History
Five Sisters of Mercy, members of the Brisbane Congregation, arrived in Townsville in 1878. They began their ministry from a 'cottage on the shores of Cleveland Bay'.
In 1882, Rockhampton was declared a Diocese and the Townsville group was governed from there until 1901, when the group became self-governing with the formation of a Townsville Congregation. Thirteen Sisters were foundation members made up of Sisters from the Brisbane and Rockhampton Congregations who chose to stay in the North.
Over the years the number of Sisters grew and their ministries diversified. Care of sick people was a well established tradition among Sisters of Mercy, and in keeping with that, the decision was made in 1945 to establish a Catholic hospital in Townsville.
A small private hospital in Stagpole Street, known as 'The Lister', was purchased and the Townsville Sisters of Mercy moved formally into Health Care ministry. The hospital was renamed the 'Mater Misericordiae' (Mother of Mercy), the title given to all hospitals operated by the Sisters of Mercy.
When this hospital was found to be inadequate to meet the demands of modern health care, a property was purchased in Fulham Road and a new 50-bed hospital was opened in 1962. The transfer to the new hospital was made possible by the support given to the Sisters of Mercy by a dedicated group of local fund raisers. This support has continued over the years and has enabled the Sisters of Mercy to expand the services significantly.
Read more about this topic: Mater Health Services North Queensland
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