The Beautiful American Nun ~ The Catholic Hearth Magazine

By A. D. Aldrich

This daughter of a Revolutionary hero was the first New England girl to enter a convent.

“This group of statuary is an attempt to commemorate the only accepted and well-authenticated miracle ever wrought in the state of Vermont,” is the answer you get when you ask about a group of statuary representing a woman, a child, and an old man in the Cathedral at Burlington, Vermont. If you inquire, you will learn the story of the miracle, and the important role it played in the life of one who was known as the “Beautiful American Nun.”

“The Beautiful American Nun,” as she was affectionately called, was Sister Frances Allen of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph at the Hotel Dieu in Montreal. She was also the daughter of General Ethan Allen, the Vermont Revolutionary War hero, and the first New England girl to take the veil.

It might seem strange to some, the daughter of such a self-reliant, outspoken man as General Allen choosing the quiet, self-effacing life of the cloister. It is strange indeed; and even more so when one considers the strong anti-Catholic sentiment in the Vermont of the time, and especially the fact that Ethan Allen was one of the foremost skeptics of his day.

Frances Margaret, or Fanny Allen, was born November 13, 1784, daughter of General Allen and Frances Buchanan, a sprightly widow whom he had married after the death of his first wife. In the winter of 1789 General Allen died. His widow moved from the Allen farm in Burlington to Westminster, Vermont, where she met and married a doctor, one Jabez Penniman.

Dr. Penniman adored his step-daughter Fanny, and gave her every advantage he could, treating her as he might his own daughter. The child’s religious education left much to be desired, however. The doctor, while not an aggressive freethinker like the late General, nevertheless had little use for the religion of his day; and when instructing his gifted step-daughter, he was careful to omit the subject entirely. When she would inquire about religion, he answered her questions with ridicule, or told her not to worry about such things.

When Fanny was twelve, there occurred the miracle which was to so affect her life. The Connecticut river flowed through the town of Westminster, and as Fanny walked by the river one day, a huge serpent-like creature came out of the water towards her. She stood staring, helplessly frozen in her tracks, when she saw a venerable-looking man, hurrying towards her.

Taking her by the arm, he said gently, “What are you doing here, my child? Hasten away.” Fanny reached home hysterical and out of breath, and her mother, hearing the story, sent a servant to thank the old man. He was never found, and it was many years before Fanny realized that she had seen a vision of St. Joseph.

General Allen’s daughter grew up into a lovely young woman, rather tall and with fair complexion and dark blue eyes. She was of refined and gentle manner—though tempered by her father’s self-assertiveness.

While in her early twenties, she decided that she wanted to go to Montreal, to study French at the Notre Dame Academy. Her parents objected most strongly to the idea; what use was French, anyway, they asked. They did finally agree to her going, although they insisted that she be baptized by the Episcopal minister to counter any “Popish” influence she might encounter. Fanny consented, though she bluntly told the minister she had no faith in his ceremony.

So in 1807 Fanny Allen found herself at the convent boarding school of the Sisters of the Congregation in Montreal. Her first few months were not too successful, far more than ever General Allen’s daughter, she openly mocked the rites of the Church, until the Sisters, fearing her influence over the younger pupils, decided to send her home.

One of the Sisters had a sort of inspiration, and one day—the afternoon of the Feast of the Assumption—she gave Fanny a vase of flowers to place near the Altar Tabernacle. “Be sure to adore Our Lord,” she cautioned her. Fanny laughed, and started for the chapel, deciding absolutely not even to nod her head.

As she passed the Tabernacle, she felt herself rooted to the spot. Unable to move, she was overcome, and sank to her knees in adoration. She remained there a long time praying and when she arose, her soul was filled with a holy calm. Next day she asked to be instructed in the faith.

Her cynicism and scoffing gone, she was completely won over, and she was soon ready for her first Holy Communion. She wrote her parents a long letter explaining what she had done, and told them that she intended to embrace the religious life.

Her parents were horrified; it was as if she had casually announced that she was going to commit suicide, for they shared the popular delusions of the time about convent life. They hurried her home and tried everything in their power to make her change her mind—gifts, parties, social life, admirers—but to no avail. The stubbornness of Ethan Allen was never more apparent than in his lovely daughter. Her friends pleaded with her, asked her how she could believe “such absurd superstitions,” but she stood fast.

Finally the doctor and his wife saw that the girl was sincere, and valuing her happiness, gave their consent to her return to Montreal. With her mother, Fanny returned and began the search for a suitable Order to join (she had not yet received her baptism).

At the chapel of the Hotel-Dieu, her attention was instantly attracted to an oil painting of the Holy Family above the High Altar. The St. Joseph in the picture she immediately recognized as the old man who had saved her from the monster. Believing it the will of the saint, she decided to join the Hospitallers of St. Joseph.

The Mother Superior advised Fanny to wait—to go back to the boarding school, to learn more about her new religion, and to see if her desire for a religious life was anything more than a passing fancy.

It was thus not until St. Michael’s Day, September 29, 1808, that she began her Novitiate in the Hotel-Dieu. At her religious profession two years later the convent chapel was filled to the doors; people came from afar to see this beautiful daughter of Vermont renounce forever the vanities of the world.

In the eleven years which she was to live as a Sister, Fanny Allen spent most of her time caring for the English speaking sick in the wards of the Hotel Dieu. It was here that she became known as the “Beautiful American Nun,” and her gentleness won many converts over to the Faith, including the minister who had baptized her. At the age of sixty-two he became a priest. Sister Allen went about faithfully carrying out her many exacting duties; prayer, fasting, caring for the sick until her health failed in December, 1819.

She was stricken by an acute illness, and though the doctor, a Vermont Protestant and her acquaintance, did all he could to save her, the will of God was inflexible, and Fanny Allen passed away on December 10, 1819. The doctor, present at the time of her death, was so impressed that he joined the Church and ended his days in a monastery.

In 1894, aided by the donation of a building and surrounding land, the Sisters of the Hotel-Dieu founded the Fanny Allen Hospital in Winooski, Vermont, on land once owned by Ethan Allen. It stands today a living monument to the faith and courage of one of the first and most distinguished of the Catholic daughters of Vermont.

“God walks among the pots and pans.” ~ St. Teresa of Avila

“Persevere in your daily duties; that is where your sanctification lies.” ~ St. Josemaría Escrivá

As we work to accept our husbands—both their virtues and their flaws—we become more like Christ, who accepts us as we are and calls us to grow in holiness. It is through acceptance that we create a loving and supportive environment where both of us can thrive. If you enjoy this video , please Like and Subscribe.

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Advent is creeping up and with it… the most wonderful time of the year! Celebrate by having a meaningful Advent! Below are some helps along the way!

Advent Journal ~ Available here.

Advent and Christmas Books ~ Available here.

Spiritual Christmas Crib Flip Cards ~ Available here.

St. Andrew Christmas Novena Chaplet ~ Available here.

Advent Coloring Pages Available here.

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Complete Confraternity Library (set of 8) ~ Available here.