Margaret Hallahan
Encyclopedia
Margaret Hallahan was an English Catholic nun, foundress of the Dominican Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena (third order);
for two years, and then at the age of eleven went out to service, in which state of life she remained a for nearly thirty years. In 1826 she accompanied the family in which she was living to Bruges
; there she tried her vocation as a lay sister in the convent of the English Augustinian nuns
, but only remained there a week.
She became a Dominican tertiary in 1842, and then came to England, proceeding to Coventry
where she worked under William Bernard Ullathorne
, afterwards Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham, among the factory girls. Presently she was joined by others, and with the consent of the Dominican fathers formed a community of Dominican tertiaries, who were to devote themselves to active works of charity.
The rule of the Third Order of St. Dominic, being intended for persons living in the world, was not suited to community life; she therefore drew up, from the rule of the first and second orders, constitutions which she adapted to her own needs. The first professions were made on the feast of the Immaculate Conception
, 1845. From Coventry the community moved to Bristol, where several schools were placed under their charge, from there they went to Longton
, the last of the pottery towns in Staffordshire
.
In 1851 her congregation received papal approbation, and in 1852 the foundation stone of St. Dominic's convent was laid at Stone, Staffordshire
, outside the Black Country
: this became the mother house and novitiate, and to it the Longton community afterwards moved. This Stone convent at one time enjoyed the reputation of numbering some of the cleverest women in England its subjects, of whom the late mother provincial, Theodosia Drane, was one.
At Stone a church and a hospital for incurables were built; this latter was one of Mother Margaret's schemes, and was begun on a small scale at Bristol. In 1857 she opened another convent at Stoke-on-Trent
, a few miles from Stone, and the same year founded an orphanage at the latter place.
In 1858 she went to Rome, to obtain the final confirmation of her constitutions, which was granted, and the congregation was placed under the jurisdiction of the Master General of the Dominicans, who appoints a delegate, generally the bishop of the diocese, to set for him. New foundations were made at Our Lady and St Catherine of Sienna in Bow, London
where Mother Margaret donated a relic of the Saint, and at Marychurch, Torquay
, before her death.
Life
Her parents were poor Irish Catholics, who died when their only child was nine years old. She was sent to an orphanage at Somers TownSomers Town
Somers Town or Somerstown may refer to:*Somers Town, London, a district of London, England*Somerstown, Portsmouth, a district of Portsmouth, England*Somers Town , a film directed by Shane Meadows...
for two years, and then at the age of eleven went out to service, in which state of life she remained a for nearly thirty years. In 1826 she accompanied the family in which she was living to Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
; there she tried her vocation as a lay sister in the convent of the English Augustinian nuns
Augustinian nuns
Augustinian nuns are the most ancient and continuous segment of the Roman Catholic Augustinian religious order under the canons of contemporary historical method. The Augustinian nuns, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , are several Roman Catholic enclosed monastic orders of women living...
, but only remained there a week.
She became a Dominican tertiary in 1842, and then came to England, proceeding to Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
where she worked under William Bernard Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne was an English Roman Catholic bishop and a missionary in Australia.-Early life:William Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, Yorkshire, the eldest of ten children of William Ullathorne, a prosperous grocer, draper and spirit merchant, and his wife Hannah, née Longstaff...
, afterwards Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham, among the factory girls. Presently she was joined by others, and with the consent of the Dominican fathers formed a community of Dominican tertiaries, who were to devote themselves to active works of charity.
The rule of the Third Order of St. Dominic, being intended for persons living in the world, was not suited to community life; she therefore drew up, from the rule of the first and second orders, constitutions which she adapted to her own needs. The first professions were made on the feast of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. It is the patronal feast day of the United States and the Republic of the...
, 1845. From Coventry the community moved to Bristol, where several schools were placed under their charge, from there they went to Longton
Longton, Staffordshire
Longton is a southern district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and is known locally as the "Neck End" of the city. Longton is one of the six towns of "the Potteries" which formed the City of Stoke-on-Trent in 1925.-History:...
, the last of the pottery towns in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
In 1851 her congregation received papal approbation, and in 1852 the foundation stone of St. Dominic's convent was laid at Stone, Staffordshire
Stone, Staffordshire
Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
, outside the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
: this became the mother house and novitiate, and to it the Longton community afterwards moved. This Stone convent at one time enjoyed the reputation of numbering some of the cleverest women in England its subjects, of whom the late mother provincial, Theodosia Drane, was one.
At Stone a church and a hospital for incurables were built; this latter was one of Mother Margaret's schemes, and was begun on a small scale at Bristol. In 1857 she opened another convent at Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, a few miles from Stone, and the same year founded an orphanage at the latter place.
In 1858 she went to Rome, to obtain the final confirmation of her constitutions, which was granted, and the congregation was placed under the jurisdiction of the Master General of the Dominicans, who appoints a delegate, generally the bishop of the diocese, to set for him. New foundations were made at Our Lady and St Catherine of Sienna in Bow, London
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
where Mother Margaret donated a relic of the Saint, and at Marychurch, Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, before her death.