Mother M. Vincent Whitty is best known as the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in Brisbane, Australia. In 1861, she led a small group of Sisters of Mercy from Dublin to Brisbane, the capital of the State of Queensland. The state had been established only two years previously. She and her companions were the first women religious to come to Queensland. Despite being much younger than Catherine McAuley, Vincent Whitty was the Foundress' intimate friend and was by her side until her final days. She was well-educated, clever, had great leadership instincts and talents, and had a significant impact on Australian education and health care. In addition, she was a woman of immense faith and fidelity, as her life demonstrates.

Ellen Whitty was both in Poldharrigge, County Wexford, Ireland, on March 1, 1819. Ellen completed her education in Dublin by attending a private secondary school. She entered the Sisters of Mercy at Baggot Street in 1838 and was professed in August 1841, only months before the death of Catherine McAuley, who had prepared Sister M. Vincent for profession.

Catherine McAuley frequently mentions Sr. Vincent in her writings, indicating that Catherine held her in high regard. Intelligent and well-educated, she held the positions of Bursar, Novice Mistress, and Mother Superior at Baggot Street at various times, all before leading the foundation to Brisbane in 1861. As a novice, she finished her teacher qualifications and received her teaching certificate. In Brisbane, Mother Vincent moved quickly to engage in the full range of ministries she had known in Dublin, including education, health care, and visitation of the poor in their homes. She prioritised the education of children and established All Hallows’ High School, offering secondary education well before such education was available. She recognised the importance of teacher and nurse training, which the Brisbane Congregation would pursue. Mother Vincent was passionate about health care and had helped plan the Mater Hospital in Dublin before moving to Australia. Her involvement resulted in the formation of Mater Hospitals in Brisbane, work that was later taken up by Mercy Sisters in Rockhampton, and Townsville foundations in Queensland.

Mother Vincent was called to leadership at a young age, which presented obstacles for her while also providing excellent leadership training. When she was the Novice Mistress, some of her charges were older than she was herself. Probably the greatest of the challenges she faced in life was dealing with the autocratic mandates of Bishop Quinn of Brisbane, who was deposed by him from the position of Reverend Mother in 1863. She continued to have a major positive influence within the group she formed. Within a few decades, it would dramatically increase in strength.

Through her direct leadership and her influence on those around her, Mother Vincent was instrumental in establishing a strong network of educational, health care, and social service ministries in Queensland. The branch houses in Rockhampton and Townsville founded in Brisbane would become autonomous foundations.  The Brisbane Congregation was one of four Mercy congregations in Queensland that collaborated in establishing Mercy Partners, a Public Juridic Person (under Canon law) that continues to take Catholic Church responsibility for numerous ministries in Queensland and beyond. 

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.

O’Donoghue, Sister M. Xaverius, Beyond our Dreams:  A Century of the Works of Mercy in Queensland.  The Jacaranda Press, Brisbane 1961

Hetherington, Anne, and Pauline Smoothy, eds. The Correspondence of Mother M. Vincent Whitty 1839 to 1892. University of Queensland Press, 2011.

Sisters of Mercy Brisbane Congregation, Founding Women, https://www.brisbanemercy.org.au/founding-women/ accessed May 20, 2024.