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Moved by the needs of persons suffering from poverty, hunger and lack of shelter, in 1831 Mother Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland. Catherine had a vision of a community of women who serve in the midst of society...visiting the sick poor in their homes, teaching, providing safe shelter, and relieving poverty in a direct way.
Before Mother Catherine's death in 1841, Mercy had expanded throughout Ireland and England. One of her closest companions, Mother Frances Warde brought the first Sisters of Mercy to the United States in 1843. In a new land and context, the Sisters worked to proclaim the Gospel to all whom they touched and gave their lives to alleviate suffering and ignorance.
Mercy came to California on December 8, 1854, when Mother Mary Baptist Russell and seven Sisters came to the rugged gold country of California. Leaving their home in Kinsale, Ireland, the Sisters found themselves to be part of the making of the West. Arriving in San Francisco the Sisters immediately responded to needs as they surfaced. Mother Mary Baptist established the first Catholic hospital in Northern California in 1857. This year also marked the beginning of the Sacramento mission which would later become the Regional Community of Auburn.
The Sacramento Story
On October 2, l857 the Mercy Sisters, accompanied by Mother Mary Baptist, arrived in Sacramento and immediately opened an elementary school for 115 children. The works of mercy flourished in the pioneer community. The Sisters cared for orphans, visited the jails, taught the young and old alike and provided the city with excellence in health care. For almost 150 years the Sisters have been serving the poor, sick, and uneducated throughout the Northern California region.
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