The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Higganum: An Interview with Sister Doretta D’Albero

By Sally Haase.

As a newbie in town (we came in 1970), whenever I travelled along Candlewood Hill Road, I was always curious about the beautiful estate there and would take a glimpse of it as I rounded the curve at the end of Brainard Hill. It’s been years of taking glimpses as we all know that you should really keep your eyes on the road at that point. A few years ago it was opened to the Haddam Historical Society as part of a tour of the mills along Candlewood Hill Brook and then again last fall as one of the properties in their house tour.

The sign at the end of the driveway reads “Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” While we know that the place was once mill No.2 of the D. and H. Scovil Company, I wondered about the transition from factory to a Catholic order of Sisters. And so, I sat down with Sr. Doretta D’Albero to learn a little more.

Sr. Doretta is an energetic lady who has a wealth of knowledge about the Scovil properties and a love of history. But first let’s begin with asking who the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are?

In 1861, Clelia Merloni (Clay-lee-a) was born in Italy into an extremely wealthy family and whose father expected his educated and gifted child to follow him into the world of business. Instead, through the religious values and love of God instilled in her by her grandmother and her step mother, she chose a life of devotion to God, the poor and the oppressed. In 1888, Sr. Clelia was “dressed in the religious habit.” Soon after, she opened an orphanage for girls, unwed mothers and elderly women. In 1894, she founded an order dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

When her father died, she inherited his estate intending to use it for the benefit of the unfortunate. However, a greedy, incompetent administrator squandered the funds. So began a period of humiliation, slander and suspicion.

When all the money was lost by 1899, Bishop Scalabrini helped the Order financially and they helped him by sending Sisters to Brazil and the US to help the Italian immigrants who were seeking a new life abroad. In 1902 six sisters arrived in Boston. But again, a series of misunderstandings drove the order to where? – New Haven, CT in 1906, Hamden, CT in 1948 and eventually Higganum.

In Higganum, the old Scovil Mill #2 sat quietly, no longer manufacturing hoes for southern plantations or ramrods for the Civil War. In the early thirties, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Benham, Broadway actors from New York, purchased the property of 50 acres which included two lakes, a dam and a waterfall surrounded by woodland. They called it Juniper Ridge. The Benhams gutted the interior of the far building and remodeled it for their country resort. Next to it, most of the second factory building was demolished by the Higganum fire department using high pressure water hoses. What was left of it became a garage. The Benhams owned the property for some 30 years, entertaining actors and show business greats. Both Benhams (she was Christine Mangasarian) were Broadway musical actors during WWI and the twenties but Earl Benham also was a costume designer, a respected tailor to the stars and who wrote WWI ballads such as “Curly Locks” and “When.” One can only imagine who their visitors might have been: George M. Cohan, Jerome Kern, Victor Herbert, or Ed Wynn?

In 1964, the Benhams sold the property to Mount Sacred Heart of Hamden, CT for the use of the Sisters of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for $78k. It was used by the order as a place of spiritual renewal. And so it still is. Now it is used as a spirituality center for religious organizations such as priests and religious congregations. One group has been coming on the first Sunday of the month for forty years.

The sisters live on the property, tending to the grounds and managing the events. They are associated as parishioners of Higganum’s St. Peters Catholic Church, although Sr. Doretta teaches 7^th grade catechism. Their calling, however, is their devotion to the values and ministries of their foundress, Mother Clelia. Sr. Dominic Joseph, for instance, is a pastoral associate at St. Patrick Church in East Hampton whose duties include visiting and bringing Communion to the homebound and convalescent homes. Sr. Jerilyn is a CT Department of Correction Religious Service Chaplain at the Hartford Correctional Center. Sr. Karen is the Faith Formation Director at St. Junipero Serra Church in South Windsor. Sr. Doretta works in her office on the property, occasionally taking time out to run the lawn tractor to work on the grounds. She has a Master of Science in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Biology from Wesleyan University and is proficient in spoken and written Italian. Her current mission is translating documents related to Mother Clelia and the process of her beatification from Italian to English for all to share. In Sr. Doretta’s words, she is “excited to know her more personally” through the documents, letters and testimonies she translating.

In November of 2018, Sr. Doretta traveled to Rome for the Beatification of Mother Clelia. The process of becoming a saint in the Catholic Church is not easy. It starts five years after the death of the person in the diocese in which the candidate was born or died. The bishop will then gather evidence as to the life of holiness and virtue of that candidate. If he is satisfied with his findings he petitions the Congregation of the Causes of Saints to begin its deliberation. If they are in agreement they will pass their recommendation on to the Pope. If the Pope finds that the candidate has led a “heroic life” in holiness prayer, and work, the Pope will bestow the title “Venerable.” This means that the candidate is on the list and is waiting for a miracle attributed to their intercession. A miracle then shows that the person has the ability to intercede with God on another’s behalf through prayer. The celebration at this point is called Beatification (“to make blessed”) and the candidate is given the title “Blessed.” It means that the candidate is truly in Heaven with God. The final step to sainthood requires a second miracle.

And, what was the miracle attributed to Mother Clelia? In 1951 a Brazilian doctor was at the edge of death with paralysis from Guillain-Barre syndrome. He had great difficulty breathing and swallowing. His wife was told he would not make it through the night. The wife sought out a Sister to ask for prayers. The Sister recommended prayers to say to Mother Clelia and gave her a relic (a thread from her clothing.) The relic was placed in a spoon of water to be given to the patient. While he had not been able to swallow, he managed to take a sip. Suddenly he was able to drink from a cup and then was given custard to eat. Within weeks, he was walking and never showed signs of the disease again.

Sr. Doretta will tell you that Blessed Mother Clelia was “pure in faith and hope, generous beyond words, and always sacrificing for sinners.”

The sisters are good stewards of the Candlewood property, respecting its history when they repair and renovate. If this special place is opened for a public tour again, don’t miss the opportunity to visit it. Until then be advised that it is private property. Just take a quick glimpse as you go by.

This article and photos are with the approval of The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Hamden, CT. The official website for Mother Clelia is: www.madreclelia.org.