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She was a descendant of two prominent New England families—Puritans who fled to America in search of religious freedom, and one of whom was a judge at the Salem witch trials. A woman of privilege, she spent much of her childhood in the cultured capitals of Europe. Her father was a famous author, and she became a published author of poems and stories in her own right.
How did this descendant of wealthy Puritans come to wear the habit of a Catholic nun under a vow of poverty? How did this cultured lady of society end up in New York’s tenements caring for destitute cancer patients?
Rose Hawthorne Lathrop didn’t seem the type to take on the menial calling of serving the needy. But unexpected twists and turns, unexpected sorrows and dreams led her to an unexpected life that brought her joy and made her a model of warmth, good humor, and trust in God. And because of this, her life has much to teach any of us who feel that our own lives have been derailed from the chance for human happiness.
Auspicious Beginnings. Rose was born in Lenox, Massachusetts, on May 20, 1851, the third and last child of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody. She…
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