Reverend Mother M. Xavier Warde, foundress of the Order of mercy in the United States; the story of her life, with brief sketches of her foundations

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.

Preface

My Dear Rev. Mother:

I AM pleased to learn that the Sisters have prepared for publication the " Life of Rev. Mother Francis Xavier Warde. ,, I desire to congratulate and thank the community for this new and important addition to the biographical literature of the early builders of God's Church in the United States. It is well and proper that Reverend Mother Xavier' s life should be made known to the public by a member of that community last established by her personally, — a community in which she spent the greater portion of her American-religious life ; a community guided and governed by her for so many years; a community imbibing, and, we hope, holding from her, the original spirit of the first Sisters of Mercy; and a community in the midst of whose departed members she rests to await with them the Resurrection.

This is a timely book. From it the young women of our day and country will learn that viii Preface

the sure way of living in the minds and hearts of future generations is to use the gifts given by God in the upbuilding of His kingdom among men. From it they will likewise learn that " he that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal/' and " that every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for His name's sake shall receive an hundred- fold, and shall possess life everlasting." In it they will see a young woman of refined education and ample means abandoning all that these could legitimately give, and associating herself in the bonds of " Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, and the care of the poor, sick, and ignorant," with that God-sent woman, Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. They will see this same young woman severing the yet few links that bound her to relatives, Sisters in religion, and country, and undergoing all the hardships of Atlantic travel in those days, and becoming in her turn a Foundress, — Foundress, namely, of the Sisters of Mercy in the United States. A glorious privilege! Behold, how many thousands of her daughters rise up in every portion of this great land and

Preface ix

call her blessed ! They will learn from this volume that the difficulties incident to travel, and poverty among peoples of distant and sparselysettled villages, and towns, and hamlets were no obstacle to her ardent zeal in the establishment, in the various parts of the country, of convents, schools, orphanages, hospitals, and of the doing of all the works prescribed and allowed by the rules and constitutions of the Sisters of Mercy. From this volume they will see, and, we trust, will imbibe that spirit of active union with God which characterized, if I may so speak, her settled life in our own Manchester.

We thank God for having sent her to us after her years of laborious wanderings, to be the foundress of religious life in the city and diocese of Manchester.

It is a pleasurable privilege to give our hearty approval of this Life of Reverend Mother Xavier.

In this connection I may be permitted a word personal. She it was who prepared me for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation. She had charge of the class of instruction in Christian doctrine which I attended in my younger days. During my time at the College and Seminary she was always the earnest, x Preface

active, and helpful friend. In time, in God's providence, matters were so determined that I became her ecclesiastical Superior, and then, because of our relations, did I notice, in a striking manner, that which must arrest the attention of the reader of her life, namely, her esteem for the ecclesiastical state, and her reverence and respect for authority. The Sisters of the community who were associated with her will bear witness that these lessons were inculcated by her in season and out of season. It was my privilege to witness the holy death of this Christiansoldierly woman, to say a last word at her obsequies, to offer the last prayer of Holy Church at her grave, and to consign her body to mother earth, in the midst of her daughters who had preceded her in death, there " to wait for the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ," whom she served so long and so well.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

^ DENIS M. BRADLEY.

Bishop of Manchester Feast of St. Joseph, 1902.

Chapter I. The Childhood And Youth Of Frances Warde

Pack

Her birth. — Early loss of her mother. — Her father's

trials. — His death. — Her early training. — She receives her first Holy Communion and is confirmed. — She enters society. — Meets Mother McAuley I

Chapter II. Early Days At Baggot Street

The rising Institute. — Labors of mercy. — The new chapel. — Devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus. — Formation of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy 20

Chapter III

CHOLERA OF 1832. ESTABLISHING THE INSTITUTE IN CARLOW.

Death of Sister M. Elizabeth Harley. — Work among the cholera patients. — Sister M. Francis Xavier pronounces her vows. — Her labors in Carlow. — Death of Bishop Nolan 40 xii Contents

Chapter IV

FOUNDATIONS FROM CARLOW. DEATH OF THE FOUNDRESS.

