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Read MoreOur Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day, Memphis, Tennessee
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Hispanic Catholics in Memphis celebrated the Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day on December 12, 2019. Under a full moon, participants danced along the streets of Memphis in procession from Sacred Heart Catholic Church to Immaculate Conception Church where they then attended mass.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe and La Morenita, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a Marian apparition and a venerated image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Requiem Mass said for Mary Agnes Magevney (1841–1891)
On the night of a full moon, which was also Friday the 13th, the Magevney Society held a high requiem Mass (in the Extraordinary Form) in remembrance of prominent Memphis historical figure Mother Mary Agnes Magevney (1841–1891). The Mass was held at St. Peter Church in downtown Memphis.
She was the first child of Eugene and Mary Magevney, who arrived in Memphis when its population was only about 1,000. It is believed that the first Catholic Mass in Memphis was celebrated in their home.
St. Peter’s is located at 190 Adams Ave in downtown Memphis, next door to the original Magevney family home, one of the oldest homes standing in Memphis. It has long been called “The Cradle of Catholicism” in Memphis.
Mother Mary Agnes’s baptism was held in the parlor of the home and is the first Catholic baptism recorded in West Tennessee. She was educated at St. Agnes Academy in Memphis and later became a sister. In 1882, she traveled by train to Galveston, Texas, which was in dire need of teachers, to start a Dominican congregation.
Many ladies who attended the recent High Requiem Mass wore veils; being in Extraordinary Form, the Mass was celebrated entirely in Latin with the celebrant, Rev. Yoelvis Gonzalez, facing the altar. Complete traditional vestments were worn.
Incense rose into the rafters as powerful sacred harmonies, sung by the Memphis Renaissance Schola, flowed down from the choir loft. The Requiem Mass music was composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria (c.1548-1611) and is considered to be his masterpiece.
“This is in fulfillment of one of her dying requests,” said Michael A. Beauregard, who founded the Magevney Society, a small group of Memphians who are trying to draw attention to the virtuous life of Mother Mary Agnes. She suffered terribly towards the end of her life, offered up her suffering, and made a specific request on her deathbed for the faithful to offer Masses for her soul.
“I started researching her life more in-depth about three years ago and was captivated by her life of redemptive suffering and her piety. I desired to learn as much as I could about this person from our own city who clearly lived for the glory of God and worked for the salvation of souls.” said Beuregard.
Remaining in the collection of her belongings is a handkerchief that was used to wipe away her last tears.
Some of the personal effects of Mother Mary Magevney were displayed at St. Peter's after the requiem Mass (some for the very first time) and will stay on display between Sept. 11 and mid-October.
“Mother Mary Magevney led an incredible life and she endured incredible sufferings for the good of others during her life. “ said Beauregard. “We want to promote her life as a life of inspiration to others.”
The stories are well documented by first hand accounts and it is through that information that so much is known about her life and especially her love of God.
Standing in the living room where Magevney was brought up, Sr. Deborah Coffey, OSB, of Holy Angels Convent, said many of the saints offered their suffering for the salvation of others. “ Many of the great saints do that and this is another modern day example. “
“This requiem Mass is in fulfillment of her dying request to have masses said for her soul” said Beauregard. “She is the first daughter of the Catholic church in west Tennessee. Here we have a great individual in our own back yard and someone who is not well known. “
Speaking of the Magevney House, Beauregard said “It is truly a local treasure because of its age, history, and its ties with early Catholicism in West Tennessee. One of the most interesting pieces in the house is the original bureau that was improvised as an altar in 1839 for the first Catholic Mass in Memphis (at least since the time the city was founded in 1819).” he explains. “I was captivated by her life of redemptive suffering and her piety. “
The Magevney Society members plan to wait and see how the Catholics of Memphis receive the story of her virtuous life. If people here are very interested in helping promote her life, at that point they may ask the church to proclaim her a servant of God.
By Karen Pulfer Focht – Photojournalist ©
SEE THIS STORY IN PRINT IN THE NOVEMBER FAITH MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MEMPHIS.
Last Public Mass Held at Monastery of St. Clare
The Poor Clare Nuns held the last public mass on Sunday, Aug, 11 2019, at the Monastery of St Clare in Memphis. The nuns will be leaving the building that has housed their order since 1932 in the Frayser neighborhood. The monastery will be closed at the end of the year.
Memphis, Tenn. - Concealed behind tall brick walls and strong iron gates in a struggling Memphis neighborhood, nuns have been quietly praying for the city and its people since 1932.
Few people have been behind the walls of this monastery. The silent and prayerful lives of the women, who have chosen to live here in community, remain a mystery and a curiosity to most outsiders.
But they do have friends. The many friends of the Monastery of St. Clare, are a loyal group of followers who have supported them in every way you can imagine, only asking for prayer in return.
In a neighborhood that is plagued by crime and residents fighting to climb out of poverty, these women have chosen a life that St. Clare called the “privilege of highest poverty.” The nuns rely on their friends for generosity, food, donations and even occasional help around the monastery.
They have been called to a life of prayer and silence. To live in community and in radical poverty.
The day they celebrated the Feast of St. Clare, on August, 11th, 2019, the sisters were applauded for all the fruits of their prayer during their last public mass for the Catholics of Memphis. The chapel was full; it was standing room only.
“In these past 87 years, the community began to dwindle” explains Father Albert Haase during that mass. He shared their process of discernment with the worshipers in attendance. Gradually their community has gotten smaller and smaller; they prayed and asked “what does God want from us now?” Each of them came to realize, their mission here has been completed. “Their mission here is complete” he says “but their vocation goes on.”
Choked up, finding it difficult to get out the words that she had planned to share, Sister Marguerite said, “We are leaving, but we will continue to pray for you and you will always be in our hearts.”
She looked into the faces of the husbands, wives, children and elderly that she had spent a lifetime praying for, but she was unable to say more.
After the service, a small child, Emma Bills, 7, held onto her. She had been baptized at the monastery. Her grandparents lived near the monastery, her mother grew up near the monastery and they all had built a relationship with the sisters.
In May of 2018 the Vatican issued guidelines that all contemplative communities should have at least seven members. This, the last contemplative monastery in Tennessee, has dwindled to four.
So, they sought out ways to continue their vocations. They reached out to other Poor Clare communities around the country. Sister Anthony will be going to the Poor Clare’s in Cincinnati with Sister Alma. Sister Marguerite and Sister Claudia will be going to live with the Poor Clare’s at the Travelers Rest, South Carolina.
Written by Karen Pulfer Focht ©
Freelance Photojournalist in Memphis