In the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, the school is located behind Mercyhurst University on East Grandview Boulevard.

She opened the House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Dublin, Ireland in 1831 with the goals of spiritual advancement, and service to the poor, sick and uneducated.

Within the 10 years of beginning her order and her death, Catherine McAuley established a total of nine convents in Ireland and England.

Tobias Mullen was later named Bishop and invited the Sisters of Mercy to the Erie Diocese in 1870 since he saw a need for Catholic education.

Bishop John Mark Gannon suggested to Mother M. Borgia Egan, the Superior of the Sisters of Mercy in Titusville, that she raise $150,000 and come to Erie to found a school in 1921.

Hurst is old English for wooded hilltop, and seminary in Latin means a place where seeds are planted to grow.

The Seminary was located on the first floor of Egan Hall, giving some 50 students total access to the facility.

The Sisters, acting on a Middle States Association recommendation, broke ground on East Grandview Boulevard.

In 1974 Mercyhurst became coed, providing a private school alternative that had not been previously available to young people in Erie.

In 1993 a building expansion program was begun, resulting in the addition of a new wing, including athletic facilities, offices, and a new auditorium.