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 Sr.
Mary Stanislaus Nicholas, OP
Golden Jubilarian
50 years (July 9, 1954)
“I thank God for the great blessing of my religious vocation, and
for all the graces which God has given me,” says Sr. Mary Stanislaus
Nicholas as she approaches nearly half a century as a Dominican Sister
of St. Mary of the Springs. As a teacher, she has served the Church and
her community through the ministry of Catholic education. “It is
an important ministry in the life of the Church and it is a privilege
to serve the youth in this way,” she declares.
A native New Yorker, Sr. M. Stanislaus began her high school teaching
career in St. Augustine school, Ossining, NY and St. Peter’s school
in Steubenville, OH. She taught Latin and religion at Bishop Watterson
High School from 1957 to 1961, and then at St. Mary of the Springs Academy
in 1961 and 1962. She earned an MA and PhD from St. Louis University and
served on the faculty of Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut,
first from 1963 to 1965 and again from 1969 to1984. Since 1992, she has
been teaching at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York.
A cause dear to her heart is the work of Pro-Life, especially the defense
of the unborn. “They are among the weakest members of society,”
commented Sr. Stanislaus, who takes a scholar’s measured approach
to her position on the sanctity of life. “If their right to life
is violated, everyone is less secure in that right.” Sr. Stanislaus
has a great interest in the life and writings of the renowned Carmelite
philosopher and recently proclaimed saint, Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the
Cross (Edith Stein). She feels that Sr. Teresa Benedicta sheds light on
the meaning of the search for truth and its relation to an authentic “culture
of life.”
Sr. M. Stanislaus proclaims that her sustaining enthusiasm and commitment
to religious life for over 50 years is due in large measure to both prayer
and community life. Along with daily Mass, she values contemplative prayer,
the communal liturgy of the hours, and the rosary, all of which she has
woven into the very fabric of her life.
Asked about community life over these many years, she responded, “I
am so very grateful for my Dominican Sisters and for all they have done
for me. May the Lord bless them all abundantly!”
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