Norah Mary Potter

Norah Mary Potter, R.S.M. (21 February 1849 – 13 November 1927), known in religion as Mother Mary Patrick, was an Irish-born Australian Sister of Mercy, educator, and long-serving Mother Superior of All Hallows’ Convent, Brisbane. Over nearly five decades, she played a pivotal role in the development of Catholic education, healthcare, and social welfare institutions in Queensland.

She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy at Athy in 1866 at the age of seventeen.

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 Mother Superior or assistant Superior for 48 years. 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.

She is remembered as one of the defining leaders of the Sisters of Mercy in Brisbane and a major figure in the development of Catholic education and charitable care in Queensland. A portrait of Mother Patrick by Oscar Friström hangs in All Hallows' Convent.