The Callaghan Society is named for Catherine and William Callaghan, a wealthy Dublin couple who employed Catherine McAuley, the woman who would later found the Sisters of Mercy. In the early 1800s Catherine, then in her 20s, accepted a position in the Callaghan home, managing their household. She remained with them until their deaths; Catherine Callaghan in 1819 and William in 1822. During her nearly two decades in their service, the Callaghans, themselves childless, came to view Catherine as a daughter, and she became their sole heir.

It was through their bequest that Catherine was able to realize her vision—to offer shelter to vulnerable women, provide an education for young girls for whom no schools were available, and visit the sick and dying poor. Catherine opened the House of Mercy, financed by her inheritance, on September 24, 1827. It is therefore fitting that those who name Mercy Focus on Haiti in their own wills, desiring to help our Haitian sisters and brothers, would become members of the Callaghan Society.

Just as Catherine and William Callaghan became the very first donors in the Mercy family, those who remember Mercy Focus on Haiti through their own bequests—members of the Callaghan Society—join in their legacy of helping to perpetuate the works of Mercy in our suffering world.

Would you like more Information? Please Contact:

Marion V. Grimes
MFOH Development Committee

Ph: 716-864-0072
Email: grimesmv@aol.com  

Our Legal title is Mercy Ministry Corporation, Inc. Tax ID #52-1403614

with Financial Offices at 8403 Colesville Rd. Suite 400 – Silver Spring, MD -20910-3367

Please note “For Mercy Focus on Haiti” when making your legacy gift.