Hayden, Mother Mary Bridget (1814–1890)
Hayden, Mother Mary Bridget (1814–1890)
Irish-born American missionary. Name variations: Sister Mary Bridget. Born Margaret Bridget Hayden, Aug 26, 1814, in Kilkenny, Ireland; died Jan 23, 1890, at Osage Mission, Kansas (later Oklahoma); dau. of Thomas Hayden (died 1830) and Bridget (Hart) Hayden.
Received habit from Sisters of Loretto order (1841) and served under name Sister Mary Bridget at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and Loretto, Kentucky (1840s); journeyed by boat and lumber wagon to Osage Mission (later Saint Paul), Kansas, to instruct Indian girls (1847); became superior of Osage Mission (1859) and acted as mother and nurse in addition to teacher; known as "Medicine Woman" for compassionate care of those afflicted by rugged mission life. Also served as superior of St. Vincent's Academy in Cape Girardeau for 4 years (1863–67).
See also William W. Craves, Life and Times of Mother Bridget Hayden (1938).