MOTHER CLARE MOORE

THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF MOTHER CLARE MOORE.

Twenty Twenty-Four is a remarkable year of celebration for the Sisters of Mercy in Bermondsey. On the 19th of November we will be giving thanks for the arrival of Venerable Catherine McAuley and five Sisters to Bermondsey and on the 14th of December we will be celebrating with gratitude the life of Mother Clare Moore as we remember the 150th Anniversary of her death. It is only fitting that we should reflect on the huge contribution that Clare made to life in the Archdiocese of Southwark and further afield in the Crimea.  

On the 20th of March 1814 Georgina Moore was born in Dublin to George and Catherine Moore who resided in the parish of St Anne. Her parents were non-Catholic.  Sadly, Georgina’s father died when she was only three years old.    In 1823, when Georgina was about nine her mother converted to Catholicism ensuring that her daughter had the opportunity to be brough up in the Catholic faith. It understood that Georgina got acquainted with Catherine McAuley, possibly through attending Mass at the Carmelite Church in Clarendon Street.  Gradually Georgina learned of the work in Baggot Street and decided to join a group of lay women who were devoted helpers of Catherine in what was then a night refuge for homeless poor girls and servant women in mortal danger. It is known historically that these lay women were also involved in visiting the sick poor in local hospitals.  Catherine saw in Georgina an admirable young lady capable of many valuable ministries and she entrusted her own young niece, also called Catherine McAuley, and an adopted cousin to her care as a governess.

Georgina, because of ill health, left Baggot Street on a temporary basis and eventually returned to receive the habit on 23/01/1832 being then eighteen years old.  She requested the name Mary Clare it being the Baptismal name of her older sister Mary Clare who later became a Sister of Mercy.   At that time cholera was raging in Dublin and the Sisters found themselves extremely busy working in the hospitals in Townsend Street.

On the 24th of March 1833 Georgina made her Final Vows as a Sister of Mercy.   Present in the chapel for the occasion were Daniel Murray, Archbishop of Dublin, Mother Catherine McAuley and several Sisters of Mercy. Clare was an intelligent and an obviously trusted companion of Catherine. It is alleged that she assisted Catherine in the preparation of the original Rule and Constitutions 

 In July 1837 Clare was sent to Cork to open a Convent and following on from there in 1839 Clare was once again on the move accompanying Catherine and five other Sisters to open the first Convent of Mercy outside Ireland in the parish of Holy Trinity Church Bermondsey. Time did not stand still, and more responsibility was thrust upon her.  It was seen that the Sister appointed to be superior in Bermondsey was more suited to the enclosed life and so her tenure was short lived. The obvious choice for Superior was Mary Clare Moore. The work of the Bermondsey Community was multifaceted.  They visited the sick poor in their homes along Mill Street which was where Dickens got his inspiration to write Oliver Twist and they were well known for visitation at the hospitals of Guys and St Thomas’. The Sisters undertook the instruction of children in preparation for the Sacraments, instructed adult converts, conducted poor schools for female children of the parish and nursery classes for toddlers. They assisted the poor in countless ways providing welfare and the listening ear to many in physical and spiritual difficulty.  Clare Moore was the energy behind all these activities encouraging the community to be steadfast in their resolve to walk with those in every kind of need.  The Bermondsey annals say of her ‘her governing powers were extraordinary as once remarked of her by one of the bishops with whom she worked; she was fit to rule a kingdom’

Catherine McAuley said, ‘You can never say it is enough’ and certainly in Clare Moore’s life that was also her maxim. On October 17th, 1854, Clare with four other Bermondsey Sisters went to the Crimea to nurse the wounded and sick soldiers of the British Isles and Ireland who were involved in the war with Russia. They were given three days’ notice to be ready at the request of Bishop Grant of Southwark in a response for nurses by Sidney Herbert, the Secretary at War.   Clare was assigned to the hospital in Scutari Turkey and worked there until peace was declared.   It was under the direction of Florence Nightingale that Clare Moore and the Sisters followed their daily routine.  It was from this experience that Florence Nightingale became close to Clare Moore whom she greatly respected.  The work of the Sisters was varied and not only included nursing but also involved comforting a dying soldier promising to write to his mother or his wife assuring them that he died in peace. Many unpleasant situations confronted the Sisters daily. One Sister wrote home ‘I had two rats in my bed last night or maybe it was the same rat twice’.  Because Clare became seriously ill, she had to leave Scutari before all the wounded had returned home.  Florence Nightingale was deeply saddened to see Clare leave and wrote the following from Balaclava.  ‘You going home is the greatest blow I have had yet, but God’s blessing and my love and gratitude go with you’.

