years to both.” – A quote about Sister Bede Donelan from THE ALDINE, 1971

Sister Bede was an amazing teacher and one of my favorites during my years at the College of Saint Teresa, 1967 to 1971.

During the Fall Semester of 1970, I took a class entitled “Classical Art and Archaeology” from Sister Bede. I assumed that Sister Bede was close to retirement, or semi-retired at the time, which still intrigues me.

Our small class of five students became very close. An added plus was that we even had a male student, a Seminarian from St. Mary’s College, join us. Sister Bede made Classical Art and Archaeology come ALIVE for me! She must have spent hours in preparation for each class. When we walked into her classroom for each session, Sister Bede had large posters, slides projected on every wall, and an overhead projector to enhance her teaching. I felt like we were actually walking right down into the catacombs, or touring the Parthenon and Acropolis in Athens.

Sister Bede would describe, in vivid detail, the sculptures of Poseidon and Apollo; the beautiful friezes in marble, the delicate vases and paintings. We learned about Greek drama and Roman history and mythology. I marveled at her vast knowledge and excitement for each ancient piece and of history. Egyptian, Aegean, Greek, Roman, early Christian and Byzantine Art and Architecture – Sister Bede opened my eyes and my world to this ‘new’ Art. I was always excited to go to class and sit for a while with Sister Bede and become immersed in the Classical world.

Sister Bede always had a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. I could tell how much she loved teaching and life. Our class of five took Sister Bede to dinner at The Oaks Supper Club to thank her for all she taught us – not just Classical Art and Archaeology, but about LIFE. Sister Bede taught me about ideals, beauty, faith, hard work, hope, dedication, simplicity and love.

Later, during my teaching career, when I taught my 5^th Grade students about the constellations in the night sky, and their stories, I thought of Sister Bede and her interesting and fun tales of these mythological heroes.

I will always be grateful to Sister Bede for all the lessons I learned from her so very long ago.

The College of Saint Teresa (CST) was a Catholic women's college in Winona, Minnesota. Previously a women's seminary, it became a college in 1907 and was operated by the 

In recognition of Catholic Sisters Week, we asked several alumnae to share their memories of the Sisters serving at CST and the impact it made on their lives.