SISTER MARGARET LOUISE CAMPION, CSJ
August 8, 1914 – March 21, 2009
Come, Spouse of Christ,
Receive the crown prepared for you
from all eternity.
Antiphon, Evening Prayer, Common of Virgins
With characteristic thoughtfulness and loving acceptance, Sister Margaret Louise waited until the community St. Joseph Day celebrations were concluded before leaving us. She died peacefully at Bethany on Saturday evening, March 21st at 10:30 p.m. Just two days before, on March 19th, the feast of St. Joseph, Sister had renewed her vows at the Bethany community Mass. Now, having faithfully fulfilled those promises, she was ready to join her loved ones for all eternity.
Geraldine Lucille Campion (Sister Margaret Louise) was born in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 8, 1914, a birthday which she shared with her twin brother, Gerald and with her dear mother. On August 28th, her parents (Martin Campion and Genevieve Ahern) had the twins baptized at St. Bridget’s Church in Simpson, Minnesota. The Campion family also included one other son, Russell, and a daughter, Beatrice.
Inspired by the Sisters of St. Joseph who taught her at St. Margaret’s Academy in Minneapolis, Geraldine entered the novitiate on September 13, 1932. On the feast of St. Joseph, 1933, she received the habit and was given her religious name, Sister Margaret Louise. Following her first profession in 1935, Sister was missioned to Holy Angels Academy to assist in the kitchen and in the school cafeteria.
In her early years of professed life, Sister Margaret Louise worked in food service at St. Joseph Provincial House, and in the student dining room at St. Thomas College. In 1940, she was missioned to the Boys Home in Minneapolis and assigned to teach second grade there. As a primary grade educator, Sister Margaret Louise demonstrated a remarkable grasp of teaching skills, a steady development of the basics, and a deep commitment to growing-up second graders. Gifted in art, she inspired young children to share the beauty of God’s creation in their own creative artwork.
From 1940 – 1970, Sister Margaret Louise specialized in primary education, especially at the second grade level. Her multiple missions in St. Paul included Blessed Sacrament, St. James, Nativity, St. Mark, St. Patrick and St. Columba. In Minneapolis, Sister taught at St. Charles Borromeo and St. Thomas the Apostle Schools. Out-of-town teaching assignments were St. Theresa, Hastings; St. Raphael, Crystal; St. Mary, Grand Forks. In the summertime, Sister Margaret Louise shared in community work at St. Mary’s Hospital (1958); Academy of Holy Angels (1962-63); assisted in closing St. Thomas Convent (1972); and established a Reading Center at St. Columba School (1978). There was no limit to her generosity or her creativity. Her Sister friends described her as an excellent housekeeper, a good organizer, a superb cook and a shopping genius.
As for her formal education, Sister received her Teaching Certificate from the Diocesan Teachers College in St. Paul. In 1966, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with Majors in Education and History, from the College of St. Catherine. Through the years, summertime studies included theology courses, reading workshops, sewing classes, and a workshop on contemplative prayer.
To assist sisters when the community changed to contemporary dress, Sister took classes in tailoring. Later, when she retired at Bethany, Sister took three additional courses in quilting. To respond to a major concern of the senior sisters, Sister Margaret Louise took a course in cosmetology and earned a certificate in hair styling. What a gift that was!
Even though Sister Margaret Louise found great joy in her many educational opportunities, her classroom teaching, and her summertime work, she also loved to travel. In 1981, she spent eighteen days with family members as they toured Alaska, and in 1986, she spent ten days of vacation near the Panama Canal. One other peak time was the family vacation in Australia, a memorable place of majestic beauty.
In October, 1988, Sister Margaret Louise came to Bethany. Here she graciously shared her many gifts, as well as her delightful creations in arts and crafts. Today, as Sisters take the elevator from floor to floor, they are surrounded by Sister’s artistic bulletin boards. How fitting it is to read the thought for this week, taken from the Prayer of St. Francis:
It is in dying
That we are born
To eternal life.
May Sister Margaret Louise rest in peace
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Bethany Chapel on March 26, 2009.
Sister Margaret Louise was preceded in death by her parents, brothers and sister. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Doris, many loving and attentive nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates.