Page Foundation of the order at Naas. — The spirit of charity and zeal. — Wexford. — Mother McAuley's sickness and death 59

Chapter V

TRIBUTES TO THE MEMORY OF THE FOUNDRESS. WESTPORT.

Mother McAuley's grave. — Tributes to her virtues and good works. — Summary of the works of mercy at the time of her death. — The Sisters of Mercy at Westport 75

Chapter VI. Foundation Of The Order In The United States

Bishop O'Connor negotiates at Carlow for Sisters of Mercy. — The foundation undertaken. — Onboard the Queen of the West. — On American shores. — First retreat in Pittsburg. — Works of mercy . 88

Chapter XIII. Progress Of The Institute In New England

Pagb

Fostering the religious spirit. — Establishing a convent at Rochester. — Hartford and New Haven. — "Mother Angela.' ' — Negotiations for a foundation in Manchester. — Sister Camillus Byrne . . 181

Chapter XVII. Failing Health And Death

Page

A separate parent house at Portland. — August retreat

of 1883. — A branch house at Dover. — Consecration of the first Bishop of Manchester. — Mother Warde's death. — Her last resting-place. — Her spirit cherished in her community 266

ILLUSTRATIONS

Rev. Mother M. Xavier Warde Frontispiece

Rev. Mother Mary Catherine McAuley . Fac\

Convent of Mercy, Baggot Street, Dublin . •

The Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Connor .....

The Rt. Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, D.D. . . .

St. Francis Xavier's Academy, Broad Street, Providence

The Rev. Fr. McDonald

Mount St. Mary's Academy, Manchester .

The Rt. Rev. Bishop Bacon

The Rt. Rev. Denis M. Bradley, D.D. .

202 218 240 272

The Story of the Life of Rev. Mother

M. XAVIER WARDE

Chapter I. THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH OF FRANCES WARDE

FRANCES WARDE was born at Mountrath, Queen's County, Ireland. Amid the charming freshness of greensward and hedge-rows, rippling streams and nooks of shrubbery, surrounding Belbrook House, her baby eyes opened in one of the most delightful spots in the dear old " Isle of Saints and Scholars/' The time of her birth was about the year 1810, when the penal laws and the " Rebellion of '98 " had left the sad traces of their unhallowed ravages on the prosperity and happiness of the Irish people.

The infant soul of Frances must have imbibed the beauty of her environment with every res™ piration of her young life; for, as a child, as a young woman, and as a religious, she was an intense lover of the beautiful in this world, and an ardent craver for the infinite beauty of Heaven.

The loftiness of purpose manifested in the life of this extraordinary woman, together with the retired state she chose in consecrating herself to God in an Order whose spirit breathes the lowliness of prayer and contemplation, combined with the humble service of the poor, sick, and ignorant, accord us not the privilege of commenting on the nobility of her birth, or the distinction of her ancestry. " Religion is God's democracy/' is a truism oft quoted, and wisely, by every dispenser of the Sacred Word and master of the spiritual life. This religious principle is the true leveller of caste and race, of fortune and fame, since the days when the meek and loving Jesus of Nazareth trod this earth, sweetly solacing the weary and sorrowful of heart, whether sought for by the princely ruler Jairus, or by the lowly widow of Nairn; whether moved to pity by the blind beggar on the wayside, or compassionately raising from the dead the brother of the griefstricken Martha and Mary. In the heavenly balance, advantages of wealth and pride of family weigh light against honest purpose and holiness of life.

A broad and all-pervading love of God is the great key-note of all nobility, true worth, and happiness in this world. Charity has conceived and brought forth all the grand ideals, all the goodness, all the heroism on the face of the earth. It imparts magnanimity to the character and beauty to the soul, while it gives dignity and worth to the lowliest deed. It constitutes a man a hero in the service of his country, or a saint in the service of God. The following sentence from a spiritual writer expresses very concisely what we seek to convey : " Sanctity is the love of God and man carried to a sublime extravagance." This is a true pen picture of the character of the whole-souled woman we are about to describe, whose life was one long act of love for God and devotion to the welfare of mankind. Hence she belonged to the generation of the righteous, the only lineage by which we shall be known on the great Accounting Day.

