The Legacy of Mary Josephine Rogers Barbara Hendricks, M.M
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lished churches of emigrant Highlanders. Dugald Sinclair, for course of the nineteenth century, the Highland pastors who merly employed by Christopher Anderson as an itinerant mis remained consoled themselves by observing how their people sionary in Argyll, arrived in Lobo, Ontario, in 1831 and became were setting up new churches in foreign lands and thus continu one of the founding fathers of the Church of Christ (Disciples) in ing the momentum of the missionary movement that had estab Canada. As emigration from the Highlands took effect in the lished their Highland home churches. Selected Bibliography Durkacz, Victor. The Decline of the Celtic Languages. Edinburgh: John ___. "Scottish Highlanders, North American Indians, and the Donald, 1983. SSPCK:Some CulturalPerspectives." Records oftheScottish Church Laird, M. A. Missionaries and Education in Bengal, 1793-1837. Oxford: History Society 23 (1989): 378-96. Clarendon Press, 1972. __-I' ed. A Mind for Mission: Essays in Appreciation of the Rev. MacInnes, John. The Evangelical Movement in the Highlands of Scotland, Christopher Anderson (1782-1852). Edinburgh: Scottish Baptist 1688 to 1800. Aberdeen: Aberdeen Univ. Press, 1951. History Project, 1992. Meek, Donald E. "Evangelicalismand Emigration: Aspects of the Role of Withers, Charles. Gaelic in Scotland, 1698-1981. Edinburgh: John Donald, Dissenting Evangelicalism in Highland Emigration to Canada." 1984. In Proceedings oftheFirstNorth American Congress ofCeltic Studies, ed. G. MacLennann, pp. 15-35. Ottawa: Chair of Celtic Studies, In addition, readers should consult Nigel M. Cameron et al., eds., 1988. Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology (Edinburgh: T. & T. ___. "Evangelical Missionaries in the Early Nineteenth-Century Clark, 1993), which contains articles on most individuals mentioned Highlands." Scottish Studies28 (1987): 1-34. above, as well as a range of background articles. See especially "Bible ___. "Dugald Sinclair: The Life and Work of a Highland Itinerant (Versions, Gaelic)," "Gaelic," "Highlands," "Missions," and "Revivals." Missionary." Scottish Studies30 (1991): 59-91. The Legacy of Mary Josephine Rogers Barbara Hendricks, M.M. hen Mary Josephine Rogers was a junior at Smith Indeed God did know what Mollie Rogers's future would W College,Northampton, Massachusetts, she had a pro hold for her; she would become the foundress of thefirst Catholic found religious experience that would mark her life forever. On religious congregation of women established in the UnitedStates a warm June evening in 1904, as she walked from her residence for the work of foreign missions. That scene on Smith campus toward the Students Building wondering what her future might remained long withMollie Rogers; she wondered aboutCatholic be, the door was flung open and a crowd of students rushed out. missions and if there was a place for Catholic women like herself, Singing"OnwardChristianSoldiers," theyformed a circle around in whom mission interest was taking a definite form of dedica a group of six seniors who had just signed a promise to the tion. After graduation in June of 1905, she accepted a position at College Foreign Mission Board and would soon go to China for Smith as demonstrator in the Zoology Department-still pon seven years. Missionary activity was strong at Smith College, dering her future. and everybody knew what the Student Volunteer pledge meant, but this was the first year that Smith was actually sending young Mission Awareness in a Catholic Family women graduates to the foreign missions. Later on in her life Mollie Rogers (as she was called) would describe her call to Mary Josephine Rogers was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on mission: October 27, 1882. She was the first daughter of Mary Josephine Plummer and Abraham T. Rogers, who raised a large family of Something-I do not know how to describe it-happened within five boys and three girls. Her grandparents, Mary Dunn and me. I forgot my errand; I was no longer mindful of the beauty and Patrick Rogers, born in Ireland but raised in Canada, had immi joy about me. I passed quickly through the campus, out of the grated to Massachusetts from Canada in 1842 soon after their college grounds, and across the street to the Churchwhere, before marriage. They experienced the typical hostility to newly arrived Jesus in the tabernacle, I measured my faith and the expression of it by the sight I had just witnessed.... From that moment, I had Irish Catholics in that period and yet managed to become well work to do, little or great, God alone knew.' integrated into this new cultural, social, and political world with remarkable assurance and amazing adaptability. Patrick Rogers soon built up a successful real estate business and served as a member of the Roxbury Common Council in 1858, 1859, 1863, Barbara Hendricks, M.M., acontributing editor, served asamissionary inPeru and Bolivia fortwenty-three years. Shewas president oftheMaryknoll Sisters and 1867. In 1870 he represented Old Ward 15 in the Boston Congregation (1970-78) and director of the Maryknoll Mission Institute Common Council. Mollie's father, Abraham, followed his father (1990-93). Her current research on the spiritual heritage of Mother Mary in the real estate business and also served in the BostonCommon Joseph isbeingshared inspiritual retreats withMaryknoll personnel aroundthe Council, representing Ward 22 from 1880 to 1882, when he was worldand is expected to lead toa book. appointed assistant building inspector of Boston. On the other 72 INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF MISSIONARY RESEARCH side of the family, grandparents Bridget Kennedy and William Will you tell me where I can get any information (in English, Gardener Plummer, an eighth-generation Yankee who was a Frenchor Latin) bearing on these lines of thought? ... Who knows Congregationalist, mirrored the attempt to bridge the gap be but that the little work we do here may be the beginning of greater 6 tween Catholic immigrants and "old" American Protestants.' efforts in later life. Without the benefit of Catholic schools, Josephine and Walsh responded immediately with a three-page letter, Abraham Rogers not only passed on the faith of their Irish carefully addressing her concerns and warmly encouraging her ancestors butalso communicated to their children a basic under work. He suggested that she add to her outline "the martyr spirit standing of the need for foreign mission activity at a time when of our age," and enclosed a copy of Life of Theophane Venard, a Catholics in the United States had little awareness of foreign contemporary French missioner martyred in Indochina. Walsh missions. In later life Mollie Rogers would remember the Catho- began sending her a steady supply of materials for her mission classes. Mollie looked forward to her first meeting with him during Christmas holidays at home with her family in Jamaica Plain (now part of Boston). The Rogers family learned Walsh had been ordained a priest of the Boston Archdiocese about foreign missions by on May 20, 1892, and had served for ten years as an assistant in St. Patrick's parish, Roxbury. Interested in foreign missions from subscribing to Catholic his seminary days, he became archdiocesan director of the Soci magazines from Europe. ety for the Propagation of the Faith in 1903. By 1906 he was already convinced that the time had come for U.S. Catholics to assume responsibility for the worldwide mission of the church and had formed an organization called the Catholic Foreign lie mission publications from Europe to which the family sub Mission Bureau with colleagues who shared his friendship and scribed and the impact these had on her dreams about foreign vision. Their immediate objective was to awaken the mission missions. consciousnessof Catholicsin theUnitedStatesthrougha mission magazine." I cannot remember a time when I was not deeply interested in the In the course of their first meeting, Walsh and Mollie talked people of other lands as well as my own America.... I was taught for several hours about the interest they shared in foreign mis to pray for missioners and the children they were trying to teach sions. He then showed her the galley proofs of the first issue of a about God, and to share with them the little store of money that new mission magazine called TheField Afar. Mollie's eyes imme was mine to spend as I liked.... I even visualized myself as a missionary going about doing good and converting whole cities.' diately focused on its statement of aim: "to deepen and widen in its readers the missionary spirit ... to strengthen, especiallyin the The Rogers children attended public schools in Roxbury and archdiocese of Boston, all workfor foreign missions." As she left, wentonfor higher education. All five boys would graduate from Father Walsh said to her, "I think we are going to be good Harvard; when it was time for Mollie, she chose Smith College. friends." This event changed her life completely; Mollie recog Throughout her life, Mollie Rogers spoke of the significance of nized thenthatFatherJames AnthonyWalshwastheoneshehad Smith College in her life's work. She said that if it had not been hoped to find-someone who shared her dream and would for Smith, she would not have discovered her mission vocation. provide the context for her call to the foreign missions. In her junior year she had given the last in a series of "Mission Back in Boston during the summer of 1907, Mollie became a Study Classes, 1903-1904" for Smith students; her session was dailycollaboratorwithWalshas shetranslated missionmaterials called "Catholic Missions." In her senior year Mollie was the and edited and wrote for TheField Afar. In the spring of 1908 she sustaining spirit for an organization of Catholics at Smith. She left herpositionat Smith,set asideherplansfor a master'sdegree, promoted thefrequent reception of theSacraments, generosityto and began teaching in Boston public schools. Now that she was Catholic missions, and involvementof the Catholic girls in Smith living in Boston, shewould devote all herfree time to the mission College's "Christian Work" activities.' education work at the Propagation of the Faith office.