 Concern for those who were sick in the neighbourhood quickly expanded the sisters' service beyond the college.As word of the spirit of the sisters spread throughout the home diocese and beyond, other women were inspired to commit themselves to the "Martha way of life," enabling the charitable works of the sisters to grow and develop.Within a few years of the founding, the sisters were called to respond in service to other needs of the Diocese of Antigonish and in the dioceses of central and western Canada.