Sorrow Built a Bridge: The Life of Mother Alphonsa Daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Katherine Burton brings us beyond mere biography and into the deeper meaning of Rose Hawthorne’s life, showing how a privileged daughter of America’s literati came to lead a life of heroic virtue and become Mother Mary Alphonsa. Born in 1851 to Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne, Rose spent her early years among some of the most famous American authors—Longfellow, Thoreau, the Alcotts, and others. Influenced by Puritan, Unitarian, and Transcendentalist ideals, the Hawthornes sought a faith defined by simplicity and plainness. Catholicism, with its splendor and ceremony, its sublimity and saints, unsettled them. And yet, the Hawthornes’ love of art and beauty, as well as their dedication to the poor and unfortunate, cultivated a curious admiration of the exotic Roman Church. An extended visit to the Continent exposed the family to Catholicism in its natural habitat; there they found a faith practiced by servants and kings, alive both in the grandeur of the Vatican and the squalor of the slum. These paradoxes intrigued Rose, even as conversion seemed unimaginable to her.

Then came suffering: a difficult marriage, the loss of her parents and beloved sister Una, the early death of her son. Through the mysterious workings of grace, this suffering stirred a soul-deep longing within Rose, a longing for transcendent meaning, for self-sacrifice, and for a life dedicated to God and the poor. Instead of destroying Rose, sorrow became the bridge that carried her to belief.

Once she discovered that the cancerous poor faced neglect and outright abandonment, she found the answer to her yearning. With no money and no experience, she set about caring for those left to die in agony, solitude, and privation. After training as a nurse, Hawthorne founded the Servants of Relief for Incurable Cancer, now known as the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, an order dedicated to Christ’s promise: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” When her country cried, “Give me your tired, your poor,” Rose responded with her life, answering with a fullness that is only found in Christ.

After writing her last letters in solicitation of needed donations, Mother Alphonsa retired at one a.m. and died in her sleep on July 9, 1926, the 84th anniversary of her parents’ marriage. She continues to build that bridge born of sorrow that brings true seekers to their Promised Land.