She was the seventh child of John Butler, gentleman farmer, and Ellen (née Forrestal).
[2] She attended the Sisters of Mercy school in New Ross, County Wexford, entering the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Béziers, France in 1876.
[1][4] In 1903 she was appointed head of the congregation's school at Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, with the responsibility to extend the influence of the order in there.
She acted as president of the college, with the institution being granted a charter from the University of the State of New York to award bachelor's degrees in 1924.
She introduced a unique educational system incorporating high religious and academic standards with the aim of preparing young women for a changing society.