Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey
The Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey began as an offshoot of the Catholic Sisters of Mercy order in New Jersey 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. History. Venerable Catherine McAuley established the first House of Mercy on September 24, 1827, in Ireland 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. On September 24, 1873, five Sisters accompanied Mother Warde to Bordentown, New Jersey, to establish the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey.