Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Sister Lucy Julien letters to Amanda Stewart Bryan Kane, 1964-1990, Accession #10888-a, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The material of this collection was made a gift to Alderman Library in accordance with the wishes she expressed during her life by Mrs. Amanda Stewart Bryan Kane of Charlottesville, Virginia, on February 28, 1992.

Biographical/Historical Information

Lucy Kearney Hill was born in Richmond, Virginia, on April 4, 1904, to a prominent banking family. She was reared and educated in Richmond, vacationing at the family house at Cape May, New Jersey, and at her grandfather Kearney's home on Lewis Mountain in Charlottesville. She graduated from Manhattanville College in New York in 1924. Preferring a contemplative order, she entered the French Roman Catholic order of Servantes du Sainte-Sacrement in 1929 and made her "Final Profession" on May 24, 1932, taking the name of Sister Lucy Julien. For over the next fifty years she lived in convents throughout France: Angers, Chalonnes, Paris, and Lyons.

Sister Lucy met Amanda Stewart Bryan, also born in 1904, in 1908. The Bryans, a very influential Richmond family, lived at Laburnum; as the girls went to school and played together Lucy spent many days at Laburnum, of which she retained fond memories. In 1930 Amanda Bryan married Keith Kane, a prominent attorney in New York City, and together they reared four children. The Kanes lived mostly in New York and moved in distinguished political and diplomatic circles, traveling extensively in Europe. They retired to Charlottesville in 1973, where Mrs. Kane remained after her husband's death in 1974 until her own death in 1990. Sister Lucy and Amanda Kane's friendship spanned eighty-two years of which the last twenty-six are documented by this collection.

Scope and Content Information

There are 356 items in the collection ranging from January, 1964 to November, 1990, chiefly letters from Sister Lucy Julien Hill to Amanda Bryan Kane.

The collection as a whole demonstrates the strength and value of a remarkable friendship between two women whose lives followed very divergent paths. Sister Lucy's gentle life of trust and love for God permeates her letters, as does her affection for Mrs. Kane, which is obviously warmly reciprocated. The letters chiefly discuss religious issues: doctrine, news of the order as a whole and of Sister Lucy's specific convent, and the spiritual life. Current events are discussed as they intrude on convent life; and virtually every letter details family and personal news.

Of particular interest is the description of the charismatic movement within the Roman Catholic church, the death and subsequent election of popes, the interest in ecumenism, and the changes wrought by Vatican II. The collection provides a picture of late twentieth century convent life and specifically the aging of the "convent." Of interest to students of the life of the University of Virginia is the commentary on the death of "Billy" Hill, Sister Lucy's nephew and a well-known University alumnus.

LETTERS 1964: Sister Lucy was living at the convent at Chalonnes. The few letters are concerned with convent (Sep 29) and family news, and with world peace in the light of President   Kennedy's assassination (Jan 8).

LETTERS 1965: Letters focus on religious issues and concerns: doctrinal and spiritual discussions (May 19, Jun 10, Aug 1), the Pope's visit to New York (Oct 17), and the many changes in convent life expected from Vatican II (Oct 17, Dec 19). Sister Lucy was named Assistant Mother Superior at the convent at Lyons; she describes a local harvest festival, known as a kermesse (Sep 5).

LETTERS 1966: Sister Lucy discusses convent life and daily routines (May 20, Nov 26, Dec 18); her memories of Virginia childhood (May 20), her desire for ecumenism and world peace (Feb 13); she describes Lyons at Christmas (Dec 18).

LETTERS 1967: She relates news of Kane and Hill family members (Jan 3, 11), and mentions family memories (Jan 11); the University of Virginia's Alderman Library (Jan 3); religious and Servantes order news (Jun 10), and comments on changes in Servantes order life which engage the nuns in more discussion and less silence (Feb 7).

LETTERS 1968: One letter: Sister Lucy sent to the Paris house to be organist; upheaval in Servantes from Vatican II; Sister Lucy asks help from Amanda and Keith Kane in writing a study on ecumenism for the order as part of the re-organization.

