- Imprint:
- TAN Books
- Pages:
- 120
- Publication Date:
- 1/1/2009
- Product Format:
- Paperbound
- Height:
- 7.00
- Width:
- 4.25
2 Reviews
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Very moving and inspiring story.
When I first purchased an eBook of this, I picked up the wrong volume, I ended up with: Little Nellie of Holy God - Sister Mary Dominic and Sister John Vianney; but soon realized that volume was written for a younger audience. As much as I enjoyed that volume I found this book, in eBook format direct from TAN. This volume was part of the reading for Father Mark Goring’s, Saint Mark’s School or Reading in the summer of 2025. I really enjoyed both these book about this holy example. This volume is about 3 times longer than the other offering on her life. The description of this volume states: “Nellie was a spirited child and a unique little masterpiece of God. No one knows where she learned the name “Holy God,” and no one knows how she instantly recognized Holy God when she first saw the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar. Nellie Organ spent the last few months of her life with the Good Shepherd Sisters in Cork, Ireland. Her great desire was to receive “Holy God,” and with permission from her bishop, she received Him about 32 times before her death at age 4-1/2. The Sisters lovingly treasured up their experiences with this special child who had been entrusted to their care, and those anecdotes are here passed on to new generations of Catholics. Many favors have been obtained through Nellie’s intercession, and her body was found intact a year after her death. The great Pope St. Pius X requested and received a relic of Little Nellie. Children and adults alike will find in Nellie Organ and exquisite example of love and reverence for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. “There! That is the sign for which I was waiting.”—Pope St. Pius X (See p,v.).” another is: “The wonderful story of the 4-year-old child whose story inspired Pope St. Pius X to lower the First Communion age from 12 to 7. Includes her desire to receive "Holy God;" her First Communion; incidents with the Sisters who raised her; the finding of her incorrupt body and favors received through her intercession. Perfect to teach love and respect for Our Lord in the Eucharist! 118 Pp. PB. Adult version.” The chapters in this volume are: Preface Contents 1. Nellie’s Family 2. To The Good Shepherd Sisters 3. A Crooked Spine 4. The Doctor’s Diagnosis 5. Nellie And The Infant Jesus 6. “Holy God” 7. Holy God In The Blessed Sacrament 8. Confirmation 9. Nellie’s “Sore Throat” 10. An Extraordinary Conversation 11. Growth In Grace 12. Longing To Receive Holy God 13. First Communion 14. Nellie’s Preparation And Thanksgiving For Holy Communion 15. Christmas 16. Growth In Virtue 17. Last Days On Earth 18. Little Nellie Of Holy God Nellie’s Body Found Intact Little Nellie As Intercessor Pope St. Pius X Asks For A Relic Of Little Nellie Postscript Appendix 1: The “Heavenly Light” At Nellie’s First Communion Appendix 2: Little Nellie And Pope St. Pius X Appendix 3: Letter Of Pope St. Pius X Appendix 4: Article On Little Nellie From The Catholic Encyclopedia Poem: “Little Nellie Of Holy God” Prayer Notes The eBook edition also includes the complete text of: Confession: Its Fruitful Practice from The Benedictine Convent of Clyde. We are informed that the beginning of this volume that: “The Compilers and the Publisher declare that all things recorded in this book rest on human authority and are related here subject to the approval of the Church, which alone can pronounce on their supernatural character.” We are also informed that: “Perhaps the earliest of these three main sources is a small book entitled Little Nellie of Holy God: Story of the Life of a Saintly Irish Child, by A Priest of the Diocese of Cork, “Printed by Guy & Co. Ltd.,” 70, Patrick Street, Cork, 1912 and/or 1915. We were informed by Sister Imelda O’Driscoll, R.G.S. of the Good Shepherd Sisters of Sunday’s Well, Cork, who sent us a copy of this rare book, that this priest was Rev. Dean Scannell, who had known Nellie personally and who was present at the exhumation of her body. Rev. Scannell was the dean of the diocese and secretary of the Bishop. He is also called Dr. Scannell, Rev. Dr. Scannell, and Monsignor Joseph Augustine Scannell. His book bore an Imprimatur from T. A. O’Callaghan, Ord. Praed., Episcopus Corcagienis [Bishop of Cork]. Sister Imelda, who stated “We hold the sole copyright,” gave us permission to reprint this book, and the current Provincial Leader of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Ireland has given us permission to use material from Msgr. Scannell’s book in the present