On 10 May 1861 Mother Mary Vincent Whitty and a group of five Sisters of Mercy settled in Brisbane and established a congregation at All Hallows, Fortitude Valley.
Hospital facilities were virtually non-existent at this time. The former Convict Hospital built during the stewardship of Captain Patrick Logan, at North Quay, was the only hospital, struggling to operate with minimal assistance and relying on a small number of subscribers.