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institutions across the United States but were unable to enroll in graduate theology programs. She was then appointed chair of a subcommittee to address that concern. None of the
Midwest Catholic Universities (Notre Dame, Saint Louis, Marquette, Loyola, and DePaul) nor Catholic University of America were willing to admit women into their theology programs. Bishop Edwin V. O'Hara, then chair of the Episcopal Commission on the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, encouraged her to begin such a program at St. Mary's College. It took only months for her to create the school, which began offering classes on June 19, 1943.
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The lecture series honors Sister
Madeleva's establishment in 1943 of a School of Sacred Theology (since closed) that provided the first opportunity in the U.S. for women to pursue graduate studies in theology. The lecture series highlights the work of women in theology. On April 29, 2009, the Feast
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gave her its
Campion Award, named for St. Edmund Campion and given to "a scholar or public figure for 'eminent and long-standing service in the cause of letters.'” She was awarded a number of honorary degrees, including Doctor of Letters degrees from Manhattan College in New York (1938), Mount Mary
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Her creation of the School of Sacred
Theology at St. Mary's College in 1943 was an outgrowth of her service on a committee of the Midwest chapter of the National Catholic Educational Association, which identified a problem in that religious sisters were being assigned to teach religion at Catholic
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The tenure of Sister
Madeleva as President of Saint Mary's College began in 1934. She told leaders that "the essence of our college is not its buildings, its endowment fund, its enrollment, or even its faculty; the essence is the teaching of truth." Some of her most tangible contributions included
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the establishment of the School of Sacred
Theology (the first and, for more than a decade, the only institution to offer graduate degrees in theology to women and lay men), the introduction of the Department of Nursing Education, and the construction of the Moreau Center for the Arts (named for
111:, she had been one of only four Sisters to pursue graduate work there. In 1925, she earned a doctorate in English from the University of California at Berkeley. She served as a teacher and the principal of the Academy of the Sacred Heart (opened in 1878, the school closed in 1937) in
76:'s character "The Prioress". In all, she authored more than 20 books. She served as president of the Catholic Poetry Society of America (1942-47). She resolved to publish under her religious name and to submit her work first to secular and then to Catholic magazines.
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131:, it was one of the first all-purpose buildings for art studies—containing both galleries and theatres—in the country). She also directed that the college begin admitting African American students in 1941. In 1958, she received an honorary degree (LLD) from
54:. Mary Evaline learned how to handle pliers, tacks and hammers. She climbed thorn apple trees, diagrammed wildflowers and in winter ice-skated from morning to night. At school, she "lived to learn, and so lived richly," she wrote in one of her books,
408:"Thinking of things to be done, hopes to be realized, persons to be helped, I say laughingly that I go to a multitude of funerals daily, burying so many deceased projects, so much of what I have had to let die and must bury without regret."
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College (1940), Notre Dame
University (1953), Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart (1957), Marquette University (1959), and Creighton University (1959), as well as a Doctor of Laws degree from Indiana University (1958).
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Sister
Madeleva was known for her poetry, her eloquence and her outspokenness. She was a medieval scholar, whose literary essays won her distinction. She wrote a good deal in defense of
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has a
Madeleva Scholars Program. It provides a structure for students who enter during their freshman year to achieve most fully the qualities of courage compassion and scholarship.
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411:"I wrote at least one poem a month over a period of fifteen or twenty years, every one of which I sent out at once to earn its living by publication in some magazine."
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A Study of Sister
Madeleva's Disquisition on the Pearl in Regard to the Method She Followed and the Methods Followed by Earlier and Subsequent Writers.
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In 1984, the actress Helen Hayes donated $ 50,000 to St. Mary's College to endow a scholarship in the name of her late friend, Sr. Madeleva Wolff.
643:"Sister Mary Madeleva, 77, Dies; President of St. Mary's College; Headed School in Soath Bend, Ind., for 27 Years—Poet and Author of 70 Books"
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and a saddle and harness maker, who was twice mayor of Cumberland. He read poetry to Mary Evaline. Madeleva’s mother, Lucy, was a devout
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In 1936, she was elected to the "Gallery of Living Catholic Authors" at Webster College in a competition the college conducted with
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Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, C.S.C., Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana : a study of presidential leadership, 1934-1961
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were among the secular publishers of her work. Hallmark also used some of her verses in their Christmas and sympathy cards.
