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Volume 074-3 - July 2020 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
A Mission of Mercy
By Linda K. Jack
On September 24, 1913 the Sisters of Mercy celebrated their Golden Jubilee in Grass Valley.' The gates
of their convent on South Church Street were thrown
open to crowds of well-wishers who roamed the manicured garden, sampled refreshments, and stayed for an
evening concert.
In reporting on the Jubilee celebration the following
day the Union wrote of the many orphans that had
been in the Sisters’ care over the decades: “Hundreds
upon hundreds have passed from these institutions to
make their own way in the world and their records in
after life reflect credit upon the careful training and
discipline of the Sisters who have given their lives in
the humane and Christian duty of caring for the parent
loss entrusted to them, their only earthly remuneration
being their food and clothing.”
One might suspect that the editor’s fulsome praise was
inspired by the sentimentality of the moment, but the
Union ’s reporting about the Sisters had been remarkably consistent across the fifty years that they had
been part of the Grass Valley community. Although
the editor didn’t use our modern phrase, “social safety
net,” he rightly recognized the Sisters for creating just
that, programs that served the vulnerable, poor, sick
and uneducated in Nevada County at a time when
those services were otherwise unavailable.
Prayerful Service
How did it come to be that a small group of Roman
Catholic women had so successfully filled that role
in a community that was ethnically and religiously
diverse, especially in an era of anti-Catholicism both
nationally and in California?
Part of the answer comes from the organization’s
structure and governance. In 1828 an Irishwoman by
the name of Catherine McAuley (1778-1842) decided
to use an inheritance to build a house in Dublin where
she and other lay women would shelter homeless
women, reach out to the sick and dying and educate
poor girls. To give these efforts greater stability,
‘Nevada County Historical society
Bulletin
eee 74 NUMBER 3 JULY 7,
McAuley and her co-workers eventually founded a
new religious institute within the Roman Catholic
faith and named the group the Sisters of Mercy.
Although the terms “nun” and “sister” are often used
interchangeably, the manner in which women religious
practiced their faith differed: sisters took simple rather
than permanent vows; were not cloistered; developed an active ministry with less prayer routines; and
frequently transferred from one convent to another.
Historian Anne M. Butler sums up the difference:
“Prayerful contemplation versus prayerful service
roughly distinguishes the two categories” *
Mother Mary Baptist Russell (Sisters of Mercy)