Access records and photographs of residents in the orphanages run by our founding congregations.
Dating back to 1857, our collection of records contains details of those who once lived at a home or orphanage established by the Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St Joseph or Christian Brothers. We also hold client records created from the start of MacKillop Family Services in 1997.
Where information might be missing, we’re happy to engage other organisations and agencies on your behalf to better help piece together your, or a loved one’s, personal history.
To access the records collection, we prefer you:
- have spent time in a Catholic home or orphanage
- have a family member who spent time in a Catholic home or orphanage
- are a genealogist and/or family history researcher
- have been impacted by past adoption practices.
To request a search be made for information about yourself or a family member, please complete the form below. Try to include as much information as possible. This will help us confirm whether we have the records you are looking for. It might include:
- name of person
- their date of birth or year of birth
- name of the home or orphanage they lived at
- name of their foster or adoptive parents
