Sunday, March 8, 2009

Her Family and Her Faith - Margaret's Envelope Post 8

If you've just happened upon this series, you may want to start at the beginning - go to the labels listed below on the right, select Margaret's Envelope and start with Post 1 - you don't want to miss a thing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


There are only a few items left to post in this series of items from Margaret's Envelope. Of note, is the theme of most of the items that I've uncovered - all were of her family or her faith, and some both. One item is missing from this envelope - Margaret's Rosary. I am told that it was in a small pouch and was among these items for many years, but now it is missing - something that I would love to find. Obviously a devout Catholic, Margaret had a prayer book that I'm told she read from often. This book, The Treasury of the Sacred Heart, is pictured here along with a very small bookmark that was inside.


Inside this book is a Preface, dated 1860, stating that this smaller work is acceptable by the Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin. Yet the book was printed in London. I can't help but wonder if it previously belonged to one of Margaret's parents.



As I thumb through the pages of this very small book (it's only 3x5") I find Margaret's memories tucked between the pages, some of which have already been posted here. With her son John's First Communion card, I find a small tattered piece of ribbon - could he have worn that with a flower that day? In the page with the Mass for the Dead I find the memorial cards for her father and father-in-law. There are a couple of folded small newspaper clippings about her son William, a rosary prayer card, things that have been laminated, and years of wear to the book which is in very good condition for its age, yet worn from hands that held it and read from it. Margaret obviously had a great love for her family and her Catholic faith. Although I am told that she was a stoic, almost stern woman, who didn't talk about things - she kept much tucked away where she could revisit it and could remember, while praying and keeping her faith.

No comments:

Post a Comment