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Who Are We?
Becoming an
Associate
McAuley
Ministry Fund A New Mercy Moment Mercy International Centre
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
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Though Sisters of Mercy were not attracted by the Gold Rush, they came to the western territories to teach and minister to those who were in need. Sisters came from St. Louis in 1882 to open a hospital in Conejos. Their stay there was brief, followed by a move to Durango, where they opened both a hospital and a school. Under Mother Mary John Baptist Meyers' leadership, the sisters were soon operating schools and a hospital, caring for orphans, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. Within a few years, sisters built hospitals to care for the miners in Ouray and Cripple Creek. They depended upon contributions from the miners and fundraising activities to continue their ministry. By 1889, they had come to Denver, their choice as a setting for a novitiate and for a home for working women. Part of the colorful Mercy history in Colorado is the story of the Montcalme Sanitarium in Manitou Springs. Jean Baptiste Francolon, a French priest, invited the sisters to staff a sanitarium for himself and his mother. The sisters cleaned and did the laundry for Francolon, and for the sanitarium patients without compensation. When Francolon left Manitou, the sisters bought the castle, which became part of the sanitarium. Miramont Castle ceased to be a sanitarium in the 1920s, and today stands as a tourist attraction for the city of Manitou Springs. Other Colorado sites included in Mercy history are San Luis, Aurora, Aspen, and Greeley. Today, Mercy Housing, Inc., has its central offices in Denver. |
