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CHAPTER XVIII.

PREPARATIONS FOR A CHANGE.

    Mother Clare Joseph, as we have remarked during the course of this history, had habitually been in ill health. Several times she had been in imminent danger of death by severe illness, but, at the prayers of her children, had been restored. Finally, however, the moment, that may be delayed, but can never be avoided, arrived. She died on the 27th of March, 1830, in the seventy-fifth year of her age, and the fifty-eighth of her religious profession. Her mortal remains were interred on the 30th of March, three years from the day of her reëlection as Prioress. During her life Mother Clare Joseph had been an example of every religious virtue. As superior, which office she filled for thirty years, she was distinguished by her zeal, prudence and charity, so that her daughters revered her as a saint and cherished her as a mother.Through her able direction and holy instruction, the spirit of prayer and solid piety continued to flourish in the monastery, and the religious soon came to be venerated by both priests and people. Prelates and clergy alike besought their prayers for the success of the American missions, as it was well known that the chief motive of their establishment had been, that they might aid, with their prayers, the Missionaries who were laboring for the good of souls. Mother Clare Joseph was particularly devout to the most Holy Passion of our Lord, and during the latter years of her life, when sickness bound her to a bed of suffering, she always kept near her a crucifix, upon which, from time to time, she cast looks

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Preparations for a Change. 181

full of tender love. Her last words were: “Sweet Jesus, assist me.” Not only did the community deeply deplore her loss; but all, both priests and people who had known her, sympathized with her daughters in their bereavement.

    The saintly Bishop Flaget, having been informed by Sister Stanislas of the death of Mother Clare Joseph, wrote her the following very consoling letter:

Dear Sister Stanislas,



    With what concern did I not hear of the sickness &, nearly at the same time, of the death of your so venerable, & so worthy Sup^r & Mother. All the marks of esteem & religious affection she had given me, both with words of mouth & by writing, presented themselves to my mind in crowd.—My poor heart was truly overwhelmed, sometimes by deep sorrow, at another time with lively sentiments of regard & gratitude. The desolation of your fervent family must have been great; for if the people that had only a slight acquaintance with this respectable Lady have felt her death in so keen a manner, what did not feel those who knew her for many years, & who had been the witnesses of her eminent virtues. Religion alone in such painful circumstances can soothe our affliction.—For we know that this Rev^d Mother had run a long & very glorious race. She was ripe for Heaven— God has called her to Him, has freed her of all the bodily miseries that tormented her, & pours now torrents of delights into her heart & shall pour them during the whole Eternity. These consoling reflections are not the result of mere imagination, they are the natural consequences of our belief, & the most efficacious remedy to all our afflictions. Though I am persuaded that Mother Dickenson was not much in need of prayers after the wonderful examples of patience, & charity she had given for so many years to her family; yet, as God may perceive spots in Angels themselves, I have offered several times the divine Sacrifice of Mass for the rest of the soul of so respectable a friend; & I will continue to remember her & and all her edifying family in my memento. R^d Mr. Abell has been informed of your loss. He will never forget the Monastery of Mount Carmel, nor the pious inhabitants that dwell upon it. Present, if you please, my best & most cordial compliments of condolence to your venerable Sisters, to Rev^d Mr. O'Brien whom I love tenderly—Tell him that his aged mother is very well satisfied in her situation, and that her health is as good as it has been for ten years. As for

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you, accept besides my compliments of condolence, all the sentiments of gratitude for your kindness in giving me such interesting details with which I remain,

Your most obed^t & affectionate Father in God,

+ BENEDICT JOSEPH, Bishop of Bardstown.

August 24^th, 1830.

    I congratulate you all for having gained the lawsuit concerning your land. I will be glad to hear who has succeeded to your departed Mother.

+B. J.

    Among the priests whose friendship the Carmelites enjoyed, and who kept up a correspondence with them, we mention Rev. Simon Gabriel Bruté, afterwards Bishop of Vincennes. He was a native of France, and belonged to the Society of St. Sulpice. He came to America in 1810. After having been Professor at Emmittsburg, and President of St. Mary's College at Baltimore, he was consecrated bishop, October 28th, 1834, by Bishop Flaget. He died June 26th, 1837. Several letters of his to the Carmelites will be found in an appendix.¹

    On the 14th of April, 1830, the elections took place, and Sister Angela of St. Teresa, Mary Ann Mudd, was elected prioress. Father Francis Neale presided at the election.

