By Ariel Nealy, senior, Mercy High School in Baltimore
Mother Mary Lange, born Elizabeth Clarisse, was a deeply spiritual woman who touched many lives with her courageous fight for children’s education. Lange was born around 1789, either in Sainte-Domingue (now Haiti) or to refugee parents in Santiago de Cuba. Lange emigrated to the United States sometime in the early 1800s and was living in Baltimore by 1813. During this time, a great influx of French-speaking refugees who had fled the Haitian Revolution were arriving in Baltimore. Lange recognized the lack of access to education for Black immigrant children. Using her own money, Lange established a school in her home in Baltimore for African American children.
With the encouragement of Father James Joubert, a French priest living in Baltimore, Lange founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence in 1829. Wanting to commit her life to God, Lange became the foundress of the first religious congregation for African American women in the United States and became the first superior. Under Mother Mary Lange’s leadership, the sisters continued to serve marginalized people.
Though living in a slave state where education for enslaved people was against the law, Mother Mary Lange and the Oblate Sisters of Providence fought to respond to the needs of their time. The order empowered the Black community through Catholic education by establishing a school. Mother Mary continued her efforts to lift her community up until her death on February 3, 1882.
Today, St. Frances Academy, the school that she founded, still educates high school students. The Archdiocese of Baltimore opened Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in 2021. Because of her impact, Mother Mary was named to the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. Mother Mary Lange’s life is now being examined for potential canonization; she was declared “venerable” by Pope Francis in 2023.
Mother Mary Lange is an example of breaking barriers and devoting one’s life to helping others. She is a symbol of hope because, despite racial injustices, she fought for and gave the Black community access to education, equality, and dignity. Inspired by Mother Mary Lange’s selflessness, we should look to emulate her example. Even though Mother Mary Lange’s vision and goals were met with many trials and tribulations, she never took “no” for an answer. Her life teaches future generations of Catholics to continuously fight for what they believe in despite adversity. We are encouraged to work for something we believe in and to never give up hope. As a person from Baltimore, I am encouraged by Mother Mary Lange’s ministry and want to extend my blessings to help build up the people of my city. As I continue to grow my own nonprofit that primarily serves the Black community, it is because of Mother Mary Lange that I will carry on courageously.