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Margaret Anna Cusack (in religion Mary Francis Clare Cusack; 6 May 1829 – 5 June 1899), also known as Mother Margaret and the Nun of Kenmare, was a former
Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
nun who founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace before returning to
Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
(the faith of her youth). She lived in Ireland, England, and the United States. By 1870 more than 200,000 copies of her works which ranged from biographies of
saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
to pamphlets on social issues had circulated throughout the world, the proceeds from which went towards victims of the Famine of 1879 and helping to feed the poor. An independent and controversial figure, Cusack was a passionate Irish nationalist, often at odds with the ecclesiastical hierarchy.


Early life

Margaret Anna Cusack was born in
Coolock Coolock () is a large suburban area, centred on a village, on Dublin city's Northside in Ireland. Coolock is crossed by the Santry River, a prominent feature in the middle of the district, with a linear park and ponds. The Coolock suburban a ...
,
County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
into a family of
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
gentry. Her parents were Samuel and Sara Stoney Cusack. Her father was a physician. When she was a teenager, her parents separated, and she, her mother, and brother Samuel went to live with her grand-aunt in
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, Devon, where Margaret attended boarding school.


"Nun of Kenmare"

Influenced by the
Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...
, and motivated by the sudden death of her fiancé, Charles Holmes, in 1852 she joined a convent of Puseyite Anglican nuns. However, disappointed at not being sent to the
Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
, in 1858 she converted to
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and joined the
Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...
in
Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...
,
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, a community of Franciscan nuns that taught poor girls. She took the name of Sister Francis Clare. In 1861 she was sent with a small group of nuns, led by
Mary O'Hagan Mary O'Hagan (1823 31 January 1876), Abbess in Newry and Kenmare, founder of the convent in Kenmare. Biography Mary O'Hagan was born in Belfast in 1823. Her parents were Edward O'Hagan, a merchant, and his wife Mary Bell, daughter of Captain T ...
to Kenmare, County Kerry, then one of the most destitute parts of Ireland, to establish a convent of Poor Clares. She wrote 35 books, including many popular pious and sentimental texts on private devotions (''A Nun's Advice to her Girls''), poems, Irish history and biography, founding Kenmare Publications, through which 200,000 volumes of her works were issued in less than ten years. She kept two full-time secretaries for correspondence and wrote letters on Irish causes in the Irish, United States, and Canadian press. In the famine year of 1871, she raised and distributed £15,000 in a famine relief fund. She publicly railed against landlords of the region, particularly Lord Lansdowne, who owned the lands around
Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. It is also a townland and civil parish. Location Ken ...
, and his local agent. She was an outspoken Irish nationalist, publishing ''The Patriot's History of Ireland'', in 1869, though she later denied being associated with the
Ladies' Land League The Ladies' Land League (founded 31 January 1881; dissolved 10 August 1882) was an auxiliary of the Irish National Land League and took over the functions of that organization when its leadership was imprisoned. It is the first political associatio ...
. In 1872 she issued an account of the life of
Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...
, ''The Liberator: His Life and Times, Political, Social, and Religious''. After receiving death threats upon publication of her book on the abuse of tenants on the Landsdowne and Kenmare estates in Kerry, she "effectively absconded from her enmare
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
on a supposed visit to Knock on 16 Nov. 1881."


