Trocaire College History

Trocaire College, an independent, private college in the City of Buffalo, was founded in 1958 by the Buffalo Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy. The College began as a formation college (Sancta Maria Junior College) for training Sisters entering the community for the ministry of teaching. Sancta Maria offered higher educational opportunities to the women of the Order, and gained distinction early on in the field of Nursing and Health Science education.

Since its founding, Trocaire College has evolved into a uniquely comprehensive, coeducational institution. In 1965, the College granted admission to lay female students, and in 1972 to male students. By the mid-1970s, the college had incorporated the Mercy School of Nursing. In an effort to honor the heritage of the founding Sisters, the College’s name was officially changed in 1967 to Trocaire, the Gaelic word for “mercy”. Trocaire College is a member of The Association of Mercy Colleges and Universities, and is governed by a Board of Trustees.

Trocaire College, in the spirit of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy, strives to empower students toward personal enrichment, dignity and self-worth through education in a variety of professions and in the liberal arts. Recognizing the individual needs of a diverse student body, Trocaire College provides life learning and development within a community-based environment. Trocaire College prepares students for service in the universal community.

The original Sisters of Mercy convent building stood at the junction of Red Jacket Parkway and Abbott Road. Today the Sisters of Mercy are part of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Northeast Community which was officially formed July 1, 2006 uniting sisters and associates from Albany, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Portland, Maine, Providence, Rhode Island and Vermont in the northeastern United States.