In Loving Memory...

Sister M. Dolorosa, CSC
(Katherine Ann Hipskind)
Birth: February 8, 1916
Profession: August 15, 1937
Death: May 3, 2005

Sister Dolorosa, Katherine Ann Hipskind, born on February 8, 1916, was the eighth of nine children born to Effie Fleck and Aloysius Hipskind. There were six boys and three girls. Sister Aliceta, Mary Beatrice, was the third of the nine.

Sister Dolorosa was an accomplished musician. She remembered her very first piano book, a brown covered book by Bilbro. Dorothy Gray, who lived across the street from the Hipskind’s, had begun her lessons just a few weeks previous to Katherine. All Katherine had to do was to hear Dorothy practice and she would go to her lesson, play all the music without interruption and stump her teacher. Katherine had played it all “by ear.”

On Holy Thursday, 1953, Sisters Dolorosa and Seraphina walked to the gate around 3 p.m. As they returned and came to the heart in front of Holy Cross Hall, they could see what they thought was a vapor rising above the statue of Our Lady in the niche at the top of the hall. As they got closer they saw smoke coming from the closed windows so they ran to the front entrance. And as they came to the second floor they could see the flames in the chemistry-physics lab. Sister Seraphina got out of the elevator to pull the fire alarm. Sister Dolorosa went to the first floor and turned in two more alarms. They had the system so out of order that the deafening bell rang for more than two hours.

After the fire was brought under control the fire chief declared that there could be no more science classes held in a dormitory, which Holy Cross Hall was at that time. The fire spread to the third floor, which was the biology-botany lab. There were many charred stuffed birds in this lab and they smelled like a fresh fire for several weeks afterward. These birds were the pride and joy of the science department.

In the early 1950s a student of Notre Dame heard Sister playing the organ one day and wrote to his grandfather in Oklahoma about the organ and the organist he had heard. Within a few weeks, the grandfather wrote to Sister Dolorosa and asked her for a picture at the organ. His hobby was collecting pictures of organs and organists. He was a printer by profession.

In those days, only Sister Madeleva’s picture appeared in the news media, so Sister had to get a special permission to have the picture taken. Permission was granted and Sister sent a picture of the organ. Mr. Winterton wrote back promptly and said, “I want you in the picture at the organ.” Three or four pictures taken by our professional photographer, Bruce Harlan, were sent at that time.

After Mr. Winterton received the pictures, he sent Sister a huge scrapbook, weighing fifteen to twenty pounds, with her name inscribed on the front. It contained well-known organists of the time. Later he wrote and told her that his collection of organs and organists would go to the Library of Congress when he died. Years later Sister wrote to the Library of Congress and asked if her picture was there and she received a response that it was.

Sister received her bachelor of music and master of music degrees from DePaul University in Chicago with majors in organ performance and music theory. On April 26, 1959, in the O’Laughlin Auditorium, Sister performed the Handel Organ Concerto, Number Four, in F major with the South Bend Symphony in a Youth Concert. This was the first time a Sister of the Holy Cross ever performed with the South Bend Symphony.

Sister taught in East Chicago, Elkhart, South Bend at both St. Joseph Grade School and St. Joseph Academy, Anderson, St. Angela’s in Morris, Illinois, and at Saint Mary’s College from 1951 to 1972. Following this, Sister was chauffeur at St. Angela’s in Kensington, Maryland, for four winters then returned to the Midwest. She came to Saint Mary’s in 1978 and became the organist and liturgist for Christ the King Chapel from 1978 to 1994. From there she was the organist for Augusta Chapel. She was sacristan in the Church of Loretto from 1978 to 1985.

Sister Dolorosa was devoted to the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary and prayers to Our Lady and St. Joseph. She distributed thousands of copies to friends, relatives and anyone interested in either prayer. The prayer to Our Lady was printed for her Golden Jubilee in 1987.

Sister Dolorosa heard God’s call to come to heaven early Tuesday morning. She is probably still using her musical talents to accompany the choirs of angels as they sing their praises before the heavenly throne.

Written by Sister M. Dolorosa, CSC
Read by Sister M. Clare Alfred, 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.