The Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey were an offshoot of the Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy

The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

 order in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 whose ministry focuses on service to the community through education and health care. Now the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey are part of the Mid-Atlantic Community of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

Ministries

• Georgian Court College, in Lakewood Township, New Jersey
  Lakewood Township, New Jersey
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 60,352 people, 19,876 households, and 13,356 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,431.8 people per square mile . There were 21,214 housing units at an average density of 854.8 per square mile...
  
   provides a comprehensive education with a strong liberal arts curriculum aligned with the Roman Catholic tradition. Founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Georgian Court College has a special concern for women.
• Mount St. Mary Academy
  Mount St. Mary Academy
  Mount Saint Mary Academy is a four-year private high school for girls, located in Watchung, New Jersey. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, the school operates financially independent of the Diocese. The Academy was founded in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey and opened...
  
  , in Watchung, New Jersey
  Watchung, New Jersey
  Watchung is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,801.Watchung was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 23, 1826, from portions of North Plainfield Township based on the results...
  
  , is a private, independent, college preparatory day school for girls in grades nine through twelve.
• McAuley School Inc., in Watchung, is a non-profit educational facility for the trainable developmentally disabled that serves an enrollment of 40 students.
• Mercy Center, in Asbury Park, New Jersey
  Asbury Park, New Jersey
  Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
  
   is a comprehensive, holistic, provider of programs and services to one of the most distressed and disadvantaged communities in the State of New Jersey.
• Mount St. Mary House of Prayer, in Watchung, is a prayer/retreat center.
• McAuley Hall Health Care Center, in Watchung, provides life-giving physical, spiritual and psychological care to vowed members of the Sisters of Mercy.

History

Venerable Catherine McAuley

Catherine McAuley

The Venerable Mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley was an Irish nun, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831...

 established the first House of Mercy on September 24, 1827, in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 to serve the needs of homeless and abused women and children from Dublin's slums. In 1843, Frances Warde and six other Sisters traveled from to open the order's first United States mission, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

. On September 24, 1873, five Sisters accompanied Mother Warde to Bordentown, New Jersey

Bordentown, New Jersey

Bordentown City is in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 3,924. Bordentown is located at the confluence of the Delaware River, Blacks Creek and Crosswicks Creek...

, to establish the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey.