Jubilarian Sister Mary Brendan Conlon

Jubilarians

Having been inspired by the Ursuline Sisters who were her teachers at Ursuline Academy in Cumberland, Maryland, where she grew up, Sister Mary Brendan Conlon entered the community right after high school graduation. Her decades as an Ursuline have taken her from 30 years of teaching in the classroom to serving the poor in West Virginia and becoming a Witness for Peace delegate in Nicaragua, to name just a few areas where she served.

Sister Brendan spent some time in jail cells, too, as a result of her social activism. She was arrested four times during the 1980s for attending peaceful protests against the U.S. arms buildup, social programs cuts, and President Reagan’s support of the contras in Nicaragua. Sister Brendan states, “I protested because there was a lot of injustice going on, and still is, so when I had the opportunity, I did protest.”

Sister Brendan adds, “I did get arrested a few times, but in great company! The first time I got arrested there was a group of Sisters in one cell with other women, and a group of priests and Brothers in the cell next to them with other men. We sang all of the songs that we knew together—we sang in harmony, it was wonderful. It was almost like Heaven hearing those voices raised to God.”

Sister Brendan says, “I loved all of the things I did—I taught for a number of years and I loved the kids I taught.” She taught at Sacred Heart Academy from 1956-1967. Two of her senior students there were very bright and mischievous and liked to pull pranks. The girls saw a photo of a Paola, Kansas, Ursuline Sister who had changed to a modified habit and you could (gasp!) see her hair! These two girls decided they were going to have fun with that information. They made Sister Brendan a cake for her birthday, and she took the cake to the faculty lounge to share with the other teachers. When she cut into it, she found it was full of hair curlers! The girls thought they would encourage the Louisville Ursulines to change from the habit and begin curling their hair!

On reaching this jubilee, Sister Brendan says, “I never thought I would reach this milestone! If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self, ‘Hang in, hang in, it’s great all the way.’ I am glad my younger self did stay in, because I had wonderful friends and many great blessings that came my way, that would not have come my way otherwise.”

One of those blessings is her long friendship with Sister Janet M. Peterworth, with whom she served in Kermit, West Virginia, for over twenty years (see story on pages 4-7). Sister Brendan started an emergency assistance program for that region of Appalachia and in 1995 started a Christmas toy drive there. In 2020, Sacred Heart Schools, a long-time partner in the toy drive, renamed it the Sister Brendan Appalachian Gift Drive in her honor. Of her years in Kermit, Sister Brendan says, “I always had a pull towards working with the poor. It meant so much to me to work with underprivileged people. I will always be grateful for it.”

Sister Brendan also gives thanks for the many fourlegged friends—cats and dogs—that God sent her to be her friends and companions. She also has had mice as pets and as a young Sister, had a pet baby chick that followed her around campus!

She reflects, “Being an Ursuline has meant everything to me. I don’t regret any of it because so much good and so much happiness came out of all those years. I had a few sorrows along the way, but many of those sorrows turned into joy. I am grateful for all of it.”