THE DEATH OF SISTER MARIE DU SACRÉ-CŒUR

The entire Catholic population of Waterville were surprised and shocked to learn, on Sunday last, of the death of the Mother Superior, in the monastery, at 5 A. M., after an illness of a few days duration, of pleuro-pneumonia.

Marie-Emma Buisson was born at St-Gregoire, Province of Québec, on the 6th day of January, 1847. At the early âge of eight years she entered the Ursuline couvent at Three Rivers, P. Q., as a student, and graduated at sixteen with the greatest honors.

She made her religions profession, and took her vows an the 24th day of April, 1865, and since that time she has been known as Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart of Jésus.

After her profession, she held varions important positions at the Mother House, Three Rivers, until she came to this city, in March, 1888, to found the Mission, or Parochial School, and has remained hère ever since. Under her well directed and untiring labors, the Mission made rapid growth, and in 1891, the splendid new Monastery was completed. This year, Sister Mary has founded another mission at Augusta, and had her life been spared, she woidd doubtless hâve seen this work also remarkably developed.

Since her death the body of Sister Marie has been exposed in the Monastery parlors, and many hundred people hâve improved the opportunity to look upon the face of the dead. Very soon after she died the identical paper which she signed, and which she read aloud in taking her vows twenty-eight years ago, was placed in her hands, clasped as in the attitude of dévotion. This paper, for a copy of which we are indebted to the courtesy of Rev. Fr Charland, is as foUows :

"In the name of our Lord Jésus Christ, andinhonorof his most

holy Mother, of our holy father St Augustine, and of the blessed St Ursula, I, Sister Marie Emma Buisson, of the Sacred Heart of Jésus, do now and promise to God, Poverty, Chastity, and Obédience, and to dévote myself to the éducation of the young girls, according to the rule of our holy father St Augustine, and the Constitutions of this monastery of St Ursula, conformably to the Bullsof our Holy Fathers Paul V and Urban VIII, popes, under the authority of the Right Rev. Thomas Cooke, Bishop of Three Hivers, our superior, in présence of the Rev. Mother, Marie Adèle Mailhot, in religion St-Jeanne de Chantai, Superioress of this Monastery of St-Ursula, in the year of our salvation, 1865, this 24th day of April."

How faithfully Sister Marie kept her sacred vows, and how assiduously she labored in her chosen field, appears in the fact that when attacked by the malady which caused her death, her System had been so reduced by over-work that it was incapable of withstanding the ravages of the disease.

It was her spécial request, made the day before she died, that her body be buried in Waterville. She said she came hère to labor during her life, to die hère, and to remain hère after death. This request shows how thoroughly she had become identified with the work and people of Waterville, as it is customary for the Sisters to return eventually to the Mother House.

On Tuelsday morning, ahigh mass of Requiem was sung in the Couvent Chapel by her own brother, Rév. Edmund Buisson, pastor of Arthabaskaville, P. Q., who arrived hère Monday evening. Mother M. de la Nativité of the Mother House, with the Assistant Superior, arrived in the City yesterday A. M., to be présent at the obsequies to-day, and probably before their return willmake arrangement to fill the vacancy caused by Sister Marie' s death.

The funeral was held this forenoon at ten o'clock, and attended by a great concourse of people. Clergymen were hère

from différent parts of the State to participate in the obsequies. An impressive feature was the singing of the mass by Rev. E. Buisson, a brother of the deceased. The following were présent as organizations : St. John the Baptist Society, St. Joseph's Union, The Ladies of St. Anne, and the Children of Mary. The occasion was one of great solemnity, and will always be recalled by the Catholics of Waterville as a mémorable event in the history of their church.