Margaret Mary Healy Murphy

Margaret Mary Jane Healy Murphy (May 4, 1833 - August 25, 1907) was an Irish–American Catholic religious sister and early civil rights activist. She was the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, the first order of sisters in the state of Texas, as well as the first free private school for African Americans in San Antonio.

She and her family crossed the Atlantic Ocean and eventually moved westward from West Virginia to Mexico and Texas, where her family were owners of slaves before the American Civil War. She lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, until her mid-fifties. After the death of her husband, she embarked on her life's vocation. Throughout her life, she helped the poor and reached out to help African Americans and Mexican Americans.

Her cause for canonization was initiated in June 2021. Murphy was a relative of Daniel O'Connell, who worked politically to end slavery through the British Parliament system. Her mother died when Murphy was five.

After the death of her mother, Mary and Johanna Murphy, her aunts, helped take care of the children. After the Act of Union, Ireland became severely impoverished and some of the family decided to emigrate. She and her father moved on to live and help on the family farm in West Virginia. She was also involved with the family's Sunday School for both adults and children and helped teach reading and writing to African American plantation workers.

Moving west When the family moved west to Texas, Murphy's father died along the way in New Orleans. He had been stationed there while working as a volunteer in General Zachary Taylor's army. on May 4, 1849 The Murphys also owned slaves who worked on the ranch.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi after the Civil War had suffered greatly, especially because of the blockade of the Texas coast, which resulted in food and supply shortages. The blockade lasted around four years. Troops from the North also hit the city very hard and when the Murphys came back to their home, many of their belongings had been destroyed. In 1865, the Murphys rented out their ranch and moved into the heart of Corpus Christi. Murphy then moved to San Antonio.

Saint Peter Claver School

Murphy traced the origin to her vocation to build a school for African Americans to a sermon given by Father John Maloney on May 29, 1887, at Saint Mary's Church in San Antonio. Murphy requested permission to start a school for African Americans from Bishop John C. Neraz, which he gave with "enthusiastic approval." However, Murphy was determined to force San Antonians to pay attention to racial issues, which is why she chose the white neighborhood for the school. The school was named for a Jesuit saint, Saint Peter Claver, who had spent his life helping slaves in Cartagena, present-day Colombia.

Over time, Murphy would recruit sisters from both Ireland and from the local Mexican American community.

Murphy died in the St. Peter Claver Convent in San Antonio on August 25, 1907. In the late 1960s, her religious order was renamed the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate. The Sisters of the Holy Spirit also currently have outreach missions in Mexico and Zambia. Murphy's school later changed its name to the Healy Murphy Center. The Healy Murphy Center is currently operational and is located on Nolan Street in San Antonio, helping students who have dropped out of school.

Her cause for canonization was initiated in June 2021.