Frances was the youngest of a family of five children which blessed the marriage of John Warde and Jane Maher. Mrs. Warde died shortly after the birth of her little daughter. Thus, this child, destined for great things in the mind of God, was called upon through the tender period of childhood and the confiding years of girlhood to make the sacrifice of a mother's care and a mother's love, — a privation which brings its bitter pangs to the latest day of the longest life.

John Warde was absent from home when his wife died. It is said that on his return he yielded to such excessive grief as to endanger his health. Although he lived for several years afterward, he was never again the same vigorous man that he had been before this great sorrow. Mr. Warde's second son, studying at Maynooth, was taken dangerously ill when near his ordination, and died on the day selected for him to be raised to the holy priesthood.

Helen, a sweet girl in her eighteenth year, her father's favorite, and the flower of this interesting family, died soon after her brother, leaving Mr. Warde a broken-hearted man. To add to his trials, Belbrook House, the pride of his ancestors for many generations, passed into the hands of strangers. It came about in this way: A nobleman, whose estate adjoined that of Mr.

Warde' s, coveted the location for a college, which some Englishmen wished to open on this beautiful site. John Warde belonged to that class of Irish gentlemen, sturdy and honorable, who follow their consciences in political matters, come what may.

Heretofore his firmness in adhering to principle had been respected, and no attempt was ever made to meddle with his comfortable incumbency. Now his interests clashed with those of Lord de Vesci, who found in politics a ready pretext to seize on the leases of Belbrook House.

John Warde was a virtuous man, well trained to suffer with Christian fortitude the adverse circumstances of life. How frequently are such circumstances ordained by a wise Providence for the uplifting and purification of human souls ! As certain seeds yield their fragrance only when crushed, so noble souls give forth their sweet odor of virtue when bruised by the Hand of God. As the petals of a flower lie warped and confined in the bud' until God's rain and sunshine cause them to expand, so many souls keep their best qualities hidden and unknown till God visits them with the chastening influence of adversity, and then, to the surprise and edification of all, they suddenly blossom forth in splendid examples of heroic virtue.

After these trying events, Mr. Warde found a suitable avocation in Dublin, where he won universal respect as a scholar and a gentleman during the short time which intervened until God called him to his reward. Being invited to dine with the poet Moore and other celebrated friends at Monasterevan, he complied, but shortly after dinner was taken seriously ill with a malady from which he never rallied.

A kind, maternal aunt, who took charge of the household affairs after Mrs. Warde's death, continued her benevolent task until the subject of our sketch had merged into womanhood.

Some of the senior Sisters in " St. Marie's of the Isle " 1 tell us of Mr. Warde as he looked in a " likeness " taken in 1798. They describe him as a tall, well-built man, with fair complexion, and soft blue eyes, the expression on his countenance meek and calm, yet showing a decisiveness about the mouth not to be misunderstood.

1 A convent in Cork, founded by Mother McAuley, and placed by her in charge of Mother Josephine, Sarah Warde, when Mother Clare Moore was sent to found a convent in London.

Frances received her education from private tutors, but it was supervised in a great measure by her sister Sarah. Her aunt reserved to herself the responsibility of the child's religious instruction. This estimable lady arranged her methods of teaching Christian Doctrine with the devotional ingenuity of a Fenelon. Many hours did she spend in telling sweet, soul-stirring stories to our little girl seated at her knee. These stories, simple in kind, but full of the eternal truths of religion, awakened an intense love of God in the pure heart of the child, who, " like clay in the hands of the potter," at this tender age was ready to receive impressions which moulded her into the heavenly lines characteristic of her after life.

