Person

Gonzaga, Sister Mary

• Barrie, Georgiana Ffarington

1825-1873

Sister Mary Gonzaga was born Georgiana Ffarington Barrie in 1825. Her parents were Sir Robert Barrie and Julia Wharton Ingilby Barrie. Although her parents were Protestants, Sister Mary Gonzaga chose the life of a Catholic nun. Sister Mary Gonzaga entered the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy in Bermondsey on October 5th, 1848 and received her habit on April 10th, 1849. She professed her vows on May 1st, 1851. Sister Mary Gonzaga was a close friend of Florence Nightingale's, having accompanied her to Crimea to nurse sick and wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War. Barrie was one of the Catholic nuns who volunteered for the mission and was unpaid for her work. Nightingale nicknamed her "Cardinal" in her letters, and Barrie’s nickname for Nightingale was "Pope."

After the Crimean War, Barrie founded the Hospital of Saint Elizabeth for Incurables in London in 1856. Barrie resigned as Mother Superior in 1866, largely due to the political opposition of the Cardinal, who wanted to oust Barrie and the Sisters of Mercy nuns. She returned to Bermondsey, where she continued to care for the sick and teach until her death in April of 1873 of typhus.