Ellen Organ

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Ellen Organ
Ireland
DiedFebruary 2, 1908(1908-02-02) (aged 4)
Cork, Ireland
Resting place
  • Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Cork, Ireland (1908-1909)
  • Good Shepherd Sisters Convent Cemetery, Sunday's Well
, Cork, Ireland (1909-present)
MonumentsTomb in Good Shepherd Sisters Convent Cemetery, Cork, Ireland
Other names
  • Little Nellie of Holy God
  • The Little Violet of the Blessed Sacrament

Ellen Organ (August 24, 1903 – February 2, 1908), known as Little Nellie of Holy God, was an Irish child, venerated by some in the

Holy Communion. In 1910, Pope Pius X issued the decree Quam singulari
, which lowered the age of Holy Communion for children from 12 years to around 7.

Early life

She was born in Waterford City, Ireland,

fort situated in Cork harbour. Here, while the family hoped for better times, Ellen's mother Mary fell ill, and for over a year she struggled to raise her family as her health declined. In January 1907 she died of tuberculosis
. With four children all under the age of nine, William found it impossible to raise them and maintain his job. A helpful neighbour helped from time to time, but he was beginning to feel the strain.

Meanwhile, Ellen Organ, already a delicate child, was displaying signs of disability: it seems a serious fall as a baby had left its mark. Her spine had become crooked, her hips and back, out of joint, caused her constant pain and as she grew she became unable to sit up straight.

William finally realised he could not care for the children himself and, in May 1907, he put each of his four children into care. Ellen Organ and her sister Mary were sent first to a hospital run by the

Good Shepherd Sisters
.

Life in the orphanage

Ellen Organ lives in the Convent of the Good Shepherd Sisters.

Ellen Organ lived for eight months under the care of the

Good Shepherd Sisters. She spent most of her time in the infirmary
.

Her religious experiences

She loved to visit the

discernment".[citation needed
]

Meanwhile, she began to claim to have visions. She related how she saw

Infant of Prague dancing for her. Her already precocious faith was growing, and those who came to know her testified to her holiness. She so impressed the sisters they began to entertain the possibility of recommending the child for the sacrament of confirmation. Contacting the local bishop, he agreed, and she was confirmed on October 8, 1907.[2]

First Communion

The child soon began to ask to receive

Communion
, the child would ask them to kiss her so she could somehow share in their Communion.

According to the rules of the Roman Catholic Church no child could receive Communion before a certain age. A four-year-old child was thought to be at least six years too young. The sisters spoke with a

age of reason, albeit at an extraordinarily young age. He brought the matter to the bishop's attention who, after thinking about it for a short while, consented, and Ellen Organ made her First Communion
on December 6, 1907.

Last months

Between December 1907 and February 1908, Ellen Organ's health declined. She was in constant pain. Given the times, there was little that could be done. The sisters tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Various visitors, including the Bishop of Cork, noticed her

caries, making it difficult and painful for her to eat. The mouth disease caused a horrible odour which her caregivers treated with disinfectant. She did not complain of the pain this caused her as she instead, holding the crucifix in her small hands, contemplated the pain that Christ endured during the crucifixion, stating, Poor Holy God. Poor Holy God. It was noted by the sisters and nurses that after she began receiving Holy Communion, the smell completely disappeared.[citation needed] All she wanted at this stage was to receive Communion. She was also aware that she was going to die soon, and this did not trouble her: it made her happy – in fact she was looking forward to it.[citation needed
]

Death

After some four years of life, Ellen Organ died on February 2, 1908. Witnesses said she appeared to see something at the foot of her bed which caused her to smile and her eyes to well with tears. She followed that something with her eyes, looking overhead, when she died.[citation needed]

In contrast with other inmates of institutions run by the Good Shepherds, who were often buried in mass graves,[3][4] she was buried in Saint Joseph's Cemetery in the city of Cork. When, a year later, in 1909 her body was exhumed, it appeared unchanged from the day of her burial, with her limbs flexible and her dress and Communion veil like new.[5] Her grave in the public cemetery attracted visitors from all over Ireland, as a result of which authorisation was given for her remains to be transferred to the cemetery of the Good Shepherd Sisters.[6]

Influence

Ellen Organ's life story caused her to become known as Little Nellie of Holy God and her fame spread throughout

Communion at the age of seven.[citation needed
]

Numerous books have been written about her, including a major study in French by the friar Bernard des Ronces: Nellie, la petite Violette du Saint Sacrement, morte en odeur de sainteté à l'âge de 4 ans et 5 mois,

Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, "aroused wonder and delight in Pope Pius X".[8]

Despite devotion to her over the years, the

canonisation. Pope Pius X
, having read Bernard des Ronces' book, was considering opening a Cause, but his death in 1914 prevented any further development. Her young age had been considered a major factor in not proclaiming her a saint.

References

  1. ^ "Little Nellie of Holy God remembered in Dungarvan and Portlaw". Munster Express. 2007-12-14.
  2. ^ Fulkerson, Norman (19 November 2016). "Ellen Organ and "Her Pope": For Such Is the Kingdom of Heaven". The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Raftery, Mary (8 June 2011). "Ireland's Magdalene laundries scandal must be laid to rest". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  4. ^ "High Park". Justice for Magdalenes Research. 2 June 2017.
  5. ISBN 978-1-4696-0761-0
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-4456-6715-7
    .
  7. ^ a b Ronces, F. Bernard des (1912). Nellie, la petite Violette du Saint Sacrement, morte en odeur de sainteté à l'âge de 4 ans et 5 mois (in French). Maison du Bon Pasteur.
  8. ^ Garrigou-Lagrange, R. (December 30, 1951). The Three Ages of the Interior Life – via Google Books.

Bibliography

  • Authentic Sources compiled in The Life of Little Nellie of Holy God, Tan Books, Rockford, Illinois, 2007.
  • "Ellen Organ", in Ann Ball, Young Faces of Holiness, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2004, p. 45-52.
  • Maire Cotter, Little Nellie of Holy God - A Lily Aflame - On the Life of Nellie Organ, 1956, 67 pages.
  • Bernard Des Ronces, Nellie, la petite violette du Saint-Sacrement, Maison du Bon Pasteur, Paris, 1908, 240 pages.
  • Sister Mary Dominic, R.G.S., Little Nellie of Holy God Tan Books, 2006.
  • Leo Madigan.'Miniature: Nellie Organ 1903–1908. The Definitive Biography.' Fatima-Ophel Books. 2011. 318 pages.
  • Leo Madigan, Princesses of the Kingdom: Jacinta Marto and Nellie Organ, Kolbe Publications, Cork, 2001
  • Sarah Ellen Collins Saucier, Ellen, My Joy, Xulon Press, 2008, 140 pages.

External links

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