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Mother Mary Joseph Lynch came to Oregon to begin the work of the Sisters of Mercy at the age of 69, near the end of her eventful life.  As a young sister, she had nursed the wounded in the Crimean War.  In the United States, Mother Joseph founded schools in Brooklyn, NY and Grand Rapids MI and a hospital in Minneapolis, MN.  From 1887 to 1896 she and the sisters staffed Sacred Heart Indian Mission in Morris, MN.  Debts and disagreements with the clergy caused her to leave each of these ventures.  At last she made her way to Portland, where she left a legacy of ministry to the poor, sick, and uneducated.

The first Oregon ministry was providing housing for young working women.  The sisters opened a home in 1896; it eventually became Jeanne d'Arc Young Women's Residential Hall, which served as a residence until the 1960s.  The sisters also cared for orphans and the aged in Portland.  Requests came from smaller towns of Oregon for Catholic services, and the sisters established schools and hospitals in several places.  In 1929 the Sisters of Mercy of Oregon became part of the Province of Omaha.

Sisters of Mercy continue in Oregon today in healthcare, spirituality programs, education, AIDS ministry, and care for the aged in Portland, Roseburg, and Milwaukie.