Another
American woman is up for canonization, having lived in a very hard time in the
United States. SERVANT OF GOD MARGARET MARY HEALY-MURPHY was born in 1833, to Jane Murphy Healy and Richard
Healy in Cahersiveen, County Kerry, Ireland. When she was only five years old
her mother died in childbirth, and over the next few years, Margaret watched
her family and the rest of Ireland struggle to survive the ravages of famine.
Amazingly, Margaret Mary
was a relative of Daniel O'Connell, who worked politically to end slavery through the British Parliament system, as her own family would later own
slaves in America. Her father was a doctor who helped the poor in the
neighboring regions of Cahirciveen.
Margaret immigrated to America with her
father when she was 12. Her father died shortly after their arrival. She
accompanied her brothers, aunts, and uncles when they made their way across
several southern states and eventually to Mexico, where they operated a hotel.
She
met John Bernard Murphy in Matamoros, Mexico. He had been stationed there while
working as a volunteer in General Zachary
Taylor's army. They married in Matamoros in 1849 in
the Matamoros Cathedral. In 1850 the couple settled in Corpus Christi,
where John owned a ranch and worked as a lawyer. The
Murphys also owned slaves who worked on the ranch.
While her husband was traveling for business, Margaret Mary ministered to the
pastoral and material needs of her neighbors, reportedly even riding 35 miles
on horseback to secure medicine for Yellow Fever victims.
With the Civil War brewing and her
husband away, most likely for safety, Margaret moved to Corpus Christi, Texas,
helping her neighbors with chores and cooking meals for those in need. After
the war, Margaret volunteered at St. Patrick’s Parish, even as the Yellow Fever
epidemic reached the city. She worked alongside the pastor, Reverend John
Gonnard, who later died from the illness.
One
of the patients Margaret tended to was Mrs. Delaney who entrusted her daughter,
Minnie, to Margaret’s care. Margaret and John Bernard adopted Minnie and sent
her to a boarding school in New York with the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur.
They also adopted Margaret’s goddaughter, Lizzie, who had lost her mother as
well. Upon graduation, both girls entered the religious life with the Incarnate
Word and Blessed Sacrament Sisters.
In 1875, John was invited as a representative
at the First Constitutional Convention for Texas, held in Austin. When
he returned, he was persuaded to run for mayor of Corpus
Christi, which he held from 1880 to 1884.
When John died in1884, he left Margaret Mary with a fortune, which she decided to put to good use, helping others. She started a tuberculosis hospital in Corpus Christi. After a few
years, she moved to San Antonio. In 1887, responding to a plea from the bishops
during the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, she was inspired to use her own
finances to build the first black Catholic Church and school in the city.
With
racial prejudice prevalent, she struggled with securing finances to sustain her
project and maintain a stable faculty. In 1893, with the blessing of Bishop
John C. Neraz, Margaret founded a new religious congregation, the Sisters of
the Holy Ghost, now known as the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary
Immaculate. These sisters supported Margaret’s mission of working with the poor
and people of color.
Mother
Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy died on August 7, 1907, leaving behind 15 sisters,
two postulants and three missions. Even today, her congregation continues
“manifesting the compassion of Jesus to the poor” in the United States and
Zambia.
On June 28, 2022, Archbishop
García-Siller announced his intention to formally open the diocesan phase
of investigation into the life of Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy.
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