Sister Mary DeSales Browne: An angel of Mercy in the War

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) by Therese and Terry Winschel — Dearest reader, I am Sister Mary DeSales Browne. Upon my birth in 1826 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, which is east of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, I was given the name Fannie. My parents were of Irish/American descent and were blessed with five children, four daughters and one son. They were very dedicated to their faith.

We travelled many miles to go to Mass and my mother took on the role of religious instructor for both her children and others in our neighborhood. Her hospitality to missionary priests and efforts to provide education about the Catholic Church led our Bishop to call her the “Apostle of Western Pennsylvania”. Her love of church and community inspired me and my sisters, and we longed to be able to help others in meaningful ways. In order to accomplish this, I wanted to join an order of Religious Sisters. My pastor encouraged me to wait until the Sisters of Mercy came from Ireland and in 1843, the first group of the Sisters of Mercy came to Pittsburgh and at age nineteen, I became one of the first postulants. After taking my vows, I was known as Sister Mary Desales Browne. My sisters followed my path to the order also becoming Sisters of Mercy. Teresa became Sister Regina, Mary became Sister Joseph, and Martha became Sister Vincent.

I began my ministry at the Orphan Asylum in Pittsburgh and was later transferred to Mercy Hospital where I received training as a surgical nurse. Sisters from Pittsburgh were called to take over the Washington Infirmary, so I traveled to our nation’s capital and was selected as administrator for the Infirmary in 1855. Unfortunately in 1859, I suffered some health issues, which required a prolonged convalescence at the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Baltimore. During my recuperation, the Sisters received a request from Bishop William Elder of Mississippi for the sisters to start a school for his most populous Catholic City, Vicksburg, Mississippi, and I was chosen to lead a group of six sisters in October of 1860 to start a school. I had many qualms about this new “adventure”, but “I tried to remain perfectly resigned to God’s Will, in spite of the feeling that with my ill health I was unfit to establish our order so far away; but with the thought that I would have to bear this cross only for a short time, since my frail body indicated a journey to heaven rather than to Mississippi, I calmly waited until the burden of administration would be laid on abler shoulders.”

But God had his plan and I was able to make the journey where I met a new pastor and co-worker Father Francis Xavier Leray. Together, Father Leray and our sisters established our school. In addition to administering our school, I found another area of ministry as I visited the “wretched homes of the new immigrants on the levee. After a successful start in Vicksburg, war exploded between the North and South.

Gunboats began bombarding the River City and my sisters were terribly afraid. The Confederate Army requested our help in taking care of the sick and wounded. While Bishop Elder gave his permission, he insisted Father Leray accompany us to provide protection and spiritual services. Father Leray comforted us all by saying, “You have given yourself to God, and He is bound to take care of you.”

We allowed the novices to return to their homes if they wanted and those who remained took on this new challenge travelling outside of Vicksburg to meet the needs of the sick and wounded soldiers.

After Vicksburg fell in 1863, Bishop Elder insisted we come back to reclaim our property and reopen our school. We weathered the storms of Civil War and Reconstruction, educating, ministering to the infirm and others in need. Our efforts at education were met with great success as our students grew in number, so did our group of sisters. Our property expanded as we added school rooms and a convent house to our original building.

Over the years, we were happy to answer the call of those in need, but that call was never more desperately needed than in 1878. “The fever here was of the worst character that I had ever seen. Deaths frequently occurred in a few hours. Whole families had been swept away. We found a dead body in every house on the levee. The whole place was a desert with not a human being to be seen in the streets. Barrels of pitch were burning in a frantic effort to slow the spread of the dreaded disease. At Dr. Booth’s request, the City Hospital had been turned over to us. Dr. Booth told us that not only the wards, but the corridors were filled with the sick. People were dying on the floor and some of his nurses had fled in terror. Our sisters nursed as many as three hundred patients a day. From morning to night Bishop Elder was found at the bedside of the dying, administering sacraments, consoling, and encouraging all. We prayed that God would come to our aid as He alone could help us at that point.”

The priests became sick, some died. Bishop Elder became gravely ill as did many of my Sisters. I, myself fell ill with the fever, but I suffered most over the death of six of my dearest sisters, who had served with me at the hospital. I saw my little community devastated by the dread pestilence and prayed that other communities would be spared if it be God’s will.

Father Leray survived and became the Bishop of New Orleans and Bishop Elder recovered and became the Archbishop of Cincinnati. God spared me and others to continue His work in Vicksburg where the need was great as families struggled to survive from the devastation and loss of so many loved ones. 

Thankfully, I lived long enough to see a level of normalcy return to our beloved city before passing away at the age of 84 in 1910. 

*Script written by Therese and Terry Winschel*