Sister Margaret Clarke has completed her phased retirement from the College of St. Scholastica, where she was a valued member of the faculty for more than 42 years.Paul Stein, Sister Donna Schroeder, and Sister Margaret Clarke (right) at her retirement party.Mike Robinson, her long-time colleague in the Physics Department, hosted a gathering to celebrate this transition. “We all know you just continue with other jobs – you’re a Sister!” joked one of the guests. And, indeed, this retirement opens the door for Sister Margaret to devote more time to her role as Monastery Archivist. In a moving tribute, Dr. Robinson spoke of the warm welcome he received coming to teach at St. Scholastica. “There were more Sisters then, teaching and working in all the offices. It wasn’t just joining a faculty … it was becoming part of a family.”Sister Donna Schroeder and Sister Margaret Clarke (right) listening to stories and tributes.Remembrances were sparked with several college yearbooks from the early 1970s picturing many of those present at the party – but barely recognizable in that earlier incarnation. Sister Margaret moves into this next phase of her ministry with the warm wishes of many colleagues, who said, “Don’t be a stranger to us now!”
“Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life...all of our life.”
