The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-09-18
RETIREs TO A CONVENT
Lady Member of the Sturgis Famll,
Enters a Convent at George
town, D. G.

L ~ Iubl blSDdlCiI VI 1cCcllU
date contains an interesting article
concerning 1.-The retirement Of Miss
Sturgis into a convent at Georgetown.
ID. G. The young lady is well known
in Mitchell, having at many times in
past years visited at the home of her
sister, Mis-. John d. Lawler, before
her removal to st. Paul. The Dis
patch article is as follows:
Miss Mary Tyler Stulgis, of st.
Paul, will tomorrow enter the mon
aste1y Of the convent at Georgetown.
d. c., with the intention of remain
ing.
Miss Sturgis has had religious as
pirationS since early girlhoOd: time
and experience having but made the
call more distinct, until she has final
~ decided TO cOnSecrate her life
without reserve to God and to relig-
ion, by becoming a sister of the Wis
itatiOn order.
To no one outside her own family
has Miss Sturgis contided her inten-
tion Of becoming a nun: and only
recently, after her mind had been
fully made up. did she to
her mother, sister and the other
members of her immediate family the
step she wished to take. Miss Stur-
gis was one of the most brilliant
women in st. Paul. She has always
been immensely popular in society
and was particularly noted for her
splendid conversational powers. Her
wit and hearty-lovino spirit always
insured the success OF any social
event i'll which she was interested.
Her renunciatiOn Of the world, and
especially her complete immOlatiOn
IN a clolStered monastery, such as
the Visitation order supports. will
deeply move her hundreds of friends
in st. Paul.
The Order Of the Visitation is a
clolsterd order and each Of its con-
vents are separate. A woman becOm-
ing Il poStulant in one. and, later. a
nun. not only finally r%enounces the
world, but never leaves the institu-
tiOn she has entered.
HeI farewell to the world is as final
as if she died and were buried IN the
little cemetery within the monastery.
The Visitation convent at George
town is the Oldest religious commun-
ity in the United States.
1T is ariStocratic, too. with the
~arlStocracy that comes to even a
religious Institution through age and
wealth and influence.
Jane de C%handal, a wealthy French
lady, was it's foundress, and the little
chapel built by her, and beneath
which she has lain for centuries, has
been preserved and is still used by
the sisters
Around it have arisen great and
beautiful buildings, but it's modest
architecture and ancient walls and
altar are the deeply beloved and most
revered Of any building in the entire
monastery.
1t is in this ancient and hallowed
chapel that Miss Sturgis will take
vows that will separate her from the
world.
For eight days she will remain in
the convent as a guest rather than
a nun, and then will take the re-
nunciatory VOWS and assume the veil
and garb Of the postulant.
Her nOvitiate will extend over
two years. and should her health
not admit or her vocation not seem
certain. she will be permitted to
leave the monastery.
1t is, CT course, Miss Sturgis' in
tentlOn to take final VOWS in two
years. and meanwhile she will le-
main as closely clustered as after
the final VOWS.
She will leave behind her even her
present name, receiving a new rellg-
lOus name OH the day when her no
vltiate commences.
Miss Sturgis is the daughter of the
late Gen S. ID. Sturgis. one of the
heroes of the Civil war. Her mother.
Mrs, S. D.. Sturgis. resides at 1870
Virginia avenue. and the others O.
their immediate family are Mrs. N.
5. Dousman, Mrs. j. D. Lawler and
Colonel Samuel Sturgis. q. S. A.
Another brother was one of the
victims in Gen. Clusters Inflated
band.
Miss Sturgjs was educated at the
Maryville Convent of the Sacred
Heart in St. Louis.
She was a resident pupil for a
number OF years while her parents
were at different army posts.
1t was during her life az the Sacred
Heart convent that she first gained
recognition for an unusual mental
ability. She won the rarely granted
prize for excellence, a golden laurel
wreath, which was given only to
those pupils winning a state prize
each year of her pupilage.
1t is the highest prize in the gift
OF the Institution and was awarded
but five times in twenty years.
Coming to St Paul with her par
ents Miss Sturgis quickly made many
friends here and was very popular So
cially even as Il very young girl AS
she became more mature her talents,
especially her gift for dramatic eX-
preston. were more marked, and it
was believed by many that had she
wished to become either an actress
or "A writer that she would have had
a DISTINGUISHED career. However. she
lived a life of comparative quiet, and,
while she gave active assistance in
most of the best amateur perform
anceS given in aid Of various phiian-
thIopics. and has written many clever
articles. h was never induced to
adopt either vocation as a profession.