THE DREAM THAT IMPRESSED UPON ME LITTLE NELLIE'S SANCTITY

A little over a year after the death of Little Nellie, the first account of her life was published in a New York publication, The Sentinel of The Blessed Sacrament. The biographical sketch was written by one of the Irish nuns who had cared for Little Nellie and her words were suffused with fondness for the spunky and saintly Nellie. The nun remembered Little Nellie as, "wonderfully attractive", she wrote that, "her large luminous, black eyes made one feel the influence of an extraordinarily strong character" and that after Nellie received the Eucharist for the first time, "a heavenly light which was noticed by all, even the children shone over her countenance."

Soon after the story was published, another Irish nun, Sister Teresa had the pluck to lean on the editor of another publication, The Annals to publish the same story about Nellie in the pages of his periodical. The editor, Mr O'Malley-Moore resisted, it was completely against his editorial policy to re-print an article that had already been carried in another quarter of the press, but in the end he gave into Sister Teresa. In turn his readers learnt that, Nellie was, "a child of predilection" and that "the first indication of anything extraordinary in Nellie was her wonderful instinct about Holy Communion" because Nellie had the gift of knowing when someone had received the Eucharistic Lord because she felt His Presence in the other person. And she knew when the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in the chapel for adoration, even though no one had told her. When Nellie was miraculously aware that the Eucharistic Christ was exposed in a monstrance, she begged her nurse to take her down to the chapel, and once there she would be content, her eyes riveted by the Host.

The account included a poignant account of the convent's reverend mother, Mother Frances who visited Little Nellie when the little girl was on her deathbed and when Little Nellie saw that the stately nun had tears in her eyes, she asked, "Modder, why do you cry? You should be happy, because I am going to Holy God." This snapshot of Nellie's sanctity was given to many readers because Sister Teresa had campaigned for Mr O'Malley-Moore to re-publish it. Needless to say, Sister Teresa had a most tender devotion to the memory of Little Nellie, and a week after the article appeared she was rewarded with a most stirring dream that confirmed in her mind that the life-story of Little Nellie was the source of joy for the citizens of Heaven.

In her convent in Bray, County Wicklow, Sister Teresa dreamed she was in her room, and that she was writing at her desk, when a distinguished gentleman appeared to her. He was elderly and smiled gently at her. Here he was, a layman appearing in a nun's cell in a convent, and yet in the dream it seemed perfectly natural! The knowledge came to her that this man was the father of Mr O'Malley-Moore, the editor of The Annals who she had pressured, I mean, encouraged to re-print the piece on Little Nellie. The father of the editor said to Sister Teresa, "Mother, I have come to tell you that the June number of The Annals has been the occasion of great joy in Paradise." When she heard this, she asked excitedly, "Is it about Little Nellie?" The elderly gent answered, "Yes." Then he promptly vanished.

The next day Sister Teresa told Mr O'Malley-Moore about her dream, and he gave her a start when he made known to her that the night of her dream marked the anniversary of his father's death. Sister Teresa had no prior acquaintance or even most basic relationship with any member of the O'Malley-Moore family.

That which I find astounding is that it was revealed to Sister Teresa that the story about Nellie's life was, "the occasion of great joy in Paradise".  It was a sign for the intrepid Sister Teresa of County Wicklow, and also a sign for me as to the great esteem in which the people of Paradise hold Little Nellie that a story about her life would cause an extra joy to the ecstasies they already enjoy.