CHAPTER XXII.
SEMI-CENTENNIAL YEAR—BISHOPS FENWICK AND FITZPATRICK.
Half a century had now elapsed since the daughters of St. Teresa had brought the rule and the spirit of their Holy Mother to the New World. It had been a period of great struggles with poverty and many difficulties, but the hand of Divine Providence had sustained those faithful souls amidst all their trials. When the Carmelite Community was first established in the United States it consisted of only four members, and now the number had increased to about twenty- two, although a few years before it had been twenty-six, including the Lay-Sisters.1 Of the four original members not one survived; Mother Bernardina had died in the year 1800, Sister Eleonora in 1807, Mother Clare Joseph in 1830 and Sister Aloysia in 1833. Since the foundation of the Community seventeen Sisters had passed away, of whom six were beyond the age of sixty, and six more, that of fifty. Five died of consumption, one suddenly, and the others of various diseases.
They had lived under the jurisdiction of five successive bishops: Carroll, Neale, Maréchal, Whitfield, and Eccleston, and four of their directors, Fathers Neale, Enoch Fenwick,
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1According to the Rules of the Carmelite Order the number of Sisters in the Community is limited to twenty-one. But about the period of which we are writing, the Archbishop of Baltimore had dispensed with this point of the rule, on account of the Community in Maryland being the only one in the United States. This dispensation lasted only a few years.
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O'Brien and Herard had gone to the grave. Forty years had been spent at Mount Carmel in Charles County, and nearly ten years had passed since their arrival in Baltimore. Of all the nuns, Sister Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Hammersley, had been longest in the Community. She, Sister Ann of Jesus, Mudd, and Sister Agnes of the Presentation, Boarman, had entered the convent before the death of Mother Bernardina. The old generation was slowly passing away and a new one was being developed.
Moreover, a new feature had been added to the life of Carmelites in the United States. Necessity had forced them to open a school; although only a few Sisters were employed in teaching, and no mention was made of the affairs of the school in the Community in which the Rule was otherwise rigidly observed; still it placed a Teresian Community in an abnormal condition.
During the course of the year 1839, as we have seen, the convent had been threatened with destruction. As a contrast to that troubled period, the year 1840 passed away without any event of importance to break its monotony; it was the year of the semi-centennial anniversary of the arrival of the Carmelites in America. Had their history then been written, a not insignificant book might have been filled with the events we have hitherto related; but there still remains another half century to be gone over, before we reach our journey's end.
On the 11th of February, 1841, Miss Sarah Tuttle was, after due probation, admitted to be a choir member of the Community. She adopted the name of Sister Ignatia of the Immaculate Conception.
On the 1st of April, 1841, Sister Ann of Jesus, Mary Johnson, departed this life, in the 63rd year of her age and the 45th of her religious profession. She was remarkable for her love of poverty, obedience and fidelity to the Rule.
We have to make mention of another distinguished clergyman of the United States with whom the Carmelites were in correspondence: Rev. John Bernard Fitzpatrick, afterwards Bishop of Boston. He was born in that city in 1812. After
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a thorough course of solid studies, he was ordained priest on the 13th of June, 1840, at Paris, and in November of the same year returned to his native city.
Having become acquainted with the Carmelites on a visit paid, together with Bishop Fenwick, to Baltimore, he wrote them the following interesting letter:
BOSTON, June 9th 1841.
Dear Sister Stanislaus,
This letter will be handed you by Cissy Clifton whom, I dare say you had all begun to consider as a child lost forever. And I really believe that if she were left to her own inclinations we should win her away from Baltimore, irrevocably. She has been so much delighted with Boston, & with everybody & everything that she has seen here, that her heart sickens at the thought of leaving—But I leave to her to describe to you all the merits of the place, & I believe you will find that our dear father exaggerated nothing in all that he has told you. I was about to comply with your request, & send you the measure of the mitre, but when I applied to Sister Ann Alexis who has all the Bishop's vestments under her charge, she told me that a new one would be quite superfluous, as he has five already, of which two according to her account are very splendid; she requested me to mention to you also that he is well supplied with stoles, rich & beautiful. I believe she has already written to Miss Emily Harper on the subject: so you can put your heads together to devise some other present for beloved father, which would be more useful to him & of course no less acceptable as coming from the same source. I suppose you have already heard what a delightful journey we had coming from Baltimore, & how we arrived safely in Boston without the slightest accident. The Bishop's health, ever since his return, has been uniformly good. It is generally very difficult for us to make him take as much exercise as would be required. Indeed we can scarcely prevail upon him to leave his room, he has so much to attend to. But during Father George's1 stay with us, we have been unusually fortunate in this respect. We have had him running all over the country, & what is more the sea too. For yesterday they had started at 8 o'clock in the morning, in a beautiful boat, & went away down into the Bay. They caught large quantities of fine fish, & afterwards went ashore among the Islands, where they cooked them themselves,
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1George Fenwick, S. J., brother of the Bishop.
