God and wanted her new group to stay independent, so she checked out the different religious rules used by other groups. She ended up picking the rule of the Presentation Sisters, which had been started by Nano Nagle in 1775, because it matched her plans even though it was meant for sisters who lived shut away. Since Catherine was already fifty-two, people worried that regular training would be too hard for her, so Dr. Murray suggested that instead of doing everything like other orders, she could just adjust the Presentation Sisters’ rule to fit her own community. Permission was finally given, and this let Catherine and her companions keep moving forward with their mission and build up their new group.

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During Catherine McAuley’s time at George’s Hill for religious training from 1830 to 1831, things were extremely tough and way more difficult than she expected. The place had super strict rules and a harsh atmosphere where the idea was basically to suffer for spiritual growth. The woman in charge, Mother M. Teresa Higgins, didn’t make things easy at all, Catherine was constantly corrected, punished for even the smallest mistakes, and embarrassed in front of others. She was made to kneel with her arms out like a cross as punishment, wasn’t allowed to visit her nephews at school, and got in trouble just for staying too long in the parlor. Even when the head nun left for a bit, Catherine was left kneeling in that painful position until the nun came back and found her trembling and near collapse. On top of all that, people around her were getting sick and dying, and she was left feeling alone and full of sorrow. Still, Catherine kept going quietly, remembering that Jesus stayed silent through his own suffering, and she never really spoke about how hard that experience was.

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Even though Catherine McAuley went through a really hard time during her training as a nun, she often said it was also the happiest time of her life because she loved living in obedience and simplicity. She admired the discipline and patience of the other nuns, especially one called Mother Mary Francis Knowd. Right after officially becoming a novice in 1830, Catherine wrote a simple poem called The Album, where she reflected on how her suffering brought her closer to Jesus. The poem showed her growing connection to Christ and how she learned important lessons about love, patience, and humility from her struggles. She believed everything she needed to learn was found in the image of Jesus on the cross. As her training went on, things didn’t get easier one of the nuns became very sick, and there were confusing issues about the rules and whether Catherine and her companions could officially become nuns the way they wanted. Thankfully, Archbishop Murray helped sort that out by suggesting a simple set of vows they could take, which focused on poverty, chastity, obedience, and helping the poor and sick through the Sisters of Mercy.

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good Summaries but you needed to elaborate on the reflection!

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Excellent summaries but the reflection was more focusing on main point and not how it impacted you! You needed to use I statements!

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V Good Summaries but you need to learn to take ownership of what impacted you about the foundress. Use "I" statements.

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Summaries in the first two pages had sections that were redundant! The reflection use I statements towards the end only.

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No Video! -10 pts.