Spirit – Mary Martha Tierney & her Spiritual Connection to God as Sister St. Melanie

I have previously written about my 2x-great-grandaunt, Mary Martha Tierney, who entered the Sisters of Charity (Grey Nuns of Ottawa) in 1874 and professed her commitment on 13 December 1877. Since that post, I have learned more about Sister St. Melanie.

She was born on 25 July 1857 in Fallowfield, Carleton County, Ontario, to John Tierney and Ann Murray, the last of eleven known children, and was baptized at St. Philip Church in Richmond.[1] Previously I had written that she was baptized “Mary Martha” but the baptism record supports only “Martha” as her name.

Teaching Years
She taught school in the old grade school at St. Mary’s Academy in Ottawa. She was later transferred to Buffalo and taught at the Holy Angels Academy. In Lowell, Massachusetts, she taught at the Immaculate Conception High School.[2]

I attempted to locate city directories to support the above bio from her obituary. Searching in Ancestry for nuns is difficult. How do we know how the directory recorded their names? After failed attempts using different combinations of Sister St. Melanie, I searched the names of the schools in the towns, using the keyword search. The Holy Angels Academy only came up for 1880 and she was not part of the faculty. In Lowell, I checked several directories and often only the mother superior was listed. I did learn that the Immaculate Conception High School at the corner of Bartlett Street was organized in 1881 and was run by the Sisters of Grey Nuns.[3]

Hospital Years
In 1917, she was appointed the superior of the St. John’s Hospital in Ogdensburg, New York, and held that position until 1929 when the hospital was incorporated as the St. Lawrence County Tuberculosis Sanatorium.[4] I did find Sister St. Melanie listed in the 1925 Ogdensburg directory as Sister Superior Melanie, superintendent. The hospital was located on Blake Lake Road.[5]

The obituary noted “When Sister Melanie first came to St. John’s Hospital, the nuns had no chaplain. Consequently, she drove a team of horses to Notre Dame Church where the Sisters attended Mass. At that time, St. John’s was both a hospital and a farm, the hospital to care for the ill, and a farm to supply the patients and the children of St. Joseph’s orphanage with milk and vegetables. Sister put in a full day’s work on the farm in addition to her nursing duties.”[6] 

Research
I contacted the archivist of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart in Yardley, Pennsylvania in 2005 and received some additional information about Sister St. Melanie. Some quotes she sent from her Necrology are:

“During her years of deafness, Sister kept abreast of current Catholic news by reading Catholic periodicals; she was always interested in all community affairs.”

“Not a day passed that Sister did not follow the Way of the Cross; in her later years, it became a morning and late afternoon spiritual exercise. One day as Sister went from station to station in the D'Youville College Chapel, she had a severe heart attack and was anointed in the aisle where she had fallen.  Sister loved the Supreme Pontiff with a filial love and often prayed for his intentions."  

"Sister's last years were spent at St. John's Hospital and many times she was privileged to receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, administered for the last time on Jan 30, 1950.  Sister died quietly leaving the Congregation as legacy, happy memories of a gentle old nun."[7]

Conclusion
It seems that Martha Mary Tierney, as Sister St. Melanie, lived a full and spiritual life in Christ, and shall be long remembered. I have a cousin who was named Melanie after her, and I took the confirmation name Melanie, after my cousin, who was my sponsor.

#52 Ancestors: Week 44: Spirits

This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] St. Philips Church, Richmond, Carleton Co, 1857, B 42, baptism of Martha Tierney, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YWH-SKW); citing “Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923,” > Carleton > Richmond > St Philip > image 223 of 235. There is a second set of records for 1855-1857 at the back of the film.

[2] “Former Sister Superior of St. John Dead,” Ogdensburg (New York) Journal, 20 Feb 1950, p. 3, col. 7.

[3] “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469) > Massachusetts > Lowell > 1909 > Lowell, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1909 > image 72 of 800; citing The Lowell Directory 1909 (Lowell, Mass: Sampson & Murdock, 1909), 61, Immaculate Conception High School.

[4] “Former Sister Superior of St. John Dead,” Ogdensburg (New York) Journal, 20 Feb 1950, p. 3, col. 7.

[5] “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469) > New York > Ogdensburg > 1925 > Ogdensburg, New York, City Directory, 1925 > image 96 of 184; citing Ogdensburg (New York) Directory for the Year beginning January 1925 (Schenectady: H.A. Manning Co, 1925), 191, St John’s Hospital.

[6] “Former Sister Superior of St. John Dead,” Ogdensburg (New York) Journal, 20 Feb 1950, p. 3, col. 7.

[7] Letter from Sister Mary Charlotte Barton to Lisa S. Gorrell, 1 June 2005; author’s archives.

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