SAN ANTONIO • The Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate celebrated the life of their foundress, Margaret Mary Healy Murphy, with a Mass on Aug. 25 to mark the 100th anniversary of her passing.
    Celebrant for the liturgy was Archbishop José H. Gomez, with a half dozen priests of the archdiocese serving as concelebrants.
    In his homily, the archbishop referred to the entrance antiphon of that day’s Mass from Psalm 26:1-2, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Who shall frighten me? The Lord is the defender of my life, who shall make me tremble?”
    The archbishop said, “One hundred years ago, Margaret Mary Healy Murphy went to heaven after a long life of dedication to God and others. Psalm 26 reminds us of her love and trust in God.”
    At the time of her death in 1907, Sister Margaret Mary Healy Murphy left behind a thriving community of 15 sisters and two postulants in San Antonio, Laredo and Oaxaca, México.

    “We give thanks to God for her life and her ministry in Texas,” said Archbishop Gomez, listing a litany of the nun’s accomplishments, including the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, St. Peter Claver Academy, now the Healy Murphy Center, and many other ministries of the congregation in different countries and dioceses.

    For over 80 years, St. Peter Claver School, founded by Sister Margaret Mary, educated and boarded African -American students. With the advent of integration, the sisters reorganized the school in 1970 and directed their attention to pregnant teenagers, high school dropouts and other students having difficulties in the traditional school environment. The newly accredited Healy Murphy Center was the first accredited alternative high school in Texas. Today, in addition to the facility, the sisters minister to the economically poor in the United States, Mexico and Zambia.

    Archbishop Gomez used the readings of the Mass to reflect on some of the aspects of Christian life that were in the life of Mother Margaret Mary Healy Murphy.
    The first reading featured the stories of Naomi and Ruth, two women who are part of the history of salvation in the Old Testament. They were, respectively, the mother and grandmother of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, the father of King David.

    “They, together with Mary, our Blessed Mother, and many other women in the Bible, are an essential part of the history of humanity and the specifically the history of the Catholic Church,” said the archbishop. “Recently we celebrated the feast of St. Rose of Lima, the first American saint, and we know of so many others, among them Mother Margaret Mary, each one of you, and so many others. The holiness and ministry of women in the life of the church is always essential.”
    Archbishop Gomez credited Pope John Paul II for calling attention to the “genius of women” in his letter to women in 1995.

    The Holy Father called for “heightening awareness of the many contributions made by women to the life of whole societies and nations. This contribution is primarily spiritual and cultural in nature, but socio-political and economic as well. The various sectors of society, nations and states, and the progress of all humanity, are certainly deeply indebted to the contribution of women! Progress usually tends to be measured according to the criteria of science and technology. Nor from this point of view has the contribution of women been negligible. Even so, this is not the only measure of progress, nor in fact is it the principal one. Much more important is the social and ethical dimension, which deals with human relations and spiritual values. In this area, which often develops in an inconspicuous way beginning with the daily relationships between people, especially within the family, society certainly owes much to the ‘genius of women.’”

    The archbishop surmised, “There is no doubt in my mind that this is possible because women, following the example of our Blessed Mother, have a special capacity of loving God and loving others.”
St. Rose of Lima, said Archbishop Gomez, spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily. “Her days were filled with acts of charity and industry. St. Rose helped the sick and hungry around her community. She would bring them to her home and take care of them,” he said. The prelate added that the same could be said of Mother Margaret Mary and her desire to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in the service of the African American people.

    On Pentecost Sunday in 1887, the feast of the Holy Spirit, Margaret Mary attended Mass at St. Mary’s Church in downtown San Antonio. The pastor read a letter from the bishops of the United States asking the church to reach out to the African American people. She felt that the Holy Spirit was asking her personally to respond. She immediately bought a site at the corner of Live Oak and Nolan Streets and began her school for African- American children. She built a brick church, a clergy house and a school building, completed in 1888. These facilities were the first parish and school for African-Americans in Texas.
    Given the discriminatory practices of the day, it was difficult for Murphy to keep teachers. In 1893, she founded a new congregation, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate.

    The archbishop quoted the words of St. Rose of Lima which appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “When we serve the poor and the sick we serve Jesus. We must not fail to help our neighbors, because in them we serve Jesus.” (CCC, #2449)

    Archbishop Gomez concluded by saying, “Today, we ask for the grace to continue our service to God and others, following the example of our Blessed Mother, and especially following the example of your foundress, Mother Margaret Mary Healy Murphy.”