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& had a grand feast,—for they were all as hungry as hawks. They did not get back until about ten o'clock at night. I did not go with them but they all seem to have enjoyed themselves a great deal. So much exercise has done the Bishop much good, & he is now in excellent health & spirits. He begins, next Sunday, the visit of his diocese, & I suppose we shall see but little of him during the whole summer. You must not entertain too sanguine a hope of seeing him in Baltimore this month. I perceive nothing as yet that seems to foretell such a journey. Besides you keep him so long whenever you catch him down there, that Bostonians hate to see his face turned that way. Father George has much improved in health since he has been with us, but every body is displeased with him for leaving us so soon—All our endeavours to retain him have been fruitless, he is so hard-hearted. You will receive my letter before the end of the octave of Corpus Christi; I hope you will not forget to recommend me often, & fervently to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Remember me respectfully to Father Guildea, to the Revd Mother Superioress, & to all the Sisters. I hope that Sister Ambrosia's health is renewed, & that on my next visit to Baltimore, I shall find her perfectly well.
Adieu. I remain
Yours devotedly in Christ,
J. B. FITZPATRICK.
A few months after the letter written to Sister Stanislaus by Rev. J. B. Fitzpatrick, Bishop Fenwick wrote her as follows:
BOSTON, Octb 18th, 1841.
My Good Child,
I think so nice a present as the beautiful stockings which you sent me deserves a very pretty letter of thanks. Do you not think so too, my good Child? Well you shall have it. In the first place I must begin by telling you they were the prettiest, & finest that were ever seen in Yankee Land, & deemed so by Yankee judges, too. Hurra! then for the Southern Dames after all! I received at the same time, or a little after, by Revd Mr. Williamson, some of the sweetest grapes I ever tasted. These were a Present from your good Revd Mother. I thought my own garden had the finest grapes in the world; but these from Baltre beat them all hollow! You must be sure & save me some cuttings from that Vine next Spring—I must have the same. Let them be cut at a proper season by some good gardener who
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knows all about it. I have just returned from a long jaunt into Canada, whither I went at the invitation of Bp. Janson, who had come as far as Burlington Vt. to assist me, at the consecration of my new Church there. He had a grand ceremony to perform, viz: the Planting of the Crosses for the Stations, the centre one of which was 80 feet long, & this was planted on one of the highest mountains in Canada. It can be seen—I have seen it myself thirty miles off. There were five Bishops present (all Canadian Bps except Bp. Janson & me) fifty-seven Priests, one Jesuit, (that Jesuit was my Brother George) & twenty-five thousand persons. Bp. Janson preached to them in French for one hour—then ascended the mountain singing Psalms—O such doings as you never heard of before. It was worth the knitting of 50 pairs of socks to have been there. George was delighted. He was here, & there, rambling about jabbering French with the Canadians at a round rate. It was nearly night before the whole ceremony of planting 14 Crosses for the Stations was concluded. George's health is greatly improved, so much so, that he thinks about starting for home. Probably he will leave this, about the beginning of next week.
Our Orphans' fair will open the day after tomorrow. I hope to realize 3000 Dolls from it; but fear we shall not do it. They took our good Sister Ann Alexius from us, who was a host in herself in conducting of fairs, & at the very time she was most wanted. But no matter for our fairs, say they! This was not kind—nor will it ever be kind till she is restored to Boston where she belongs.—And how do all the good Carmelites do? I am told your school is getting on admirably—& even your whole concern is looking up! I am not surprised at it. Revd Mr. Williamson speaks in raptures of Revd Mr. Guildea's Church— He says it is far superior to the Cathedral. This is certainly saying much for it.—Say everything that is kind from me to your good Mother, to Mother Sub-prioress, & to all your good Sisters, forgetting none. Thank the good Mother for her grapes—& you will accept my best for the pretty socks you sent me—Adieu—
+B., Bp. Bn.
On November 4th, 1841, Sister Veronica of the Crown of Thorns, Miss Juliana Saxton, made her holy vows. Miss Saxton was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, of Joseph Saxton and Eleanor Hayden.