LETTERS 1969: One letter: Sister Lucy returns to the house at Lyons, where, with the exception of "emergency" trips, she remains at the present. She voices concerns over the changes wrought by Vatican II, and questions being "stuck" in Lyons after her time in Paris.

LETTERS 1970: All family news.

LETTERS 1971: Family news; and commentary on changes in convent life, particularly the increase in personal freedom and privacy (May 6).

LETTERS 1972: Gratitude for the Kanes' previous visit and their spiritual life (Mar 30); personal and convent anecdotes (Apr 4).

LETTERS 1973: St. Polycarp's Day reminds Sister Lucy of the Sisters' arrest and detainment by the German army during the Second World War (Feb 23); the convent succumbs to influenza en masse (Dec 3); the Kanes retire to Charlottesville from New York (Dec 13).

LETTERS 1974: Sister Lucy shows concern over current events: upcoming French elections, possibility of Communist takeover (May 16, Dec 15), President   Nixon's resignation (Sep 22), French postal strike (Sep 22, Dec 15); she discusses convent news (Jun 9, 30, Jul 10), the international Catholic charismatic movement (Jul 7); Kane and Hill family news (May 31, Jun 9, 13, Sep 22), memories of entering convent (Jun 13, Jul 31); she responds to news of Keith Kane's death (May 31, Jun 30, Dec 15).

LETTERS 1975: Few letters; they focus on Kane and Hill family news and Amanda Kane's visit (Apr 14, Aug 24); Sister Lucy comments on a charismatic conference (May 18).

LETTERS 1976: Few letters; news of family and the Servantes. One house has been closed and the sisters re-distributed; changes in governance because of dwindling numbers (Feb 23).

LETTERS 1977: Letters are filled with family (May 13) and religious news: Amanda Kane's visit (Jul 21); relaxing of convent rules (Jul 7), and Sister Lucy's growing interest and involvement in the charismatic movement (May 31, Jul 21, Aug 27, 29).

LETTERS 1978: From September through December letters concentrate on death of Pope Paul VI, the election and death of John Paul I and election of John Paul II (Oct 5, 28, Nov 9, Dec 31), and also spiritual and charismatic concerns (Jan 21, Jun 30).

LETTERS 1979: Religious and convent news dominate the letters, especially the relaxing of convent restrictions (Feb 20, Mar 6, Jul 15), Pope John Paul II's pilgrimage to Poland (Jun 15), and Sister Lucy's fiftieth anniversary of entering the convent (May 24); current events are mentioned(Feb 20, Nov 12), Bastille Day celebrations (Jul 13); amusing personal anecdotes (Apr 8, Nov 12).

LETTERS 1980: Sister Lucy relates convent and Servantes order news (Mar 29), provincial meeting (Feb 17); Hill and Kane family news (Dec 16); she worries over current events: Iran hostages (Jan 20), Polish strikes (Sep 1), the American presidential election, and is excited about her newly acquired right to vote in an election (Sep 1, Oct 7).

LETTERS 1981: Sister Lucy comments on current events: royal wedding (Jul 8, 26), Iran hostages (Jan 19), French elections (May 28), attempted assassination of President   Reagan (Apr 4), attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II (May 28); family and convent news (Jul 8, 26, Aug 18, 19, Oct 4); charismatic conference (Jul 26); death of "Billy" Hill, Sister Lucy' nephew and University alumnus (enclosed elegy, Nov 5, 6, Dec 8).

LETTERS 1982: Current events and issues of doctrine almost disappear from the letters and convent life and family news dominate from this point on. Convent news (Jan 9, Feb 22, Mar 1, Apr 6, May 8, Jul 6), a thief sneaks into the convent (Dec 15), Sister Lucy's Jubilee-fiftieth anniversary of Final Profession: preparations and proposed family visits (Feb 22), description (Jun 22).