    Soon after the departure of Mother Dickenson from this world, the community was again visited by death. Sister Euphrasia of the Infant Jesus, Ann Mudd, a religious, noted for her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, for her zeal for the poor souls in purgatory, and for the conversion of sinners, was called hence. She died on May 24th, 1830, after a severe illness of two weeks. She was forty-eight years old, and had been twenty-three years in religion.

    The 29th of June, 1830, witnessed the profession of two Carmelite religious: Sister Martha of the Holy Cross, Bridget Larmer, and Sister Aloysia of St. Joseph, Sarah Whelan. The former was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, of

__________

1 See Appendix.

Preparations for a Change. 183

Thomas Larmer and Margaret Canfield, daughter of Patrick Canfield, and was in her 26th year; she was a lay Sister.

    Sister Aloysia was also a native of Montgomery County, and a lay Sister. She was in the 25th year of her age, when she made her profession. Her parents were Thomas Whelan and Rebecca Stallin. Her family, having removed to Georgetown, D. C., while she was quite young, she had the Jesuit Fathers as directors for many years. Finding that her inclination to the religious state tended towards a contemplative order, they introduced her to the Prioress of the Carmelite Monastery. Having been admitted into the community, with her friend of long standing, Miss Bridget Larmer, she received the habit on the 4th of December, 1828, from the hands of Mother Clare Joseph of the Sacred Heart, and was professed on June the 29th, 1830.

    About this time the temporal reverses of the establishment, which were increasing from the injudicious management of the farm, impositions of overseers, expenses of the lawsuit and other causes, had so curtailed the means of its support, that the Sisters were obliged to observe even a more rigid rule than their Order prescribes. Moreover their house was falling to pieces over their heads, so that the rain and snow beat in on all sides. Under these circumstances it was thought advisable by Archbishop Whitfield, that the community should remove to Washington or Baltimore, where they might obtain support by the instruction of children; for, as we have seen, permission from Rome to this effect had been obtained during the administration of Archbishop Carroll. Archbishop Whitfield began accordingly to look around for a suitable place for them to establish themselves in the city. In July, 1830, he wrote on this subject as follows:

BALTIMORE, 6^th July, 1830.

Rev^d & Dear Mother,



     My not writing to you sooner must not be attributed to forgetfulness of my promise, or to want of diligence in trying to promote

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the spiritual and temporal welfare of your pious community; for I have had it very frequently in my mind and have been looking all over Baltimore for a house and lot , or a lot itself that might suit you—yesterday, at last, I have discovered a most beautiful garden, with a brick house, in a respectable part of the city which I think may suit very well. The whole lot is 145 feet broad on Aisquith Street, and 200 feet deep. It is surrounded now, in great part, by a high paling, for the safe keeping of the various and abundant fruits, and flowers that grow in this charming place, such as, a very large collection of grapes, strawberries, lemons, figs, peaches, pears, &c., &c. There are two or three long walks covered with vines hanging over the bowers. The strawberries, if sold in market, would bring $50 dollars a year. There are vases containing lemon, orange, fig trees, rare flowers, &c that it is said, might sell for $500 dollars. There is a fine green house, a bath room for warm & cold baths, a pump of good water within the lot, and close to the house, a variety of the choicest flowers, large beds of cauliflowers, and plenty of room and good soil for planting sufficient vegetables for your community.

