Mother Frances Mary Teresa Ball
Encyclopedia
Mother Frances Mary Teresa Ball (born in Dublin 9 January 1794; died 19 May 1861) was the foundress of the Irish Branch of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM).
was still suppressed in Ireland
at this time. She was therefore sent to England at the age of nine to the Bar Convent
in York, which was an IBVM school, although Mary Ward was not acknowledged as the foundress. In these times students did not return home for Easter, Christmas or summer holidays. They stayed at the school, and lived like religious people, until they left school, usually in their late teens.
.
With the support of the Archbishop of Dublin
, who hoped that she would set up an IBVM community in Dublin, Frances returned to York to enter The Bar Convent, where she took the religious name of Teresa. Mother Teresa Ball returned to Dublin in 1823 to start her work of setting up in Irish branch of the Institute, which she called Loreto sisters after the shrine at Loreto, Marche in Italy where Mary Ward used to pray.
that she was to be the head of a new religious congregation, and twenty-seven when she returned to Ireland as superior of the Irish branch of the IBVM.
, or rather, to use her own spelling, Loretto House, an error which remained uncorrected for many years. The town of Loreto
in Italy holds a famous relic, an old house which is said to be the house where the Holy Family lived in Nazareth. According to the local tradition, it was carried to Loreto by angels in the year 1295 to protect it from destruction by the Saracens. The Holy House of Loreto became one of the great pilgrimage centres of mediaeval Italy and devotion to Our Lady of Loreto was commended by many popes and saints. The devotion of Mary Ward to the shrine at Loreto is well documented.
The first of many Loreto schools began at Rathfarnham Abbey in Dublin. For almost forty years after bringing the IBVM to Ireland Teresa Ball established a wide network of convents and schools across Ireland, as well as in India, Mauritius and Canada. She died in 1861 after a long and painful illness.
Early life
Frances Ball was born into a wealthy Dublin family. CatholicismCatholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
was still suppressed in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at this time. She was therefore sent to England at the age of nine to the Bar Convent
Bar Convent
The Convent of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin at Micklegate Bar, York, better known as Bar Convent, is the oldest surviving Roman Catholic convent in England, established in 1686. The laws of England at this time prohibited the foundation of Catholic convents and as a result of this, the...
in York, which was an IBVM school, although Mary Ward was not acknowledged as the foundress. In these times students did not return home for Easter, Christmas or summer holidays. They stayed at the school, and lived like religious people, until they left school, usually in their late teens.
Her calling
Frances returned home to Dublin at the age of sixteen. She was youthful, talented, had a striking presence and personality, and was much sought after by eligible young men. Frances was expected to make an admirable wife for the son and heir of some rich Catholic Dublin merchant family. At her debutante ball, a fashionable and lively occasion, she realised that she did not belong in the ballroom or in the life it represented. God was calling her to dedicate her life completely to his service. He wanted her to be a nunNun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
.
With the support of the Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
, who hoped that she would set up an IBVM community in Dublin, Frances returned to York to enter The Bar Convent, where she took the religious name of Teresa. Mother Teresa Ball returned to Dublin in 1823 to start her work of setting up in Irish branch of the Institute, which she called Loreto sisters after the shrine at Loreto, Marche in Italy where Mary Ward used to pray.
Her character
Her natural reserve was allied with a natural authority: she was only eighteen years old when told by Archbishop MurrayDaniel Murray (archbishop)
Daniel Murray was a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin.He was educated at Dr. Betagh's school, and at Salamanca, and ordained priest in 1790. After some years as curate in Dublin he was transferred to Arklow, and was there in 1798 when the rebellion broke out...
that she was to be the head of a new religious congregation, and twenty-seven when she returned to Ireland as superior of the Irish branch of the IBVM.
Loreto schools
It has never been fully explained why Mother Teresa decided to name her convent Loreto HouseLoreto House
Loreto House was established in 1842 by the Sisters of Loreto belonging to the institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the oldest and the first Loreto institution to be established in India and one of the few all-girls catholic schools at that time in India.There are two school buildings, one...
, or rather, to use her own spelling, Loretto House, an error which remained uncorrected for many years. The town of Loreto
Loreto (AN)
Loreto is a hilltown and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is mostly famous as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.-Location:...
in Italy holds a famous relic, an old house which is said to be the house where the Holy Family lived in Nazareth. According to the local tradition, it was carried to Loreto by angels in the year 1295 to protect it from destruction by the Saracens. The Holy House of Loreto became one of the great pilgrimage centres of mediaeval Italy and devotion to Our Lady of Loreto was commended by many popes and saints. The devotion of Mary Ward to the shrine at Loreto is well documented.
The first of many Loreto schools began at Rathfarnham Abbey in Dublin. For almost forty years after bringing the IBVM to Ireland Teresa Ball established a wide network of convents and schools across Ireland, as well as in India, Mauritius and Canada. She died in 1861 after a long and painful illness.