I recently
came across a nun who was famous for her poetry, among other things, so decided
to see if we have more “nun poets” in our Catholic history.
Perhaps the
most famous was SISTER MARY MADELEVA
WOLFF. I had heard of her in High School as her college in South Bend, Indiana
was one I considered for my own education. I
did not want to attend an all women’s college,
however.
Born in 1887 in Cumberland, Wisconsin, she was a prominent 20th century figure. She was a
renowned author, poet, scholar and speaker. As President of Saint Mary’s
College from 1934-61, Sister Madeleva played a significant role in the
development of both Catholic higher education and women’s education. In 1943 she founded the School of Sacred
Theology, the first and, for more than a decade, the only institution to offer
graduate degrees in Catholic theology to women.
Her father was
a Lutheran and
a saddle and harness maker, who was twice mayor of Cumberland. He read poetry to her as a child
and gave her a love of nature.. Her mother, Lucy, was a devout Catholic.
She had an
early interest in education, attending the University of Wisconsin
then transferring to St. Mary's to earn her bachelor's degree in 1909. She
entered the Holy Cross order while at Saint Mary's and took her final vows
after graduating, in 1910.
She began teaching at Saint Mary's and earned a master's
degree in 1918 in literature. After spending the next few years out west as
principal of Sacred Heart Academy
in Ogden, Utah,
and later Holy Rosary
Academy in Woodland,
California, she went on to school once again,
studying at the University of California, Berkley,
where in 1925 she earned a degree in philosophy, the first sister and one of
the first women to do so. She went on to
specialize in medieval literature, doing post-graduate work at Oxford University.
As a
Catholic intellectual, long recognized as one of American Catholicism’s most
extraordinary women, she also was a spokeswoman for the education of women and
an advocate for the improvement of the status of women in the Catholic Church
and everyday life.
A prolific
writer with more than twenty books to her credit, Sister Madeleva also
expressed her thoughts and opinions through numerous speeches and membership in
various poetry societies.
This
incredible woman touched the lives of many, and her reach went far beyond the
grounds of Saint Mary’s College. Sister Madeleva, a dynamic speaker and writer
had much to say, provided support and encouragement to many of America’s 20th
century intellectuals.
Known for
her great energy, , Sister Madeleva personally corresponded with a wide range
of prominent individuals. Thomas Merton sent her manuscripts for her to review
before they were published. She talked with C.S. Lewis about his teaching and
writing, discussed politics with the Kennedys and formed a close friendship
with actress Helen Hayes. Her other frequent correspondents include famed
physician Dr. Tom Dooley, British historian and sociologist Christopher Dawson,
English actor and writer Robert Speaight, and diplomat and playwright Clare
Booth Luce. Clare Booth Luce’s husband Henry Luce, then editor of Time and Life
magazines, found Sister Madeleva to be such a remarkable woman and strong role
model for future generations of men and women alike that he featured her in the
June 10, 1957 issue of Life
She died at age 77 in 1964. An obituary described her as “the
most renowned nun in the world.” The only poem I could find on- line is the following:
Things to be loved
The Carceri, soft rain in February,
These two stone oaks, this sky of Giotto’s blue,
Beds of hepatica and fritillary
In this square garden plot that Francis knew:
These things are to be loved I know.
I love them
In their still world, uplifted from the plain.
I choose for you the diffident dearest of them,
White fritillaries in the Umbrian rain.
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