U.S. Bishops Affirm Advancement of the Cause of
Beatification and Canonization of Servant of God Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy
U.S. Bishops Affirm Advancement of the Cause PUBLIOFFICE
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BALTIMORE – At their annual
fall Plenary Assembly, the bishops of the United States held a canonical
consultation on the cause of beatification and canonization of the Servant of
God Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy, foundress of the Sisters of the Holy
Spirit and Mary Immaculate.
Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki
of Milwaukee, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB)
Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, and Archbishop Gustavo
García-Siller, M.Sp.S., of San Antonio, facilitated the discussion by the bishops.
By a voice vote, the bishops expressed support for the advancement of the cause
of beatification and canonization on the diocesan level.
A brief biography of Mother
Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy was provided by the Archdiocese of San Antonio:
Margaret Mary Healy was born on
May 4, 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.
Margaret immigrated to America
with her father when she was 12 and 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. Upon marrying John Bernard Murphy in 1849, Margaret and her
family moved to Texas. While her husband was traveling for business, Margaret
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 – Mrs. Delaney – 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.
Following the death of her
husband in 1884, Margaret operated 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.