Our heritage story
Becoming Calvary
More than 140 years of compassionate, quality care
Calvary was established by six courageous Sisters of the Little Company of Mary, who sailed into Sydney on the SS Liguria on 4 November 1885.
Once in Australia, the Sisters immediately set to work nursing the sick in their own homes, as well as running a soup kitchen, a night refuge, a school for the blind, and a parish school; and providing social services to those in need.
The Little Company of Mary pioneers had little knowledge of the healthcare legacy they would create. Theirs is a story of enduring care for the physical and spiritual health of so many Australians: firstly on the streets of Sydney and the rudimentary beginnings of home nursing; latterly and currently in the stewardship of some of Australia’s best-known and much-loved hospitals, together with a national Calvary health, home and aged care ministry.
Venerable Mary Potter
Mary Potter was born on 22 November 1847 in England in the wake of the industrial revolution and established the Little Company of Mary in an old stocking factory at Hyson Green in Nottingham, England in 1877.
She modelled the Congregation on the spirit of Calvary, calling her Sisters to be part of the ‘little company’ of faithful companions who remained with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, standing in spirit with her on Calvary, as she watched over her dying Son.
When Mary Potter went to Rome in 1882 to gain approval for the Constitutions of her new Congregation, she also worked among the poor of the area, establishing a hospital – Calvary – as well as the Chapel of the Maternal Heart. Mary died in Rome on 9 April 1913.
Mary was declared Venerable by Pope Saint John Paul II on 8 February 1988.
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A story of philanthropy
Calvary only exists because of the generosity of people who believed in a vision; a vision first held by Mary Potter and later carried forward by her Sisters.
In 1877, Mary Potter stood in a disused stocking factory in Nottingham, gifted to her by Bishop Edward Bagshawe. She had no money and no staff, only a calling to care for those suffering and dying. That calling became a movement, sustained by the kindness of strangers who gave what they could: food, funds, trust.
Later, Mary Potter herself walked the streets of Nottingham, knocking on doors, asking for support. People responded. They gave. And Calvary was born.
“From the very beginning, our story has been a story of philanthropy.”
— Reflection from Mark Green, Calvary’s Chief Mission and Public Affairs Officer
Every hospital built, every aged care home opened, and every life touched has been made possible by generosity.
How you can help
Today, 140 years later, you can help continue that legacy. Your gift is not just a donation, it’s a continuation of a story that began with compassion, courage, and community.
A legacy of care
The birth of Calvary in Australia
Responding to a request from Cardinal Moran, Venerable Mary Potter sent our six founding Sisters to Australia. The Sisters sailed into Sydney on the SS Liguria on 4 November 1885.
The Sisters became involved in caring for the sick, the poor and the dying with a home nursing visit the day after they arrived.
The first call out for a longer home nursing stay came on their first Sunday, when Sister Rose Mowles went by boat to Hunters Hill up the Parramatta River to nurse Lettie D’Apice.
Their early ministry blossomed:
- 1887: nursing as far afield as Gunnedah and Armidale
- 1888: opened St Patrick’s school for the Blind
- 1892-1898: administered the Parish School at Ryde
- 1892-1903: Our Lady Help of Christians’ Night Refuge and Soup Kitchen for women and children in Woolloomooloo
- 1893: instructed and taught poor children under a tree at the ‘railway encampment’, Redfern
A mere three years into their ministry, in 1888, Cardinal Moran laid the foundation stone for the Little Company of Mary’s first hospital, the Children’s Hospital of the Holy Child, later renamed Lewisham Hospital, which operated for more than 100 years. The first wing opened on 9 June 1889.
With 5 years of their arrival, there were nearly 50 Sisters at the convent in Lewisham.
Between 1900 and 1985, the Sisters ran five nurse training schools, and provided clinical placements for college-educated nursing and medical students.
The various ministries the Sisters operated are best depicted in the timeline of the Little Company of Mary in Australia.
From the archives
Calvary through the years
Click on the images below to learn more:
Calvary today
In 1997, to ensure the continued growth and development of their health and aged care services, the Sisters established a company limited by guarantee, now known as Little Company of Mary Health Care Ltd.
Calvary Ministries took responsibility for the stewardship of this company on 1 January 2011.
The National Board of Little Company of Mary Health Care, appointed by Calvary Ministries, is responsible for the overall governance of the growing range of health, home and aged care services.
Inspired by the Venerable Mary Potter and the work of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary in Australia, Calvary continues to provide high quality health, home and aged care services throughout Australia.
Today, Calvary is a charitable Catholic not-for-profit organisation continuing their mission, in our hospitals, home and virtual care services, retirement living and residential aged care homes across four states and two territories.
Our mission is to provide quality, compassionate health care to the most vulnerable, including those reaching the end of their life. We provide aged and home care, acute and sub-acute health care; and specialist palliative care and comprehensive care for people in the final year of life.
Sister Brigid Rosser
Sister Brigid Rosser, the youngest founding Sister, remained in Australia and saw the foundation eventually flourish. She kept a diary of the trip out and of the early days in Australia.
She closes her diary: