"Act, move, believe, strive, hope, cry out to God with all your heart, for without doubt you will see marvelous things, if you direct everything to the praise and glory of God’s majesty and the good of souls.” - Saint Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursuline Sisters
Today's post is focused on my Great Grandmother - Mary Beatrice Clark Conrey.
Her family tree post can be viewed by clicking the button below. This post focuses on her involvement in the Order of Saint Ursuline (OSU).
Who were the Ursuline Sisters?
The nuns have a YouTube channel (who doesn't these days) and have posted two excellent oral histories of both the Order, and the campus in Kentucky.
Where and When did Mary attend?
Mary attended the Ursuline mission at Mount Saint Joseph in Maple Mount Kentucky. My cousin Sean Conrey posted copies of the school's 1932-1937 roll on Ancestry; I've made copies of them available on Mary's Memories page on FamilySearch. As time goes on, I'll probably be able to tag other sisters who attended the school in the docs so their families will have a connection, and possibly be able to share more information.
Interestingly, a Nun published a book about the history of the school: Chosen Arrows, An Historical Narrative, Ursulines of Kentucky by Sister Mary de Lourdes. A rather harsh review of the length and contrived style of the book was published in 1958 by the Catholic Standard. Still, there are some arresting details that emerge in the review: the Sisters assisted during the great influenza of 1918, and during the great flood of 1937 (during Mary's time there) by accepting refugees. I've never head of this flood, but a review of historic photos (horses in trees!), and a flood map shows how dire the situation was.
The Campus today
The campus remains today, largely as it stood. I have reached out to the Alumnae foundation for any additional information about Mary during her time there, and so they can remember her in their prayers. Look forward to it in a follow up post. In the meantime, enjoy these historic postcards of the campus.