      The house is genteel though not large—on the basement story there is a kitchen and another room which appears dry—besides a kind of cellar for wood, &c. On the first story there are three rooms about 16 feet square. On the second the same number, and on the 3d, or attick, 3 other decent bed rooms. There are very good stairs besides back stairs.—On the first and second story there are piazzas or galleries extending along the front and to the whole extent of it. On the north side there is a spacious portico where twenty persons may be seated. The house does not appear to me square and there is a space left to make it so, which added to the present building might render it fully large enough for your wants. The neighborhood is quiet and the situation sufficiently central so that it is believed you could easily obtain 50 or 60 scholars from Old Town, Fells Point, and the neighborhood of Central market; besides this, there is Bellaire market near at hand. The former is the chief market in the city. In both there is abundance of fish sold.— Central market is held on Wednesday and Saturday.—Bellaire has two other days. The house is perhaps 30 feet distant from the street. Now as to the price. The whole, as it now stands, may be had for $6,500 dollars and perhaps something less. I suppose if one half or even 1/3 were paid in cash, credit would be given for the balance on paying interest, but of this I am not certain.—If you judge the place suitable and can procure money, I think it may answer very well. There is an inconvenience that cannot be easily avoided in a city, it is that from a few houses they may

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overlook the lot and see you in the garden, but at present, even those houses are few and by raising the fence still higher perhaps the inconvenience may be remedied.—I would recommend that you all join in fervent and confident prayer that your Heavenly Father may direct you.—To have light we must raise our eyes to Heaven, and without that supernatural light, human prudence would only be darkness, and to make us stumble and go astray. Passing thro' Washington I went round the lot and saw the exterior of the house opposite to M^r Dan^l— Carrol's; it is a fine lot and good house; it rents for $160 per annum—whether you could purchase it on reasonable terms I know not.—I am also afraid you could not find sufficient scholars in that neighborhood, it being far remote from the centre of the city. In Baltimore I hope you would succeed if you can find money, but I warn you again that begging is become very odious to the Catholics of this city, and you can have no dependence on them for collections.

    Beseeching Almighty God to bless you all, and guide your steps to that place where His glory and your good may be best promoted,

I remain, in Christ,

Yours most sincerely,

+ JAMES, Archp. of Balt^e.

    The house and lot on Aisquith street was purchased by Rev. Mr. O'Brien for the Carmelite nuns for the sum of $6,250 in the year 1830. Mr. Ignatius Boarman was engaged to erect an additional building on the lot. Having received a visit from Mr. Boarman, Mother Angela wrote on the 14th of September to Archbishop Whitfield as follows:

J. M. J. T.

MOUNT CARMEL, Sept. 14^th, 1830.

Most Rev. & Dear Father,



    It is with pleasure, I profit by this good opportunity to assure you of mine and Communities respects, our sincere thanks for your kind and zealous exertions to promote our happiness, and I confidently hope will ever make it a pleasing duty to testify to your Grace our warm and united sentiments of gratitude and filial affection. I am much pleased with the plan of building, was very glad to see Mr. Boarman and had it in our power to have the divisions of the Monastery more to our convenience.

186 Carmel in America.

    I was in great hopes of seeing your Grace, when I heard you were at Georgetown, indeed it would have given me more consolation than I can express to speak to you, in person, of the many weighty concerns that press heavy on me at this time; the many inconveniences of our removal, the fear of being in debt, the disposal of our poor servants, above all, the thought of having a School, for which we find ourselves quite inadequate, our educations, in general, being so very limited, that I feel at times, much discouraged; yet I confidently hope such is the will of our heavenly Father, and will endeavor to do our best and submit our feeble understandings to the wise and prudent direction under which we have the happiness to be and comfort ourselves with the hope that after sometime we shall be able to live up to the exact observance of our holy rule and institute.

    I beg of you, Most Reverend and Dear Father, to favor me with a letter at your convenience, any advice and instruction will be most gratefully received. I shall be thankful to know your opinion concerning our manner of conveyance to Baltimore, and whether you judge it proper to wear our religious or secular dress.

    Our good Father and each one of the community unite with me in soliciting your fatherly benediction and imploring a remembrance of us in your holy prayers. With the highest esteem and veneration, most Rev. & Dear Father, Your humble and obedient servant and daughter in our Lord

ANGELA OF ST. TERESA,

alias M. Ann Mudd.

Favoured by Mr. Boarman.

    To this she received the following answer:

BALTIMORE, 19^th Sept^r, 1830.

