Mercy Ministry Companions, a Ministerial Public Juridic Person (MPJP), was established in 2021 to support Mercy Ministries and the 13,000 dedicated individuals who work for them.
Part of a broader Mercy family in Australia and New Zealand, Mercy Ministry Companions shares a commitment to infuse life with God’s mercy and to serve God and the Church through its vibrant ministries. These include Mercy Health, Mercy Education, and Mercy Community Services Australia, which includes McAuley Community Services for Women, Mercy Connect, Mercy Services and MacKillop Family Services. The Ministries, through its 13,000 staff provide care to 150,000 patients each year, educate over 14,000 students, provide in and out of home care to nearly 15,000 elderly persons, assist over 6,000 families, women and children and deliver services to around 700 disability clients.
The creation of Mercy Ministry Companions as a Ministerial Public Juridic Person, heralds a new era for Mercy Ministries. We have been entrusted with the governance of these ministries so that they can continue to flourish into the future.
We acknowledge and thank the founding religious congregations for entrusting to us the ministries that comprise Mercy Ministry Companions.
They, along with other religious congregations and dioceses, nurtured these ministries, all of which are respected by the communities they serve. Not only do we stand on their shoulders, but are the “carriers of the spirit” as we now continue to create this evolving story. It is an extraordinary legacy.
Our mission is continuously evolving. Our ministries provide a response to the needs of our world, whether they be in health care, aged care, community services or education. Key to our mission is the importance of respecting and upholding the dignity of those we serve, and acknowledging the shared humanity of us all.
We are companions on this journey, and in the words of Pope Francis at the opening of the Synod on Synodality in 2021: “In the one People of God, therefore, let us journey together, in order to experience a Church that receives and lives this gift of unity, and is open to the voice of the Spirit”.
The Council of Trustee Directors