In 1967, our House was inaugurated as a novitiate (formation house) of the Congregation of the Irish Sisters of Mercy.
Following the call of the Second Vatican Council to all religious congregations to “(…) return to the sources, the origins of their foundation”, the formation house was moved to a humble neighborhood of Greater Buenos Aires in 1974. A community of Sisters continued residing in these facilities and working in the School until 1995, when the House changed its destiny and became a space for retreats and gatherings of different groups and institutions.
In 2018, the Mercy Spirituality Center project arose with the aim of generating proposals based on the spirituality of Mercy and eco-spirituality. This is done through workshops, retreats, meetings, courses and rituals that allow us to expand and deepen our bond with the sacred in our own lives, in the lives of others and with all of creation.
More History
Catherine McAuley
Foundress of the Community of the Sisters of Mercy
Ireland, 1778-1841
Deeply moved by the needs of her time, Catherine responded to this reality by defying the conventions of the time: she received an inheritance and decided to build a house in a residential neighborhood of Dublin, with the purpose of offering religious, educational and social services to women and children of limited means.
Other women were attracted to this ministry and the project expanded. Since it was frowned upon at the time for single, lay women to run a house with these characteristics and to walk the streets alone assisting the poorest of the poor, they were encouraged to create a religious community.
On December 12, 1941, the Community of the Sisters of Mercy was founded, who -because of their “pastoral” service characteristics outside the walls of a convent – received the name of “walking sisters”.
Summoned to accompany the Irish migrant community, they arrived in Buenos Aires in 1856 through the efforts of Father Fahy.
Between 1857 and 1931, seven schools and different works were founded to assist the poor and the sick. The last school to be founded was Santa Ethnea in 1931, in an area of 4 hectares in the town of Bella Vista.
The new winds of Vatican Council II
After the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), religious life was called to “return to the sources” and to unity among communities of the same foundational origin. The Sisters of Argentina joined the community of sisters in Detroit, USA.
From this unity, the building destined to be a formation house for the Sisters was built on the school’s same property. On April 22, 1967, the novitiate ” Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia” (Our Lady of Mercy) was inaugurated.
In 1974 the formation house was moved to an insertion community in a neighborhood of Moreno and the current facilities were used as a “retreat house”, housing different groups and organizations for many years. For this purpose, the space received the name Casa Mc Auley.
Refoundation of our House
In 2018, the Mercy Spirituality Center project arose with the aim of generating proposals based on the spirituality of Mercy and eco-spirituality. This is done through workshops, retreats, meetings, courses and rituals that allow us to expand and deepen our bond with the sacred in our own lives, in the lives of others and with all of creation.
From this perspective, our house also remains open to receive individuals and groups who need a place to live their own experiences.
Foundation of the Institute
In 1991 the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas was created, integrated by approximately 2200 Sisters, lay men and women, volunteers, and friends who identify with the charism and who live and work in the Caribbean, Central and South America (Argentina, Belize, Chile, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama and Peru), the Pacific (Philippines and Guam) and the continental United States.
At the same time, we are part of a network of Mercy Spirituality Centers made up of twelve centers, eleven of which are located in the United States. Ours is the only one outside the United States.
This vast geography offers a wealth of cultures and opportunities for service to God’s people and to share the mission of Mercy.
All of the presences and communities advocate for justice and systemic change, in the same spirit that inspired and encouraged Catherine in the origin of this dream. Today, that translates into projects that continue to accompany the lives of the most impoverished, especially women and children.
