Nottingham: Procession for a Saint in waiting: Ven Mary Potter

image James Murrin

On Saturday, more than 400 Catholics from across the East Midlands took part in a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to remember Venerable Mary Potter - a nun who worked in Nottingham in the late nineteenth century to give dignity to the poor, the suffering and the dying.

People began walking from St Mary's Church in Hyson Green, the suburb of Nottingham where Mary Potter lived and worked, and made their way to St Barnabas' Cathedral, where she is buried. On the way, the procession was passed by one of the city's trams that is named after her. The crowd then paused outside the Mary Potter Centre, also named in her memory, which houses NHS and other public services in Hyson Green.

Led by the Bishop of Nottingham, Rt Rev Patrick McKinney, the gathering included sisters from the religious order founded by Mary Potter, members of the city's African, Indian, Irish traveller and Italian Catholic chaplaincies, and many others who gathered to walk together in praise of God and to celebrate the life of this remarkable woman.

Mary Potter was born in London, in 1847. Her family moved to Nottingham and the age of 21, when she herself was ill, she asked other women to join with her in a ministry of care for the sick and dying. The then Bishop of the time, Bishop Bagshawe of Nottingham, gave his support to Mary Potter and her mission.

Mary Potter and the other women settled into a warehouse in Hyson Green a very poor district of Nottingham where she founded The Little Company of Mary. Their mission was one of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ by word and deed, through the ministries of prayer for the sick and dying, nursing, teaching and other pastoral activities. Throughout her life, Mary herself suffered painful and chronic illnesses, which helped her empathise with the emotional and spiritual distress of the sick and dying and support them with compassion, home care and prayerful presence.

In all that she did, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, she gave dignity to the poor and suffering, and the Little Company of Mary continues her mission throughout the world. Today, more than a hundred years later her work is still helping the underprivileged people throughout the world in 14 different countries, and in Nottingham, Hyson Green where it began stands a medical centre named after Mary Potter.

Mary Potter died in Rome in 1913 and is now buried in St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham.

Her tomb can be visited in St Barnabas' Cathedral, and those who are interested in learning more about Mary Potter can visit the Heritage Centre in Nottingham city centre dedicated to her memory. In 1988 St Pope John Paul 2 recognised Mary Potter's good work and declared her Venerable - the first of three steps towards Sainthood.

LINKS

Watch a short film about Mary Potter here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-derbyshire-22083321/nuns-gather-in-nottingham-to-honour-order-s-founder-mary-potter

Learn more about Venerable Mary Potter and the Little Company of Mary
www.lcmsisters.org.uk

St Barnabas' Cathedral
www.stbarnabascathedral.org.uk