St Mary’s Bay residents probably pass by Mercy Hospice most days of the week. But what do you know about this special neighbour on the corner of New St and College Hill?
Well, on Wednesday, September 6 local residents are invited to visit the hospice and meet new CEO Paul Couper and some of the team to hear about the hospice’s history, its services and the difference your support can make to the lives of others when they need it most.
The hospice cares for around 300 patients at any one time, many of whom are cared for in their own home. The hospice wants to ensure that its services remain free of charge to people in need.
This early evening function, ‘Together Towards Tomorrow’ will be held on Wednesday 6 September, 2017. To receive an invitation please contact Anne Wright on 09 376 7578 or anne.wright@mercyhospice.org.nz
History
Eight sisters of Mercy arrived in New Zealand on the evening of April 8, 1850 after a nine month sea voyage from Ireland. They were responding to the invitation from Maori women to work among their people.
Led by Sister Cecilia Maher, the Sisters brought with them the vision of their founder, Catherine McAuley, who was passionately committed to restoring dignity to the lives of those in need. Her work was characterised by two things: her drive to go where the needs were and her insistence on excellence.
The Sisters’ strong tradition of nursing grew from their experience of caring for victims of the cholera epidemics in Ireland and England in the 1830s and 40s.
The Sisters opened a school and orphanage for Maori and Pakeha children, they visited the sick in their homes and people in prison. However, there was more than a decade of war in the colony from 1860 and the Maori withdrew from Auckland because of the conflict. The Sisters concentrated on healthcare and school for the next few decades.
As early as 1952, hospice care was part of the mission of Mercy Hospital (formerly Mater Miserecordiae Hospital, established by the Sisters at Mountain Road Epsom in 1900). In 1979 St Joseph’s Mercy Hospice became part of Mercy Hospital before moving to the current site in College Hill, Ponsonby.
The renamed Mercy Hospice Auckland was officially opened in March 2007. The facility was donated by Sisters of Mercy for the development of hospice care. The hospice building had once been the noviciate of the Sisters of Mercy and for 11 years until 2004, a boarding hostel for students of St Mary’s College.
The mission and values of Mercy Hospice Auckland draw very strongly from the mission of Mercy originally expressed by Catherine McAuley. The hospice, which cares for people in their homes and at the In-Patient Unit, flourishes today because of the staff and volunteers and benefactors who continue to uphold the heritage of the Mercy mission and values.
To find out more about Mercy Hospice Auckland, visit: https://www.mercyhospice.org.nz
A Gift in Your Will
“The services performed by Mercy Hospice are quite simply invaluable, providing an enormous amount of relief to patients and their families. Including a bequest in my Will was such a simple way to make a lasting contribution.” – Ken Richardson, Freemans Bay Resident
Remembering Mercy Hospice Auckland in your Will is a very meaningful way to support the care of our patients living with a life limiting illness.
Your gift, be it large or small is an investment into the future wellbeing of your family, friends, loved ones, and to those in your community.
With your support we can continue to care for around 300 patients at any one time, many of which are cared for in their own home. And to ensure our services remain free of charge to people in need.
By leaving a gift in your Will you can keep helping people live until they die.
When the time is right please consider remembering Mercy Hospice Auckland in your Will, not forgetting to remember family first.
For further information on how bequests are managed and the impact your gift would make, please contact our Planned Giving Officer Anne Wright on 09 376 7578 or anne.wright@mercyhospice.org.nz