Mary Aikenhead (Foundress)
Mother Mary
Aikenhead
Foundre
ss of the
Religious
Sisters of Charity
Mary Aikenhead
at 20 years old
Born in Cork in 1787 of an upper class Protestant father and
Catholic mother, Mary Aikenhead was deeply affected by her
father's work as a doctor among the Irish poor and by his deathbed conversion to Catholicism. In 1802, she became a Catholic
and, in 1808, went to stay with her friend Anne O'Brien in Dublin.
Here she witnessed widespread unemployment and poverty and
soon began to accompany her generous friend in visiting the poor
and sick in their homes.
It was in Mrs O'Brien's home that Mary first met Father Daniel
Murray when he visited Anne to work out their plans for reaching
out to the poor. Mary came to appreciate the deep love for God
that inspired their constant anxiety on behalf of the poor. In her
growing awareness of being called by God to religious life, Mary
realised that her call to serve the poor meant she could not join an
enclosed order. In the meantime, she needed to return to Cork to
help her frail mother so, after consulting with Father Murray, she
returned to Cork.
By 1809, Mary was free to return to Dublin; at the same time,
Father Murray was appointed coadjutor bishop of Dublin. Over the
next five years, together they planned the founding of a new
religious congregation of Sisters of Charity. Realising that Mary
had all the gifts she needed, "a great heart and a willing mind",
Bishop Murray convinced her to agree to become the foundress.