Mother Joseph Mary Corcoran led a group of six sisters from St. Maries of the Isle, Cork, to Tacloban, Leyte, in the Philippines in 1954. They travelled to the Philippines at the invitation of Bishop Lino Gonzaga.

Gertrude Ryan, Emmanuel Browne, Canisius Murphy, Assumpta Hayes, and Annunciata Desmond were the sisters who accompanied Joseph Mary.

The foundation gained autonomy in 1981. Fifty Filipino women had become members of the Congregation by 2004.

The Sisters took over a school for girls that was originally established by the Benedictine Sisters and maintained by a lay administrator, Elvia Jimenez. Since 1954, the Sisters in Tacloban have established a hospital and have been involved in a wide range of works of Mercy.

Mary Corcoran was born in Ballingarry, Co. Tipperary, to Timothy Corcoran and Mary McCormack. No historical records exist for her date of birth.

She entered St. Maries of the Isle in Cork on the 8th of December 1916 and was professed on the 28th of October 1919.

Mary was among the first Sisters of Mercy to pursue a B.A. by enrolling in evening classes at U.C.C. in education. She completed her teaching internship at St. Aloysius School in the Lough, Cork, and graduated in 1925.

Catherine McAuley was a firm believer in the value of education, especially for young women and girls. She viewed education as a means of lifting people out of poverty and helping them fulfil their potential.

A new foundation was established in the Philippines on August 12, 1954, by Sr. Mary Joseph Corcoran and five sisters. Each of them volunteered for the position. From Dun Laoighre in County Dublin, they boarded a ship, the M.V. Hamburg, and travelled to Manila via Southhampton.

The Sisters of Mercy in Tacloban primarily focused on education, but they also took on other ministries such as visitation and health care, following Catherine's example.

Moving from Ireland, which has a cold climate, to the Philippines, located on the Equator, would have put a physical strain on Mother Joseph Mary and her companions. They had to learn a new language because they were immersing themselves in a foreign culture. Sr. Joseph Mary Corcoran returned to Ireland for health reasons and went back to teaching at St. Aloysius.

The Sisters of Mercy in Tacloban were joined by several women from the Philippines. Together, they established a strong centre of Mercy life in Tacloban. Their main areas of focus are education and healthcare, but they also reach out to the local community through a variety of social justice initiatives.

“Philippines. Mercy at a Glance” Mercy International Association, accessed 8 May 2024. https://www.mercyworld.org/about/mercy-family/philippines/