Marianne Creedon was a gifted woman of extraordinary perseverance and trust. She made her novitiate under the direction of Catherine McAuley, taking the name Sister M. Francis. Shortly after Catherine’s death (November 1841), she, along with Sister M. Ursula Frayne and Sister M. Rose Lynch, sailed to Newfoundland to establish the first Convent of Mercy outside the British Isles. They arrived in St. John’s on June 3, 1842. The early years of the foundation were difficult. Besides the conditions of extreme poverty and the harshness of Newfoundland weather, there were serious disagreements with Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming. In the fall of 1843, Sister M. Ursula and Sister M. Rose returned to Dublin.

Their departure left Sister M. Francis with one companion, Sister M. Joseph Nugent, the first Sister of Mercy to be professed outside the British Isles. She died in June of 1847, having contracted typhus from the victims she was caring for. Until her niece Agnes entered in 1848, Sister M. Francis was the lone Sister of Mercy in Newfoundland. Not knowing what the future held for her or her fledgling community, she nevertheless continued her ministry of Mercy, keeping the school open and visiting the sick and the poverty-stricken in their homes. It was a small and challenging start for the new foundation, but the flame of Mercy refused to be extinguished and indeed grew stronger.

Marianne Creedon was born in Coolowen, County Cork. Her father died when she was very young, and when her older sister married John Nugent, Marianne went to live with them. It was here that she received the benefits of a broad education. In 1833, she moved with the Nugent family to St. John's, and she grew to love her adopted home.

Following conversations between Bishop Fleming and Catherine McAuley, she went to Dublin to become a Sister of Mercy, with the understanding that after her profession she would return to St. John’s to establish a convent of the Sisters of Mercy.

Sister M. Francis had a personal encounter with Catherine McAuley and absorbed the spirit of Mercy as well as the vocation to mission. She, like Catherine, had a passion for Mercy's work and was willing to take chances.

Sister M. Francis faced extraordinary challenges in her life and ministry in Newfoundland. Her trust in God’s providence, her zeal for mission, her fidelity despite all odds, her courage, and her indomitable spirit grounded the mission of Mercy, which had such fragile and tentative beginnings.

The Newfoundland Foundation of 1842 has borne much fruit over the past 182 years.  Through a wide range of ministries, including education, care of the sick and elderly, outreach to the homeless, social work, justice work, and pastoral care in its many forms, the congregation Sister M. Francis founded remained true to its mission of Mercy. Sisters of Mercy have ministered in many parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and since 1961, they have ministered in several areas of Peru.

Charlotte Fitzpatrick, “Standing on Their Shoulders (Newfoundland)”, Mercy International Association, accessed 3 May 2024.  https://www.mercyworld.org/catherine/mercy-foundresses/standing-on-their-shoulders-newfoundland/