Frances Margaret Taylor
Frances Margaret Taylor (1832-1900), in religion Mother Magdalen of the Sacred Heart, was a Crimean War nurse who converted to Catholicism and founded the congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
Early life of Frances Margaret Taylor, her service as a nurse during the Crimean War, and her conversion to Catholicism.
Frances Margaret Taylor was born on January 20, 1832, in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, England. She was the youngest of ten children of the Reverend Henry Taylor, an Anglican rector, and Louisa Maria Jones. Her childhood in the countryside was happy, but it came to an abrupt end in 1842 with the premature death of her father. The family, whose financial resources were then considerably reduced, was forced to move to London.
In London, young Frances was deeply affected by the extreme poverty and squalor of the working-class districts of the Victorian era. Influenced by the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian movement) which she discovered at Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, she began to actively engage with the most destitute. She trained as a nurse in Bristol and volunteered in 1853 during a cholera epidemic in Devonport, Plymouth.
In 1854, despite her young age, she enlisted as a volunteer nurse to care for wounded soldiers of the Crimean War, working in the military hospitals of Scutari and Koulali under the direction of Florence Nightingale. On the front, she was deeply moved by the unwavering faith of the Irish Catholic soldiers and by the dedication of the Sisters of Mercy and the Daughters of Charity. This experience transformed her spiritual life. On April 14, 1855, she was officially received into the Roman Catholic Church in Koulali by the Jesuit priest Joseph Woollett.
Life and Work
Literary activities of Frances Taylor and the foundation of the congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God.
Upon returning to London, Frances Taylor continued her charitable work while developing intense literary and editorial activity to support the cause of the poor and spread the Catholic faith. In 1856, she published her testimony on the Crimean War, Eastern Hospitals and English Nurses, followed by several novels and stories, including Tyborne and Who Went Thither (1859). She also took over the direction of the magazine The Lamp and actively collaborated in the founding of the Jesuit periodicals The Month and The Messenger of the Sacred Heart.
Under the influence of Father Henry Edward Manning (the future cardinal) and with the support of her friend, the writer Lady Georgiana Fullerton, she visited the workhouses of London to assist the most vulnerable people there, particularly women and children.
It was in this context of social misery that she decided to found a religious community. In 1869, she gathered a small group of companions in London. On February 12, 1872, Frances pronounced her perpetual vows under the name Mother Magdalen of the Sacred Heart, marking the official foundation of the congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God.
The institute dedicated itself to visiting and caring for the sick in their homes, educating poor children, sheltering the homeless, and rehabilitating marginalized women or prostitutes. The congregation adopted a rule of life inspired by Ignatian spirituality and the Society of Jesus. Under the energetic leadership of Mother Magdalen, the work developed rapidly in England and expanded into Ireland (notably in Carrigtwohill in 1875) as well as Italy (in Rome). At her death in 1900, the institute already counted 12 houses.
Journey to Holiness
The end of Mother Magdalen's life, her death in 1900, and the opening of her cause for beatification.
After a lifetime given to the service of the poorest and the leadership of her congregation, Mother Magdalen's health declined starting in 1892. She endured her sufferings with exemplary patience, uniting herself to the Passion of Christ. She passed away on June 9, 1900, at the convent in Soho Square, London.
Initially buried at Mortlake Cemetery, her remains were exhumed on September 24, 1959, to be transferred to the chapel of the Maryfield convent in Roehampton (London), the motherhouse of the congregation.
The cause for the beatification and canonization of Frances Margaret Taylor was officially opened by the Archdiocese of Westminster on June 2, 1995, after obtaining the nihil obstat from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan inquiry into her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was closed and validated by a Roman decree on November 17, 2006.
Beatification and canonization
Recognition of the heroic virtues of Frances Margaret Taylor by Pope Francis in 2014.
The process reached a decisive stage under the pontificate of Pope Francis. On June 12, 2014, the Sovereign Pontiff authorized Cardinal Angelo Amato, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God. Frances Margaret Taylor was thus declared Venerable.
For her beatification to be pronounced, the Church now requires the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession, the investigation of which is currently underway.
Spirituality and Legacy
Mother Magdalen's Ignatian and Christocentric spirituality, and the enduring nature of her work today.
The spirituality of Mother Magdalen of the Sacred Heart is deeply rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation. She saw the face of the suffering Christ in every marginalized, sick, or abandoned person she encountered. Formed in Ignatian spirituality, she was able to combine, with remarkable balance, a life of intense contemplative prayer and a very demanding active apostolate. Her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which she contributed significantly to spreading, guided her final words: "Invoke the Sacred Heart."
Today, the legacy of Frances Margaret Taylor continues through the congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, present in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Kenya, Italy, and Venezuela. The Frances Taylor Foundation also continues her social and charitable work for people with disabilities and the most vulnerable, keeping alive her charism of compassion and respect for human dignity.
Frequently asked questions about Frances Margaret Taylor
Who was Frances Margaret Taylor?
Frances Margaret Taylor (1832-1900), in religion Mother Magdalen of the Sacred Heart, was a Crimean War nurse who converted to Catholicism and founded the congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God.
Which saints were contemporaries of Frances Margaret Taylor?
Contemporaries include: Jesús María Echavarría Aguirre, Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Narcisa de Jesús and Juan de Jesús López y González.
When did Frances Margaret Taylor die?
Frances Margaret Taylor died around 1900.
What are the other names of Frances Margaret Taylor?
Other forms of the name: Mère Madeleine du Sacré-Cœur and Mother Magdalen of the Sacred Heart.
Who are the relatives of Frances Margaret Taylor?
Relatives of Frances Margaret Taylor: Henry Taylor (father) and Louisa Maria Jones (mother).
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 1832-1900
- Decree of venerability by Francis