On Mother Mary Alphonsa of the Hawthorne Dominicans

"Nathaniel Hawthorne added the 'w' to his last name because one of his ancestors was John Hathorne, a Salem witch trial judge, and he wanted to distance himself from that legacy. Raised in a Calvinist milieu, Hawthorne was not a regular churchgoer, but as anyone who read The Scarlet Letter in high school knows, he was conversant with religious themes of sin, judgement, forgiveness, and mercy. A supporter of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, he was rewarded with a diplomatic post - the consulship in Liverpool, England. The Democratic Party did not nominate Pierce to run for a second term, however, and the Hawthorne family toured Portugal, France and Italy in late 1850's after leaving that post.

"Hawthorne’s wife, Sophia Peabody, had been raised a Unitarian and both Nathaniel and Sophia were influenced by the Transcendental Movement, being friends with Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. They had three children, Una, Julian, and Rose. Nothing in the family background could have prepared them for the conversion of their youngest child to the Catholic Church - except perhaps those years in Europe where they encountered 'the Roman Church' in art and architecture, music, culture and prayer.

"Rose Hawthorne's conversion to Catholicism in 1891 shocked the family. Her father had died in 1864 and her mother moved the family to Dresden, Germany, where Rose met George Parsons Lathrop. . . ."

In a recent commentary, writer Stephanie Mann profiled Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, who founded the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and became known as Mother Mary Alphonsa, Now called called a Servant of God, her cause for canonization was opened in 2003.

To access the complete National Catholic Register report, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Stephanie Mann: Mother Mary Alphonsa, Daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, is Now Called a Servant of God (9 JUL 17)

Editor's note: My aunt and godmother,  Elizabeth Lopatosky/Sister Mary Teresita, O.P., became a Hawthorne Dominican. She passed on the feast of Saint Dominic (8 August) in 2001, shortly before the 50th anniversary of her profession.

Background information:

Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne