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| The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
As tomorrow, 21st November,
is Presentation Day I wanted to do something special for this day that had so
much meaning for us in our school days.
I was thinking hard about what to post and, while browsing the Internet,
I unexpectedly came upon something which, I think, is very special! It was an article written by Jim Corley in
Blessington.info History Articles. If you
want to, you can find the article on http://blessington.info/history/historypage17.htm
Mr Corley tells of finding a letter in a
grubby old book which he purchased at an Auction in Kells, County Meath,
Ireland. And how does a letter in an old
book in Ireland tie in with Presentation Day?
More to the point, how does it tie in with us?
Well, this letter was headed:
“PRESENTATION
CONVENT,
ST JOHN’S N.F.L,
JAN 12th 1923”.
It was written by Sr Xavier O’Malley to her
niece, Lizzie, in Ireland. In the
letter, Sr Xavier told Lizzie that she was ill in bed, felt very weak and did
not expect to live for much longer. The
poor soul also commented on the weather, the cold being too severe to permit
her getting up! It seems a lady called
Josephine had asked for her family history and she gives what she knows of
it. Sr Xavier wrote:
“Firstly, my grandfather was Owen
O’Malley of Burrishoole, Newport, Co Mayo.
He had three brothers namely: first Joseph who was executed as a rebel:
second Austin who escaped to France on one of the French ships sent by Napoleon
Bonaparte to pick up all the Irishmen they could get to enter his army as they
had gained the name of being great fighters and indeed they were fighters but
the poor fellows gained but little for their courage. Uncle Austin married in France and had two
sons. His eldest son Auguste entered the
French army and rose to be Colonel.
Through his bravery Uncle Austin’s sight became impaired and he returned
to Ireland when my mother was young, and he lived with my grandfather. His wife was dead and his eldest son was an
officer in the French army. He had his
second son with him, Alexander, but this poor boy had met with an accident at
school and was quite deaf. The French
government kindly paid him a yearly pension even after his father’s death. He died in Dublin some years ago. Alexander’s brother Auguste O’Malley rose to
be general in the French Army. At the
siege of Algeria in the north of Africa only two men were left alive of one
particular regiment. They were Uncle
Austin’s son Auguste and a private soldier.
Auguste was made a captain and the soldier a lieutenant. During a visit which I paid to the French
Nuns near here on the island of St Pierre I met a lay sister who had been
acquainted with General O’Malley when she was a nurse in a military hospital.”
Sr Xavier ended her letter by asking
Lizzie to pray for her when she hears of her death and sent her regards to
Lizzie’s husband and little ones.
Now Mr Corley’s interest had been
tweaked, as I hope yours is too, so he wrote to Presentation Convent in St
John’s. He was rewarded with a reply
from then Presentation Archivist, *Sr
Perpetua Kennedy. Thanks to Sr
Perpetua, Mr Corley and we learned more of Sr Xavier’s story.
Sr Xavier was born in Castlebar, Co
Mayo, Ireland in 1842 to Austin and Mary O’Malley. She was baptised Mary Jane. In 1866 Mary Jane O’Malley said good bye to
home, parents, family, friends and all that she held dear. The
courageous young lady set out on a perilous journey to a strange and distant
country, Newfoundland. Like so many
other intrepid souls, she would never see her homeland again.
On 21st February 1866, Mary
Jane O’Malley entered the Presentation Convent, St John’s. On 15th January 1867, 25 year old
Miss Mary Jane O’Malley was received into the Order and given the name Sr Mary
Xavier Joseph O’Malley. Here are Sr
Xavier’s vows:
“I, Sister Mary Jane O’Malley called in
Religion Mary Xavier Joseph, do vow and promise to God poverty, chastity and
obedience, and to persevere until the end of my life in this Institute for the
charitable Instruction of poor girls in this Enclosure, according to the Rules
and Constitution of this Order of the Presentation of Our Blessed Lady,
approved of and confirmed by the Apostolical Authority of Our Holy Father Pope
Pius VII under the authority, and in the presence of you, Revd Edward O’Keefe V
G and of our Revd Mother, Margaret O’Shaughnessy, called in Religion Mary
Magdalen Superioress of this Convent of the Presentation – in the year of Our
Lord Oct 23rd 1867.
Signed: Mary Jane O’Malley in religion
Mary Xavier Joseph
Superioress Margaret O’Shaughnessy
Assistant M de Pazzi Mullock”
Sr Xavier was Professed at Presentation
Convent, Cathedral Square on 8th November 1869. On 8th November 1923, exactly 54
years after being Professed and just months after writing to her niece Lizzie
in Ireland, Sr Xavier O’Malley died at Presentation Convent, Cathedral Square,
St John’s. She is buried in the Convent
Cemetery.
Ending his article, Jim Corley urges us
to “Spare
a thought for those many long-forgotten Irish missionaries like the noble Sr
Xavier.” On this Presentation
Day, let us indeed spare a thought and a prayer for all the valiant young Irish
ladies who came to our shores and, as Presentation Sisters, spent their talents
and their lives instructing the children of Newfoundland. Let’s prove Mr Corley wrong and make certain
that they are never forgotten!
*Sr
M Perpetua Kennedy,
Presentation Archivist for 20 years, passed away at St Clare’s Mercy Hospital on
7th May 2013, aged 90 years.
She too is buried in Presentation Cemetery, Cathedral Square.
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