Doyle, Mary Matthew, Mother, R.S.M.

Dates

• Existence: 1870 - 1960

Biography

Sister Mary Matthew Doyle was the first President of Salve Regina College from 1947 to 1948. She was also the Mother Provincial of the Sisters of Mercy, Province of Providence.

Mother Mary Matthew Doyle, nee Catherine Margaret Doyle, was born May 8, 1870, in Providence, Rhode Island. She entered St. Francis Xavier Convent in 1890 and was professed in 1892. Her early years in education were spent at St. Mary's Bay View Academy, followed by service at St. Xavier's Convent as Mother Assistant in 1910. Six years later she was named Mother Superior (Reverend Mother), and subsequently elected as the first Mother Provincial for the newly formed Province of Providence. She served in that position from 1929-1936, and 1942-1948.

Under her guidance, the Sisters of Mercy adopted Belize as its foreign mission in 1932. Mother Mary Matthew also took a great interest in the education of her Sisters. For her efforts, she received an honorary M.A. degree from Providence College in 1926 and an Ed.D. from the Catholic Teachers College in 1932.

While Mother Provincial for the Sisters of Mercy in Providence, she became one of Salve Regina's first incorporators and was elected First Vice-President and First Vice-Chairman of the Members-of-the-Corporation. She was also named to the Board of Directors of Salve Regina College. When the college opened in 1947, she served as its first president. With Vice President Sister Mary Hilda Miley, they formed the college’s first advisory board in 1948, to address concerns about financial needs. Following the school's first year, Mother Mary Matthew stepped down as president and was succeeded by Sister Mary Hilda Miley.

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