On 8 January 2026, the Sisters of Mercy will mark a remarkable milestone — 180 years since their arrival in Australia.
Since their foundation, the Sisters have made a profound and lasting impact across the nation in education, healthcare, social justice, and pastoral care, always guided by the core values of hospitality, compassion, mercy and justice.
The journey began in 1846 on the ship Elizabeth, when Ursula Frayne, a close companion of foundress Catherine McAuley, led the first group of Sisters to Fremantle, Western Australia. There, they established a school and began their ministry of service to the community.
At the May 2025 AMSSA Staff Conference held in Perth, we were privileged to visit the landing spot of Ursula Frayne and her sisters at Bathers Beach in Fremantle.
Following this pioneering foundation, other groups of Sisters from Ireland, England, and Argentina expanded the mission, establishing communities in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, and beyond into regional Australia.
AMSSA gratefully acknowledges the dedication, courage, and enduring commitment of the Sisters of Mercy, whose legacy continues to shape and enrich communities across Australia. We are deeply thankful to the Sisters for entrusting their secondary schools to two sponsored canonical groups (Mercy Ministry Companions – through Mercy Education Limited and to Mercy Partners) as well as many dioceses across the country.
AMSSA, through its seventy member schools, continues to foster the growth and development of the Mercy charism for secondary school students and staff, allowing the spirit of Venerable Catherine McAuley to live on in our pursuit of mercy, compassion, justice and hospitality.
Stephen Walsh
AMSSA Executive Officer