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magazine. She received a gold medal at the 1939 World's Fair in New York for submitting the best Indiana poem. In 1959,
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during her first semester at Saint Mary's College. She was given the name "Madeleva" upon her acceptance into the
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Seton Hall University Records, Category Archives: Saint Mary’s College, Sister Mary Madeleva, CSC Collection
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The Poetry of Sister Mary Madeleva, C.S.C. : A Spiritual Autobiography of a Modern Medievalist
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Saint Mary's College: Notre Dame, Holy Cross, Indiana : A Report of the President (1947)
22:, (May 24, 1887 – July 25, 1964), the "lady abbess of nun poets", was the third President of
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She also served as the Indiana director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
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610:"Sr. Madeleva Wolff forever changed the face of Catholic theology | Global Sisters Report"
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The Education of Sister Lucy: A Symposium on Teacher Education and Teacher Training (1949)
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used Sister Madeleva's poetry as the text for a piece written for a women's choir titled
890:""Futility", by Sister M. Madeleva, Commonweal, February 24, 1926, p. 435". 1926-02-24.
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572:"Poet, feminist and nun: Sister Madeleva Wolff's ideal of the 'well-rounded woman'"
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in Chicago just to see how many things there are in the world that I do not want."
135:. She retired from her position as president in 1961. She died in Boston in 1964.
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in 1908 and took her final vows when she finished her bachelor's degree in 1910.
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Close-up of Sister Mary Madeleva of Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana
123:. She later became the head of the English department at Saint Mary's College.
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of St. Catherine of Sienna, the 1985 - 2001 Madeleva lecturers jointly issued
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Contemporary Catholic Authors : Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C., Pioneer Poet
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used Sister Madeleva's poetry as text for a piece for voice and piano titled
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Madeleva: Sister Mary Madeleva Wolff, C.S.C. : A Pictorial Biography
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25 Poemas de la Hermana Mary Madeleva : En VersiĂłn Castellana (1959)
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47:
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Past Madeleva Lecturers on the 40th Anniversary of Vatican II, 2005
867:"Madeleva Lecture Series | Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN"
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Sister Mary Madeleva Wolff : A Study of Her Life and Works
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An Analysis of the Prose and Poetry of Sister Mary Madeleva ...
712:"The famous poet nuns who filled the pages of America magazine"
439:
Conversations with Cassandra: Who Believes in Education? (1961)
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directed at women in the church. (See External links below.)
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The Madeleva Society, composed of benefactors of the college
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Three by Madeleva III: Poems by Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C.
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Three by Madeleva VI: Poems by Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C.
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Three by Madeleva IV: Poems by Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C.
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Three by Madeleva II: Poems by Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C.
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Three by Madeleva V: Poems by Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C.
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Three by Madeleva I: Poems by Sister M. Madeleva, C.S.C.
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Voices of Young Catholic Women, A Panel Discussion, 2015
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A Plea for the Familiar Essay in College English (1918)
107:. When she completed her M.A. degree in English at The
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THE MADELEVA MANIFESTO: A Message of Hope and Courage
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Horizons: Reflections on a Liberal Education (1981?)
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She studied at numerous universities, including the
843:"Madeleva Scholars - The Academy of the Holy Cross"
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A Lost Language, and Other Essays on Chaucer (1951)
499:The Happy Christmas Wind, and Other Poems (1936)
451:American Twelfth Night, and Other Poems (1955)
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496:A Question of Lovers, and Other Poems (1936)
484:Songs of the Rood; A Century of Verse (1940)
466:A Song of Bedlam Inn, and Other Poems (1946)
448:The Four Last Things: Collected Poems (1959)
511:Pearl; A Study in Spiritual Dryness (1924)
475:New Things and Old, Christmas, 1941 (1941)
1146:20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns
1116:University of Southern California alumni
737:"Sister Mary Madeleva is dead at age 77"
675:"St. Mary's College Head Dies in Boston"
763:"HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS, 1849-2024"
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508:Chaucer's Nuns, and Other Essays (1925)
1111:Saint Mary's College (Indiana) faculty
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514:Knights Errant, and Other Poems (1923)
1106:Saint Mary's College (Indiana) alumni
490:Christmas Eve, and Other Poems (1938)
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117:College of Saint Mary-of-the-Wasatch
1141:20th-century American women writers
1012:Women in American Religious History
979:Witherspoon, Marjorie Hall Walsh -
189:Madeleva Hall, a classroom building
770:Commencement Notre Dame University
478:Four Girls, and Other Poems (1941)
101:University of California, Berkeley
46:. Her father, August Wolff, was a
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1091:People from Cumberland, Wisconsin
522:Works inspired by Sister Madeleva
435:co-written with Barbara C. Jencks
433:The Sister Madeleva Story (1961)
423:co-written with Sister Mary Pieta
1002:Biography - Sister Mary Madeleva
967:Quinn, Sister Mary Marcelline -
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502:Penelope, and Other Poems (1927)
300:Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, 2001
211:: A Message of Hope and Courage
823:. December 15, 1984. p. 5
430:A Child Asks for a Star (1964)
192:Sister Madeleva Poetry Society
1:
847:www.academyoftheholycross.org
795:Lafayette Journal and Courier
487:Gates, and Other Poems (1938)
442:My First Seventy Years (1959)
94:Saturday Review of Literature
61:Madeleva decided to become a
391:Natalia Imperatori-Lee, 2024
312:Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, 2004
291:Denise Lardner Carmody, 1999
38:Sister Madeleva was born in
981:Sister Madeleva: Lyric Poet
743:. July 26, 1964. p. 38
614:www.globalsistersreport.org
481:Christmas Night 1940 (1940)
388:Cristina L. H. Traina, 2023
351:Christine Firer Hinze, 2014
348:Catherine E. Clifford, 2013
345:Kathleen Hughes, RSCJ, 2012
327:Barbara Fiand, SNDdeN, 2008
182:Within St. Mary's College:
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1101:Congregation of Holy Cross
951:Madeleva: One Woman's Life
681:. July 27, 1964. p. 8
679:Oshkosh Daily Northwestern
357:Marianne Farina, CSC, 2016
67:Congregation of Holy Cross
42:, in 1887, and christened
17:Sister M. Madeleva Wolff,
797:. June 4, 1940. p. 1
472:Addressed to Youth (1944)
421:With Marian Anderson (?)
