It all began in 1831 in Dublin, with our foundress, Venerable Catherine McAuley.  She was a wealthy heiress with a big heart.  No one seemed to care for the poor so she built a house in Baggot Street where she and a group of associates cared for the sick and began to educate the poor so  that  they could learn to help themselves.  They also visited the sick in their homes and the hospitals and   provided a listening ear for those in prison.  To every need revealed to her by God Catherine replied, "Yes".  When her relatives asked, "Why?" Catherine replied, "Why not?".