The vision of two Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley and Mary Patricia Waldron, enabled the establishment of Waldron Mercy Academy. Catherine McAuley, an Irish heiress who dedicated her entire fortune to helping the poor in Dublin, founded the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland in 1831.
"By courageous concern for the welfare of the poor, the sick, and the uneducated…Catherine McAuley animated many at the centers of the wealth, power and influence to share in her heroic efforts. She connected the rich to the poor, the healthy to the sick, the educated and skilled to the uninstructed, the influential to those of no consequence, the powerful to the weak, to do the work of God on earth.” (Tender Courage)
In 1861, under the leadership of 26-year-old Sister Mary Patricia Waldron, the first 10 Sisters of Mercy arrived in Philadelphia to serve the poor, the sick and the uneducated. In 1884, Patricia Waldron purchased an eight-acre property owned by William Baner in Merion, PA, as a country retreat for sisters who became ill while ministering in the city. In 1885, the Sisters of Mercy acquired the adjoining Morgan estate, a 13-room stone homestead that served as St. Anne Convent and a farmhouse, which accommodated the Village School for poor, local, farm children.
In 1885, in this same convent, the Sisters of Mercy started Mater Misericordiae, an academy for young ladies and boys under 12 years of age. The male boarding students remained at St. Anne Convent until 1923, when Waldron Academy for Boys was built.
Further Developments
To meet the ever-evolving needs of students, significant growth and change has taken place within the historic walls of Waldron Mercy Academy through the years. By 1946, students no longer lived at the school. During the 1950’s, in addition to the sisters, lay people joined the Waldron faculty in increasing numbers. Waldron started a preschool and Montessori program which enrolled both boys and girls.
In September 1987, Waldron Academy for Boys and Merion Mercy Academy for Girls (lower school) officially merged and reopened as Waldron Mercy Academy. Fifteen years later, the school assumed responsibility for Waldron Mercy Child Care, located on the schools’ campus. Over 40 students attend this year-round program for children three months to four years of age.
In the past 20 years, there have been physical changes such as the renovation of the third floor from an attic to the beautiful Albert T. Perry Memorial Library, art studio and computer lab. The “little gym” in the basement has been transformed into a vibrant music suite with classrooms, private lesson rooms, and concert facility. There is a science lab that rivals many found at the high school level. The school has added Mercy After Care, an after-care program that meets the needs of today’s working parents. The faculty and staff have also grown significantly over the years with the addition of programs and services. With the installation of storage cubbies in every homeroom, the need for locker rooms has been eliminated, thus providing additional space needed for classes and staff. Outdoors there have been changes too, with the addition of playgrounds, fields and equipment that help all of the children develop from childcare through junior high.
With the U.S. Department of Education recognition of WMA as a 2001 and 2009 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and its accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the quality of the education provided at WMA has been enthusiastically validated.