Jubilarian Sister Mary Cabrini Hatley

Sister Mary Cabrini Hatley, a Louisville native, entered the Ursulines two years after her high school graduation from Holy Rosary Academy. Sister Cabrini received her bachelor’s in education from Ursuline College and her master’s in library science from Spalding College. Sister Cabrini has taught and served as a librarian at multiple Catholic schools, including Angela Merici High and the Ursuline Montessori Child Development Center. She also taught in Bardstown, Kentucky, Indiana and Nebraska, and served as assistant archivist for the Ursuline Sisters from 2006-2018.

Sister Cabrini says that, “In every ministry I have found people and circumstances that have influenced the person I am, and I am eternally grateful that they were a part of my journey. Three things that have been formative in my ministry were my teaching at All Saints Preparatory Academy where I was introduced to the African-American community; my membership at Saint William Church that has made me aware and involved in social justice issues; and my work in the Ursulines’ archives which gave me an opportunity to delve into the history of our community. As an Ursuline, I have been privileged to know, in a personal way, Saint Angela and a host of her daughters who have lived in her spirit over the centuries.”

Recalling a moment that she will never forget, Sister Cabrini said that when she was teaching out west, “I had a little boy who had difficulty staying in one place, and one day he had stepped on my last nerve. He looked right at me and said, ‘What would you do if I wasn’t here?’ It made such an impression on me, that even now when I am having difficulty with someone, I ask myself, ‘What would I do if they weren’t here?’”

Of her years as a novice in the 1960s, Sister Cabrini says, “I had no idea of how far we would have traveled from the 1960s; from where we were to where we are now. We have moved from a monastic emphasis to a more apostolic community. We are trying to live according to Angela’s charism and the way Vatican II has revealed to us. I never could have imagined all the changes we went through as a community.”

Sister Cabrini looks back with fondness at her time spent at All Saints Preparatory Academy, which was housed at Christ the King parish in Louisville’s west end. All Saints was formed in 1989 from the parishes of St. Peter Claver, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Christ the King, St. Columba, St. Martin De Porres and St. Augustine. Sister Cabrini was at the school from its opening until it closed in 1996. She was hired as librarian, served as assistant principal, as first grade teacher and taught religion.

Sister Cabrini is very active at her home parish of Saint William, where she has served as worship ministry representative on the community ministries circle, which is the leadership group of the parish. She has also been on the liturgy planning team, where her knowledge of scripture was very valuable, according to Nancy Fox, chair of the worship ministry.

Dawn Dones, pastoral associate at Saint William, says that, “Sister Cabrini is kind. She is thoughtful. She generously offers her time and energy to make connections, deepen spirituality, and strengthen commitments to peace and justice. She does not hesitate to ask for help and, in doing so, she empowers others to share their gifts. She is a conscientious thinker and a woman of deep faith. Guided by her community’s charism, Sister Cabrini inspires all of us fortunate enough to know her to live our lives with purpose and hope.”