Sisters of Mercy have been present in Chile since 1965. In 1961, Pope John XXIII requested that religious orders and dioceses in the United States and Canada voluntarily send 10% of their membership to Latin American countries. The Mercy community in Rochester, NY, responded to this request by selecting four sisters to study Spanish and be missioned to Chile. The first sisters to go to Chile ministered alongside the Columbian Fathers in a very large urban poor parish in Santiago.

The Sisters of Mercy continue to minister in Santiago, the capital of Chile. In addition, they minister in Copiapo (521 miles/839 kilometers north of Santiago), Rungue (39 miles/63 kilometers northwest of Santiago), and Viña del Mar (74 miles/120 kilometers northwest of Santiago). Ministries include: development of lay leadership in small Christian communities, pastoral work with women and children, instruction of lay catechists and liturgical ministers, health promotion, leadership development of women, youth and young adult faith formation, peace and justice advocacy, pastoral and social care for those affected by HIV/AIDS, residential care to teenage girls, and archival work for Sisters of Mercy of the CCASA Community (Caribbean, Central America, and South America Community of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of the Americas).