The Sisters of the Little Company of Mary were founded in 1877 by Mother Mary Potter in Nottingham, England. There, in a remodeled factory, five sisters began to pray and care for the sick and especially the dying, just as that original support group stood in the “company of Mary” at the foot of the cross.
From these humble beginnings the Little Company of Mary has grown to countries around the world. In May 1893, their journey of unconditional love came to the Untied States, thanks to the generosity of Charles Mair, a wealthy businessman, whose wife has been nursed by the Sisters during her illness in Rome. An eight-room cottage in Chicago became the first convent to begin their special ministry. As one of the forerunners in home-based hospice care, the Little Company of Mary Sisters visited the homes of the sick for 37 years.
Then, in January 1930, their long-desired dream was realized when the Little Company of Mary Hospital, a 150-bed, four-story structure opened in a nearby suburb of Chicago. The LCM Sisters expanded their efforts and their healthcare ministry throughout the country. In 1951, Memorial Hospital and Health Care Centers (built in tribute to World War II veterans) opened in Jasper, Indiana. Less than a decade later, in 1960, LCM Hospital in Torrance, California celebrated its grand opening.
Today, Little Company of Mary Sisters in the United States bring a compassionate presence to the world as nurses, hospital administrators, parish ministers, spiritual directors, counselors, and are active in social services and social justice around the world.