The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-07-10
1 REMARKABLE WOMAN

7
A REMARKABLE WOMAN
MOTHER MARY XAVIER, OF CON-
VENT STATION, RICH IN THE
MERIT OF GREAT WORK. Ac-
coMPLlsHED, PASSES TO HER
ETERNAL REWARD.
The ruthless hand of the grim
reaper has 'culIed one of the fairest
flowers that bloom in the ever YER
dant garden of our heavenly Father.
Mother Mary Xavier Michigan, who
was called by death recently, was a
most remarkable woman The record
of her splendid achievements will re-
main as one of the proudest monu-
ments to the strength of her char
acter, as we'll as to the courage of
the Faith that was in her.
Mother Xavier belongs, in a way,
to st. Paul, as she was the aunt of
Mrs. James ]. Hill, of this city, and
her relatives reside here. ST. Paul,
therefore, feels her loss in very per-
sonal way.
The following beautiful apprecia-
tion is taken from the current num-
Der of the Catholic weekly, America:
Mother Mary Xavier.
Another of those remarkable
women who have contributed so
powerfully to the upbuilding of the
Church in the United States has
heard the summons of death, and laid
down the burden that for so long it
has been her duty to bear. A pio-
neer, weak indeed in sex, but strong
with the strength of her love for God,
has gone to the grave, with the glory
of more than three-qnarters of a cen
tury of heroic and successful labor
on her aged head. Throughout the
states of the east, orphans and found
lings are mourning for her mothers
care; little children without number
are weeping for the childrens friend;
those for whom her ministering
hands have eased the pain of fatal
disease, are wishing that they might
have been taken, and she left; and
students old and young, subjects lay
and religious, are pondering sadly on
the meekness of her gentle sway.
And yet they are nef selfish in their
regret. One and all, they are glad
for her sake that she has gone to her
reward.
Mother Mary Xavier Michigan, who
died at Convent Station, on June %,
leaves behind her an extraordinary
record. If she had done no more
than live pure, right wrong, follow
the King" for sixty-eight years, she
would have done much. That she
should have been judged worthy to
direct for fifty-six unbroken years
the many and varied works of a
large community of Sisters of Char
ity, is a still clearer testimony to her
high qualities of mind and heart.
Those who prefer to test excellence
by material results need only look to
the numerous schools, parochial and
industrial, to the hospitals, orphan
ages, infant asylums, academies and
homes for incurables, that have
grown up under her supervision and
are directed by her community in the
dioceses of Newark, Trenton, Boston
Hartford and New York. And no one
who has seen the College of st. Eliza
beth will doubt that she has left in
it's imposing and artistic group oi
buildings an enduring monument to
| the courage and loftiness of her edu
cational ideals.
Certainly Bishop Bayley acted wise
ly when in 1853 he asked that Mother
Mary Xavier should be appointed su
perior of the little group of sisters
who banded together to aid Gods
work in the diocese of Newark; but
even his clear Judgment could scarce
| ly have known how deep in wisdom
was that request. No one who was
acquainted with Mother Mary Xavier
doubted that she would do grea
/ things for God, but few if any, ant
surely not even Bishop McQuade
dared to hope that she would live 81
long, or accomplish SO much, or tha
there would be SO marvellous de
velopment of that extremely modes
foundation. Bishop Bayley built fa
better than he knew. He himsel
left the diocese, but she stayed on
Other bishops came and went o
died; but she not only laughed a
death, but continued at the selfsam
post. The result is community o
more than / 200 Sisters, whose zeal
efficiency, and scholarly attainment
due in a large degree to the wise d
rection of their foundress, may b
seen in the fruits of their labors il
the numerous institutions under thei
control. Mother Mary Xavier is dead
but her work is imperishabIe: it i
built on the Rock of Ages, and vii
live on, a glorious monument to
noble and valiant woman.
m a M ant nv FNM mr.