The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-11-29


mothers disease, tuberculosis, and
was a constant sufferer from other
painful maladies, but she was always
cheerful, insisted on sharing with 9TH
ers whatever was offered her, and
never complained after she had be-
come acquainted, when little over
three, with the story of Holy God"
Seeing a statue of the Infant of
Prague on an altar in the infirmary
she asked what it was, and, being told
it was an image of the Child Jesus,
she wanted to know His whole story.
She then called Him Holy Cod" and
spoke of Him by no other name there
after. She would ask Him for many
things, chiefly for others, but one day
she was rebuked by the nurse for ask
ing the globe in the hands of the
Child's statue in exchange for her
little shoeses.'' "Oh," she replied,
HE can give it, if He likes" Indeed,
it appears she had special warrant
for thinking so from the many in
stances related of her personal rela-
tons with the Child Jesus and the
unusual favors she received from
Him. When she made the Way of
the Cross in her nurses arms, Nellie
became agitated at the Crucifixion,
and wanted to know why are they
hurting Him." and why Holy God"
allows them. On hearing the explana-
ton she burst into tears, crying be-
tween sobs: Poor Holy Cod" She
used the same expression whenever
her eyes fell on the Crucifix
She quickly grasped the mystery of
the Real Presence in the Tabernacle,
or, as she put it, why Holy God was
"Shut up in that little house." and
was quite glad that He was not
squeezed" Soon her searching
questions about religious mysteries
and practices exhausted the informa-
ton of the nurse, who had not been
long a Catholic and who confesses
that Nellie cured her of many resi-
dual antipathies against Catholic
ways. The nurse, though usually a
daily communicate, sometimes failed
to receive, and on such occasions Mel
lie, informed by some spiritual in
stinct, would fix reproachful eyes
on her, saying: "You didn't get Holy
God today" Once she thought Nellie
was dying and said SO, but the child
replied: mo, Holy God says I'm not
good enough yet" When questioned
she said Holy God "did come and
stand there" and her clear descrip-
ton did not correspond with any pic
ture she had known.
She was soon to die, and her spirit
ual perception was so extraordinary
that the Bishop, unasked, administer
ed to her Confirmation. She told him:
81 am Holy Gods little soldier now"
She then began to have an Unsuitable
desire for Holy Communion. She
knew instinctively, though there was
no human means of her knowing it,
when the Blessed Sacrament was ex-
posed, and would cry: Holy God is
not in the lookup today; take me
down to Him." Then in her childish
language she would speak the
thoughts of Gods saints. AS, despite
her begging, she could not yet "get
Holy God,' she insisted that Sister
would come Immediately after receiv-
ing Holy Communion and kiss her.
Soon the Bishop, after Jesuit Father
had pronounced the child extraordi-
narily endowed with Gods love and
oYpiy of Of
ted her to receive Holy Communion.
"The child" writes the Father, hun
gers for her God and received Him
from my hands in a transport of
love-" In the remaining two months
she received Holy God" thirty-two
times, and spent nearly all day in
thanksgiving. A noisome odor from a
diseased bone in her jaw had been
hitherto almost unbearable, but dis
appeared completely after her First
Communion. She insisted on being
dressed in spotless white when re-
ceiving Holy Communion, and she
would have none but fresh natural
flowers. Holy Gods flowers" around
Him.
Asked to pray for certain sick per.
sons, she told what would happen in
each case, and it proved true. She
had announced that she would "fly to
Holy God on Holy Gods own day.
With tears of joy in her eyes, which
were fixed longingly on something in.
visible, and trying to move towards it
she died on Sunday, the Feast of the
Publication of Mary and of the Pres.
entation of the Child Jesus in the
Temple. Holy God and Holy Gods
Mother came for her, wrote her
schoolmates to Plus x.
Many other extraordinary things
are told concerning Nellie Of Holy
God" that happened before and after
her death. A most touching letter
written by the children of st. Fin
bars School, to "Our Dear Holy Fa
ther," recites that soon after heI
death they had made novena that
she would obtain for her little com
panions and all little children over
the world the great favor of receiving
Holy Communion as near to the age