Maryknoll is a name shared by three organizations (two
religious institutes and one lay ministry) that are part of the
Roman Catholic Church:
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America; Maryknoll Society),
Maryknoll Sisters (Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic), and
Maryknoll Lay Missioners. The organizations are independent entities with shared history that work closely together in the joint focus of the overseas
mission activity of the Catholic Church particularly in East Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Latin America and Africa. The organizations officially began in 1911, founded by
Thomas Frederick Price,
James Anthony Walsh, and
Mary Joseph Rogers. The name
Maryknoll comes from the hill outside the
Village of Ossining,
Westchester County,
New York, which houses the headquarters of all three. Members of the societies are usually called
Maryknollers.