Agency History

The Vision Begins with the Sisters of Mercy

MercyFirst has a rich past, with roots dating back to Ireland and a spirited woman with a vision. Catherine McAuley believed in the dignity of every human being -including the poor, the sick, and the uneducated. She was committed to searching for justice for them and used her inheritance to improve their lives. In 1831, Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy, who have dedicated their lives to helping people overcome the obstacles that prevent them from living full and dignified lives. In 1855, five Sisters of Mercy were invited to teach at a new parish school, St. James, located on Jay Street in Brooklyn. Shortly thereafter, the school became a resource for orphans living in the streets. In 1862 the Sisters and children relocated to a new facility on Willoughby Avenue designed for residential care and the population quickly grew to over 500 children and young women. The building exists to this day and serves as the Motherhouse for the Brooklyn Sisters of Mercy.

The Vision Grows as Needs Grow

In 1894, the Sisters opened St. Mary of the Angels Home on 120 acres of farmland purchased in Syosset, Long Island. Originally, the farm was used for brief vacations as the Sisters escaped Brooklyn during the heat of summer with groups of children and young women. During this time the Sisters and the older boys managed a farm where fresh vegetables were grown for those who lived at the farm, as well as for those who remained at the Convent of Mercy in Brooklyn. The surplus was sold to the community for income. St. Mary’s soon became a year round residence for orphans, and in 1905 a school for the younger boys was built, while the older boys attended local schools. Five years after the opening of St. Mary’s, the Sisters of Mercy founded the Angel Guardian Home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The first residents were ninety girls aged two to five, separated from their families because of illness, homelessness and poverty. By 1903, boys were accepted, and in 1906 a nursery was erected to accommodate infants. In that same year Angel Guardian began placing children with families in the community.

In accordance with the strong belief that the family is the primary unit of society, these homes gave many thousands of children the opportunity to live with families in a normal setting. While the children attended local neighborhood schools and participated in community recreation, the staff of Angel Guardian continued to work to reunite them with their biological families. Because reunification was not always possible, an Adoption Program was initiated in 1947.

During this time, St. Mary’s of the Angels Home remained a branch of the orphanage in Brooklyn. Although they faced many obstacles, such as, the Depression, when eight Sisters cared for one hundred and eighty five young boys each day, providing for their education, as well as their emotional needs, the Sisters continued to provide refuge for those in need.

In 1967 St. Mary’s of the Angels Home was incorporated as a separate child care agency with the ability to serve boys up to the age of twenty one. In that year the first two cottages were built for the older boys and a partnership with the New York City Board of Education began. St. Mary’s developed a series of specialized residential programs with the building of additional cottages, a gym and a pool. When a new school and administrative building were built in 1989, the old farm land had truly become a modern campus.

With further changes in public policy, Angel Guardian Home was among nine agencies selected by New York City in 1974 to participate in a pilot program to work with at-risk families in their own homes, a successful preventive program to strengthen families and keep children out of foster care whenever possible and which continues to date. In 1975 Angel Guardian opened its first group home designed for teenage mothers and their babies.

Responding Again to Changing Needs

As the needs of children and families continue to change the importance of being able to provide a continuum of services became an emerging priority for both organizations. In addition, financial pressures from public agencies were increasing and forcing services to be provided in a more cost effective manner. Under the leadership of the Sisters of Mercy, and the agreement of the Boards of Directors, Angel Guardian Children and Family Services and St. Mary’s Children and Family Services merged together on March 18th, 2003 to form MercyFirst.

On March 18, 2003, St. Mary's Children and Family Services merged with Angel Guardian Children and Family Services to form MercyFirst. The merger created an alternative structure encompassing the mission of both agencies and a commitment to quality programming. MercyFirst captures the respective strengths of both agencies and provides a far reaching continuum of care to more children and families than ever before.