Our dear Sister, in the world Miss Cornélie-Marie-Joséphine Peyrot, belonged to a very honourable family in Antwerp. Her mother was allied very closely to Mons. Corneille Van Bommel, the bishop of Liege, from where the name of Cornélie comes, that she gave to her daughter.
Sister Marie-Cécile entered the monastery on 2nd July 1863 and received the habit the following year. Endowed with a beautiful character, and cheerful and charitable, her manner pleased and produced a good impression. As she had a heart of gold, full of goodness, kindness and compassion, as soon as she saw or suspected some pain, she immediately tried to ease it.
In this good Sister no self-seeking was seen. Although she possessed a superior talent as a musician, with a remarkably fine voice, she did not wish to shine in the world, but faithful to the voice of grace, she came to consecrate herself to God in our Monastery, where, following the example of her Patron, Saint Cécile, she employed her magnificent talent to sing God's praises. Singing was little developed amongst us at this time because of a dearth of voices, so she was happy later on when new vocations brought her some reinforcements. She had hardly revived the spirits of the new and existing singers than it pleasing God to come and suddenly take our dear Sister and assure us her efficacious assistance in heaven.
Nothing forewarned us that her death was so close. Just before Holy Week in the year 1898, a general unwellness seized our good Sister. On Palm Sunday she came once more to sing the Hosanna filio David with us, and on Holy Thursday, she accompanied the great Mass. Pain accompanied by fever seized her the following day, and on Easter Tuesday she suddenly died. The rupture of an aneurism, said the doctors, put an end to her life. Having contributed greatly, for the space of thirty-five years, to the beauty of the Divine Office, she went to sing the eternal Alleluia in heaven..)
Sister Marie-Cécile entered the monastery on 2nd July 1863 and received the habit the following year. Endowed with a beautiful character, and cheerful and charitable, her manner pleased and produced a good impression. As she had a heart of gold, full of goodness, kindness and compassion, as soon as she saw or suspected some pain, she immediately tried to ease it.
In this good Sister no self-seeking was seen. Although she possessed a superior talent as a musician, with a remarkably fine voice, she did not wish to shine in the world, but faithful to the voice of grace, she came to consecrate herself to God in our Monastery, where, following the example of her Patron, Saint Cécile, she employed her magnificent talent to sing God's praises. Singing was little developed amongst us at this time because of a dearth of voices, so she was happy later on when new vocations brought her some reinforcements. She had hardly revived the spirits of the new and existing singers than it pleasing God to come and suddenly take our dear Sister and assure us her efficacious assistance in heaven.
Nothing forewarned us that her death was so close. Just before Holy Week in the year 1898, a general unwellness seized our good Sister. On Palm Sunday she came once more to sing the Hosanna filio David with us, and on Holy Thursday, she accompanied the great Mass. Pain accompanied by fever seized her the following day, and on Easter Tuesday she suddenly died. The rupture of an aneurism, said the doctors, put an end to her life. Having contributed greatly, for the space of thirty-five years, to the beauty of the Divine Office, she went to sing the eternal Alleluia in heaven..)
This necrology is translated from Fleurs de l'Institut des Rédemptoristines by Mr John R. Bradbury. The copyright of this translation is the property of the Redemptoristine Nuns of Maitland, Australia. The integral version of the translated book will be posted here as the necrologies appear.
