Saints of Education: Mother Catherine

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Mother Catherine, a woman of great courage and vision, is the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy who have served in our parish school since it opened in 1959. Mother was born on September 29, 1778 and died November 11, 1841. Her window faces the parish school and is positioned next to two other saints of education (St. Herman Joseph and St. Elizabeth Seton).

Mother Catherine’s face is based on a portrait painted while she was still living. She wears the original habit of the Sisters of Mercy. In her right hand she holds the rosary worn by the Sisters which is distinguished by the characteristic “Mercy Cross” (white inner Cross superimposed on a black outer Cross). This Cross also forms part of our parish school’s official shield. She wears on her left hand the simple ring which symbolizes the total consecration of her life to Jesus, her heavenly Spouse.

Mother is holding a cup of tea. Shortly before her death, when her sisters had been keeping vigil around the clock and wearing themselves out to take care of her in her final illness, Mother Catherine instructed the superior to “give them a cup of tea when I’m gone”.

The background has several details which evoke the Irish countryside, homeland of Mother Catherine and our Mercy Sisters. Typical hills, farmland, cottages, sheep and a grazing horse can be seen in addition to the shamrocks growing at her feet. The cat at Mother’s feet is a special tribute to Sister Mary Vianney Ennis, the Mercy Sister who has served our school the longest. She came to St. John’s in 1962 and became principal in 1975. Sister has endeared herself to generations of alumni and their families and happens to be a great lover of cats (the cat portrayed here belongs to the artist who designed the windows!).

The window contains the keys, symbol of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, placed in Mother Catherine’s window because of her great devotion to the mystery of God’s Mercy. They symbolize the power granted by Christ to His apostles (and through them to all priests) to bind and loose sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (cf. Jn. 20:22-23). The keys face away from each other to symbolize binding and loosing of sins. The cross-shaped design in the keys reminds us that it is the Lord’s Cross that unlocks the fountain of God’s mercy in our lives. These keys also happen to resemble the actual keys of Mother Catherine on display at her first foundation in Baggot Street, Dublin.

The shield in the lower panel is that of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher to which the donor of the windows belongs. The shield bears the typical “Jerusalem Cross” composed of five different Greek crosses, a large one in the middle for the wound in the heart of Christ and two at the top and bottom for the wounds in Our Lord’s hands and feet. All are in the color of blood.