Want a Virtual Tour of the Sisters of Mercy campus? 

Then Come, Follow Me...

Your virtual tour begins at Mercy Administration Center and Curtin Hall. Follow the road you entered from Main St. at the brick identifying wall topped by a statue of the Sacred Heart and follow it until it T's. Once in the parking lot in front of Mercy Administration Center (shown below), you will see at the rear of the lot a new building, Marian Center, which adjoins the west wing of the convent.

The convent itself was recently renovated and the renovation of the Cardinal Gibbons Chapel began shortly after Easter 2001. Mercy Administration Center houses the offices of the Regional Community President, Sister Mary Rosalind Picôt, RSM, and Sister Paulette Rose Williams, RSM, Vice President, as well as offices and conference rooms for Regional Community Council meetings and various Administration-appointed Committees. The central reception and waiting area are flanked by offices designed for secretarial use. Other offices in the center include those for an Administrative Assistant to the President, Mercy Housing SouthEast, a collaborative with the Sisters of Mercy of Baltimore designed to develop affordable housing for low-income families, the Finance Director and staff, the Communications Director, conference rooms, a kitchen, lounge and a Media Resource Center. As mentioned above, Marian Center, houses sisters needing skilled care as well as providing nursing staff to sisters recuperating from illnesses who might require assisted living care on a temporary basis.

The former Administrative Center and the former chapel are currently in use by Gaston Christian School, Unaffiliated with the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina, the school leases the buildings and during the school year houses over 400 students in grades 7-12. The wing to the right, shown on left, is home to Catherine’s House, a residential facility for women and women with children who are homeless. Recently renovated, this Mercy-sponsored ministry maintains 13 bedrooms that can comfortably house up to 22 residents and is the first of four Mercy-sponsored ministries located on campus. Residents are required to find a job and the normal timeframe of their stay is generally limited to three months, until they’ve saved enough to facilitate their move to a safe, affordable housing situation. Also housed in the building is the Gaston County GED program. The proximity of the site and its use are especially important for those residents wishing to complete their high school education during their stay.

Upon taking a left out of the parking lot, you’ll see an unmarked bronze plaque on your right and a lovely Cedar of Lebanon. This was presented many years ago to Sister Mary Michel Boulus, RSM, President of Sacred Heart College by the Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Following the curve, to your right you’ll see the Alumni Hall/Gymnasium and slightly further on, you will see the Summer House, shown at right, the site of many happy celebrations for Sacred Heart College staff, students and the sisters. It remains in occasional use, primarily by students at Gaston Christian School. Just prior to the end of the loop, turn left at the sign indicating that the YMCA is to the left.

This road leads to the former McCarthy Library which has recently been converted and renamed as the McCarthy Spirituality Center. This center includes a theater-style Lecture Hall capable of seating 150, a chapel with a capacity of 35 and two meeting rooms, one of which seats 80 and the other capable of seating 50. As a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, McCarthy Spirituality Center (shown at left, below) will primarily be used by the Sisters of Mercy and its affiliate organizations; however, when not in use by the Sisters of Mercy it may be rented by civic, church, school, nonprofit or businesses.

 If you bear right passing the tennis courts, you’ll see another parking area which was put in place following the 1996 demolition of the former dormitories, Kent and Doyle Halls. Turn around and return to the “loop” bearing right and you’ll see the building which formerly housed the office of the Dean of Students. This building currently serves as an office for the Director of Maintenance for the Sisters of Mercy. To your right, in the former Laundry building, you’ll see “With Friends.” Although not a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, this facility provides temporary shelter for Gaston County teenagers in emergency situations who need crisis intervention. Referrals generally come through the Gaston County Dept. of Social Services and stays are limited.

The next group of buildings to your right now house the administrative offices of The House of Mercy, the second of the Mercy-sponsored ministries housed on the campus. You’ll soon see another circle going to your left. Take a left and you’ll see the barn on your right followed by Gary House, seen just below, named for the late renowned author and popular "Charlotte Observer" columnist, Kays Gary. Kays was an ardent supporter of the Mercy sponsored ministry, Holy Angels. The main building for Holy Angels is toward the front of the campus, just off of Wilkinson Blvd. It currently houses 72 children and young adults living with mental retardation, many of whom are physically fragile. Holy Angels maintains numerous group home sites, both on campus as well as off-campus within the community. Carrabaum House is adjacent to Gary House and another Holy Angels facility for adults is currently under construction.

Just past Gary House, Marywood is on your right. Numerous administrative offices and meeting space for Holy Angels staff are housed here to provide a variety of flexible needs for an ever changing, vibrant ministry to children and young adults who live with mental retardation. This sponsored ministry maintains both the largest staff and volunteer organizations of the individual sponsored ministries and provides 24-hour care to those in their charge. Just past Marywood on the left, you’ll see three of the residential facilities for the severely/profoundly mentally retarded older residents who are not housed in the main facility. Pinehaven, Oak Crest, and Brookview, provide more one-on-one care to residents in a comfortable, homelike environment. Continuing on the circle, you’ll see the front of Carrabaum House.

Upon leaving this area, take the route back toward the ramp and make a right as you face the former Sacred Heart College dining room and the walled back meditation garden of Sacred Heart Convent. As you continue down the hill, to your right you will see the a parking lot and just beyond that the main residential facility for Holy Angels.

 As you crest the hill heading toward the exit onto Rt. 74, Wilkinson Blvd., take a sharp left and you’ll see the 4-story granite block, recently renovated Sacred Heart Convent Motherhouse to your left. The convent houses McAuley Center, which offers adult religious education and retreats.