The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-04-15
A CONVERTS STORY
OF HER CONVERSION
Daughter of Episcopal Bishop Tells
How Her Spiritual Nature
Was Awakened
She Now Finds the Consolation for
Which Her Soul Longed in
the Sacraments.
Her Religion of Greatest Assistance
to Her in the Practice
of Her Art.

Writing in the Extension Magazine,
Marie Wainwright, the distinguished
actress, gives the following story OF
her conversion to the Catholic faith:
There is tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to
fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shadows and in miseries." :"
/ had reached that tide" in my
spiritual apathy. 1t was at my feet,
and yet ! stood uncertain whether to
take it at the Hood" or sink back
again into the old slough OF despond-
ency, unbelief and questioning that
had racked and tortured me for so
long.
was born and baptized in the Prot
estant Episcopal Church-granddaugh
ter of the Rt. Rev. Jonathan Mayhue
Wainwright, bishop of the state Of
New York. Being left motherless
when very young, | was placed under
the guardianship of near relative,
taken to France and sent to the Con-
vent of the Sacred Heart, in Paris,
where l remained from the time l
was seven years old until | was four
teen. During that period of my child
hood there was no attempt on the part
Of the good nuns to proselyte me in
any way. They were aware of the
wishes of my family that was not
to be coerced or compelled to attend
mass unless | SO desired. | have al
ways thought that the pictorial side
Of the mass must have been what
first attracted my childish inagina-
tion and caused me to ask to be al
lowed to attend the Holy Sacrifice of
the mass in company with the other
children.
|, however, completed my studies at
tho convent, and left Its peaceful
walls to go out into the world. |
must be honest and confess that for
many years the spiritual side of my
nature lay dormant, although often
visited Catholic churches in different
parts of Europe and in America,
wherever chanced to be on such hol-
idays as Christmas, Good Friday and
Easter Sunday. | know now, how.
ever, that the fact Of my attending
mass on these days was always more
as a sentiment, and in remembrance
of my convent sojourn, than from any
real yearning of my inner spirit to
find the truth.
remained in this neutral state, or
l might say in statu quo, until year
ago. Then I became aware of great
spiritual emptiness in my life that
| nothing seemed to fill, and ! began
| to read about all sorts of complex re.
| ligions, and their promoters, from
Buddha and Confucius to Mrs. Eddy
of Christian Science fame, with the
result of becoming only more and
more bewildercd. At last | turned to
the New Testament and then and
there realized that it was Christ and
Christ only | needed. ! must say
here that ] had never been an agnos
tic or an atheist. I have always be
| ~, Dnin hof rit,4
is the Son of God and was sent to
earth for our redemptiOn-that
seemed the beginning and end of my
faith. But He had always appeared
too far away, too hard to reach. One
day, in speaking to on old friend (whc
was devout Roman Catholic) on the
subject Of my desire to reach some
foothold in religion, said: II feel
the need of Christ, but am at loss
how can come close to Him." Then
she answered me by asking me this
question: "Do you think mothers
supplication to an earthly father tc
forgive and bless his erring children
would avail? II so, how much more
must be prayers of our Blessed Moth
er reach the tender, loving heart Of
Our Lord?"
Her Son! Those few words Of my
friend were my first step toward con
version, and what simple, childlike
stepping-stone it was. And so, on ant