On most quiet afternoons one can pass through the infirmary sitting room at the Motherhouse and hear the sound of vibrant piano playing. A curious music lover might look to see what energetic sister was producing such majestic sounds. The source is Sister James Marie, who at 90 is able to express a beauty and strength of spirit that belies the limitations of age she has experienced physically. Her step is slower and more cautious; yet anyone who has the pleasure of a visit knows that she carries within her a heart that sings. Speaking with Sister James Marie one Sunday afternoon, I questioned her on the gift of her religious vocation.

Sister reflected on the memory of a particular visit with her sister, a student at Saint Cecilia Academy. When it came time to leave on the trolley car, this resolute eight-year-old made it known quite emphatically that she wanted to stay. Needless to say, after much to-do, her father returned little Margaret to the sisters.

After extended stays and repeated trips from her home in Chicago, Sister James Marie went on to attend the Academy at the Motherhouse herself living as a boarder. She credits her vocation to attendance at daily Mass and the example of the sisters who broadened her world with language, music, and, most significantly, knowledge of her faith.

Her aunt, after whom she was named, challenged Sister’s entrance. Thinking that she was too young, her protective aunt did all that she could to dissuade her niece. With a characteristic sense of determination, Sister James Marie left home one August afternoon, and looking past the promise of presents and a flurry of gifts, she boarded the train and has never looked back. She has been a Saint Cecilia Dominican now for 72 years, teaching in schools in Memphis, Nashville, and Hampton, Virginia. She has inspired countless numbers of children with her love of music, as well as of Latin and French. Today I heard the sounds of Dvorak’s New World Symphany coming from the parlor, but what impressed me the most was the life and spirit of the musician. It was the promise of the other World that clearly served as the inspiration, where Christ will be experienced in the fullness of eternity.

Update: Sister James Marie left for her home in
“the fullness of eternity” on June 19, 2000