LETTERS 1983: News of convent and family life begins to have medical overtones as the years progress (Apr 4, Aug 6, Sep 7, Dec 2, 17); nuns visit on way to Sri Lanka (Oct 17), convent enjoys religious television programming (Dec 17), memories of German imprisonment (Sep 8); French postal strikes (Jul 6).

LETTERS 1984: Sister Lucy reacts to Kane family news (Feb 20); she recounts memories of their Richmond childhood (Feb 20, May 7, Nov 30), and gives comfort to Amanda Kane on tenth anniversary of husband's death (Jun 8). She reports on convent and Servantes order news (Jan 31, May 7, Jul 7, Oct 28): the "convent" visits a monastery (Sep 7), concerns are voiced on the age and infirmity of the sisters (Jul 7, Oct 28), she discusses a religious doctrine (Mar 6).

LETTERS 1985: All of these letters detail personal, convent, and family news (especially Feb 4, Apr 6, Nov 12, Dec 8), Sister Lucy is healthiest one in the convent (Feb 4).

LETTERS 1986: Sister Lucy seems much older; she writes many more letters to Amanda Kane. She repeats news several times, remembers the distant past better than the immediate past. She takes a cane (Jan 20); memories of Virginia childhood (Jan 20, May 30, Jun 6, Jul 5, Nov 1, 25), memory of visit of General Pershing to her parents' house (Jun 6); Amanda Kane's illness (Oct 20, 26; Oct 20 to Shelah Scott); renovations to convent (Jan 6, May 24); Pope John Paul II's visit to Lyons (Jul 5, Oct 7).

LETTERS 1987: Memories of Richmond, Laburnum, and debutante balls pervade the letters (Jan 4, 20, 24, Jul 13, Oct 30). Family news is given (Jan 4, 20, May 31, Jul 4, Sep 15); convent news (Jan 13, Aug 11, Sep 26), resident priest dies at age of 85 (Jul 4), a new Mother General (Sep 30), a young nun sent to help convent (Jan 13).

LETTERS 1988: Sister Lucy recalls childhood memories (Jan 22, Feb 12, May 4, 28). She receives a book about her grandfather, Civil War General Kearney (Jun 23), expresses pride in being a Virginian (Jun 23). Convent news: Sister Lucy disagrees with the plan for the convent to become a rest home (Mar 19), infirmities curb charitable works for the convent (May 4), nuns may now go home to visit on weekends (Aug 5). Current events: she comments on Empress Zita's funeral (Apr 4), American canonizations (Dec 16). This year marks Amanda Kane's last visit to Sister Lucy.

LETTERS 1989: Sister Lucy discusses her imprisonment by the Germans more thoroughly (Jan 26); She gives opinions on current events: President   Bush is seen on television (Apr 25), Bastille Day celebrations (Jul 14), University of Virginia President O'Neill's resignation (Oct 17), trouble in the Philippines (Dec 18). Sister Lucy ill (Apr 25), in hospital (Jul 5, 11, 12), Amanda Kane ill (Jul 11, 12, Aug 2, Nov 23); discussion of eucharist (Jul 27, Aug 2).

LETTERS 1990: She recounts memories of childhood (Feb 28, Jun 9, Jul 24). Enclosures sent by her younger sister evoke memories of Charlottesville (Aug 9, Oct 25, Nov 2). Convent news: a discussion of loyalty to one's order (Feb 9); the convent's yearly retreat prompts complaints about the order's modernization (Jun 13, 23). A letter from Sister Lucy's younger sibling Anne Hill Bowers to Amanda Kane describes Sister Lucy at 86 years old (Jul 24). Although Sister Lucy had trouble with her eyes and legs, she was relatively healthy. Amanda Kane, on the other hand, was in failing health and was transferred to the infirmary at Martha Jefferson House early in the year. Amanda Kane's health was a constant worry to Sister Lucy. Most of the letters in this year focus on the weather, particularly sunshine, Amanda Kane's health, and family news. Amanda Kane died in early December, 1990, approximately two weeks after the last letter in this collection (Nov 26) was written.

Also present in the collection are three photographs of Sister Lucy, two of which include Mrs. Amanda Kane.