Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1937 (2)

The Mother Pauline Essay-" These I Love ... ''

CHIMES

HELEX :MARIE LAKE '39.

"Mother Angela was a lady, too. A gra- cious lady, such as only Washington Society can produce. Her culture was broad, includ- ing music, art, languages; her intellect was strong and well developed. "Her indefatigable zeal made her felt to be in many places at once. Whether compil- ing text books, translating the Directory and Rules for the Congregation, or conducting an examination, Mother Angela was always the center of activity. Especially in the Civil War days did her tireless energy find outlet. Once, on being asked 'How do you do it, Mother Angela?' she simply answered, taking her crucifix, 'It is easy. Here is something to give us courage.' "Humility she always had. On her death bed I remember her saying 'Oh, I greatly fear the judgments of God, and unless I am aided by the charity of others, what shall I do? My soul is filled with terror when I think how worse than empty-handed I am. May God have mercy on me!' In 1887 she passed away in all the peace and serenity that she possessed on earth. "Look here. Here in a frame is a poem about her by Eliza Allen Starr. Let us read it: A subtle charm, which is not told Though writ in gold: Resistless inspirations, felt

ously. Night and day she spent her energies on the wounded. Once, a woman dying with small-pox begged Mother to look after her little boy. To get him out of the house she hid him under her skirt and walked out with him thus. Robby came home with her, and was well cared for until his accidental death a short time later. "Mother Augusta was reserved, though. We had to coax her to let us take her photo- graph. She refused to go to the studio, so the photographer came out. Then she posed only on condition that the picture be not shown until after her death. It looks very real, though, doesn't it. She seems ready to say something. "No, Mother Augusta had little 'book- learning'; her knowledge was practical and general. So practical was she that business men often sought her counsel. "See, here is her memorial, here in the vestibule of the convent chapel. Inscribed on oak in black lettering these words I can barely trace: 'I have fought a good fight, I have fin- ished my course, I have kept the faith.' Beautiful, is it not? "Mother Augusta died in 1895. Some people called her a ·radical because it was she who had the courage to initiate and further the movement to make the Sisters auto- nomous, separated from Notre Dame. We all regretted her passing, but we knew it to be rather the beginning of her proper life than the end of her days of labor and pilgrimage. Ah, she is indeed a model for you who are only beginning yours. "Bue listen, child. Because Mother Augus- ta's influence can be so clearly seen here in the community, don't think she was the only remarkable woman. Mother Angela preceded her in time and many of us think, superseded her in cultural achievements. Mother Angela did not build churches; she built up the souls within them. JUNE, 1938

'l'he Mother Paul:ine award is given anni"ally for the best essay on the traditions, history, or life of Saint JJiary's. 'l'lzis year the award was divided. 'l'he following essay received the 11,pper division prize. Judges were the )}lather General, -JJiotlzer JJ,J. Vincentia, C.S.C.-and the Council.

"COME

"I have said Mother Augusta laid the foun- dation for the church, but she laid other foun- dations as weil. She supervised the building of Saint Angela's hall, the novitiate, and the community building, whose slim tower you can see studded with a clock over there. "You ask what kind of woman she was? Why, she was a Southern lady! A Virginian! True, she was stout and rather short, but she was dignified. Her blue-grey eyes, fair com- plexion, fine, sensitive features bespoke her anstocratic ancestry. "But I remember Mother Augusta for her unselfish heart and loved her for it. In the early days of the community, nearby families were kind to the Sisters. Mother kept each one in mind, and when the school began to prosper, she undertook to repay their kind- nesses not only by educating their children, but also by giving them food and clothing. She was always doing that. She never charged those who she knew could not pay. "Then there was little Maggie. Little Mag- gie had been a favorite of hers. Maggie had a beautiful singing voice, but her folks were poor. Mother Augusta's heart opened to Maggie; she furnished the child with a new outfit one day for a recital. Maggie looked like a nightingale, and sang like one, too, but two days later Maggie still had the dress on. She looked quite the opposite from the night- ingale then, but that didn't matter to Mother. "Mother seemed never to tire of doing good deeds. In the Civil War days, she la- bored fearlessly and gave of herself gener- J uNE, 1938

over here, dear. Here is Church of Our Lady of Loretto. It stands here in the heart of the community, a monument of stability. You ask, 'Is it not the heart?' No, it is the spirit. It is the one, immutable portion of Saint Mary's-un- changeable amidst all that changes. The heart of Saint Mary's varies with each new generation, each new administration, but the spirit remains the same. 'Tm getting old now, and find it difficult getting around. Here, give me your arm while we go over the grounds. I cannot see very well either, but observe that solid foundation on which the church rests. Look. Those huge rocks once lay buried in soil. Thanks to Mother Augusta's foresight they were carried here for use. And see those great round win- dows? They were made in France. Nuns of the Carmelite order at LeMans painted them by hand and shipped them to us. They came in pieces and had to be joined together with tiny rivets. By chance a French boy skilled in that art was on the crew of workmen. He alone could do such fine work, and he did it, alone. Notice, too, these little copper domes on each side. They reflect a bluish tint in the light of the setting sun. That is all hand- hammered copper. The old workman who did it died of a paralytic stroke just as he had finished it. "Ther~ are no pillars inside this church; the roof rests on the outer frame alone. The spirit needs neither supports nor ramifications when the foundations are thus well laid. the

By all who with her wrought or knelt, With swift uplifts of soul to heaven; And oh, what swift responses given! A heart whose inmost cells were filled With sweet compassion, thrice distilled; The open hands with palm down-turned Where no sly love of lucre burned; The lines of strictest cloistral duty Made gracious by a sense of beauty. A presence not to be defined; The flash of soul, the play of mind- In which the mortal forms were lost- Alone remembered. Loved almost As they are loved whose paths are crossed By angels visits; and her name Stands in the world, a point of flame.

117

116