372:Nancy Pineda-Madrid, 2019
267:Gail Porter Mandell, 1994
177:Academy of the Holy Cross
1156:American women academics
1151:Catholics from Wisconsin
973:Werner, Maria Assunta -
276:Jeanette Rodriguez, 1996
109:University of Notre Dame
1121:Writers from California
949:Mandell, Gail Porter -
943:Mandell, Gail Porter -
925:Hau, Sister Mary Eva -
821:Wisconsin State Journal
533:"Touched to Apocalypse"
376:Lecture Postponed, 2020
234:Mary Collins, OSB, 1987
217:Past Madeleva Lecturers
200:Madeleva Lecture Series
195:Madeleva Lecture Series
1131:Writers from Wisconsin
903:Cite journal requires
460:Collected Poems (1947)
384:Lecture Canceled, 2022
380:Barbara Reid, OP, 2021
240:Elizabeth Dreyer, 1989
115:, and as President of
56:My First Seventy Years
955:McDonnell, Mary E. -
945:Madeleva: A Biography
791:"Confer Honor on Nun"
469:Selected Poems (1945)
336:Wendy M. Wright, 2010
309:Sidney Callahan, 2003
40:Cumberland, Wisconsin
1126:Writers from Indiana
937:Klein, Mary Ellen -
295:Sandra M. Schneiders
262:Elizabeth A. Johnson
229:Sandra M. Schneiders
105:University of Oxford
78:The American Mercury
24:Saint Mary's College
318:Susan A. Ross, 2006
129:Father Basil Moreau
28:Notre Dame, Indiana
1136:20th-century poets
1036:Things to Be Loved
988:, June 10, 1957 -
871:www.saintmarys.edu
647:The New York Times
367:Mercy Amba Oduyoye
237:Maria Harris, 1988
209:MADELEVA MANIFESTO
133:Indiana University
90:The New York Times
44:Mary Evaline Wolff
931:Kilmer, Kenton -
505:Futility, (1926)
401:"I like to go to
322:M. Shawn Copeland
256:Lisa Sowle Cahill
223:Monika K. Hellwig
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86:The New Republic
74:Geoffrey Chaucer
63:religious sister
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649:. 1964-07-26.
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718:. 2023-04-28
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578:. 2024-05-21
575:
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340:Kwok Pui-Lan
333:, SNJM, 2009
282:, SNJM, 1997
280:Mary C. Boys
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1086:1964 deaths
1081:1887 births
685:October 29,
363:, OSF, 2017
306:, RSM, 2002
297:, IHM, 2000
264:, CSJ, 1993
246:, OSB, 1990
231:, IHM, 1986
113:Ogden, Utah
1075:Categories
876:2023-02-06
852:2023-02-06
722:2024-05-22
660:2024-05-22
619:2024-05-22
582:2024-05-22
551:References
544:Sheepfolds
396:Quotations
361:Ilia Delio
92:, and the
82:Commonweal
655:0362-4331
538:Composer
527:Composer
817:"People"
546:. (1958)
529:Zae Munn
52:Catholic
48:Lutheran
827:May 22,
801:May 22,
775:May 22,
747:May 22,
535:(2001).
161:America
157:America
139:Service
1025:Poetry
653:
369:, 2018
342:, 2011
324:, 2007
288:, 1998
273:, 1995
258:, 1992
252:, 1991
225:, 1985
168:Legacy
151:Honors
19:C.S.C.
766:(PDF)
909:help
829:2024
803:2024
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