In Loving Memory...

Sister M. Muriel, CSC 
(Frances Margaret Van Doren)
Birth: August 13, 1914
Profession: January 6, 1935
Death: February 22, 2004

Saint Peter in his first letter urges the faithful to “As generous distributors of God’s manifold grace, put your gifts at the service of one another, each in the measure he has received.” If ever anyone did just that – and without fuss – it was Sister Muriel. 

She was born in Washington, D.C., on August 13, 1914, to postal worker Francis T. T. Van Doren and his wife Margaret McCarty. When she was very young her mother died and her father subsequently remarried and had a daughter, Helen. Young Frances received her early education at Holy Trinity School in Georgetown, D.C., but some time before she entered high school she became a boarding student at Saint Mary’s Academy in Alexandria, Virginia. To all intents and purposes this lovely old place out on Prince’s Street was her home until she entered the community. After finishing her academic work she took some commercial work.

It was at the academy that she really came to know the sisters, although she had two relatives in the community: Sister Valentina Reid, a great aunt, and Sister Letitia Kingsbury, a cousin. She entered the novitiate in July 1932. After first vows she went to the academy in Austin, Texas. Sister Bernarda (Maranto) claims that she was one of the few Easterners who was never an LSMT, which stands for “Lord Save Me from Texas.” In four missions in that city she spent a total of 15 years; six of them at Guadalupe. In all she spent 59 years in education in the Holy Cross schools of the East. When possible it was math of some form which she taught. In the meantime she earned a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from Dunbarton.

In 1962 she began teaching math in the secondary schools: at Saint Cecilia’s for 19 years, broken by 12 at her alma mater. It was during these years that she became interested in library work and the service it provided the secondary schools. This “new” interest was brought about partly because librarians had to take charge of audio-visuals and many of them had no aptitude, nor liking, for the mechanics required. Muriel enrolled at the Catholic University and took enough courses to become certified. The last 21 years of her active life were spent with both math and libraries. Because she loved the work so much, she was able to give the same enthusiasm to her students. Is it any wonder she was such a good teacher and that her students loved her?

However, she was not just a good teacher. She was lots of fun to be with. That is an attribute on which all those who knew her are agreed. Her best friend recalled that after Muriel went home with her several times, her sister wrote afterward how much they missed Sister Muriel’s sparkle and fun. She was never not doing something, but always had a book or crossword puzzle with her. Despite the fun, people also found her to be a “great consoler.”

One of her most thrilling experiences was the Moreau pilgrimage, in those early years they visited a great number of places. Her friend, Sister Guadalupe, was also a member of the group. In the summer of their golden jubilee the two also went to Canada together to visit the Oratory – and found four more sisters staying at the same place they were.

It was an interesting insight into the Providence of God, that her “public life,” those years when she was actively teaching, should be bracketed by her requiring consoling – and receiving it. When she made first vows, there were two elementary teachers ill in the Eastern province and Mother Bettina could not decide where to send her. So she decided to take Muriel with her back to Mt. Carmel (that was the first location of the Province headquarters). On the train, the two older sisters were not hungry and decided to wait to eat until they got home at 10 p.m. When they got to Mt. Carmel they disappeared, and Muriel was left standing alone wondering what to do next. At that point Sister Loretto, Mother Bettina’s secretary, put her arm around Muriel and got her some supper. Years later, when Muriel was brought to Saint Mary’s in the summer of 1994, the summer program was in full swing and she was assigned to Regina. She felt utterly lost. One morning Sister Joan Elizabeth found her looking in the cabinet in the kitchenette of Lourdes Convent. When Muriel said she hadn’t had any breakfast, Joan fixed her some – and Muriel received the attention she needed.

Now she no longer needs a special kind of consoling. She can be happy as she always was. Now she can share her happiness with others.

Written by Sister M. Campion, CSC

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Cross Ministry With the Poor Fund, Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556.