The evening times., 1900-09-15
MRS. RYAN's GIFT.
Convent of the Blessed Sacrament
to Be Opened in October.

to BE Opened I'm October.
The Convent of the Blessed Sacrament,
intended as a home for the Sisters of Per-
petua1 Alteration. and which has been do
mated to that order by Mrs. Thomas F.
Ryan, of New York will receive its tenants
probably about October L.
Six choir nuns and two lay sisters froEa
BeIg. am. the headquarters Of the society.
will establish the order in America and
make the convent their headquarters.
noyitiate vii Ithen be opened and new
members of the Society of Perpetual Adora-
tion received. Mrs. Ryan's gift comprises
the entire structure, grounds. and furnish
ings. and is accompanied by sufficient
endowment frcIn her husband to maintain
it independently.
The convent is a structure three stories
high, of plain design. but massive and
handsome in appearance. and erected on
V Street. near ST. PauFs Catholic Church.
The material is red pressed brick, with
stone trimmings, and hardwood throughout
the Interior Ia the basement, which is
ftoored with granuiet mosaic, are large
packing rooms for church supplies store
rooms kitchen. dining laundry, coal
and furnace rooms. Two parlors. an ora
tory, the porters lodge, and halls make
up the first floor Copies of celebrated re-
ligious pictures and heavy oak furniture
especially designed for the convent fur
nish these rooms
The second story is given over to work
rooms for the Tabernacle Society. ex-
hibition halls and community room. A
workroom for the nuns, one dormitory and
eight small cells comprise the third story.
Many of the nuns in the society are from
beautiful homes, which makes the convent
quarters seem even palmer than they are
by contrast. A small oak wardrobe,
small oak washstand an iron bed with
iron Stats instead of springs. an untacked
mattress filled with cut straw, a straw
rug and a crucifx are found in each room.
The chapel, which is designed TO SYM
bolize the Blessed Sacrament, is partly in.
dependent of the main building, but con-
meets with the first story of the latter by
TWO doorways. 1t is not a very large
building, the seating capacity with two
tTiDunes being less than 800, but it is one
of the most beautiful in the city The
walls are of cream tint, with relief work
in white and gold reaching entirely over
the auditorium and uniting over the altar
in a design signifying the white dove of
peace. Beneath the table OF the altar is
a reproduction in relief of Leonardo's
Last supper, the work having been done
abroad and corresponding to the stations
of the crCss, which are represented in re-
lief also
A grille of ironwork separates the nuns
choir from the main auditorium. A fine
organ is enclosed within the rearodos, but
in all its other apgoin tments the choir is
very plainly furnished. The ostensorium,
for me exposition OF the Blessed Sacra-
ment from the hour of the first mass in
the chapel to the end OF time. is of solid
silver made from the old family plate of
the Ryan family.
MIS-. Ryan had the windows made to or
der from photographs of great paintings.
They are regarded as the great features of
The convent. That nearest the altar is Z
mea. orial TO the late John S. Barry, OF
Baltimore, Mrs Ryan's father. and repre-
sents the Blessed Virgin and St Joseph.
The second window poTtTays the child Jesus
in the temple. In the third the Savious is
shown in Gethsemane. The fourth depicts
st Peter receiving the keys from Christ.
Above these, four smaller windows repre-
sent the lamb, the pelican, a chalice, and
the Sacred Heart Three windows, with
designs built on the passion flower, The
lily and the grapevine. surround the altar
in the rear. The altar itself is very plain
and rich, of Italian marble and onyx, and
was designed entirely by Mrs. Ryan.