Mary Potter
| Venerable Mary Potter | |
|---|---|
Venerable Mary Potter
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| Born |
Mary Potter November 22, 1847 Bermondsey, London, England |
| Died | April 9, 1913 (aged 65) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Founder Little Company of Mary Sisters |
| Parent(s) | William and Mary Anne (Martin) Potter |
| Website | lcmsisters |
Mother Mary Potter (22 November 1847 – 9 April 1913) founded the Little Company of Mary in 1877. On 8 February 1988, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her Venerable.
Mary Potter was born in a rented house at 23 Old Jamaica Road in Bermondsey, South London. Mary was the fifth child and the only girl born to William and Mary Anne (Martin) Potter. Mary had a congenital heart and lung disease which left her with frail health and a permanent cough for the rest of her life. Her father left the family home in 1848, went to Australia, and never returned, leaving Mrs. Potter to raise the children by herself. When Mary was 19, she was introduced to her brother’s friend, Godfrey King and became engaged to him. After being engaged for only four months, Mary wrote to Godfrey to terminate the engagement. She was guided in this decision by Bishop Grant, who suggested she seek her calling as a religious sister.
Mary understood then that God had plans for her future and she was open to advice. Mary wrote in her reflections that as she was delicate, her mother suggested that Brighton would be a healthy place for her to go, and so they went to seek advice about her vocation at the Sisters of Mercy Convent.
Mary resolved to go to Brighton by train and investigate life as a religious, with her mother and her brother. They arrived on December 7, 1868, and met the sisters. After some discussion the sisters suggested to Mary that the next day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, would be a good day to receive her as a postulant. This was a hasty decision and Mary was ill-prepared to enter into religious life with such immediacy. Mary decided to stay, but it must have been difficult to say goodbye for both mother and daughter after such a quick decision. Mary was willing to start in the religious life though, as she felt God was calling her to give herself to him. Over a period of time, it became evident that life was too demanding physically for Mary and she was advised to leave the convent before her First Profession. Her spiritual director, Fr. Lambert, S.J. who seemed to understand Mary well, was convinced that she should go into a contemplative order that combined Eucharistic adoration and apostolic activity, rather than a strictly contemplative order such as the Carmelites. He wanted her to apply to such an Order when she recovered her health. When her mother and brother arrived to pick her up on June 23, 1870, Mrs. Potter passionately told all those gathered that she would not permit Mary to leave home ever again! This outburst and her treatment of Mary shocked the sisters. Her mother tried to give Mary everything she felt she needed in terms of concern and love, but in fact she smothered Mary with too much kindness. This must have been frustrating for Mary after the independence she had enjoyed in the convent. As she became stronger, Mary’s prayer life became more intense, and she was given insight into what God was asking of her, even though she felt desolate and had no spiritual support. After a period of time in which she spent much time in prayer and reflection before a crucifix, she started to think of the possibility of founding a group of religious Sisters dedicated to the spiritual, and where possible, the physical assistance of those who were sick and dying. In 1872, she became more and more convinced that this is what God was asking her to do. She wrote in her Autobiographical Notes,
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