Rev^d and D^r Mother,

    In answer to your kind letter by M^r Boarman, I am glad that his visit to Mt. Carmel has been useful in making some improvements in the plan of the Convent, for your greater convenience. Yesterday they began building the foundations and there are about 5 men hard at work, laying the stones. M^r. Boarman however is not well, but I hope his complaint will not be serious, indeed it does not prevent him from going out to inspect the works. I am not surprised that you should feel some uneasiness, on account of the change of place to be made and of the consequence that must follow, but as we hope it is the will of God you should come hither, we also have every reason to hope that He will enable you to surmount all difficulties in the way. With

Preparations for a Change. 187

regard to teaching the children, you have two or three Sisters capable of teaching & this would be sufficient, besides between now and next June, several may learn enough to become competent teachers and even in teaching children they will learn a great deal & will always be in advance before the children. As to your fear of being in debt, if you dispose of your servants, &c. from calculations I made with Rev^d M^r O'Brien you would have it seems $9000 towards paying $12,000, and this without selling your land—and then the terms of payment to Mr. Boarman are so made as to be very accommodating, and I hope you will soon be free from all debt. You will first feel inconveniences from your removal, but a healthy situation & a good convent & garden in a flourishing city where provisions are abundant and cheap, will soon reconcile you to your new station.

    Place, therefore, entire confidence in your Heavenly Father who will take tender care of you & provide for all your wants. As to coming in your habit or putting on secular clothes I leave it to your discretion & that of your Spiritual Father. Were you to come by way of George Town—the nuns of the Visitation are very desirious of lodging you on your way, as they would have the happiness of seeing you, which otherwise they can never expect to have. I am not so capable of advising you as Rev^d M^r O'Brien & the neighboring Clergyman as to the mode of conveyance. You will therefore consult them and your other neighbors. Mr. Johnson the late proprietor of the house has left it and paid $15.40 for the 15 days he staid after the 1^st of Sept^r. Mr. Boarman has placed in it a Catholic and his wife, very decent people, who will take care of it, and Mr. Smith and others will do what they can for the preservation of the vines, figs, &c.—Mr. Johnson cannot find his bond of insurance against fire, he supposes thro' mistake, he left it in the hands of the Rev^d Mr. O'Brien with the other papers, and therefore desires Mr. O'Brien to send it to him, if he has it.

    Praying Almighty God to pour down His choicest blessings upon you all.

I remain,

Yours sincerely in Christ,

+ JAMES, Arch. of Baltimore.

     On September 29th, the feast of the Dedication of St. Michael, the corner-stone of the new convent was laid by Archbishop Whitfield, who gave $100 towards defraying the expenses. The following inscription was placed in the corner-stone:

188 Carmel in America.

     "In the year 1830, the 29th of September, the corner-stone of the Monastery of Mount Carmel in Baltimore was laid by the Most Rev. Archbishop, James Whitfield, the fourth Archbishop of Baltimore, for the translation of the said first foundation of Religious to Baltimore, with the approbation and zealous endeavours of the Most Rev. Archbishop, their prime Superior, and under the direction of the Rev. Wm. F. X. O'Brien, the fourth confessor, and the Rev. Mother Angela of St. Teresa (alias Mary A. Mudd), Prioress." (Here followed the names of the Sisters.) “ The building to be executed by M. J. Boarman of the city of Baltimore.”

    Archbishop Whitfield had, in August, 1830, informed Cardinal Capellari of the measures taken to transfer the Carmelites to Baltimore, and asked the confirmation of the previous rescript, by which their monastery, which had been established in Charles County, was sanctioned. This was given on the 21st of December, 1830.

    The dispensation allowing the Sisters to teach, which had been given at the request of Bishop Carroll, was confirmed by the Propaganda, as may be seen from the following letter:

BALTIMORE, 24th Feb^y 1831.

Rev^d and D^r Mother,



     I think it may be gratifying to you and the community to inform you that a few days ago I received a letter from Rome from the Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda in answer to one of mine on different subjects. One of which was your establishment in Baltimore, your teaching, &c.—The consequence is a full confirmation of the dispensation for teaching, granted 40 years ago but not acted upon, your being authorized to appoint sisters to superintend the adjoining school, the permission of females visiting the school to examine as to mode and progress of the teaching—and also the permission, if necessary, of selling your property at Mt. Carmel, to meet the expenses of the new establishment.

