Jewels from Jane - April 8
Pictured: Sister Liguori MacNamara, the author of the letter.
Matanzas, Cuba
April 8th, 1899
Dear Rev. Mother [Agatha Guthrie],
A few lines to say we are all well, thank God. After my isolation the Major allowed me to go to Havana with one of the Sisters of Charity for two days. We started Wednesday morning and returned Friday morning. Havana, like all large cities, is a busy town--plenty of work for everybody. The harbor was crowded with steamers from all parts of the country, filled with merchandise. The ruins of the Maine is still in the harbor as a reminder. The More Castle at the entrance of the Havana Harbor is beautiful. It is used for prisoners. I visited the churches and knelt on the spot where Columbus was buried. It is a very odd looking church, not very neatly arranged, five altars, plain wooden candlesticks, and any amount of paper flowers and cheap looking lace on for decorations. The Church of Our Lady of Mercy is the finest on the Island. The church is all finished inside in oil. The painting on the ceiling and dome is fine. On the sides are all the apostles and saints of the order. No pews. Floor white and black marble. A large grotto of Lourdes. A large statue of our Lady of Mercy arranged over the top of the altar. The light from this dome reflects on this statue, which gives it a very fine appearance. I could not speak the Spanish language very well. It was hard to make the Sisters of Charity understand what I wanted. The Sisters have large schools and orphanages and crowded with children, boys and girls, babies, old women and old men. Two hospitals. They are at the United States Military Hospital, fifteen, and fifteen nurses. The Sisters do not nurse. They do not understand why the government wishes to keep them. They pay them $30 per month and wanted to give them fifty, but the Sisters would not accept that amount when they had nothing to do. I suppose the officials wished to show the Cubans they were not enemy to their religion. The hospital in Havana is the old Spanish hospital; large enough for three thousand patients, all built in pavilion style connected by porches. We have two English speaking priests in Matanzas. One Father is a Benedictine from Florida. They intend to open a school for boys. The Bishop of Havana will not assign them no place. Archbishop Chappell can not do very much until later. When we will return is not thought of, as the regulars would like to keep us, but by the last of April we will be on the way back to our dear convent home. The 3rd Kentucky leave this afternoon for the States. Only a small number of the Civil Engineers are left of the volunteers and they expect their transport in a day or so to bring them home. I hope you and all the Sisters are well. The weather is getting very warm; still the nights are cool. Hoping to hear from you soon. With love from all in Cuba. May God bless.
Devotedly yours in the Sacred Heart,
Sr. Liguori [McNamara]
We have forty patients all up and around. Five sisters occupied in the wards.
Spanish-American War correspondence
