In Loving Memory...

Sister M. Madeleine Sophie, CSC
(Margaret Anne Priester)
Birth: May 1, 1917
Profession: February 2, 1940
Death: February 1, 2008

Margaret Anne Priester was born on May 1, 1917, in Grandin, Missouri, a lumber town in the southern part of the state. When she was a year old her father moved his family of two girls and three boys to South Bend, Indiana, in order to find work at the Studebaker Corporation.

From her earliest days, Margaret had great devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, known by many as the “Little Flower of Jesus.” She prayed to St. Thérèse each day and like the Little Flower, her greatest aspiration was to become a nun by the time she was 14. However, Margaret had to wait a little longer than did the Little Flower to fulfill her dream.

Margaret’s grade school days were spent at Our Lady of Hungary in South Bend, where she was taught by the Sisters of Divine Charity and among whom she had a great many friends. She then attended high school at Saint Joseph Academy where she met the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Initially, she planned to join the Sisters of Divine Charity but at the behest of her pastor, who urged her to consider other orders, she decided upon Holy Cross.

Sister Madeleine Sophie’s ministry as a teacher was a long and fruitful one. When the then Saint Francis College in Fort Wayne began a program for the teaching of reading, she was one of the first to receive her degree. For 10 years, along with her grade school teaching, she taught reading classes to prospective teachers on weekends, as well as during summer school at Saint Francis.

Sister Madeleine Sophie also recognized the need for adults to hone their reading skills in order to improve job opportunities. Accordingly, she offered to begin a literacy program at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center. The program continues to this day. Hospital employees are paid “on-the-job” for attending the classes.

During her time at Saint Joseph’s, Sister Madeleine Sophie was a member of the South Bend Mayor’s Task Force on Literacy. In 1979 the St. Joseph Valley Council of the International Reading Association gave her its award for “Outstanding Contribution to Literacy.” Six years later the association again honored Sister Madeleine Sophie for her service in promoting literacy. The following year, 1986, she was one of three women honored by the YWCA for making significant contributions to the South Bend civic community.

After many productive years in the classroom Sister Madeleine Sophie was asked to assist in the sacristy of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame. Her ministry there lasted 13 years. Along with her duties in the sacristy, she found time to help a number of persons on campus who needed to develop their reading skills.

When Sister Madeleine Sophie retired, her reading ministry continued through the help she gave to the Bosnian refugees working at Saint Mary’s.

It is said of her that everyone who came in contact with her felt the better for it. Her gentle spirit supported the many individuals who greatly needed encouragement as well as reading skills.

At the time of her jubilee, Today’s Catholic ran its usual article about jubilarians. A number of former students saw the article and sent her congratulations. Among them was a lawyer who told her of an unpublished children’s book he had written titled The Chalk Angel. The main character was a little girl named Madeleine Sophie who specialized in chalk drawings.

Sister’s final years were spent in unceasing prayer. Her rosary never left her hands. She can now rejoice with her beloved Little Flower.

Written by Sister Anna Clare O’Connor, 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.