Knock

Her transfer orders were for her to return to Newry, but she moved to Mayo where she was determined to erect a convent at Knock. Cusack has been described as "a temperamental extremist", "eccentric and rebellious", "passionate and difficult, constantly at odds with her ecclesiastical superiors", who was "an early and fervent believer in the
apparition of the Virgin Mary A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus. While sometimes described as a type of vision, apparitions are generally regarded as external manifestations, whereas visions are more often understood as i ...
at Knock".Vance, Norman. ''Irish Literature Since 1800''
Routledge, 2014,
Younger contemporaries of hers in the convent remembered her as "furious when disturbed and capable of making physical attacks", such as tugging off their veils. In 1880 she published the pamphlet ''The Apparition at Knock; with the depositions of the witness sexamined by the Ecclesiastical Commission appointed by His Grace the Archbishop of Tuam and the conversion of a young Protestant lady by a vision of the Blessed Virgin''. In 1936 Archbishop Thomas Gilmartin of Tuam established a second Commission of Enquiry. As most of the documents from the early years at Knock were assumed to have been lost, the commission was forced to rely upon press reports and devotional works printed in the 1880s, which portrayed the developing cult in a positive light, and interviews with Patrick Byrne and Mary Byrne O'Connell, the last surviving witnesses. A special tribunal was set by the Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop of New York, to examine John Curry who was residing there. In 1995, while doing research in
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, among the papers of Cusack, John J. White, came upon a large box marked 'pre-foundation papers'. "The box contained the original, unedited depositions of several of the 21 August 1879 witnesses, the original manuscript of the parish priest's account of cures, depositions and statements taken from witnesses in 1880, and hundreds of other documents and letters from people seeking or claiming cures through the intercession of Our Lady of Knock.". While there are many local shrines throughout Ireland, Cusack joined Canon
Ulick Bourke Ulick Joseph Bourke ( ; also known by his name in Irish, ''Uileog de Búrca''; 29 December 1829 – 22 November 1887) was an Irish scholar and writer who founded the Gaelic Union, which later developed into the Gaelic League (or ''Conradh na ...
and
Timothy Daniel Sullivan Timothy Daniel Sullivan (29 May 1827 – 31 March 1914) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, politician and poet who wrote the Irish national hymn "God Save Ireland", in 1867. He served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1886 to 1888 and a Member ...
in promoting Knock as a national Marian pilgrimage site. According to John J. White, professor of history at Dayton University, the Knock pilgrimages and the
Land League The Irish National Land League ( Irish: ''Conradh na Talún''), also known as the Land League, was an Irish political organisation of the late 19th century which organised tenant farmers in their resistance to exactions of landowners. Its prima ...
developed simultaneously along parallel lines. Both involved many of the same individuals and used similar methods of popularization and promotion. "The Cusack papers show how many figures from moderate nationalists to Land Leaguers and Fenians were actively involved with Knock." Although Cusack was widely seen as associated with the Land League, she herself claimed that she was not, and did not entirely approve of the movement.


Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

After she claimed the Virgin had spoken to her, and she seemed to become difficult to deal with, problems arose with the local priest and archbishop. Cusack planned to establish a training school for young women intending to emigrate so that they would have some job skills when they reached America. The Archbishop of Tuam's feelings on the matter were somewhat ambiguous. While he supported a training school for young women, he did not wish to encourage emigration, "There is plenty of room to spare for all our people at home, if things were well managed..." Nonetheless, as she pointed out that people would emigrate anyway, he agreed to support the plan. Archbishop McEvilly granted permission for her to establish a convent at Knock. However, the archbishop wanted her to establish a community of Poor Clares whilst she intended to found an entirely new community called the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Cusack believed that the Poor Clare's had been brought to Kenmare instead of the
Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The sisters of the congregation use th ...
for political reasons, a claim biographer Philomena McCarthy disproved and attributed to a disturbed mind. Cusack grew impatient with the Archbishop's failure to heed her advice and considered him an obstructionist. She left Knock in 1883 taking most of the records regarding the apparitions, as well as the funds pledged for the building of a new convent, the latter causing something of an international scandal. She left the Kenmare Poor Clares and went to England. In 1884, during an audience with
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
to seek his support, Cusack obtained permission for a dispensation to leave the order of the Poor Clares and found a new congregation, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, intended for the establishment and care of homes for friendless girls, where domestic service would be taught and moral habits inculcated. She opened the first house of the new order in
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, England and in 1885, a similar house in
Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
, the first foundation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace in the United States. She opened a hostel for Irish immigrant girls in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The earnings of her most notable writings – ''Lives of Irish Saints'' and ''Illustrated History of Ireland'' supported her convent. the congregation she founded had communities in Great Britain, Canada, Haiti, Ireland and the USA.


