What We Do

The Sisters continue to work in and collaborate with others across many areas.

Our work includes:

  • Administration

  • Aged Care

  • Art and Family Therapy

  • Community Support

  • Counselling

  • Ecology

  • Education

  • Prayer and Reflection

  • Social Justice

  • Spiritual Companioning

  • Visitation

Three women meeting in a conference room, with papers and a laptop on the table.

Image: Sr Julia rsm and teacher assisting a parent with translations from Chaldean language to English.

Sr Antoinette rsm leading prayer and reflection with school students.

Sr Antoinette rsm leading prayer and reflection with school students.

Sr Maria rsm with friends as she liaises between St Mel's school and families of the Sydney Catholic Chinese Community.

Sr Maria rsm with friends as she liaises between St Mel's school and families of the Sydney Catholic Chinese Community.

Sisters and colleagues plant a tree in memory of their dear friend, Valerie.

Sisters and colleagues plant a tree in memory of their dear friend, Valerie.

Sr Mary rsm, art and family therapist.

Sr Mary rsm, art and family therapist.

Aboriginal Reconciliation Day in Narromine with Sr Margaret rsm.

Aboriginal Reconciliation Day in Narromine with Sr Margaret rsm.

Sr Catherine rsm reads from the lectern at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta.

Sr Catherine rsm reads from the lectern at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta.

A child's art therapy sand sculpture featuring St Michael the Archangel.

A child's art therapy sand sculpture featuring St Michael the Archangel.

Sr Margaret rsm welcomes people to the Mercy Heritage Trail in Parramatta.

Sr Margaret rsm welcomes people to the Mercy Heritage Trail in Parramatta.

Baulkham Hills Housing Project

The Baulkham Hills Mercy Housing Project is a seniors' living development built to provide affordable, safe, and supported housing for women aged 55 and over, including victims of domestic violence, who are most at risk of homelessness.

Two women at a construction site, one in a yellow safety vest holding a clipboard with plans, the other in a blouse, standing behind a metal fence watching construction vehicles and equipment in the background.

Image: Sr Margaret rsm, Congregation Leader, and Sr Maria rsm, overseeing our Baulkham Hills Mercy Housing Project for women in danger of homelessness.

Earthkin

Earthkin is a network committed to loving, reverencing and celebrating the Earth Community. We sense Divine presence, holiness and creativity embedded within the whole and the whole within it.

The beauty of life’s essential harmony and oneness, impels us to reach out continually to embrace members of Earth community. Everything and everyone belongs.

We try to live simply and sustainably and engage in social political actions to protect the common good, respect the Earth Charter and the rights of each species.

For more information about this group, email enquiries@parrasom.org.au

Group of people outdoors examining a large poster about creation and evolution, with a colorful diagram and DNA strand.

Image: Sr Valda rsm shares the sacred story of creation.

Maianbar Centre

For Goodness Sake Maianbar offers a space in an environment of natural beauty for rest & respite, a place to refresh one's spirit. Sr Ann Maree rsm offers a kind listening presence.

A balcony overlooking a lush landscape with trees and a river, during a vibrant sunset with orange and pink clouds.
A house with a white exterior and large windows, surrounded by trees and greenery in a wooded area.

Mercy Futures

Mercy Futures seeks to provide opportunities to develop and carry forward a deep connection with Mercy and to know and live the Mercy values within our complex world. Mercy Futures comprises a diverse group of women who have been touched by God’s spirit of Mercy through their contact with the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta.

Under the umbrella theme of Responding in Mercy, presentations, discussions and sharing have centred around today’s critical issues of Ecology, Refugees, The Homeless, Unity in a Divided World, Kindness, Resilience, Peace and Hope to raise awareness and possibilities for action. At the same time the Mercy charism has continued to be explored through presentations on Catherine McAuley and the spirit of Mercy.

For more information about this group, email mercyfuture@parrasom.org.au

Group of women participating in a ceremonial tree planting event in a garden courtyard. A woman in a bright pink cardigan is holding a yellow-handled shovel, assisted by another woman in green.

Relationships & Nature - Biodiversity & the B & B Highway - Judy Friedlander spoke about planting avenues of flowers, shrubs etc to attract bees.

A woman gives a talk at a podium beside a large projection of a quote that reads, “Put your whole confidence in God who will never let you down.”

November 2025: Sr Áine Barrins rsm spoke about Catherine McAuley’s letters and the theme of hope that they expressed.

A group of people gathered in a room with a white backdrop, including children, women, and a nun, some smiling and posing for the photo.

March 2023: Gregory Atun from Myanmar, Ordarko Brecko from Ukraine and Mahboba Rawi from Afghanistan spoke of the issues and struggles in each of their countries.

The logo of a company with a stylized blue and white globe and the words 'SUBWAY MARKETING' in blue.

Stella Maris Aged Care

Stella Maris Aged Care Facility in Cronulla was founded on the spirit of Mercy of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy that continues today through the expressions of love, dignity and respect for frail, aged and vulnerable women and men.

A group of older women interacting in a lobby or reception area, one woman in a wheelchair holding hands with a woman kneeling, in front of a reception desk with a staff member talking on the phone.

Image: Sister Claire rsm welcomes visitors to Stella Maris while Sister Catherine responds to phone calls at the reception desk.

Logo for CWF Works featuring a stylized cross, a winding road, and the tagline 'Walking Together. Changing Lives.'

SUPPORTED MINISTRY

Mercy Works

A healthcare worker in a green uniform takes the blood pressure of a woman holding a baby in her lap at a community clinic in a tropical setting.

Mercy Works is the registered charity and development arm of the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea, inspired by Catherine McAuley’s vision to bring dignity, opportunity and self-reliance to the poor and disadvantaged. 

Mercy Works supports vulnerable people and their communities to transform their futures through sustainable development projects in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Timor-Leste. 

Mercy Works receives no government funding and is supported solely by donations from Sisters of Mercy, charitable foundations, corporations, schools, community groups and individuals.

Learn more & Get Involved
Four women of diverse backgrounds smile together in front of a wall displaying multiple issues of The Bilum, a publication highlighting stories of cultural resilience, maternal health, early education, and refugee support in the Pacific region.