Hallahan, Margaret
Hallahan, Margaret
Also known as Margaret of the Mother of God
Profile Born to poor Irish parents. Orphaned at age nine, she lived in an orphanage at Somers Town for two years. At age 11 she found work as a servant . In 1826 she accompanied her employers to Bruges . There she tried a vocation as a lay sister in the convent of the English Augustinian nuns, but stayed only a week, feeling that God had other work for her. Dominican tertiary in 1842 . Left her employ, and travelled to Conventry, England , where she worked with factory girls under the direction of Dr Ullathorne who was later bishop of Birmingham . She was soon joined by other women, and with them she formed a community of Dominican tertiaries who devoted themselves to charity. The Dominican Third Order Rule not being suited to the community’s life, Margaret drew up her own; the first professions were made in 1845 . The community moved to Bristol, where several schools were placed under their charge, then to Longton. The congregation, the Dominican Congregation of Saint Catherine of Siena (third order), received papal approval in 1851, and began building its first convent in 1852 . They later built other convents and orphanages. Margaret refused government aid for her schools , or to allow government inspection, but her congregation now follows the custom of the country in these respects. Her Cause for Canonization is under way.
Born 23 January 1803 at London , England
Died 10 May 1868 at Stone, England
Venerated pending; if you have information relevant to the Cause of Mother Margaret, contact
Dominican Sisters of Stone
Station Road
Stone, Staffs ST15 8EN, UNITED KINGDOM
Additional Information Catholic Encyclopedia
Readings Prayer for Beatification of Mother Margaret Hallahan:
Lord, in the life of Margaret of the Mother of God , you give us an example of zeal for your glory, love of your will, devotion to your Immaculate Mother, loyalty to your Vicar on earth. Give us grace to conquer our faults, imitate her virtues and live a holy life. If it is your pleasure to glorify Margaret here on earth, grant us the favours we ask through her intercession. You who live and reign world without end. Amen.
-Imprimatur: Maurice Couve de Murville, Archbishop of Birmingham , 29 May 1993
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Hallahan, Margaret
Foundress of the Dominican Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena (third order); b. in London, 23 January, 1803; d. 10 May, 1868. The parents of this remarkable, holy woman were poor and lowly Irish Catholics, who died when Margaret, their only child was nine years old. She was sent to an orphanage at Somers Town for two years, and then at the age of eleven went out to service, in which state of life she remained 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 ramained there a week, feeling sure God had other work for her. She became a Dominican tertiary in 1842, and then came to England, proceeding to Coventry where she worked under Dr. Ullathorne, afterwards 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 Stafford-shire, where a large field of labour was opened to them.
In 1851 her congregation received papal approbation, and in 1852 the foundation stone of St. Dominic’s convent was laid at Stone, also in Stafford-shire, but not in the Black Country: this became the mother house and novitiate, and to it the Longton community afterwards rnoved. 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 dearest 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 Bow, and at Marychurch, Torquay, before her death. She was a woman of great gifts both natural and supernatural, she had marvellous faith and wonderful determination. She refused to accept government aid for any of her schools, or to place them under government inspection, but since her death her congregation has followed the custom of the country in these respects.
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Life of Mother Margaret Hallahan by her religious children (Lordon, 1869); Die Orden und Congregationem der katholischen Kirche II (Paderborn, 1901); STEELE, Convents of Great Britain (London, 1902).
FRANCESCA M. STEELE Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIICopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York