The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-05-28
CITY OF DENVER.
Sister Francis Xavier Dies After
Forty Years Service.

the sacred precincts of the convent ha
served to further develop the nobilit
OF character possessed by Sister Frar
els Xavier Dody: and her death. whic
occurred in Denver last week,
mourned by thousands who were Wor
10 so to her for sympathy and conso
lation when the cares of the workada
world fell heavily upon them.
Sister Francis was known far an
wide for her many sterling qualities
and she possessed that singular gif
Of difusing sunshine wherever she hap
pened to be called. That is why Den
Yer viii miss her; that is why the 20
little motherless children at the or
phanage asylum where she labored vii
miss her. Despite the feebleness which
she felt growing upon her in the pas
few years, Sister Francis retained hel
cheerful mien and was never without
a word of encoura cement and help fol
those who sought her in their misery
To the little charges of st. Vincent s
Orphanage the loss is irreparable. Sis
ter Francis is so peculiarly identified
with that institution that it would seem
as if its very inspiration had gone and
as if it were no longer the same home
which the little ones have known foi
SO many years.
A few weeks ago, when it became
known that Sister Francis was very
i'll and that no hope was entertained for
her ultimate recovery, there was not
a dry eye in the orphanage, and the
children gathered in the chapel where
the nun had so often led them in pray
er and asked that she might be spared
Extra flowers were plucked for the
May altar and the little ones brought
their sorrow to that shrine and unbur-
dened their hearts. Almost the last
word uttered by the dying sister was
message of love for the children who
had so long been committed to her
care, and she promised to pray for their
welfare when she had passed beyond
the earthly means of help.
When Sister Francis was informed
by her attendant physicians that she
could not long survive the shock of a
second paralytic stroke, she smiled
complacently and said that God had
been very good to her and had let her
enjoy a long life full of happiness. To
many the life of Sister Francis would
not have appealed as an especially hap
py one. so crowded was it with hard
ships. but these she converted into
blessings, looking always for the silver
lining TO the cloud. Even when she
saw the handsome structure which
sheltered the little orphans burn to the
ground two years ago, she did not lose
heart, and. offering comfort to the SUI
perioress, Mother Mary Peter she pre-
dicted that it would ultimately be the
means Of interesting the public in the
institution and that they would come
forward magnanimously and offer as
sistance in erecting a larger, more COM
modious and better equipped home.
And so they did: and fortunately Sister
Francis lived to see her prediction full |
filled 10 the letter. The st. Nincents |
orphanage of today stands monument |
10 the philanthropy and generosity of |
the Denver public and credit TO the /
diocese of Denver. The seed of that |
Institution was sown twenty-one years
ago by Sister Francis Xavier, and has
blossomed and ripened into what it is
today.
1t was In the early SOS that Bishop
Joseph Machebeuf, then at the head of
the Denver diocese, pettioned the Sis
tiers Of Charity of Leavenworth, Kan,
TO come to Denver and establish a hos
pital for the care of the small commu-
nifty. Sister Frances. with two other
nuns who have since died, were deput-
ed to undertake the work, and st. Jo-
seph's hospital, the finest institution of
its kind in the state, is the result. As
soon as the little frame structure was
opened and the sick welcomed within
is portals, the sisters turned their at
ention to a home for the orphan chill
1ren of Denver, and the ground upon
which the present building stands on
Iomar boulevard, in North Denver.
vas donated by the Denver & Rio
5rande railroad Before the building !
VAS entirely completed it became nee
,ssary to open the doors, as dozens of
children had made application
or admission. Sister Francis Xavier
owed to recall those early days with |
heir trials, and many were the anec- !
Totes she could relate Of experiences
injured before the roof was completely Z
Ver their heads. Winter came on and !
With the snow came bitterly cold wea-
her. Two sisters remained with the or !
hans trying to shelter them from the {
rintry blasts and doing what they
ould in the way Of preparing palatable
ishes to satisfy the growing appetites. q
n little while ii was all over and the {
uilding was entirely finished, and then 2
dozen more little ones were admitted. l
An additional corps of sisters had /!
ONE from Leavenworth TO assist at !
ne orphanage and at the hospital, but 1
lister Francis continued as superioress Q
the former institution. She remained y
this position for many years and l
nder her regime the home made rapid O
rides. When the care of the orphan L
&c became too much for her. Mother I
1
house and took the reins. Even then Z
ister Francis was one of the princi- e
Al figures in the administration of af v
iirs. and out Of respect to the capable |
tanner in which she had superintend- '
the work for so many years, Moth 7
Peter made q practice of deferring >
her on many important questions. -
he devotion Of Mother Peter 10 her -
-edecessor has always been pro
)unced and she feels the loss keenly.
he children loved and venerated the il
IN and were accustomed to listen for il
ar footballs every morning as she ap- J Il
cached with q gentle word for each a
I'd a pressure of each little hand. cl
Sister Francis Xavier was born in Z
Gland in 1897 and came to America il
hen but a young girl. With her was in
younger sister, who also entered the te
Jvitiate Of the Sisters Of Charity at N
ssvenworth. In religion she is known a!
Sister Eugenia. AS far as is known II
lis is the only living relative of the G
.ad nun. Sister Francis has been es
entitled with the care of orphan chill G
en- during her entire service in the n
invent, but her best work was ac p;
mplished in Denver. 1t was on April III
that she was stricken with apopleXy II
nile at-her work. She WAS removed to &C
Joseph's hospital and Drs. p V. pt
irlin and Edward Delehanty called re
attend her. She appeared to improve r
r time although there was no rad "
al change. On Thursday of last week m
e received a second paralytic stroke, si-
d with ii came loss of speech. Then W.
hope was abandoned and the sisters in
thered about the bedside TO whisper of
e prayers for the dying. That after f
on she breathed her last quietly and
acefully. News of her demise was
telegraphed to Mother
any Regis, mother superior of the CO
immunity az LeaNenWorln' anu the tn
ancis' body should be brought home NJ
r burial. NJ
solemn high mass OF requiem was ~,