Mother Eliza Vaughan

Eliza came from the prominent Rolls-Royce family in Great Britain.  She married Colonel John Francis Vaughan in the summer of 1830 and despite the resistance of her relatives, converted to the Catholic Faith.  Eliza, who converted with all her heart, proposed to her husband that they give once all their children to God.   Throughout her life, she made it a habit to pray for an hour each day before the Blessed Sacrament in the house chapel at Courtfield.  There she prayed to God for a large family and for many spiritual vocations among her children.  Her prayers were answered!  She gave life to 14 children and died shortly after the birth of the last child in 1853.  Of the 13 children that lived, six of her eight boys became priests: two priests in religious orders, one diocesan priest, one bishop, one archbishop and one cardinal.  And from the five daughters, four became sisters in religious orders.

The Vaughan children all attributed their vocations to their mother who made their childhoods joyful.  She understood so well how to unite, in a very natural way, the spiritual life and religious obligations with amusement and cheerfulness.  Thanks to their mother, prayer and daily Mass in the house chapel were just as much a part of everyday life as music, athletics, amateur theater, riding and playing.  It was never boring for the children when their mother told them stories from the saints, who little by little became trusted friends.  Mother Vaughan happily let her children accompany her on visits to the sick and needy of the area.  On such occasions, they learned how to be generous, make sacrifices and to give away their savings or their toys.  
Shortly after the birth of her 14th child, John, Eliza died.  Two months after her death, Colonel Vaughan wrote in a letter that he was convinced divine providence brought Eliza to him.  “I thanked the Lord in adoration today that I could give back to Him my dearly beloved wife.  I poured out my heart to Him, full of thankfulness that, as an example and a guide, He gave me Eliza with whom I am still now bound by an inseparable, spiritual bond.  What wonderful consolation and what grace she brought me!  I still see her as I always saw her before the Blessed Sacrament: her inner purity and such human kindness which reflected from her beautiful face during prayer.”

The many vocations from the Vaughan family leave behind a unique legacy in British history and a blessing which came especially through Mother Eliza.  When Herbert, the oldest son, shared with his parents at age 16 that he wanted to become a priest, their reactions were very different.  His mother, who had prayed for it, only smiled and said, “Child, I have known it for a long time.”  Colonel John, however, needed a little time to come to terms with the decision, since he felt Herbert would have had a brilliant military career.  Little did he know that Herbert would one day be the Bishop of Westminster, founder of the Millhill Missionaries and Cardinal.  Reginald and Francis Baynham married, nine other children answered God’s call.  Roger, the second oldest, became a Benedictine Prior and later the beloved Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, where he had the Catherdral built.  Kenelm was a Cistercian and later a diocesan priest; Joseph, the fourth son, was also, like his brother, a Benedictine Prior and founder of a new abbey.  Bernhard, the most lively of them all, who loved dancing and sports and went along with anything fun, became a Jesuit.  It is said that the day before he entered the order, he went to a ball where he said to his dance partner, “This dance that I dance with you is my last, because I am becoming a Jesuit.”  Shocked, the girl replied, “Oh please, you want to become a Jesuit?  You who love the world so much and are such an excellent dancer?”  His ambiguous, but beautiful answer was, “Therefore I am consecrating myself to God.”  John, the youngest, was ordained a priest by his oldest brother, Herbert, and later became the Bishop of Salford, England.  Four of the five daughters in the family entered convents.  Gladis entered the Visitation Order, Teresa became one of the Sisters of Mecy, Claire became a Poor Clare, and Mary  was a Prior of the Augustinians.  Margaret, the fifth Vaughan daughter, wanted to be a religious sister, but her ill health prevented it.  She lived at home, also consecrated to God, and lived her final years in a convent.  (Adapted from “Mother Eliza Vaughan”. Triumph of the Heart.  31 (2005): 12-14.  )