SMYTH, ELEANOR TERESA (1880-1954)

SMYTH, ELEANOR TERESA, Sister St Mary Beatrice of the Congregation of Notre Dame; teacher, and superior at Newcastle, 1934-40; b. 16 Dec 1880, d/o Peter Smyth and Mary McNeil, of Cape Breton Island, N.S.; entered religious life, 1902; d. Montreal, 30 Nov 1954.

Eleanor Teresa Smyth was raised at Mabou, Cape Breton, in a family of thirteen children, three of whom pursued religious vocations. After taking her vows in 1904 she taught in Antigonish, Pictou, Charlottetown, and elsewhere and served as superior of the convents at Sydney Mines and Newcastle. "Hers was a truly spiritual life, marked by those attributes that set her apart as a woman of deep faith: childlike prayerfulness, constant self-sacrifice [and] ready submission." "By nature a perfectionist," she set high standards for herself and others.