Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-06
IN MEMORY OF SISTER MARY
Many People in Council Bluffs Drop Tear
On Her Bier,
HER LIFE WORK AND ACHIEVEMENTS rs
short sketch of the Career of an Are
istlc Woman with II Mission
that She Well
Performed.
Err LIFE WORK AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Only the briefest announcement has beer
made in the papers of the death Of Sister
Mary Damien, who died in the Motaer House
! at Dubuque a few days age. There are thou
sands Of men and women in this vicinity who
have more than a passing interest in the an
nouncement, for during almost a generation
she has had the care and training OF some Of
the brightest youth of Council Bluffs and
! Omaha.
For nearly a quarter CT century she lived
| and labored in this community, a large por-
tion Of the time as sister supcricreso of St.
Francis academy. A few years ago her health
| became affected The management of the
| educational institution here involved too much
| work for her, but she was devoted to it and
| reluctant to give 1t up. Those who were
working with her saw that her time on earth
was short and they lovingly pleaded with her
| to go to the Mother House for needed rest,
where she could stil exercise her talents
| by teaching art to the novitiates and obtain
the needed rest, in Which alone lay hope Of
her recovery. The disease progressed in
spite of all that could be done and the sis
ter passed away, working until almost the
last day and conscious up to the last mo
ment
Sister Mary came to Council Bluffs in the
as lay sister in ST. Francis academy. She
was splenddly fitted by culture and nature
for educational work She was a talented
artist and for more than twenty years she
was the art instructress at the academy.
After several years as a lay worker che
Joined the community and was soon advanced
to the position of superioress. The RESPONSE
| bility came at a most critical time in the
history of the institution. The academy had
been moved from the humble starting point
nm or int, tlg I-t,
grounds had been beautiicd, everything about
the building was new and bright and the
sisters were as proud of their beautiful prop
erty as they were devoted to their work
The overflow Of the Missouri rver in the
great flood of 1881 surrounded them with
several feet of swift, muddy water. destroyed
their grounds and filled the lower portions Of
the buildings. year or two later the great
brick structure was raised six feet and the
present beautiful grounds created and the
danger Of another flood forever removed.
Sister Mary was not satisfied with the
academy as 1t existed She longed to have
greater institution further away from the
city. A tract of land was purchased in the
hills north OF town. Before her health failed
she had the project Of building well under
way the plans for great structure drawn
the contracts ready to let and the building
site selected and graded. It is most beau
tiful location selected by a woman OF finest
artistic perceptions. and If it is ever built
1t VIII be one OF the most commanding ana
conspicuous objects in the city.
st. Francis academy is one of the monu-
ments Sister Mary left behind. There are
others that are not as conspicuous. but they
will endure as long as the human hearts
keep warm, in which are consecrated the
memories of the sisters sunny life and teach
ing. The walls of the academy today are
adorned with her work, and beneath two of
the pictures are hanging the blue and gold
ribbons announcing the award of merit by
the art commissioners at the Worlds fair
Three of her pictures. a st. Cecelian and
child's head in oil and landscape in water
color, drew much attention at the Columbian
exposition and won medals. They occupy now
conspicuous places in the art studio at St
Francis. There are hundreds of people in
Council Bluffs and Omaha who cherish the
memory of the sweet-faced sister with a love
that is akin tc reverence.