From Spain to Kansas City in 1946 . . . the Mercedarian journey

The Mercedarians' journey from Spain to Missouri began in 1944 on the island of Saipan during World War II where the Mercedarian Missionaries were held in a concentration camp.

There the Missionaries met Msgr. Arthur Tighe, an Air Force chaplain from Kansas City who was serving in the Pacific.

When Saipan and the other Micronesian islands came under U.S. control at the end of the war, the Missionaries realized they would need to speak English if they were to continue working in their missions of Micronesia.

Father Tighe promised to help the Missionaries come to the United States to study English. And in 1946, a small band of Mercedarian nuns arrived in Kansas City with the help of Father Tighe and Archbishop Edwin V. O'Hara.

At that time, the Archbishop wanted to open a facility to care for the elderly and he asked the Missionaries to help him. An unoccupied, old hospital at Ninth and Harrison streets was transformed into a nursing home and Our Lady of Mercy Home opened in 1947.

The Missionaries lovingly cared for hundreds of men and women until Our Lady of Mercy was closed and sold in 1991.

For nearly 20 years, the Mercedarians operated both the nursing home in downtown Kansas City and Our Lady of Mercy Country Home in Liberty.

The Country Home opened in 1972 when the Missionaries converted their vocation center in Liberty into an elderly care center for about 50 residents. In 1987, 56 apartments were added for independent living and a small convent for retiring Missionaries was built.

One of the first to move into a new apartment was Father Tighe, who lived at the Country Home from 1988 until his death in 1990. His last days were spent in the care of the Mercedarian Missionaries.

In 1994, a new assembly room was added to the Country Home. Now known as Tighe Center, the addition was named the Monsignor Arthur M. Tighe Memorial in honor of the deep devotion between the Air Force chaplain and the Catholic Sisters from Spain.

Mercedarians Worldwide

The Mercedarians are a community of fewer than 500 religious women. They live in 72 small communities around the world and have missionaries on the five continents.

The Missionaries work in a variety of fields: as educators in schools from kindergarten through college, pastoral workers and catechetics, social workers, nurses, counselors and media workers. Some Sisters in Africa work with AIDS
patients and do home visitations.

At Our Lady of Mercy Country Home, "Care with Dignity" is the Mercedarian commitment. The Sisters believe that the care residents receive makes a difference in their lives: that the residents will be happy here, will feel loved and cared for as the unique individuals that they are.

The deep and abiding joy of the Mercedarian spiritual presence has always made Lady of Mercy a place where residents of all faiths feel welcome and safe.

Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz Trust Fund

Supporting Our Lady of Mercy Country Home

Care with Dignity Raffle