During the thirty-five years of her life in Bermondsey Clare’s remarkable skills were put to good use. Word spread to many parts of England about the remarkable Mercy Ministries carried out by the Sisters and many requests arrived seeking foundations.  The following are the ones for which Clare was responsible.

CHELSEA................1845 - 1954

BRISTOL.................1846 - 1967

GREAT ORMOND STREET....1856-1899

WIGTON...............1857 - 2007

ABINGDON...........1860 - 2011

CLIFFORD..............1870 - 1971

ELTHAM.................1874

OTHER REQUESTS NOT FULFILLED

MAURITIUS – 1858

AGRA INDIA – 1860

NORWICH – 1861

EDINBURGH – 1867 – 1869 Sr Teresa Kearney (on loan)

WELLINGTON NEWZEALAND – 1870

Everything that Clare achieved was far from plain sailing but with courage and determination she met each obstacle with faith and courage.  During her tenure in Bermondsey, she worked closely with the hierarchy, but the Bishop with whom she worked very closely was Bishop Thomas Grant, Bishop of Southwark until his death in Rome in 1870.  His correspondence with Clare showed great respect for her integrity and wisdom.  On one occasion he confided to Clare that he was dealing with two very serious matters quickly adding that these matters did not concern the Convent! The Bishop often asked Clare to respond to requests on his behalf such as requests for a Sister to be released to help with nursing a sick person known to the Bishop. There are many letters in the Bermondsey Archives which clearly show Thomas Grant’s helpfulness to Clare and hers to him.  That aside Clare did not neglect her own Sisters and there is much evidence in the Archives to show how diligent Clare was in this matter. To one she wrote “Experience is the best teacher- we grow wise through our blunders”; to another “Do all with an upright intention, and never look back”, and yet to another “We are not angels; faults will be committed, mistakes made. Well, they can be remedied by quiet patience, and cheerfulness above all. Always look on the bright side of everything and don’t let anything trouble you.

Clare had a tender devotion to the poor and was instrumental in starting the First Communion Breakfast for the children of the parish which was faithfully carried out in Bermondsey up to Pandemic times. In 1874 she was proactive in establishing the house in Eltham just nine miles down the road when money in Bermondsey was indeed very scarce. That was a real endeavor to assist a huge need where 25 girls were living in abject poverty in a place stripped of everything except miserable straw mattresses and thread bare clothing. In a short time, the place was scrubbed clean and well supplied with essential items to provide the girls with a comfortable place in which to live. On top of that they were given respectable clothing together with good food to enable their welfare and happiness. 

Sadly, Clare only lived ten weeks after that challenging undertaking.  On December 2nd she caught a bad cold which developed into pleurisy and on December 14th she died peacefully in her own bed in Bermondsey in her sixty first year.

Reflecting on this short article we get insight into an extraordinary Mercy woman of vision, love for humanity especially the poor who was well ahead of her time and who followed Catherine’s maxim ‘NEVER SAY IT IS ENOUGH’. We may be tempted to think that it was the 2nd Vatican Council that gave us the authority to launch out and embrace different ministries. Nothing could be further from the truth as we already had a remarkable woman like Clare who saw a need and responded with courage, faith and generosity. May this historical event of 150 years since the death of Clare give us courage to claim our Chapter Mandate “WHAT MERCY MIGHT YET BE “in 2024 and beyond.

REST IN PEACE CLARE AND WAIT FOR US ON THE OTHER SIDE

Sr Assumpta Walsh February 2024