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Sister Margaret Mary Conway honored by Coulee Catholic Schools

Sister Margaret Mary Conway

Sister Margaret Mary Conway was recently honored at the Aquinas Schools Founder's Day Celebration, held on Jan. 28. She received the St. Francis Staff award, an honor she shared with Peg Grelle.

Sister Margaret Mary Conway embraced a ministry of education throughout her life. She was born and raised in Montana and spent most of her professional life in Spokane, Wash. She entered FSPA in 1930 and professed her first vows in 1933. As an undergrad at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, she studied toward a major in speech and English and a minor in philosophy. She later pursued a graduate degree in theatre arts and communication at Catholic University in Washington D.C. She served as a teacher at Aquinas High School in La Crosse from 1943-1948 and again from 1952-1953, guiding students to excellence in English, debate and drama. She also directed a number of plays while at Aquinas, including Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen and Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand.

Altogether, she served as a high school teacher for 34 years in Wisconsin and Iowa. She also served in various roles at the college level for an additional 16 years, at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. There she worked as professor, associate professor, spiritual director and more. As a debate teacher, she led the Gonzaga University debate team to great success.

In 1993 she entered semi-retirement, yet continued to work in spiritual direction until 1998, when she returned to St. Rose Convent in La Crosse to minister through prayer and hospitality. Now retired, Sister Margaret Mary lives at the Villa St. Joseph in La Crosse.

In a speech honoring Sister Margaret Mary at the Founder's Day Celebration, Sister Mary Ann Gschwind noted, "Sister Margaret Mary's spirit of joy is symbolized by her love of dancing which, of course, also characterized St. Francis. Her dancing, joyful spirit surely makes Sister an appropriate recipient of the St. Francis Staff Award."

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