To this early training we can trace the deep faith, the trustful love, and the holy fear of God which filled the innocent soul of Frances Warde. For knowledge of God begets His love in the soul, and from love is born His holy fear, as Father Faber neatly puts it in his well-known hymn : —

" They love Thee little, if at all, Who do not fear Thee much ; If Love is Thy attraction, Lord, Fear is Thy very touch."

Frances took no interest in mathematics or the philosophical branches of study, but showed a decided taste for the finer accomplishments. She delighted in English and literature, grasping each beauty of thought with a quickness of perception far beyond her years. This accounts for her ability to write those delightful letters, teeming with natural vivacity of sentiment and adorned with that charming simplicity of style for which her correspondence was remarkable. Sarah Warde was a high-spirited girl, and her mathematical turn of mind often led her into disagreement with the artistic tastes of Frances. On one occasion we find her placing under lock and key a volume of Milton in which Frances was deeply interested, determined thereby to force her younger sister to use some effort in trying to master a slight intricacy in algebraic equations. Frances, however, was not to be conquered by this ruse. She seized the algebra found on her desk in place of the poems, ran to her sister and expostulated : " I can understand full well that x and y equals x + y; I know, too, that x taken from x + y leaves y; and, sister mine, I can go farther, and multiply x by y to produce xy; but to dive deeper into the results of quantities expressed by letters and signs is time lost for me. Why spend hours reasoning out dry questions in * Goff ' or i Euclid/ when reading some stanza from my classics pictures clearly in my mind the beautiful and true in all God's works on earth, with delightful glimpses of the infinite loveliness of Heaven ? " Sarah was won by the precocity shown in her youthful sister's inferences, and henceforth left her free to follow her favorite tastes in study. Like St. Teresa, Frances early saw the unspeakable beauty of Heaven mirrored in the sublime in nature and art. No wonder, then, that even her childish aspirations soared far beyond the fleeting attractiveness of earth, to the only true and lasting beauty.

The house in which Frances spent the greater portion of her childhood was located near a winding stream between two elevations of ground. The ruins of an ancient castle stood close by, on the edge of the stream, hedged in by shrubbery of, perhaps, many centuries' growth and decay. In a sort of crypt behind the eastern wall, Frances had arranged, when quite young, an altar, with a picture of Our Lord blessing little children for a central figure, and a print io Rev. Mother M. Xavier Warde

of Our Blessed Lady and the " Guardian Angel" on either side. When needed, her aunt was never at a loss to find the little girl, and she was never known to disobey or delay when called. Leaving her little shrine, she would appear rosy and beaming at Miss Maher's side, ready to run on any errand for her kind relative. Her brother John was grown almost to manhood before this little sister emerged from babyhood; yet he was her constant companion in his leisure moments, and, on account of her ardent, affectionate disposition, loved her more than all the world beside. Her fondness for fun and amusement, and her bright, lively traits of character, accompanied by a natural horror of anything that seemed wrong, made her the idol of the household. John and Frances oft repaired at sunset hour to her little altar in the castle crypt. Here the grown-up brother would repeat with the child some simple prayer, or select pretty sayings from "St. Teresa," a small and well-worn volume found among her mother's favorite books. As the twilight settled down on hilltop and glen, brother and sister might be seen returning, hand in hand, to the house, the bright little mind of Frances busy pondering over St. Teresa's beautiful portrayals of the sweetness of God's love. Once in the house, the child was soon preparing for bed, for in " ye olden times " the " children's hour " ended with evening's twilight. On rising each morning, and before retiring each evening, we are told she was wont to kneel at her aunt's knee to recite aloud the Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary, the Apostles' Creed and Confiteor, and a simple prayer composed by the worthy Miss Maher for the use of her cherished sister's orphaned child. As nearly as we can remember from hearing it once dictated, the words ran thus : " O my good God, be merciful to my father and mother; Lord, pardon their sins, grant them the light of Heaven. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph watch over me through life, and may I die in your blessed' company. Angel of God, my guardian dear, guide, bless, and protect me. Amen."

