The Little Company of Mary, also known as the Blue Sisters, is a Catholic religious institute of women dedicated to caring for the suffering, the sick and the dying. [1] [2] The order was founded in 1877 in Nottingham, England by Mary Potter.
The Little Company of Mary, also known as the Blue Sisters, is a Catholic religious institute of women dedicated to caring for the suffering, the sick and the dying. [1] [2] The order was founded in 1877 in Nottingham, England by Mary Potter.
The Little Company of Mary began in 1877, in an abandoned factory in Hyson Green, Nottingham. Their principal work was the care of the sick and dying. [3] Their charism was based on the idea that Mary accompanied Christ, and was at the foot of the Cross at the Crucifixion. In a similar way, the Company seeks to accompany the sick and dying. [4]
In 1882, they went to Italy. Mary Potter had gone to gain approval for the constitutions of her new congregation, and while there she established Calvary Hospital on the Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, not far from St. John Lateran. [5]
In 1885, at the request of Cardinal Francis Moran in Sydney, Australia, six sisters traveled by ship to Australia, establishing a community there. [6] Under the leadership of Mother Mary Xavier Lynch, the first provincial for Australasia, the order grew and established numerous hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. [7] She also oversaw the founding of a hospital in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. [7] In 1888, the sisters expanded their work to Ireland. [3]
In 1893, three Little Company of Mary sisters arrived in Chicago to begin their ministry in the United States, providing home-based hospice care. In 1930 Little Company of Mary Hospital was founded in Evergreen Park, Illinois. [8] [9] As of 2019, there were sisters working in California, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Their healthcare ministries include hospitals, home care, hospice, extended care, and outreach programs.
By 1922, the Little Company of Mary congregation had grown large enough to establish provinces with regional provincials. The four provinces were Australasia, England, Ireland and Italy. [7]
The Little Company of Mary is currently present and operational in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, Philippines, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zimbabwe. [4] They continue to assist in healthcare in these countries, as well as praying and accompanying them during their illness.
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute has about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They also started many education and health care facilities around the world.
Camillus de Lellis, M.I., was a Roman Catholic priest from Italy who founded the Camillians, a religious order dedicated to the care of the sick. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in the year 1742, and canonized by him four years later in 1746. De Lellis is the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses and physicians. His assistance is also invoked against gambling.
Mother Mary Frances Aikenhead was born in Daunt's Square off Grand Parade, Cork, Ireland. Described as one of nursing's greatest leaders, she was the founder of the Catholic religious institute, the Religious Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Charity of Australia, and of St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin.
The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.
The title Sisters of Mercy of St. Borromeo refers to a number of female Catholic religious congregations sharing one rule and tradition.
The Little Sisters of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded in France in 1865 by Antoinette Fage (1824–1883) and Father Etienne Pernet. The declared work of the congregation is the nursing of the sick poor in their own homes. This labour they perform gratuitously and without distinction of creed.
Mary Potter, LCM was an English Catholic religious sister known for founding the Little Company of Mary in 1877.
Calvary Hospital North Adelaide is a private, not-for-profit Catholic hospital in North Adelaide.
The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Roman Catholic female religious congregation, founded in 1880 by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. Their aim is to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart by means of spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The sisters conduct homes for the aged and the sick, orphanages, industrial schools, sewing classes; they visit hospitals and prisons, and give religious instruction in their convents, which are open to women desirous of making retreats. The congregation operates in 15 countries on 6 continents, coordinated by its motherhouse in Rome.
The Sisters of the Humility of Mary is a Roman Catholic religious congregation, founded at Dommartin-sous-Amance, France, in 1855. The community immigrated to the United States in 1864, and established themselves near New Bedford, Pennsylvania. This community is known as the Sisters of the Humility of Mary and is based at Villa Maria, Pennsylvania.
The Religious Sisters of Charity or Irish Sisters of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded by Mary Aikenhead in Ireland on 15 January 1815. Its motto is Caritas Christi urget nos.
OSF HealthCare is a not-for-profit Catholic health care organization that operates a medical group, hospital system, and other health care facilities in Illinois and Michigan. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, OSF HealthCare is owned and operated by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.
The Bon Secours Health System is the largest private hospital network in Ireland. It was formed in 1993 to co-ordinate the health care facilities in Ireland managed by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Bon Secours.
The Sisters of Charity of Australia, or the Congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity of Australia, is a congregation of religious sisters in the Catholic Church who have served the people of Australia since 1838. Sisters use the post-nominal initials of RSC.
The Canonesses of St. Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus are a Roman Catholic religious order of canonesses who follow a semi-contemplative life and are also engaged in the ministry of caring for the sick and needy, from which they were also known as the "Hospital Sisters".
The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of health care services in the world. It has around 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs, and 5,500 hospitals, with 65 percent of them located in developing countries. In 2010, the Church's Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers said that the Church manages 26% of the world's health care facilities. The Church's involvement in health care has ancient origins.
Little Company of Mary Health Care, also known as Calvary Health Care is an arm of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary in Australia.
Annie Lynch (1870-1938), known by her religious name as Mother Mary Xavier, was an Irish-born Australian religious sister and nurse. She was a member of the Little Company of Mary, and served as the congregation's first provincial for the region of Australasia. She oversaw the growth of the Lewisham Hospital as superior of the Lewisham convent. As provincial, she established several more hospitals in Australia and New Zealand.
Norah Margaret Martin (1888–1977), later known by her religious name Mother Mary Bernard, was an Australian religious sister and the superior general of the Little Company of Mary, an order of religious who care for the ill. She served as superior general for 12 years, from 1947 to 1959. She also served as provincial superior for the New Zealand and the Australian provinces. She was a skilled nurse and served as superior for several of the order's hospitals. She initiated the effort that eventually led to the beatification of Mary Potter, the founder of her order.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sisters of the Little Company of Mary". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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