St Vincents & Mercy Private

Our History

In 1998, St Vincents Private and Mercy Private merged to form one of Australia’s largest private Catholic hospitals.

The merger created a new, dynamic hospital – St Vincents & Mercy Private – and marked a significant milestone in Catholic healthcare history. 

For more than 70 years, two separate religious congregations - the Sisters of Charity and Sisters of Mercy - had run the hospitals independently.

The Sisters founded the hospitals to serve the needs of the sick and disadvantaged in Melbourne. Their vision was to create the most well-equipped hospitals in Australia and promote the Healing Ministry of Christ.

Both hospitals shared a similar history and vision for the future. The merger provided an opportunity to create a new facility, as well as maintain the Sisters’ mission and values.

Today, the Sisters’ shared mission remains at the heart of our organisation. We continue to build our reputation based on our history of leadership in compassionate care, healing and serving people with special needs.

St Vincents & Mercy Private is part of St Vincent’s Health Australia, and operates under the direction of the Trustees of Mary Aikenhead Ministries (TMAM). TMAM was established by the Sisters of Charity of Australia on 1 July 2009 to continue their work in health, education and welfare services. The name Mary Aikenhead Ministries was adopted in tribute to the foundress of the Sisters of Charity, Mother Mary Aikenhead. Inspired by her extraordinary example, we work together with TMAM to continue to bring this great tradition of service to all in need of care. More information on Mary Aikenhead Ministries can be found here. More information on the Sisters of Charity can be found here.

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