Then came a short conference between the child and her aunt pertaining to God and Heaven. It was during these communings that the wonderful light of the Spirit of Holiness first appeared in the pure soul of the little one.

Mother Josephine used to tell a story of Frances, when very young, going to bed without having said some prayers which she was in the habit of saying every evening. During the night she awoke in a terrible fright, and aroused her sister, imploring her to keep awake while she knelt by the bedside and said the forgotten prayers.

The happiness of the pious little Frances knew no bounds when she was told to prepare to receive Our Lord for the first time. She had been carefully instructed, and, although younger than the average age for first communicants, she fully realized the great purity of heart necessary for the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, such prayerfulness, and such sincere sorrow for the smallest fault as this earnest child evinced, would seem to mark her out, in the designs of God, for some special purpose. She received Confirmation from the celebrated Bishop Doyle, an Irish prelate of great ability, saintly in character, and vigilant and powerful in word and work for the spread of the Kingdom of Christ among men. Long years after the death of this great Bishop, we find Frances Warde establishing the Order of Mercy in the diocese over which, in life, he presided.

Many stories are told of our little candidate for Confirmation. This one we relate, as told by a dear old gentleman with snow-white hair, and a kind, honest face which always beamed with delight as he spoke of his mother being present in the church when Frances Warde was confirmed. As was the custom, the Bishop examined the class in Christian Doctrine in the presence of the assembled congregation. When he questioned Frances, her answers were so intelligent, so expressive of spiritual depth of understanding far beyond her years, that His Lordship placed the little girl on the sanctuary step before the people gathered in the church, saying, " This child is destined by God for some great work in His service."

Yet, withal, we find in her the frank simplicity of the child, — a trait so captivating in little ones that we would fain wish them always to remain the sweet, guileless enchanters who so warm our hearts, and make us forget that the world ever lost its first innocence in the garden of Paradise. When asked by the Bishop why she took Teresa for her confirmation name, she replied, " Because, my lord, I think it is a very pretty name." She was deeply impressed by her First Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation.

From this time we date her earnestness in winning souls to God. Her love of the poor began to manifest itself in the gay little girl who would trip away to the homes of the poor old women and hungry-faced children, well burdened with a store of delicacies which she was wont to coax from her worthy aunt, after her own pretty fashion. Before leaving the cabins, she would gather the children around her, catechise and instruct them on religious truths, and recite to them verses of Scripture and stanzas of sacred song as a reward for a well-learned lesson in their catechism. During all her girlhood years, the merry laugh of Frances could be heard in garden, field, or schoolroom, wherever she happened to be for the time. Her gay disposition dispelled every cloud, and yet, as she grew in years, her relatives noticed a certain pensiveness in her manner, — a marked seriousness in her character which they could not reconcile with her natural fun-loving propensities. Mayhap, already had the Gospel words " Quid prodest " commenced to whisper in her heart, as a prelude to the aspirations which would fill her soul in the years to come, when the Divine Lover would take her by the hand, and guide her footsteps from the " beaten track " to the higher and more perfect life.

Many years after the family had left Mountrath, and had taken up their residence in Dublin, Frances, now well advanced to womanhood, began to go into society, where her fascinating personality and superior qualities of heart and mind brought her much notice. She was carried away by her desire to please, and soon the allurements of fashion, with the attendant vanities, held the once guileless, unsuspecting maiden in firmest bonds. Visits, parties, and other amusements were her delight. As it was not in her nature to do anything by halves, she threw her whole energy into these rounds of enjoyment, sparing no pains to excel in the art of pleasing. This sprightly eagerness of disposition added to her attractiveness, and made her the ruling spirit wherever she happened to be. It would be hard to imagine a more charming type of womanhood than the description given of Frances Warde at this period of her life. Tall, well proportioned, with a dignity of bearing that characterized her to her latest day, she could have graced a court, or added dignity to the poorest cottage. The expression of her face bespoke the strong tendencies of her character. Her forehead was high and commanding; her eyes were deep set, and of the soft, uncommon shade of blue that seems to reflect the radiant beauty of the soul within. Often did they twinkle with merriment, as she surprised the dejected into a lively sally of wit, or when, with sweet playfulness, she smoothed over some disagreeable occurrence. Those w T ho knew her intimately say her character was a strong combination of candor and common sense, offset with sweetness and firmness. Apart from her genuine sincerity, perhaps, her two most lovable qualities were her delightful simplicity of manner, together with a depth of feeling which she sometimes found it difficult to conceal. With her friends she was true through every vicissitude, her great heart ever ready to make little account of natural defects where sincere good-will was evident.