On the 2nd of February, 1842, Barbara Laura, Sister Magdalen of Jesus Crucified, was admitted to profession.
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She was a daughter of Francis Laura, and Mary, his wife. She was born in Baltimore and made her profession in the 21st year of her age.
On the 14th of April following, the time for the election having arrived, the Archbishop decided that the same superior and the other officers of the house should continue in their stations during another term.
On the 9th of August of the same year, a letter from Mother Xaveria, of St. Joseph's Academy, Emmittsburg, informed the Carmelites that the Sisters of Charity would gladly take care of poor Sister Isabella, without any expense to the Carmelite community.
During the course of the same year the Sisters received from the Carmelites of Brussels, Belgium, a present of several books and other devotional objects.
On January 25th, 1843, Sister Seraphina of the Blessed Sacrament, Miss Mary Jane Farmer, made her profession. She was born at Oxford, in New York, of Richard Haynes Farmer and Frances Ford Miller. She was in the 21st year of her age.
The following letter of Bishop Fenwick, written during the course of the year, throws some new light on the history of the Carmelites during the period of which we are now writing:
BOSTON, June 23rd, 1843.
My good Child,
I received your letter a few days ago only—Now you must not say, as you usually do, that I do not answer it; for here it is, & with a nice Picture of my new College in the bargain.
You have all been put out in consequence of my having passed through Baltre without stopping. The fact is, I had not time to stop being obliged to be in Boston, in order to give Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday by special appointment. I stayed so long in George-Town that I was obliged to hurry at last, & when I did start I went with the velocity of the wind; for on Saturday morning I was at home. . . .
We had great doings at Worcester on last Wednesday, in laying the corner stone of my new College. More than five thousand persons were present on the occasion. The Procession reached
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three-quarters of a mile. There were upwards of four hundred little children walking in it belonging to the town of Worcester; with all the Cath. congregation besides. You must bear in mind that fifteen years ago there was not a single Catholic in that town—& now there are more than two thousand!
It appears that Bishop Hughes has gone to Europe. Of course nothing in all probability will be done till his return, in relation to your new establishment in his Diocese. For my part, I do not think he will encourage it farther than that he will not object to it, if any Priest, or other person should go to the whole expense of the foundation, of the sufficiency of which he will ultimately be the judge—Having a heavy debt upon his College, he will scarcely have the means himself of doing any thing for you—At least so I apprehend.
I hope your school will thrive better this summer than heretofore—& that your health will continue to render you an efficient, & active little school-mistress.
Best regards to the Revd Mother, & to all your good Sisters.
Yours in Xt.
+ BENEDICT, Bp. Bn.
On the 8th of February, 1844, Sister Pulcheria of the Assumption, Mary Llewellyn, departed this life in the 54th year of her age. She was remarkable for her gratitude to God for her holy vocation. She suffered very much from a cancerous tumor, and endured two severe operations with great patience and fortitude.
Sister Pulcheria was a most humble, docile and mortified religious, ever careful never to lose a moment of time. Even in the last stages of her illness, she would have herself propped up in bed that she might work with her needle, and notwithstanding her intense pain, continued to employ herself in sewing until within a few days of her death. She was very devout towards the Blessed Virgin, St. Aloysius and St. Mary Magdalen. She died strengthened by all the rites of Holy Church.
In the month of March Father Fitzpatrick was consecrated Bishop at Georgetown. He had been appointed coadjutor of Boston.
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Sister Pulcheria was followed to the grave by Sister Seraphina of the Blessed Sacrament, Mary Jane Farmer. She had been but a very short time in religion and briefly consummated her course. This youthful religious had been a great source of edification by her fervor, piety and resignation. Her gratitude to God for the light of faith and her holy vocation was unbounded. She evinced a particular devotion to our Lord in the Sacrament of his love, and had a singular confidence in the Blessed Virgin. She was wont to exclaim: “ I would be unable to count how often you have helped me, O Mary! when I was unable to help myself !” She also had a special devotion to St. Joseph, St. Teresa, St. John of the Cross and St. Paul. She received the last Sacraments with tender piety, joy and presence of mind, after which she often expressed an ardent desire for the happy moment which she confidently hoped would unite her to her Divine Bridegroom forever. Sister Seraphina of the Blessed Sacrament was a convert to the Faith, and had suffered much from the opposition of her relatives, who would not be reconciled to the step she had taken. She died on the 19th of December, 1844, in the 22nd year of her age, having been less than three years in the convent.