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Norah Mary Potter, R.S.M., (21 February 1849 - 13 November 1927), also known as Mother Patrick, was an Irish religious sister known for her work in the colony of Queensland. She was a leading figure in the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, both in Ireland and in its expansion into the Australian colonies.

Early life
Norah Mary Potter was born at Cloontamore, in the south of County Longford in Ireland on 21 February 1849.

She was the daughter of schoolmaster James Potter and his wife, Elizabeth (née Mulloolly) and educated at Cloontagh National School and Longford Convent School.

Religious life in Ireland
Potter began her novitiate as a Sister of Mercy at Athy Convent, Kildare in 1866.

Religious life in Queensland
Potter later travelled to Australia, arriving in Brisbane on 4 July 1868, at the age of 19. She joined the Queensland Sisters of Mercy congregation which had been established by Mother Vincent Whitty. She made her profession of vows at Brisbane's All Hallows Convent in 1869. Appointed to All Hallows' school, Mother Patrick contributed greatly to the religious, academic and cultural development of the students. Potter succeeded Mother Vincent Whitty and was elected to the administration of the Brisbane congregation of the Sisters of Mercy in 1879. She held the office of Superior or assistant Superior for 48 years.

After a few years' teaching in Ipswich, Queensland, Mother Patrick was appointed to an administrative role at All Hallows School (the first secondary school for girls in Queensland). In contributing to All Hallows' agenda, she made a particular contribution to the school's music program. She was a friend to her students, offering advice and encouragement, promoting higher education and preparing candidates for junior examinations at the Universities of Sydney and Queensland. In 1889 she introduced Latin into a course which already included French, Italian and German.

Following Mother Patrick's election to the Brisbane Sisters of Mercy, she assisted in establishing convents and schools in areas as remote as Charleville and Goondiwindi. Mother Vincent Whitty's idea of building a Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Brisbane was enthusiastically adopted by Mother Patrick who brought about the purchase of the South Brisbane land in 1893.She had planned for a children's wing on the site before she died in 1927. The Mater Children's Hospital opened in 1931 and was dedicated to her memory.

Later life
Potter died at All Hallows' Convent on 13 November 1927 in Brisbane, Queensland and was buried at Nudgee Cemetery & Crematorium. A requiem mass was celebrated at St Stephen's Cathedral by her brother Monsignor Michael Potter. A local newspaper noted her more than 65 years of religious service as well as describing her as a "business genius" whose legacy included the construction and management of the Mater Hospital. A fund was created by past pupils of the All Hallows Convent School in order to establish a memorial to the late Rev Mother Patrick.

A portrait of Mother Patrick by Oscar Friström hangs in All Hallows' Convent.

Legacy
After teaching for a few years at Ipswich, she was appointed to All Hallows' School where she was assigned administrative roles. Though she maintained strict vigilance, she endeared herself to students whom she knew personally and who looked upon her as a keenly interested friend—an interest kept up far beyond school years. The staff found her most supportive; she supervised the teaching of the less experienced, invariably offering encouragement and advice. In co-ordinating the curriculum, she emphasized integration of discipline to ensure the religious, academic and cultural development of the students. With little musical training, she gave every incentive to the music programme of All Hallows' School which made a fine contribution to the cultural life of Brisbane of the period. Subsequently, ex-students played a significant part in musical education in Queensland. In 1889 she introduced Latin into a course which already included French, Italian and German.

Foreseeing the educative role that women were to play in the new colony, she strongly promoted the idea of able students continuing with higher studies. As early as 1879, she prepared candidates for the University of Sydney's junior public examination. The university's senior and junior examinations were taken annually by All Hallows' students until the establishment in 1910 of the University of Queensland to which she had looked forward, applauding the move in 1888 towards petitioning for a university in Brisbane. Ex-students of All Hallows', urged on by Mother Patrick, were among the early graduates; several of them were subsequently active in state secondary education.

She continued to be associated with the government of the school even after she was elected in 1879 to the administration of the Brisbane congregation of Sisters of Mercy, of which she was, for the next forty-eight years, the Superior or the assistant. During this time the membership of the congregation grew from thirty to five hundred. Observing the spread of population, she established convents and schools in many suburbs and in country areas as the railway reached them. The Sisters who taught in those centres also performed other traditional works of the Sisters of Mercy. Despite long, fatiguing journeys, Mother Patrick kept close contact with more than thirty foundations, some as remote as Charters Towers, Charleville, Cunnamulla and Goondiwindi.

Largely because of her outstanding administrative ability, painstaking examination of the sites, and consultation with experts, the various enterprises were successful. In 1919, when a wing was being added to the original Stombuco building of All Hallows' School, she often checked materials and workmanship. Mother Vincent Whitty's idea of building a Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Brisbane was enthusiastically adopted by Mother Patrick who brought about the purchase of the South Brisbane land in 1893. In spite of many obstacles the Mater opened in a rented house at North Quay in 1906, the private section of the new hospital opened on College Hill in 1910 and the public section in 1911, the latter being the only public hospital on the south side until 1956. Before her death she had planned a children's section which was subsequently built as her memorial and opened in 1931.

Her ability was recognized by business and professional men of the city who said her genius for control was unique. Uncompromising in matters of principle, she combined a practical wisdom, tact, gentleness, and heroic spirit of selflessness with lofty ideals and broad vision. Despite her strong personality, Mother Patrick was an unpretentious person insisting: 'We are all of us useful, none of us necessary'. By a singular combination of powerful leadership, length of time at the helm, and force of accomplishment, she impressed her ideals and outlook on others.

An ardent advocate for women’s education and determined to establish a university in Queensland, Mother Patrick held the office of Superior or assistant Superior, for 48 years. "Mother Patrick’s religious outlook did not prevent her from having her feet firmly planted in the material world. Her way to heaven was not paved only with good intentions—good strategic planning and meticulous financial management formed a resilient tarmac."

–Extract from Expressions of Mercy—History of the Mater Hospitals, by Helen Gregory. Within the first year of Mother Patrick’s appointment, the Sisters purchased 10 acres of land at South Brisbane for A£7000 in 1893. However, it wasn't until 1906 that the first Mater Misericordiae Private Hospital opened in North Quay, Brisbane, with accommodation for 20 patients.

Part of the private patient fees went towards construction costs for the public and private hospitals at the South Brisbane location now known as Mater Hill. Building commenced in 1908 and Mater Private Hospital opened with great fanfare in August 1910, followed by Mater Public Hospital just a few months later. This hospital, which provided free care for the sick and needy, had been the most dearly held dream of the Sisters of Mercy since their arrival in Brisbane 50 years earlier.

Mother Patrick’s era is remembered as a period of great expansion. Some of the advances made under her stewardship include Mater Public Hospital's extensions, the establishment of the Mater Public Hospital training school for lay nursing trainees and the start of construction for Mater Children's Hospital.