In October 2020, Our Lady of Mercy Parish was entrusted to the pastoral care of St Joseph's Missionary Society, better known as the Mill Hill Missionaries. They are an international community of missionaries working in Europe, North and Latin America, Africa, Asia and New Zealand.

There is a long history between the Mill Hill Missionaries and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle: Burn Hall in County Durham was a minor seminary for the Society from the 1920s until it closed in 1971. Several Mill Hill Missionaries have come from Sunderland and the surrounding area and have worked all over the world, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.

In a sign of the vitality of the Chruch, priests from the countries evangelized by missionaries from the North East are now working in Sunderland. If you would like to learn more about the work of the Mill Hill Missionaries click here