Any demand on her sympathy was tenderly met with heartfelt kindness. She had the capacity for strong affection, but detested anything like deceit or self-interest. In all that concerned herself she was reserved to a fault, but true devotedness to others was hers by excellence.

At this time the vanities of the world were not at all distasteful to her; but God, who plans in secret His own designs on souls, was watching over this gifted girl. Events were transpiring, and troubles were arising in her soul, which would bring her to see by the light of faith the Divine Eyes pleading and the Divine Voice calling. With all her fascination for society, Frances never gave up the pious custom of approaching the sacraments regularly. As she turned her eyes upon her innermost soul, she recoiled from the consciousness of her neglect in doing what was required of her in order to please God perfectly. Her firm principles of faith stirred up the old ardor of God's love, and there came into her heart a holy fear that she had offended the true Lover of souls by her coldness toward Him in her moments of infatuation with the world.

If we do not take the time and pains .to fathom our inclinations and the depth of their intensity, the soul must suffer, for without reflection we can go on almost unconsciously, forgetting the good God, Who has done all things for us, and Who yearns for our love in return. With Frances Warde the fight was going on within, while the world called her with all the subtleness of its enticements. The usual time of approaching the sacraments came about. She stopped to prepare; she reflected. Was she wasting time? Was she giving to pleasure the best part of a life that could be employed in the sphere of duty?

It was after one of these deliberations that she made known to her confessor, Dr. Armstrong, the parish priest of St. Michael's Church, Ann Street, Dublin, her trouble of mind regarding the disposal of her time. In confiding to him the fact that she did as she pleased, spending her days in useless gayety, she disclosed the defective point in her mode of life, which rendered inactive the great wells of goodness in her heart, ready to bubble up and overflow in some worthy cause, at the first bidding. Father Armstrong explained to her the terrible responsibility of wasting the precious time given by God for high and holy pursuits, in a round of idle pleasures which, though trifling, were, nevertheless, offensive to the Great Judge of " every idle word that man shall speak," and for which He shall ask an account on the Day of Judgment.

Touched by these considerations, Frances deeply regretted her ingratitude and insensibility. Humbled and penitent she prayed for grace to see what God wished her to do. Her heart was as pure as the crystal fountains that sparkle in the glens of her own native Leinster, while anear was the Divine Consoler to help her to overcome her inclination toward the fascinating circles of pleasure and refinement. In giving her a rule for the useful employment of time in doing some particular good, Father Armstrong recommended her to teach a few hours r each day in the poor schools which Catherine McAuley had lately opened in Baggot Street. She complied, and in this way became acquainted with Miss Mc- Auley, whom she admired very much. We are told that Catherine became to the young girl as the mother she had never known. A holy friendship grew up between these two gifted women which never waned during the lifetime of either. Frances never tired of teaching in the schools and instructing in the house of Mercy, also established by Catherine McAuley a short time before, for homeless girls.

Chapter II. EARLY DAYS AT BAGGOT STREET

THE intense ardor manifested by Frances in her work attracted many other young ladies to join those already inspired with the charitable enterprise. Elizabeth Harley, one of the belles of fashionable society in Dublin, who had been much attached to Frances in their days of pleasure-seeking, now followed her to the feet of the Divine Master, asking that she, too, might be permitted to serve Him in the person of His helpless little ones.