Departure from the Catholic Church

In Newark, she once again came into controversy with the local Catholic hierarchy, this time regarding among other things, funding, and her public support of a suspended priest. She wrote a 176-page pamphlet entitled, ''The Question of Today: Anti-Poverty and Progress, Labor and Capital''. In it, she defended Fr
Edward McGlynn Edward McGlynn (September 27, 1837 – January 7, 1900) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic priest and Reformism (historical), social reformer who was controversial in Catholic circles for his acceptance of public sc ...
, a vocal supporter of the political and economic views of
Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...
, which some considered to border on socialism. Archbishop
Michael Corrigan Michael Augustine Corrigan (August 13, 1839May 5, 1902) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902. Early life Michael Augustine Corrigan was born August 13, 1839, in N ...
of New York viewed Cusack's pamphlet as an attack on the authority of the Church and demanded an apology. She attempted to halt its publication, but was unsuccessful. Her involvement in a New York City political campaign also generated a good deal of controversy. Cusack resigned as head of her order in 1888 and placed a loyal friend
Honoria Gaffney Honoria Gaffney, CSJP (in religion Mary Evangelista; 1 May 1853 – 21 July 1920) was an Irish Catholic missionary nun who became superior general of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Life Gaffney was born in Kilronan on the Aran Islands ...
as the new leader, confirmed by a later election. Cusack returned to the
Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
and issued ''The Nun of Kenmare: An Autobiography'', also in 1888. Afterwards she lectured and wrote a number of anti-Catholic books: ''The Black Pope: History of the Jesuits'', ''What Rome Teaches'' (1892) and ''Revolution and War, the secret conspiracy of the Jesuits in Great Britain'' (published posthumously, 1910).


Death and legacy

Cusack died on 5 June 1899, aged 70, and was buried in a Church of England-reserved burial site at
Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...
, Warwickshire, England. Cusack passed into obscurity for a long time, until as a result of
Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilic ...
, religious orders were encouraged to review their roots and the intent of their founders. Since then there have been a number of studies on Cusack, such as Sister Philomena McCarthy's ''The Nun of Kenmare: The True Facts''. With the rediscovery of the life and times of Cusack, she has been hailed as a feminist or not, and a social reformer ahead of her times.


Writings

In 1868, Cusack's ''An Illustrated History of Ireland'' was published with illustrations by Henry Doyle, where, in a lengthy preface, she writes:
I believe there are honest and honorable men in England, who would stand aghast with horror if they thoroughly understood the injustices to which Ireland has been and ''still is'' subject. ...I believe the majority of Englishmen have not the faintest idea of the way in which the Irish tenant is oppressed, ''not by individuals'', for there are many landlords in Ireland devoted to their tenantry, but by a system.
Her novels include ''Ned Rusheen, or, Who Fired the First Shot?'' (1871); and ''Tim O'Halloran's Choice'' (1877). In 1872 she wrote ''Honehurst Rectory'', ridiculing Dr. Pusey and the other founders of the Puseyite order. That year the entire edition of her ''Life of St. Patrick'' burned in a fire at her publishing office. She issued ''Advice to Irish Girls in America'' (1872), which deals mainly with tips and suggestions relating to the profession of domestic service. Cusack shared the prevailing views at that time regarding women's capabilities both physically and intellectually. In 1874 she wrote ''Women's Work in Modern Society'', in which she exhorted women that their main influence was exercised as good Christian mothers. She both recognized and supported the class distinctions of her day.Luddy, Maria. ''Women in Ireland, 1800-1918: A Documentary History''
Cork University Press, 1995, , p. 1
Norman Vance sees Cusack as bridging the gap "...between eighteenth-century Catholic antiquarianism and the cultural nationalism of the Literary Revival." He describes her 1877 ''A History of the Irish Nation'' as "...strange but impressively learned and detailed". In 1878 ''The Trias Thaumaturga; or, Three Wonder-Working Saints of Ireland'' appeared, telling the lives of saints
Patrick Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
,
Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...
and
Brigit Brigid or Brigit ( , ; meaning 'exalted one'),Campbell, MikBehind the Name.See also Xavier Delamarre, ''brigantion / brigant-'', in ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'' (Éditions Errance, 2003) pp. 87–88: "Le nom de la sainte irlandaise ''B ...
. She issued ''Cloister Songs and Hymns for Children'' in 1881, and wrote verse. She published more than fifty works, chief among which are ''A Student's History of Ireland''; ''Lives of Daniel O'Connell, St. Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Bridget''; ''The Pilgrim's Way to Heaven''; ''Jesus and Jerusalem''; and ''The Book of the Blessed Ones''. Her two autobiographies are ''The Nun of Kenmare'' (1888) and ''The Story of My Life'' (1893).


Notes


References

*


External links

* *
Biography of Sister Margaret Anna Cusack

Excerpt from ''Women's Work in Modern Society''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusack, Margaret Anna 1829 births 1899 deaths Anglican nuns Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Converts to Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism Founders of Catholic religious communities Irish women writers Poor Clares Sisters of Saint Joseph People from Coolock People from Nottinghamshire 19th-century Irish nuns 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish writers Protestant Irish nationalists