Catherine McAuley Statue Dedication

On November 16, 2019, a five-foot-six statue of Catherine McAuley was placed in the front of McAuley Hall at Misericordia University. McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy religious order, which later founded Misericordia University.

The idea for bringing a statue to Misericordia originated with a group of students who attended a Mercy leadership conference in Ireland, and initiated a fund-raising campaign when they returned to campus. A staff leadership development class also supported the project. A bench and table will be added in the spring offering visitors a place to “have a good cup of tea,” a signature of the Catholic laywoman, who founded the religious order in Ireland. Concerned for the needs of the poor in her country, McAuley used inheritance money to open the First House of Mercy on Lower Baggot St. in Dublin in 1827. She then assembled a corps of Catholic social workers to continue her ministry. She established the religious order in 1831, sending Sisters of Mercy around the world to shelter and educate women and girls of need. They founded Misericordia University in 1924, with the mission of educating the daughters of the miners in the region.  Click here to learn more about the history of The Sisters of Mercy.

More than 200 friends, alumni, students, Sisters of Mercy, faculty and staff participated in the dedication and blessing of a bronze statue of Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, in November. Misericordia University’s photographers captured the historic moment with these photographs.

 

View additional media footage from the day of the dedication:

• Times Leader's News Story on Catherine McAuley
• PAhomepage's News Story on Catherine McAuley

 

 

 

 

Visit the links below to view the speeches given by various individuals at the dedication:

• President Thomas J. Botzman
• Donna Cerza
• Mitchell Rock
• Sister Cindy March, RSM
• Sister Jean Messaros, RSM