The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-04-21
miss MARY"

There died last week in the Convent
Of the Order of Holy Cross, New Or
/ leans. a lady who had been a devoted
inmate for forty years, not, indeed, as
a member Of the order, but who had
served it faithfully and well. Miss
Mary Allen, or Miss Mary" as she
was known, had peculiar but beauti-
full life history.
For the first time Miss Mary's life
| story has been made known. Hundreds
who haze known her during all these
years and noting the honor and rever-
ence paid to her in the community of
the Holy Cross were under the inn
preston that she was a wealthy but
eccentric lady, who did not wish to be-
come a sister, but chose to make her
residence in a convent, and that at
death the institution would materially
benefit by her requests.
Her story was told by Mother Desert
at the open grave, and came as an an
swer to the query: But Miss Mary
was rich lady, was she not, and chose
to reside with the sisters because she
did not have a religious vocation, yet
was very near to it?'
Way back in 1888 she was left an
orphan in one of these terrible yellow
fever visitations which used to deVas-
tate New Orleans before science learned
GIIeCLu-
ally. One day she came to the house
of the sisters, leading Little Blind
Mary, as she was called, by the hand.
Mother Desert was deeply touched and
took the children to her heart. The
little blind girl was taken to the most
eminent oculists for treatment, but all
was Of no avail; they declared that she
must remain blind for life. She told
the sisters how good Mary Allen was to
her; for over nine years the two little
girls had been inseparable.
Other little girls who had been left
orphans by the yellow fever epidemic
were educated; several became mem
bers Of the order and rose to positions
of enninence in it. Mary Allen might
have done the same, for she was con-
sidered the brightest of the group. and
developed into a most cultured and low
able woman, but she never entered the
religious life; she declared always that
she never intended to leave the convent
walls, but also added that she was not
going to take the veil either; and those
who knew her best, knew, too. that it
was her devotion to this poor blind
orphan girl that kept her back All
her spare moments she would spend
with Mary Mitchell, who soon became
paralyzed as we'll as blind. and who
for tllirty-five years has kept her room
in the ancient asylum OF the institution
adjoining the great mother house of
the order in New Orleans. Twice a
week she is brought down to the ser
vices in the chapel, viz, Sundays and
Thursdays, and also on holidays of obli-
cations, and during all these years it
was Mary Allen who helped 10 carry
her down. Such devotion, such love as
bound these two orphan girls from the
early age of two and three years
through all the changing years is rare.
and it was often said among the sisters
and pupils that long years ago Miss
Mary would have taken the veil if it
were not for the fact that she would
have to take the VOW of obedience.
Go here go there" at the voice of
her superiors and this would have sep
arated her from blind Mary the
friend and confident Of her early child
hood years.
Miss Mary became a leading teacher
in the order, for she might as well have
been considered a sister, so beautiful
and pure and holy was her life, so I'M
selfish, so loyal and so earnestly did she
labor in all things for the Welfare Of the