Eliza Healy facts for kids
Sister Saint Mary Magdalen, CND (born Eliza Healy; December 23, 1846 – September 13, 1919) was an American Catholic religious sister and teacher. She was part of the famous Healy family. She was also one of the first African-American Mother Superiors. This means she was a leader of a group of nuns.
Family Background
Eliza Healy was born in 1846 in Macon, Georgia. She was the youngest daughter of Michael Morris Healy and Mary Eliza Clarke. Her father, Michael, was an Irish immigrant. He owned a successful plantation. Her mother, Mary Eliza, was a biracial enslaved woman.
Michael was born in County Roscommon, Ireland. He came to Canada as a soldier. Later, he moved to Jones County, Georgia, near Macon. Michael and Mary Eliza lived together from 1829 until they died in 1850. They had 10 children. Nine of them grew up to be adults.
At that time, a law called partus sequitur ventrem existed. This law meant that children born to an enslaved mother were also considered enslaved. This was true even if their father was a free white man. So, Eliza and her siblings were legally seen as enslaved. This was despite their father being free and them being mostly white.
Georgia law back then stopped enslaved people from getting an education. It also made it hard to free them. Because of this, the Healy children were sent North. There, they could get an education and a better life. When Eliza's parents died in 1850, her older siblings were already living in the North. Eliza and her two younger siblings moved to New York City after their parents passed away.
Early Life and Calling
Even though Michael Healy was Catholic, his children were not baptized as Catholics at first. Eliza and her two younger siblings, Josephine and Eugene, were baptized Catholic in New York in 1851. Eliza and Josephine went to schools run by the Congregation of Notre Dame in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Montreal, Quebec.
Eliza finished her high school education in 1861. After that, she and Josephine joined their siblings in Boston, Massachusetts. Eliza lived with her brother Eugene for a while. Then she moved to Newton to live with her brother James. James had become a Catholic priest. He later became the first African-American bishop in the United States.
In 1868, Eliza traveled with James to Europe and the Middle East. She lived in the family home in West Newton until 1874. Around that time, a financial crisis happened. It greatly affected James's money. Because of this, Eliza decided to become a religious sister.
Life as a Religious Sister
On May 1, 1874, Eliza entered the novitiate of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Montreal, Canada. She was 27 years old. In December of that year, she received her religious habit and her new name: Sister Saint Mary Magdalen. She made her first promises as a nun in 1876. Six years later, she made her final promises.
It was unusual for the time, but her race did not stop her from joining the order. In fact, her older sister, Martha Ann, had also been a nun in the same Congregation years earlier.
Sister Saint Mary Magdalen started teaching at the Saint-Patrick Academy in Montreal. Two years later, in 1878, she helped open a new mission for her order in Brockville, Ontario. She also taught in Sherbrooke, Quebec (1881–86) and at St-Anthony's in Montreal (1886–88, 1890–94).
After a year as an assistant leader in Ottawa, she became the superior of a convent in Huntingdon, Quebec (1895–97). The convent was in debt and facing financial problems. Sister Saint Mary Magdalen used her strong management skills. She helped the convent become financially stable again. From 1897–98, she was the superior at the St-Denis Academy. For the next two years, she was in charge of English studies at the order's main house in Montreal. From 1900–03, she taught at a girls' school in Montreal.
From 1903 to 1918, Sister Saint Mary Magdalen was the Mother Superior and headmistress of Villa Barlow in St. Albans (town), Vermont. Villa Barlow was a well-known girls' school. Many students came from wealthy families. However, the school was disorganized and had many debts.
Over 15 years, Sister Saint Mary Magdalen reorganized the school. She brought back high standards for academics and management. It was a difficult job. She had to work through problems with the church leaders. Her wisdom helped her solve complex issues. She found money, paid off debts, and made Villa Barlow one of the most successful houses for her order in the United States. She also looked after the health of the other nuns and students.
In 1918, her 15 years as superior ended. New church rules limited how long a superior could serve. Sister Saint Mary Magdalen accepted a new role as superior of Notre Dame Academy, Staten Island, New York. She quickly improved the academy's finances. After eight months, she had to leave this position due to health issues. She returned to the Mother House in Montreal.
Sister Saint Mary Magdalen died on September 13, 1919, from heart disease. Her funeral was held at the Mother House on September 19, 1919.
Legacy and Family
People who knew Eliza Healy described her as having great business and organizational skills. They said she was optimistic and had high expectations for her religious order. They especially noted her leadership and her strong devotion to prayer. They wrote that she was "so attractive, so upright!" She took on the hardest tasks herself. This included work in the kitchen, garden, and housework. She listened to everyone and worked hard to make her community perfect.
All three of the Healy daughters became nuns. However, Martha left religious life in 1863. Four of the six Healy sons also dedicated their lives to Catholic religious orders.
No writings from the Healy siblings talk about race directly. Yet, their family history is deeply connected to it. Her brothers James and Alexander were visibly Black. But Patrick's racial identity was not known outside his Jesuit community. There are no records showing that any of the Healy siblings were involved in the Black Catholic community.
