Mother M. Clare Dunphy was the leader of a group of nine sisters who arrived in Sydney from Callen (Kilkenny, Ireland) in 1888 to establish a Mercy foundation at Parramatta. The foundation was established in response to an invitation from Cardinal Moran of Sydney. The sisters brought extensive experience in workplace ministry and education.

The Callan group succeeded the North Sydney Sisters of Mercy, who were originally from Liverpool, England. They had ministered in Parramatta for fourteen years, facing very difficult circumstances. By 1888, when the nine sisters of Mercy from Callan arrived in Parramatta, the town was already one hundred years old and boasted many fine stone churches and public buildings that stand today. However, many of the buildings were institutions that reflected the enormous social needs of the time: the Benevolent Asylum, the Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Men, the Parramatta Gaol, the hospital, the Lunatic Asylum, and the Girls Industrial School.

After their arrival, these pioneering sisters quickly began their work in the institutions. They visited the sick and imprisoned, instructed many for their reception of the sacraments, and brought the comforts of their faith to the destitute. In January 1889, they established a secondary school, which is today Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta. In addition, they took control of the parish primary school.

Catherine Dunphy was the youngest daughter among four children of a farming couple from Cullohill, Rathdowney, County Laois. It is possible she received her education at the Athy Convent of Mercy, where she entered in 1873 at the age of 24.

M. Clare Dunphy was a member of the founding group from Athy to Callan, where she took her vows in 1876. She taught for seven years in the school at Callan and then spent five years in charge of the workhouse in Kilkenny.

In the late 19th century, the most urgent need in New South Wales, following the discontinuation of government funding for church schools, was the establishment of Catholic schools. Between 1888 and 1985, the Parramatta congregation established and staffed over forty schools in an area that now encompasses the dioceses of Parramatta and Broken Bay, as well as the Archdiocese of Sydney.

The congregation established orphanages for girls and boys, and as models of childcare changed, the focus moved to supported accommodation for families in crisis.

Today, the congregation remains committed to supporting women and children at risk of homelessness due to domestic violence. This ministry is very much in the spirit of Catherine McAuley, as is their outreach to Indigenous groups, refugees, and marginalised people. Moreover, the congregation supports a variety of care for the elderly initiatives.

In recent years, eco-justice has become a significant focus. Marymount Mercy Spirituality Centre offers programs for spiritual renewal and courses for formators, attracting participants from Australia and other countries, including the Asia Pacific.

The Congregation has taken steps to entrust its aged care facility and Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta to Ministerial Public Juridic Persons. After carefully considering the future of other important works, it became clear that it was necessary to either pass them on to someone else or shut them down.

Through collaboration with similar-minded organisations like the Jesuit Refugee Service and the House of Welcome, the congregation has accomplished goals in recent years that it could not have accomplished on its own.

Looking at its future governance, the congregation is presently preparing to join Emerging Futures Collaborative Limited. A distribution plan will ensure the congregation’s heritage and legacy will be directed towards furthering the works of Mercy and carrying forward the spirit of Catherine McAuley.

The Parramatta Congregation, along with three other Mercy Congregations in Australia and Papua New Guinea, remains a dedicated co-sponsor of Mercy Works. Mercy Works supports both local and overseas aid and development. 

The Mission Animation office of the Congregation provides training on the Mercy story and courses on the Mercy charism to staff members of Parramatta Congregation’s affiliated schools. In addition, a Heritage Project trail gives an audio and visual experience of the foundation’s history. 

A group of laywomen founded the Mercy Futures Group in 2013. They provide several chances every year for lay women to grow and deepen their practice of Mercy Charism. 

“Constitutions of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta 2013”, Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta.

“Our Parramatta Story”, Sisters of Mercy Parramatta, accessed 13 May 2024, https://www.parramattamercy.org.au/about/our-parramatta-story-1

Kerr, Berenice M, RSM. The Land That I Will Show You: History of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia 1981 - 2011. Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia, 2011.

McGrath, Madeline Sophie, “These Women? Women Religious in the History of Australia Sisters of Mercy 1888 – 1988”, University Press, Sydney NSW, 1989.

Archives, Sisters of Mercy Parramatta (parramattamercy.org.au)

Sisters of Mercy Parramatta (parramattamercy.org.au)