The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-09-30
Death of siater n. Thomas Meswigeau

Died at Natchez, Mississippi, September %,
Sister Mary Thomas (in the world Hannah M
Swiggan), Sister Servant of st. Mary's Orpb,,
Asylum.
She was a native Of County Tyrone, IRELAND
In 1889 she became q Sister Of Charity of q.
Vincent of Paul, at st. Joseph's Mother Hops.
Emmittsburg, Md. After ten years spsn,
there she labored for moro than eight years IN
st. Louis where ut one time she took part :,
organizing the Cholera Hospital.
Since March, 1857, she was in charge of ,ho
Asylum at Nstohez. During these twsntv
years she toiled faithfully and painfully nav.,
shrinking from labor or privatiou, never fai,-
ing in her frost in Divine Providence sb.
found sixty orphans crowded together in to-
very small buildings. She succeeded in ersc,.
ing two larger ones. in which both health and
comfort could be better secured.
She established within the Asylum q sewiu,.
room, or industrial school, which sot only prs.
pared the orphans to earn their living mora
successfully, but likewise, when Natohez VA.
more prosperous, enabled them to contribu.,
largely to the support of the institution. To
her energy and activity we have been chiefly
indebted for the success of our Orphans Fsirs
not only through the work she accomplished
herself, but through the zeal and encourage.
ment which her example gave to others.
We can hardly doubt that her life was short.
ened by her bodily exposure and her mental
solicitude for the welfare Of the children en-
trusted to her. Every winter she would visit
=xariousl leHees to solicit help from the cbsri.-
table workmen. This always cost her much
emf afa hno aho
afflicted with such nervousness as kept her
awake all night. But it likewise exposed hsr
to all the changes of the weather, at all hours
of the night and in places where even rough,
men could not find comfort in circumstances
sometimes, when the captain of. the boat
thought it seriously dangerous for her to land :
She had unbounded trust iu God, as she
had unbounded generosity towards Him,
This she manifested, not only by her spirit of
self-sacriice, but by her love likewise for " the
beauty of His house and the place where His
glory dwelleth." In all her poverty she con-
trived to decorate beautifully, even richly, the
chapel of the Asylum not diverting means
from the necessities of her children, but by
applying her personal labors and those of her
Sisters and by communicating to others her
Dnring her last sickness, the period occurred
ct which every year the Alteration of the Forty
Hours Is held in the chapel of the Asylum
When it was proposed to defer it, lest the
crowd of visitors to the chapel through thrss
successive days might give her disturbanss
and increase her sufferings, she begged thais
might go on as usual. She would gladly bear
the disturbance for the sake of having our
Lord bonored, aud for the blessings it would
bring to her and the Community.
Her wish was gratiied. She seemed even
cheered and strengthened during the e1pos
ton, and there were hopes of her recovery.
But our Lord was satisfied with her labOrs
and He called her to her crown.
Strengthened and consoIed by all tie bless
ings of the Church, in the foll enjoyment Of
her senses, surrounded by her Sisters, by the
Clergy aud by her orphans, many of them set
tied in life and some of whom had made long
journeys to visit her in her sickness, quietly
and peacefully as she had lived, ;" she fell
asleep in the Lord +" on the Feast of one Of
her Patrons, st. Thomas of Villanovs, himself
prodigy of charity. She was buried on the
Oath of September-a day likewise consecrated
to hCroic charity-the Feast of Our Lady Of
Mercy for the Redemption of captives.
"Wbo shall nd q valiant womanf Far, and
from the uttermost coasts is the price of her.
She hath risen in the night and given food to
her household. She hath opened her hand to
the needy. All her family are clothed with
double garments. Her children rose up and
called her blessed. The woman that feareth
the Lord, she shall be praised Let her works
praise her among the people. ."-Prou. zrri.