Catherine Mcauley Research Paper

Catherine McAuley once said “we should be shining lamps giving light to all around us”. This quote from Catherine is speaking of her approach to her work. That the purpose of lighting the lamp is not to draw attention to yourself but to give some light to those around you. This relates to the work that she did because it talks about how she helped others not for herself, but because she saw an issue and wanted to take action.
Today I am going to talk to you about an Irish nun called Catherine McAuley and what she did in her life. She had a family of 5, and was fortunate enough to be born and raised into a wealthy and loving family. After her parents had both died she went to live with her Protestant relatives William and Catherine Callaghan in 1801. When the …show more content…
Not many children got a good education as education was very limited at the time, this made her think that she and women like her could make a big difference. This led Catherine to do what she had always wanted to do. After her inheritance had been solidified in 1824 she started to build the first House of Mercy in Dublin, a shelter and school to educate the less wealthy women and girls. She used her inheritance from the Callaghan’s to make this possible.
In August 1827, a month before the House of Mercy was opened, Catherine’s sister Mary died of consumption. Mary had a husband Dr William McAuley, and five children aged six to sixteen. This was a big setback for her as she now had more responsibilities and her losses began to affect her life. The Archbishop of Dublin was very impressed by Catherine’s work and how she saw what was happening in the community and did something about it. He advised her to establish a religious congregation and on December 12, 1831, Catherine and two of her companions became the first Sisters of