"I'm sure there were times Constance was afraid, but she kept on putting one foot in front of the other, and we have to know that the spirit that was with her is with us, too.
-Sister Hannah, Prioress of the Community of St. Mary, Sewanee
This week on Faithfully Memphis, join the Reverend Lisa McIndoo, Rector of Holy Apostles Episcopal Church (Collierville) for a conversation with Sister Hannah, CSM, the Prioress of the Community of St. Mary in Sewanee, Tennessee. An Episcopal Benedictine monastic community for women, the community was founded in 1865 in New York – the first Episcopal monastic community in the United States. In 1873 the Community sent Sisters to Memphis to begin a school for girls and establish a Church home for the poor and needy, but their work was interrupted by the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878. All but one of the Sisters died in their attempts and are remembered today as the “Martyrs of Memphis” for their heroic service. The one surviving Sister moved to Sewanee, TN and in 1888 started what is now the Southern Province of the Sisters of St. Mary. Today the Sisters’ ministries include providing spiritual direction, leading retreats and workshops, preaching and teaching at churches across the country, and working with Oblates, Associates, volunteers, and Organic Prayer Program interns.
You can learn more about the Community of St. Mary here: https://www.communityofstmarysouth.org/
