Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-05-09
Seven Came From the Mother
House Sixty-Eight Years
Ago.
Founded House of Mercy For
Reception of Irish Immi-
grant Girls.
HAVE DONE A GREAT WORK

The good ship Montezuma sailed
into New York harbor on Thursday,
May IA, 1916, bringing with her
seven Sisters of Mercy and one
postulant, the first to reach the
United States from the mother
house, st. GATHERINGS Convent, in
Baggot street, Dublin. They were
Mother M. Agnes O'Connor, Sisters
M. Angela Maher, Austin Horan,
Monica O'Doherty, Camillus Byrne,
Teresa Breen, M. Vincent Haire and
Miss Burns.
They had left Dublin on April 13
and they sailed from Liverpool on
18th, occupying the ladies' cabin,
which had been reserved for them
by Bishop Hughes, who the year be-
fore visited the mother house in
Dublin and then secured the promise
of foundation for his diocese.
The Sisters had ample opportu-
nifty to exercise their love of the
poor during the voyage among 500
immigrants in the steerage and they
reached their destination in safety
Having come on the invitation of the
| Bishop, their first objective point on
landing was the episcopal residence.
Bishop Hughes, however, was alb
sent in Baltimore in attendance on
the sixth provincial council which
] had opened on May 10, the previous
Snnday. He had made every pro-
visioA. for their reception and COM
| fort ann, two Sisters of Charity es-
corted the,.' to their first temporary
resting place, y st. Joseph's Convent
and Academy. Needless to say that
they were hospitabfg received and
entertained by Mother Elizabeth
Boyle and her community and they
remained there guests of the Sisters
until May 26.
In the meantime Bishop Hughes,
who had returned from Baltimore,
rented for them their first convent,
a fine four-story brick residence,
one of a row of old time, substantial
dwellings, at what was then No. 26
West Washington place, near st.
Joseph's church. West Washington
place was so called because it was
the part of that quiet street running
west from Washington square. The
name was later changed to Washing
ton place and the houses were re-
numbered. The first home of the
Sisters, which today is much the
same as when they occupied 1t sixty
eight years ago, is now IS Washing
ton place. They took possession on
May &C. when Bishop Hughes cele-
brated mass in the improvised
chapel, placed the Blessed Sacrament
in the tabernacle and appointed the
Very Rev, Archdeacon Michael Nc
Carron as their spiritual director.
They had few comforts, and that
even some of the necessaries were
not at their command Is shown by a
fragment of verse in which a press
ing necessity is comically set forth:
OF Sisters we're seven, of chairs we
have six,
So ones always left in very odd
fix.
One of their chief desires was to
establish a House of Mercy for the
reception of Irish immigrant girls
then fiocking to this country from
the famine at home, but this was
not realized until later. They found
plenty of work to their hands, how
ever. They established a circulat-
ing library and did missionary work
among the poor. preparing about 500
adults for the sacraments during
their first year.
In less than year they received
the first accession to their ranks In
the person OF Miss Josephine Seton,
youngest daughter of Mother Eliza
beth Anna Seton, the foundress of
the Sisters of Charity. AS Sister
Mary Catherine she received the
white veil from Bishop Hughes on
. April 16, 1847. She died in her
ninety-first year in the odor OF
sanctity. She was followed into the
religious life later by Mother Seton's
fayorite granddaughter, Miss Helen
Seton, who also took the name OF
Sister Mary Catherine and received
the white veil from Cardinal Nc
| Closkey.
Two yeSrs after their arrival In
New York the Sisters took possession
! OF the spacious double house on the
J southwest corner Of East Houston
: and Mulberry streets. The house
! was once Madame Chegary's fash
/ Ionable academy for young ladies
: and later the first home In New Yorl
4 of the Sisters OF the Sacred Heart
and when they moved their academ,
to Astoria ii became the first perma
nent home of the Sisters OF Mercy
being blessed and dedicated undel
I the patronage OF st. Catherine o
Q siena by Bishop Hughes on May l
s 1S4S.
: Here for nearly forty years. O.
n until their removal TO the presen
!. convent at Madison avenue and Eas
! Eighty-frst street, In 1885, wer
d carried on with constantly extendinl
/. influence, labor and success, tn
J. spiritual and corporal works o
IS mercy inaugurated by few heroic
d devoted women who held poyert,
/. hardship and exile from home an
II country as naught In their endeayo
a. to' save and sucoor the souls an