Nuns from the Sisters of Mercy first came to Chicago at Bishop William Quarter's invitation in 1846, and they quickly became important providers of social services in the growing city. The Sisters established a school and an orphanage, and they cared for victims of cholera epidemics. The doctors who founded the city's first hospital turned over its administration to the Sisters, who successfully kept Mercy Hospital running through several perilous relocations.

Creator: Member of the Order of Mercy in the West
Source: Newberry Library (E 5 .M747)