Rose Hawthorne

         Rose Hawthorne was born on May 20, 1851, into a famous American family.  Nathaniel Hawthorne, her father, is often regarded as one of the best American novelists ever, probably best known for novels and short stories like The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Marble Faun, and Wakefield.  Sophia Peabody, Rose’s mother, was a painter and illustrator.  Rose was the couple’s youngest child, having an older sister, Una, and brother, Julian.  She was well loved by her parents – her father calling her “a very bright, strong, and healthy imp” when she was an infant – and was raised in a Christian household.

         Rose’s early years involved much world travel, brought about by her father’s growing success as a writer and the financial rewards it began to bring.  In 1853, her family moved to Liverpool, England.  Rose spent much of her early youth in Europe, including time in France, Portugal, and Italy, which first exposed her to Catholicism.  The Hawthorne’s returned to Concord, Massachusetts in 1860, where Rose was surrounded and interacted with notables American intellectuals and artists of the time, like Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and Herman Melville.  When her father Nathaniel died in 1864, Sophia moved Rose and her siblings to Germany due to financial strains.

          It was in Germany that Rose first met her future husband, George Parsons Lathrop.  Rose’s family moved to England during the Franco Prussian war and George followed in 1871 after a time at university in the United States.  Rose and George married that same year following the death of her mother Sophia.  Members of her family objected to the marriage, which had its challenges from the start.  In 1876, Rose gave birth to their son, Francis, a source of joy for both of them.  After her sister’s death, Rose and her family, in 1879, moved back to her childhood home in Concord, Massachusetts.  They lived there until Francis died in 1881 from diphtheria.  Francis’ death took a toll on the couple.  While they both pursued literary careers, George became an alcoholic, battled depression, and was suspected of abusing Rose.  

          In 1891, on the Feast day of St. Joseph, Rose and George were received into the Catholic Church at Saint Paul the Apostle Church in New York City. They were instructed by a Paulist priest, Fr. Alfred Young, who was a student of Servant of God Isaac Hecker. Many were surprised by Rose and her husband’s conversion. But Rose saw it as something that was long at work in her life. The couple embraced their new faith, devoting themselves to helping build up the Church. They became involved in the Catholic Summer School Movement and were commissioned to write the history of the Georgetown Visitation Nuns.

          In 1895, Rose and George formally separated with the permission of the Church. The difficulties that had been present at the start of their marriage never subsided. George’s alcoholism and resulting behavior was such that Rose believed it dangerous for her to remain under the same roof. Once separated, Rose sought to dedicate herself to Christ and charitable work. At 45, Rose began training as a nurse at the New York Cancer Hospital. She had been deeply affected by stories of those suffering from cancer, often in poverty, unable to maintain their sources of income as the disease ravaged them and not accepted for treatment in most places. Rose decided to start Sister Rose’s Free Home. She rented a series of rooms, offering them to those suffering from cancer, with Rose providing care for them and their loved ones. She was assisted in this by some others, the first an art student named Alice Huber. In 1899, a Dominican priest learned of Rose’s work and visited the home, leaving quite impressed. He encouraged them to become tertiary members of the Dominican order.

          Rose accepted the suggestion. With Archbishop Corrigan’s approval, on December 8, 1900, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne were founded. This new congregation devoted themselves to caring for the poor suffering from cancer. To this day, the Hawthorne Dominicans provide free care through nursing facilities they operate in several states. Rose, now Mother Alphonsa in religious life, devoted herself to this charism and caring for her community.

         Rose Hawthorne died on July 9, 1926, at the age of 75.  Her life of heroic virtue was recognized on March 14, 2024, when Pope Francis declared her Venerable.

         Venerable Rose Hawthorne is buried in Hawthorne, New York, in the monastery cemetery at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne.  The sisters also maintain an archive and exhibit room on Venerable Hawthorne and the order that is open by appointment, to researchers.  Given her great devotion to caring for those suffering from cancer, those in need of prayer for themselves or others suffering from this disease may wish to seek Venerable Hawthorne’s intercession with the Lord.