The Sisters of Compassion were founded in Jerusalem, New Zealand in 1892 when the Māori people invited Suzanne Aubert to the small settlement.
Father Lampila, a priest of the Society of Mary, first established the Catholic Māori mission at Hiruhārama/Jerusalem in 1854, but it fell into disrepair after the Battle of Motua in 1864.
Suzanne Aubert visited Hiruhārama/Jerusalem in 1883 at the invitation of the Māori people with two Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth in the hope of reviving the mission.
The land on which St Joseph's Church and the old convent are located is owned by Māori families. The original church was destroyed by fire in 1888. Suzanne Aubert travelled around New Zealand with another sister to raise money for reconstruction.
It was in this small settlement of houses around the Patiarero Marae that the Sisters of Mercy were born and were recognised by the Catholic Church in 1892. The church was consecrated a year later.
Since then the sisters have been part of the local community and enjoy the status of "Tangata Whenua". While this term essentially refers to those who are "indigenous to the area", it is very rich in its full meaning.
The sisters follow the mission of Jesus in the spirit of their founder, Suzanne Aubert. Through compassion, faith and integrity they seek to bring dignity to the lives of the elderly, powerless and poor.
Translated by Google •
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