Edel Quinn: 1907-1944

By Sister Irene Hartman, OP

Edel Quinn is called Ireland’s 20th Century apostle. Why? Because of her involvement and promotion of the Legion of Mary, an association where prayer and action mingle to revitalize parishes. Through her leadership, many conversions were effected; many returned to the practice of their faith. The field of her activity was predominately in Africa, in Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and in Mauritus in the Indian Ocean.

Edel Mary Quinn was born in Ireland on Sept. 14, 1907; her parents were devout Catholics. She made her first Communion at the age of nine, and then began to attend Mass daily. Morning and evening prayer, regular confession, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament nourished her spiritual life. However, she gave no indication that she was especially pious. She loved sports, dressed attractively, played the piano and violin well, was very intelligent, and devoted to her studies. It seemed that a bright career in her world lay open before herr. She had other plans.

When she made it known that she wanted to become a nun, a hurdle appeared on her path. Her family was financially stretched; she was needed to help support the family. She became a secretary and was hired by a reputable man who returned to the faith through her example. The two loved live, began to party together, and he finally proposed to Edel. She refused his proposal, saying that she intended to enter the contemplative order of Poor Clares.

Before she finalized her plans to become a nun, she became active in a sodality to assist poor children. Eventually she was invited to join the Legion of Mary and accepted. Her first assignment from the director Frank Duff was to minister to prostitutes in Dublin, a position she carried out with great kindness and sympathy. Edel became an avid reader and spent any free moments reading the lives of St. Therese of Lisieux, St. John of the Cross, and St. Louis-Maria de Montfort. All her readings nourished her spiritual life and made her activity profitable.

By 1932, with her family financially secure, Edel decided to enter the Poor Clares. Her plan suffered a painful setback; she had incurable tuberculosis, and was to be confined to a sanatorium for 18 months. She did not recover; the financial burden weighed heavily on her family, and she decided that she might as well be active while awaiting death. Thinking that a warm climate might do her good, Frank Duff sent Edel off to East Africa on a dangerous and hazardous mission. “You can’t keep a wild bird in a cage. She must be given her chance. Edel is going to make history -- if she is let.”

Edel said goodbye to family and friends on October 24, 1936, and set sail for Africa where she ministered for the next eight years. She became that free bird Frank Duff had spoken about. She gave full rein to her passion, the Legion of Mary. She convinced priests to let her try it in various parishes, and she gave herself graciously to the spread of the Word. She traveled about in a worn-out dilapidated two-seater car; folks knew she was approaching because of the loud noises coming from the old car. She brought happiness wherever she went; her energy was amazing. Her friends tried in vain to get her to rest, even in the heat of the day. Her years in Africa took a toll. She suffered from malaria, pneumonia, dysentery, and sheer exhaustion. But her will power kept her on the move. After a series of heart attacks, Edel at last succumbed on May 12, 1944. She was buried in Nairobi in a small cemetery reserved for missioners.

Frank Duff was convinced that Edel Quinn would be canonized. “She was never thinking about herself, but was always deeply concerned about everybody else. She saw a star and aimed for it and would cut her way through forest and mountain to reach it, ready to tackle anything, willing to endure anything.”