Weavers of the Tapestry

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta. He is co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities:
British Views of Canada, 1880–1914, author of The Salvation Army and
the Public, and editor of “Improved by Cult

Encyclopedic in scope and massive in size (indeed too massive to be read
comfortably), this tome is a history of the Roman Catholic Congregation
of the Sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland. Established by Sister Catherine
McAuley around 1830 in Dublin, Ireland, and dedicating themselves to
visiting the poor and instructing poor females, members of the order
arrived in St. John’s in 1842, and since then have been part of the
fabric of Newfoundland Catholic society. No doubt there will be many
former students, patients, and friends of the sisters who, remembering
their years at St. Bride’s in Littledale, their stay at St. Clare’s
Hospital, or their education at St. Patrick’s in Burin will find this
a fascinating revisit to former times and places. It will also, I think,
be of interest to lovers of Newfoundland history, for there is, in the
history of such things as St. Clare’s Hospital (a well-known fixture
in St. John’s) much that will add to a general knowledge of
Newfoundland religious culture.

On the whole, however, it is too massive a book, with too much minutiae
to attract a general reader, though one has to point out that the author
does enliven her text and ease the burden of reading with snatches of
personal memories and letters. It is also worth noting that she is not
at all a ponderous writer; even though her material is weighty, she
writes with clarity and felicity. It’s just that with so much to wade
through, the book is likely to become more a reference text than a
leisurely reading experience.