The Order of the Sisters of Mercy was founded by Catherine McAuley, a remarkable woman stunned by the ignorance, neglect, and diseases plaguing Dublin, Ireland. As a result, she launched the projects she had long envisioned: first to educate and care for the poor, and second, to provide a residence for herself and others who might choose to work with her. 

Today, the Sisters of Mercy in Belize have not only sponsored St. Catherine’s Academy in Belize City and Muffles College in Orange Walk Town, but also the Mercy Kitchen, Mercy Clinic, and the House of Mercy, Big Falls, Toledo; they administer the Guadalupe Spiritual Life Centre. The Sr. Cecilia’s Home for the elderly is named for Sr. Mary Cecilia Esquivel.