. . . The document I reserve willing to give a copy when you come or before if you wish it. The weather and the streets have been so bad that I have not visited your monastery for some time, but just before writing this, I took my sky glass & had a fine view of it, directly opposite to my house, and in a straight line not

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more (if so much) than 1/2 mile distant. It is I see covered in and consequently the carpenters are at work in it and I suppose M^r Boarman will have it completed for your reception nearly at the time he promised.—You see so far, the Roman Pontiff and the Archp. have approved your coming to Baltimore. Almighty God will bless you and do the rest.

Yours very sincerely in Christ,

+JAMES, Archp. of Balt^e.

    We have here to record the death of another member of the community. Sister Magdalen of St. Joseph, Elizabeth Johnson, died March 29th, 1831, aged 52, having been thirty-two years in religion. She was a lay Sister. She gave, during her long and tedious illness, a striking example of conformity to God's Holy Will. She was the last one of the community buried at Mount Carmel.

    The following letters give another proof of the kind solicitude of the Archbishop for his Carmelite children:

BALTIMORE, 21 June, 1831.

Rev^d & D^r Mother,



    I have received for your Community, One hundred dollars from Mr. Joseph Smith, near Frederick, which I hold at your disposal.— M^r. Boarman says he is much in want of money, & will be glad if you let him have it on account of the first payment, you will have to make him, but I cannot give it to him without your order. The plastering of the monastery is finished, and the painting will be done, I think he said by the beginning of next month. Then also he hopes to begin building the wall, it has not been (he says) in his power to begin yet from the great difficulty of getting both workmen and materials, but when once begun it will be soon finished.—He thinks that, at latest you may enter your monastery about the 1^st of Sep^t. I hope it will be a house of benediction to you all and of edification to the public. My blessing to the Community I most willingly impart and in return I beg your prayers.

Yours in J. C.,

JAMES, Archp. of Balt^e.

BALT^E., Aug^t 2, 1831.

Rev^d and D^r Mother,



    This evening the Marine Bank of Balt^e has sent word to Mary Ann Mudd and others that their promissory note of $2083.33 with the interest $126.54 making in all $2209.87 are to be paid at that

190 Carmel in America.

bank, Aug^t 6^th and with the three days grace at the latest on the 9^th of Aug^t.—As I understood this note was for the payment of one instalment of the purchase money of the lot and house bought by you from Johnston for your convent here, I told the young man I would give advice for the payment adding that I expected M^r O'Brien to come to attend to it. Placed in Bank as it is, it is absolutely necessary for you to meet punctually the time of payment. Lately being at G. Town I desired R^ds Coombs & Neale to tell you all things, I expect, will be in readiness for your coming, in the beginning of September. As for the bones of your dead if they can be so packed up as not only to give no offence by smell, and no notice as to what they are I will agree to your pious and respectful care of the dead and Mr. Boarman promises to prepare a vault under the chapel (I believe) without any one knowing for what it is designed. He offered also to go to Mt. Carmel and take care of your furniture &c. on the steam boat.

In great haste, I am,

Yours sincerely,

        +JAMES, Archp. of Balt^e.

    In the same month the nuns commenced taking up the remains of the deceased religious. They did this very secretly, generally late in the evening, employing two faithful, trusty servants to assist them. The bones were found to be entire and as they had been laid in the coffin. The clothes were decayed; but the wreaths and crosses had retained their shape. All were identified. Sister Euphrasia Mudd and Sister Magdalen Johnson, who were too recently dead, could not be disinterred. They still repose on Mount Carmel. The remains of the other Sisters, with those of Rev. F. Charles Neale, were carried to Baltimore. They were placed under an Altar in an Oratory, in the new Convent, where the nuns went frequently to pray for the dear ones who had gone before.

    On August 10th, 1831, the following was written by Archbishop Whitfield, and sent to the community:

    I hereby authorize the Rev^d Mother and the whole community of Mount Carmel to quit their present inclosure, in order to fix their residence in Baltimore.

+JAMES, Archp. of Balt^o.

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