Mother Mary Baptista Aloysius

Mother Mary Baptista Aloysius Lynch (1823–1887) was an Irish-born Ursuline nun and the founding superior of the Ursuline community in Columbia, South Carolina. She is known for her leadership during the Civil War as she helped establish the Ursuline Convent and Academy in Columbia. She became a prominent religious figure in the region. Her legacy left a strong impact through her work in education, her connections to Bishop Patrick Lynch, and her role during the 1865 Burning of Columbia.

Early life and religious vocation Mother Mary Baptista Aloysius Lynch was born Ellen Lynch in Cheraw, South Carolina in 1823. She helped establish the convent and school and led the community's educational and religious work during the mid-nineteenth century.

Mother Baptista and her students were temporarily forced to relocate, having found and built a new convent at the Hampton-Preston House.

From 1858 until 1887, she served as mother superior in Columbia at Ursuline Covent and Academy.

She died in 1887 and was buried in Columbia, South Carolina. Local historical records from the Basilica of St. Peter document her burial in Columbia and recognize her continued influence on Catholic education after the war.