Inside the Museum

INSIDE

the MUSEUM By: Christy Jackson Zurcher ’00

There are certain people who greatly impact our lives, leaving an imprint on our hearts, and forever changing us. Ursuline Sister Sr. Rosemary Meiman ’46 was that person for me. Sr. Rosemary came to New Orleans in 2014 to serve as archivist, three short years after I began working at Ursuline. Her previous position was as archivist for the Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province for seventeen years. Serving as Alumnae Director at the time, I relied on her knowledge and storytelling for much needed facts and oftentimes help with events. She attended Ursuline Day at The Old Ursuline Convent, Ursuline Arts Festival, open houses, and alumnae networking events, to name a few - just to tell our Ursuline story. Sister and I also worked together on the “Inside the Museum” section of The Ursu.Lines magazine. When I transitioned to the Communications Office, we continued this partnership and kept telling our story. In writing the “Inside the Museum” section, we would work side-by-side to choose a particular item housed inside the campus museum and tell its story. We would often call, email, or see each other in passing and have the next topic come to mind. In fact, we had an ongoing list! I looked forward to the times when we would actually sit down to brainstorm and discuss our strategy. I can still picture her gentle smile and absolute excitement as she shared history with me. She would often make surprise visits to my office to give updates on recent projects. While Sr. Rosemary’s 2019 celebration of her 70th jubilee as an Ursuline Sister confirmed her love for Ursuline, the true testament of this love was the passion and excitement with which she spoke about her alma mater. It was contagious! How could you not be just as passionate when you witness a 90-year-old woman turn childlike while talking about our Ursuline heritage? After her passing, I sat and stared at our “list” several times - trying to come up with the next topic for “Inside the Museum,” this time on my own. Then it hit me. The next edition had to be dedicated to the woman who made all of the previous ones happen. While Sr. Rosemary’s physical presence is no longer inside the museum, her spirit lives on throughout every artifact she touched and preserved. Many students have entered through those museum doors and listened to her presentation. Many students will return and her story will forever remain in them because of the impact she had. Sr. Rosemary not only told our Ursuline story on campus, but at The Cabildo, The Smithsonian, The Old Ursuline Convent, and many places in between. H E R STO RY L I V E S O N I N T H E H E A RT S O F F E L LOW S I ST E R S , ST U D E N T S , CO L L E AG U E S , A LU M N A E , A N D FA M I LY. I T I S N OW O U R S TO T E L L SO T H AT H E R I N F EC T I O U S S P I R I T L I V E S O N I N S I D E THE MUSEUM.