The ‘cross of Christ’ is the most frequent reference in all of Catherine McAuley’s hundreds of published letters. It was the image which she and her ‘walking
sisters’ wore as their first steps led them through the streets of Dublin and the other Irish towns where they went in search of the poor and sick. The cross
was a symbol of their willingness to care and serve.
The white cross on its dark background which Catherine chose was unique in its day, in that it had no figure nailed to its outline. Her sisters were instructed
to recognise Christ in the suffering they found in the streets and houses they visited.