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Many of you will have seen the Mercy Rose – the brilliant yellow rose which is named after Catherine McAuley. Where the rose came from is an interesting story of networking and perseverance - much like the day to day of Catherine’s mission of mercy for those made poor and vulnerable in her world.
Josephine Mary Agnew, a Sister of Mercy from North Sydney, Australia, wanted to have a rose named in honour of Catherine McAuley to celebrate her being declared venerable by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1990.
The Sisters worked with Valerie Swane from Swane’s Nursery in Narromine New South Wales to select a rose. Valerie was a patient at the Mater Hospital in North Sydney and she launched the Catherine McAuley Rose on 12th November 1992 three months before her death. Valerie had introduced the rose to Australia (from US root stock) and trialled it under Australian conditions.
The Plant Variety Rights was applied for and granted to the Sisters of Mercy for the rose and Mary Angela Martin rsm wrote this official description of the rose which appears on its label:
This rose is named after Catherine McAuley, a gifted Irish heiress who gathered a group of generous ladies to care for the impoverished. These women formed the nucleus of the Sisters of Mercy, an Order which quickly spread from Dublin through Ireland and the UK to Australia and the Americas and later to Africa and the Pacific Islands.
The radiant colour and delicate fragrance of this rose is reminiscent of the golden haired, gracious Catherine. The clusters of blooms are symbols of the devoted groups of sisters sent by her to bring comfort to the needy. A free flowering rose which repeats flowers quickly.
CATHERINE MCAULEY (Jacibras) [F] 1993 introduction.
This rose produces clusters of 4 or 5 high centered blooms which are long lasting in the vase. A unique new shade - bright and clear yellow.
Height: 1 to 1.5 metres
Bush: $15.00
Tree: $29.50
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How did this rose, bred in Australia, find its way to Ireland and around the world?
In 1994, The Sisters of Mercy sent the story and pictures of the Catherine McAuley Rose to Mercy International Centre for its official opening.
The rose was already growing in many parts of Australia where the Sisters of Mercy had opened convents, schools and hospitals.
The story of how the rose made it to Ireland involves another congregation and one man’s determined efforts to distribute the rose internationally.
John Amery was the CEO of the Mater Hospital in Townsville, North Queensland, a hospital founded by the Sisters of Mercy in Townsville (now part of ISMAPNG). He had visited Baggot Street on pilgrimage and resolved to send some of the roses to be planted next to Catherine’s Grave.
This is what he had to say:
"I had eagerly anticipated the week in Mercy International Centre. I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed the time for its insights, collegiality, and for me a lay person, its education, enlightenment and formation in the spirit of Mercy. It was a time of spiritual awakening in what "Mercy" means, its history and more importantly, its future. When walking in the sacred garden I felt the need to record a tribute to Catherine McAuley, the woman whose love and commitment to the sick poor led to our hospital providing care to the sick on the opposite side of the world.
"The garden was a place of peace and serenity. There were magnificent roses of various colours, shapes and fragrance but no Catherine McAuley Rose. I decided to explore the possibility of bringing a rose bush from Australia. It would be a “thank you” to the Sisters for their hospitality and kindness. I was very familiar with the rose. We have them growing at home and in the hospital garden. Every year on Mercy Day 24th September as part of our liturgical celebration staff are given a miniature crepe paper Catherine McAuley Rose in recognition of each person’s inherent dignity, and in appreciation for the gifts each brings to the workplace e.g. kindness, hospitality, mercy and the spirit of generosity. The rose is a beautiful symbol for the quality of Mercy, God’s loving kindness which is the spirit of our health care services."
Ambassadorial Assistance
John Amery pondered how to get the roses from Australia with the existing bio-security conditions and quickly enough to ensure their survival (a long postal sea-voyage was the only option at the time).
When things were looking grim a phone call to the Department of Foreign Affairs was the last resort. The Australian Ambassador in Ireland, John Herron, was contacted and he agreed to facilitate the import. It is believed that the roses arrived in his diplomatic bag with diplomatic immunity.
Six rose bushes arrived at Mercy International Centre on the afternoon of the 7th of September 2005 just in time for a ritual in George’s Hill the following day. The MIC Team had decided to offer a Catherine McAuley Rose to the Presentation Sisters to mark the occasion of the 175th anniversary of Catherine entering George’s Hill for her novitiate training.
As a ‘thank you’ for facilitating the transportation of the rose to Ireland, another rose plant was gifted to the Australian Ambassador, for his beautiful rose garden at his residence on the Southside of Dublin.
A third was gifted to the Irish congregation, a fourth to a benefactor and two were planted in the Sacred Garden in Baggot Street.
Unfortunately, only two thrived – the rose in the Australian Embassy and the other in the George's Hill Presentation garden. The two in Baggot Street adapted poorly and the other two didn’t survive (information provided by Marie Melville rsm. Townsville and Mary Reynolds rsm. Galway).
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Saving Catherine's Roses in Ireland
The third part of this story involves the efforts to save the Irish Catherine McAuley roses.
Introducing Anne Copeland who was diagnosed with brain cancer in Sepember 2009. She had great devotion to the Little Flower as her middle name was Therese.
On the Feast of the Little Flower, it is customary to have roses blessed in the Carmelite Church in Clarendon Street in Dublin. Her sister Mary brought a Catherine McAuley rosebud to have it blessed and gave it to her sister Anne. Anne became very interested in the story of the Catherine McAuley rose and believed it would be wonderful to have a bed of Catherine McAuley roses planted in the magnificent rose garden in St. Anne’s Park, Raheny. This would honour a great Dublin woman, who was born in Ballymun and lived a large portion of her life in Coolock – both places only a short distance from St. Anne’s Park.
The St Anne’s Park authorities were prepared to take the rose, provided 60 or so bushes could be provided. The great challenge was to find a way to get the plants. The American firm that first produced the rose had since closed. A supplier of the Catherine McAuley rose in Australia was identified but getting in live materials from Australia was next to impossible. One hopeful fact was that a supplier in Newtownards, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, had some connection with the Australian supplier. A trip to Newtownards proved very useful. The suppliers there held out no hope of importing rose bushes from Australia, but on hearing that there were two healthy Catherine McAuley roses in Dublin, advised that the idea be discussed with Mrs Hughes, a rose propagator in Dublin, who might be able to help.
She was! Anne and she had several conversations. She advised that ‘sticks’ be supplied to her from the two existing healthy roses, which she would then propagate.
Anne took on the project with a passion and kept in touch about it with both Mrs Hughes and Mick Harford, the District Parks Officer, St. Annes Park.
The rose ‘sticks’ were supplied just one week before Anne died. A year later, 15 healthy rose plants were announced. These 15 roses were planted in the Mercy International Centre garden and produced a beautiful crop the following year. ‘Sticks’ were taken from these 15 roses and the required 60 blooms were propagated, with a few extra for good measure!
These roses are now blooming in a specially designated rose bed in St. Anne’s Park, one blooms on Anne Copeland’s grave in recognition of her part in the story and the Catherine McAuley roses in the garden in Baggot Street occupy pride of place in close proximity to Catherine’s grave
It is certainly an amazing journey from an idea in North Sydney to a thriving Irish version of the Catherine McAuley rose.
ENDS
Caroline Thompson, Head of Heritage and Spirituality
We are grateful to the following for their collaboration in putting this piece together:
Sisters of Mercy North Sydney: Jennifer Ryan, Leader and Imogen Kennard-King. Congregational Archivist.
Marie Melville RSM, Townsville, US.
Mary Reynolds RSM, Galway, Ireland