Poor Servants of the Mother of God

The Life of Frances Taylor

Frances Taylor who became Mother Magdalen Taylor founded the religious order, the Poor Servants of the Mother of God – also known as the SMGs in 1869. Her spirit and values form the thread which runs through all the work undertaken by the Congregation.

Early Life
Frances Taylor was born on 20th January 1832 in a small village called Stoke Rochford, in Lincolnshire. Her father was an Anglican clergyman and Frances was the youngest of ten children. It was a happy childhood in the large Rectory house surrounded by the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside. But as well as freedom and fresh air, Frances was also given the gift of education. Few children and even fewer girls were educated in those days.

Her happy carefree childhood came to an end in 1842 when her father died and the family had to leave the Rectory. They moved to London and this had an enormous impact on the ten year old Frances Taylor.

Seeing Poverty
The dirt, the poverty and the squalor of nineteenth century London came as a shock to her and as she grew older her compassion moved her to try to work with the poor. She started a Ragged School for boys and she understood from very early on that education was a key to helping these poor children in their future lives. The promise of bread and dripping brought them to learn the catechism and the alphabet.

The Crimea
The next great turning point in her life was the Crimean War. In 1854 she joined a group of nurses led by Florence Nightingale who were sent out to tend to the wounded soldiers. A number of religious Sisters from Ireland were among the nurses and their dedication and religious beliefs impressed Frances. Many of the wounded were also young Irishmen who had joined the army. It was their faith which Frances found so deeply moving and inspiring.

Becoming a Catholic
The dying soldiers asked her to write their last letters home to their mothers in Ireland. As she wrote her tears would fall on the page and mingle with the wet ink. The faith which kept these wounded and dying young Irish soldiers going and gave them hope and comfort was a faith she wanted to share in. In the midst of the death and pain of the Crimean War she was received into the Catholic Church on 14th April 1855.

Back in London
When she returned to England she discovered that the family finances had taken a severe downturn. Her brother had made a number of unwise investments and she had to find a way of making some money. She turned to writing and published her first book Eastern Hospitals and English Nurses. This was an account of the appalling conditions in the Crimea. She continued her writing throughout the rest of her life producing books and articles and editing magazines such as The Month and The Lamp.

The Religious Life
Frances continued to work among the poor in London and felt a calling to the religious life. At first she visited other congregations but none seemed to work in the particular way she had in mind. It was important to her that the work of the Congregation should be with the poor. A Religious Order in Poland seemed to be the closest to her ideal. At first she tried to set up a branch of the Polish order in London. However, there were difficulties about adapting the Rule to English needs. Another problem also arose, as the Congregation needed to be under the authority of the English Cardinal Manning and not a Polish Bishop.

Founding the Congregation
Eventually Frances had to accept that she was only going to achieve what she wanted if she started a new Religious Order. In 1869 after the death of her mother, Frances founded her own Congregation The Poor Servants of the Mother of God. Foundation Day is celebrated on 24th September to commemorate this date.

"We were very poor, but very happy... Hardly anyone knew we were religious and we passed as poor working women, unknown and unnoticed".

Frances now took on a new name and became known as Mother Magdalen. Her congregation started with just four Sisters working in London but over the years it grew and grew. Brentford was one of the earliest Convents. Like Roehampton and Streatham it was set in the countryside.

Charitable Works
Frances Taylor was very enlightened and forward thinking for her time. She wanted to work with the poor, but she also wanted to help them to help themselves. Just as aid agencies today try to teach people to grow crops rather than just dole out food, so she too wanted to give people the means to maintain their own self respect and dignity.

When a man came to the Convent door looking for food on a bitterly cold snowy day, he was not just given food and money but was handed a broom too. With this he was able to knock on other doors and earn his way by clearing the snow from the paths.

Refuges
Many destitute women in London turned to prostitution as the only way of keeping going. Few were educated and there was a very high rate of prostitution in London. Frances Taylor wanted to help these poor women. She opened refuges for them, providing a home for the women and their children. However, she realised that just providing help was not enough. She wanted to enable the women to live off the streets and give them a way of keeping themselves and their families.

At many of the Convents she started laundries where the women could learn to work and regain their self respect. The refuges were mainly in central London and Frances felt that the women and children should be given a break from the dirt and the noise and arranged outings for them to the countryside at Brentford and Streatham.

Frances was a strong minded purposeful lady. Many of the projects she undertook needed the support of the wealthy ladies in London who would help her with fundraising and without whose support she could not have continued. At times she also had to fight the authorities and overcome prejudice and bureaucracy to achieve her goals.

Responding to Need
Living in a different time to ours she could do things in a different way. In some ways it was easier to respond to the needs around her as there were no rules and regulations governing the work. A Hospital was opened in St Helens with two rooms and no health and safety inspections. She was able to respond to a need in the area where many were sick and disabled by mining work and had no access to medical care.

Further Afield
Her Sisters answered the call to work in Ireland and Italy and France. Today there are missions in Kenya and Venezuela and a number of Sisters working in the USA.

Wherever Frances Taylor opened a Convent the Sisters would always work in the local community and the parish as well as in the main work at that particular location.

Frances Taylor died on June 9th 1900 over one hundred years ago. The power of her vision and her spirit continues in the works done in her name today.

The Work Continues During the past century the work has changed and the Sisters have responded to the new situations which have arisen but it is still carried out in the same spirit ensuring that all, including the poor, the incapacitated and the marginalised are treated with dignity and respect.