Jilted boyfriend of nun on sainthood track kept lock of her hair

Published: 2005-10-27

LONDON (CNS) -- The jilted boyfriend of a nun who is on course to become Scotland's next saint kept a lock of her hair until his death, the Edinburgh (Scotland) Evening News reported Oct. 18. Patrick Lynch was dumped by his first love, Margaret Sinclair, after she realized she had a vocation to the religious life. She joined the Poor Clares of St. Colette at the age of 23 and worked with the poor of Edinburgh until her death from tuberculosis two years later in 1925. In 1978, the Catholic Church recognized Sister Margaret's heroic virtues, the first major step toward canonization. Lynch's daughter, Moira Cunnison, revealed that her father kept a silver locket containing the nun's hair hidden in a small box along with a letter from Sister Margaret until his death in 1973. The locket bore the image of a cross and was engraved with the name Margaret Sinclair. In the letter dated Nov. 4, 1920, and sent to Lynch after the couple broke up, Lynch was addressed as "Pete" and was congratulated by "Maggie Sinclair" for returning to the Catholic faith.

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