Catherine McAuley 1778 ~ 1841

# 1/3 All Hallows' School, Brisbane, QLD
#2/3 Monte Sant Angelo, North Sydney, NSW
"The Offering"

Catherine McAuley
Catherine McAuley
Catherine as a young woman, a secular woman. A woman still making the decisions that will shape the direction of her life.
Catherine McAuley
A woman of her times, strong and worldly wise.
Catherine McAuley
Active compassion; she draws the shawl from her own shoulders to offer to a stranger.
Catherine McAuley
The shawl; a subtle yet powerfully universal symbol.
Catherine McAuley
Emblematic of the fabric of society, the cloth that wraps, that binds, the interwoven threads of our lives.
Catherine McAuley
The cloth as a metaphor for women’s labour.
Catherine McAuley
Catherine responding in her movement, the gesture of giving.
Catherine McAuley
“She was very fair ... Her face was a short oval but the contour was perfect. Her lips were thin and her mouth rather wide, but there was so much play and expression about it.."
Catherine McAuley
She was dressed in black British merino which according to the fashion of the time fitted tight to her shape.
Catherine McAuley
The original clay was hand sculpted using a life model as reference.
Catherine McAuley
The original clay head still taking shape.
Catherine McAuley
The figure is sculpted as an unclad clay before clothes are hand modelled into place.
Catherine McAuley
The steering committee, were involved in the decision making process throughout the project.
Catherine McAuley
The sculpture was cast at Australian Bronze Sydney and hand finished by the artist.
Catherine McAuley
The bronze needed to by physically lifted over a Heritage building so as to be placed in the internal courtyard.
Catherine McAuley
The bronze needed to by physically lifted over a Heritage building so as to be placed in the internal courtyard.
Catherine McAuley
A intimate part of the School community, Catherine is in an internal courtyard, where the girls gather everyday.
Catherine McAuley
Unveiling of Catherine McAuley at All Hallows' School, Brisbane
Catherine McAuley
Catherine McAuley
Catherine was warmly welcomed by the Mercy Community
Catherine McAuley
Catherine McAuley
Catherine McAuley
#2 Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney
Catherine McAuley
#2 Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney

Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Mercy Order, was very much a woman of her place, a woman of her times. Ireland, was undergoing change on a profound level, emancipation was gradually allowing Catholics to take their place in a changed society.


Catherine was one of the few who was able to walk the precarious divide between Protestant and Catholic, to balance both sides with grace and poise, to see beyond the politics of religion to the real needs of the suffering people themselves. An attitude of open-hearted generosity, was with her regardless of her circumstances. When she was poor she gave her time, when she unexpectedly inherited a small fortune, she was simply able to work on a larger scale, to reach out to more people more effectively and to include companions in her journey.

It is difficult to express an attitude of generosity in a sculpture. Eventually I decided on a simple action as the primary metaphor for the work - a woman pulling her own wrap from around her shoulders to offer it to someone in need.

The sculpture was sculpted specifically for All Hallows' School, Brisbane on the occassion of their 150th anniversary. It was unveiled on All Hallows' day 2011.

Availablity: Catherine was sculpted and cast as a single work, however subsequent copies are available as a limited edition to Mercy organisations outside of Queensland. The maquette is also available to order.

pdf logo More information on the life of Catherine McAuley and on the making of the sculpture