Weekly Trinity journal., 1857-08-08

Death of n sister of Mercy.

On Tuesday morning, July 2sth, one of the
Sisters of Mercy, at San Francisco, Mother Mary
Desalles departed this life. The following brief
sketch Of this benevolent person published in
the Herald, may be of interest to our readers:
The Hospital of the Sisters of Mercy, on Stock
ton street, was startled from its usual quiet this
morning, by the report that the beloved Mother
Mary Desallcs was dying-that she, whose pa
tient aud tender mnstrations at the bedside OF
the stricken inmates of that benevolent institu.
ton have so often suothed the brow of anguish,
and reused from lethargy or despair the soul
torpid recipients OF her blessed Offices, was her
self stretched upon an humble pallet. struggling
in death without the power further to invoke u
blessing upon the august charity to which She
had consecrated her life, and in the jealous SER
vice of which she had lost it. Exposure in the
ight air on her leturn from Sacramento, wht-
ther she had gone with the Rev. Mother to cstab-
sh n branch of their order, induced an attack
of the prevailing influenza, in the course OF which
an intcrcurrent congestion of the lungs and brain
supcrvencd, which threw her into profound
stupor, from which all efforts to rouse her were
unavailing. The solemn vail of the poor Mag
dalens, whose bruised hearts she had so often
cheercd with hope which she only had the holy
magic to inspire the hobbing gait Of the poor
crppleS, and the uncertain football Of the pur-
blind porter, CROPPING his way along the dim
UgnlCu COrfouer, all eager IOr some BlNu tuul8S
of their bel owed bcnehtctress constituted pic
ture we can never lorgct-a scene truly where
grief seemed to stand sentinel at every heart,
warning it of the bereavement ii was SO soon to
sustain. A brief history Of her services in the
cause of suffering humanity, is the mcetcst tri-
butte we can offer to her blessed memory. At the
age OF sixteen, though surrounded by every thing
which the world prizes dis istlngushed social
position, high born relatives, and splendid for
tune. she dedicated herself to the service of God,
but was iorestalled in her intention to enter a
religions order by the death of two sisters, leOv-
ing to her care five olphan children to rear and
educate. For thirty years She sacrificed the
cherished ycarning OF her soul TO this imperative
duty, but her charity and zeal soon found fruit
fu field for their exercise and at the age of nine
teen she established n Magdalcn aSy lum in Lime
rick, cndowing it alone, in the most ample man
ner from her private fortune. This institution,
after governing il as secular. for thirty years,
she placed und, the supcrnteudence of the sis
ters " of the Good Shepherd whom she brought
with her from Anglers, France, whittier she had
made u visit for that purpose, and II stands to-
day an imperishabe monument of her zeal for
God aud the salvation Of souls,
When The cholera ragged in Ireland in 1852,
she and her niece then only fifteen, assisted by
twenty tried penitents, devoted themselves to
the care of the sick moving from hospital to
hospital, wherever the presence OF that rightiu
disease called for their charitable cXertons
When every obstacle TO the accomplishment of
her holy desire had been happily removed. she
Joined the beloved Order, OF which she was so
valued member aud in the service Of which
she died.