Louisa Elizabeth Rolls Vaughan
Lady Louisa Elizabeth Rolls Vaughan | |
|---|---|
 Painting by William Etty (c. 1835) | |
| Born | 8 October 1810 London, England |
| Died | 24 January 1853 (aged 42) |
| Spouse |
John Francis Vaughan
(m. 1830) |
| Children | Herbert, Roger, Bernard, John and 11 others |
| Parent(s) | John Rolls Martha Barnet Rolls |
Louisa Elizabeth Rolls Vaughan (8 October 1810,
Biography
Early life
Eliza was born on 8 October 1810 in
Described as a family of "earnest evangelicals",[5] Eliza and her siblings were baptized in the Protestant tradition, the faith her family ancestry upheld.[6] Despite her Protestant upbringing, she was deeply impressed by the exemplary service of the Catholic Church towards the poor and heard of many Catholic saints during her childhood education in France.[7]
Marriage and Conversion
On 12 July 1830, Eliza married John Francis Vaughan, eldest son of William Vaughan of
- Archbishop of Westminster and founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries;
- O.S.B. (1834–1883), Archbishop of Sydney, Australia;
- Kenelm John (d. 1837), died less than a year;
- Gwladys Teresa, Boulogne, France;
- Helen Teresa, D.C. (1839–1861) as Sister Mary, member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in London;
- Kenelm David Francis (1840–1909), diocesan missionary priest in Spain and North America;
- Jerome Joseph, O.S.B. (1841–1896), founding prior of St. Benedict's Abbey at Fort Augustus, Scotland;
- Clare Mary, P.C.C. (1843–1862) as Sœur Marie-Clare de l'Enfant Jésus, Collettine Poor Clare nun in Amiens, France;
- Francis William (1844–1919), inherited the family estate and married Caroline Ruth Pope, daughter of Charles Alexander Pope, one of America's most distinguished surgeons;[8]
- Mary Elizabeth Barbara, O.S.A. (1845–1884) as Mother Clare Magdalen, Augustinian nun of Saint Augustine's Priory, Newton Abbot, Devon;
- Bernard John, S.J. (1847–1922), Jesuit priest and missionary described as "The Modern Savonarola";[9]
- Reginald Aloysius (1849–1919), married Judith Aloysia Shanahan, an Irish Catholic in Australia; and
- Margaret Mary (1850–1899), desired to be a nun but ill health prevented her hence lived at home and in her final years in a convent;[8]
- John Stephen (1853–1925), Auxiliary Bishop of Salford.
"Mother of Vocations"
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Eliza developed a great passion for Catholic devotions.
Eliza taught her children to combine spiritual and religious duties with fun and joy in a way that was very natural to them.[7] Because of her, devotions and daily Masses in the family chapel were just as much as part of her children's everyday life as playing, riding horses, amateur theater, and music.[7] Her charitable works of visiting the sick and helping the needy encouraged as well her children to be generous and make sacrifices such as giving away their toys or savings.[7][10] She often told them the lives of the saints.[7][10]
She began her steadfast prayer for
"Ever since I read the account of St. Bernard and his four brothers leaving the world and retiring to a monastery I have prayed that all my sons will follow their example."[5]
At some point, Eliza started praying to the mothers of saints, asking their intercessions that some of her children would be called to serve God and the Church.[5][7] Her prayers were eventually answered having six priests: two priests in religious orders, one diocesan priest, one bishop, one archbishop and one cardinal; and four nuns in religious orders in the family.[1]
Death
Eliza died on 24 January 1853, at the age of 42,[6] shortly after giving birth to her 14th child.[7] She was interred in the Courtfield House Chapelyard.
In a letter, John Francis expressed his belief that divine providence brought Eliza to him, saying:
"I thanked the Lord in adoration today that I could give back to him my dearly beloved wife. I poured out my heart to him, full of thankfulness that, as an example and a guide, he gave me Eliza with whom I am still now bound by an inseparable, spiritual bond. What wonderful consolation and grace she brought me! I still see her as I always saw her before the Blessed Sacrament: her inner purity and extraordinary human kindness which her beautiful face reflected during prayer."[7]
Beatification
Since 2023, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff has initiated investigations into the possible sainthood for Louisa Elizabeth Rolls Vaughan.[1][2][11] The Integrated Parish Communications describes her as "a particularly encouraging example of a mother imbued with a priestly spirit who frequently prayed for vocations."[7]
References
- ^ Catholic Review. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Causes Under Consideration". Hagiography Circle. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons (1836). Parliamentary Papers, Volume 43. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 47. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Thomas Nicholas (1872). Annals and antiquities of the counties and county families of Wales, Volume 2. Longmans, Green, Reader. pp. 784–785. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e O'Neil, Fr. Robert. Vaughan: His Life, Work and Mission, (Catholic Truth Society, September 2017), 9.
- ^ a b c Rolls, Louisa Elizabeth. "London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812". ancestry.com. Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812. London Metropolitan Archives (as re-printed on Ancestry.com).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Eliza Vaughan" (PDF). LPi – Integrated Parish Communications. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Vaughan Family" (PDF). English Catholic History Association. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Fr. Bernard Vaughan SJ". Catholic Heritage. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Mother Eliza Vaughan". sremanuel.org. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Possible sainthood for Eliza Vaughan, "Mother of Vocations"?"". rcadc.org. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
External links
- Elizabeth “Eliza” Rolls Vaughan at Find a Grave
- Eliza Rolls-Vaughan at Santi, beati e testimoni - Enciclopedia dei Santi