compilation.” I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are: ““When only two,” Nellie’s father writes, “she would clasp my hand and toddle off to Mass, prattling all the way about Holy God. That was the way she always spoke of God, and I do not know where she could have learned it.” Nellie loved her father dearly, and her first request when her mother went out was to buy a rosary for Daddy. One night her father said he was going on sentinel duty. Nellie said, “I will be sentinel in your place.”” “The truth is that she had a crooked spine, though this was not recognized till she came into the care of the Good Shepherd Sisters. The trouble had begun at the time when Nellie was a very small baby and a babysitter had allowed her to fall. Perhaps the child seemed unhurt at the time; but as the little limbs stretched and broadened, the infirmity grew painful. Sitting upright hurt much; in fact, holding the body still for any length of time pained her a great deal. Her hip and her twisted back were out of joint. She cried, but there was no loving mother to soothe and comfort her. Nellie’s father at length realized that he could not carry on any longer in a motherless family, so he asked a kind priest friend to find a home in some convent for his forlorn orphans.” “While Nellie was still confined to bed in the Sacred Heart Infirmary, a little altar on which stood a statue of the Holy Infant of Prague attracted her attention. Nurse (Miss Hall) explained to her that the statue was an image of Our Lord when He was a child. Immediately Nellie’s interest was aroused. Nurse proceeded to narrate the story of the birth of Christ and His great love for us. The child listened with evident enthusiasm, and ever afterward she delighted in “the story of Holy God when He was a little child.” From that moment she turned with all the sweet simplicity of childhood and spoke to little Jesus. Soon she made a novena to Him, at the suggestion of the nuns, asking Him to make her well. When the novena was ended, she unexpectedly became so far recovered as to be able to walk about in the garden holding someone’s hand. Naturally, this inspired in her a great confidence in the Holy Child, with whom she now began to chat familiarly and of whom she made the most extraordinary demands.” “And so, on October 8, 1907, Nellie received the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Afterward she was brought to the parlor to be introduced to the good Bishop. It was then that the Bishop, as he afterward declared, was so impressed by the graces which he now perceived had been granted to this orphan child. Nellie declared to all who came to see her on her Confirmation day: “I am now a soldier of Holy God.”” “Her growth in holiness was even more remarkable. She manifested a wonderful devotion to the Passion of Our Divine Lord, and when they exhorted her to unite her sufferings with those of the Redeemer, she seemed to grasp the idea immediately and was quite prepared to make the heroic sacrifice and to endure the most atrocious suffering without a murmur of complaint. She kept a crucifix beside her on her bed, and when her sufferings became almost unbearable, she would take it in her little hand, stare at it fixedly, and whisper, “Poor Holy God! Oh, poor Holy God!” If others sympathized with her, she would smile and remark, “What is it compared with what He suffered on the Cross for me?”” “After her First Communion, Nellie was brought back to her bed in Nurse’s room. All day long the child maintained that profound calm which is rarely met with except in souls of more than ordinary sanctity. Many of the Sisters and her companions visited her; they brought her gifts of pictures, scapulars and medals. She thanked them quietly and bade Nurse hang them around her bed. The moment the visitors had gone, she joined her hands in prayer, and her lips were seen to move, whispering her love and gratitude to Holy God.” I really appreciate the prayer that the volume concluded with. The book contains numerous photos. Some of the photos are of Nellie, of those who knew her, and of her siblings and their descendent. The book give a look at the short life of little Nellie, and of her deep devotion to God and especially the Blessed Sacrament. It was an excellent read with Father Mark Goring’s School of reading. A great read one I can easily recommend.
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A Precious Soul
If you have not read the story of Ellen Organ (Little Nellie), then you should. She was a remarkable soul who understood God deeply at an extremely tender age. These first hand accounts from the ladies who cared for her in life give you a glimpse into the treasure which was this child's life. She is a model of love and devotion to God for Christians of all ages.
