Saints and Slaves is the story of the role the Catholic church played in the colonisation of Queensland, Australia. Chartering emigrant ships from Ireland to the nascent colony of Queensland bringing poverty stricken people desperate for a new start and establishing an enormous network of churches and schools. The brunt of this backbreaking work was undertaken by determined and tenacious nuns; Saint Mary Mackillop and her Order of St Joseph, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Order of the Good Samaritans. This book is their memorial.