Many of our inductees – past, present, and future – will be welcomed into our hall of fame with stories of athletic accomplishments in their college years or noteworthy mentorship and guidance as coaches and administrators in what people might consider the prime of their careers. Today, we begin by recognizing a pair of women whose later years brought them to our department. While their contributions might not be measured through stats, their impact through their time and service was undeniably immense.
On September 9, 1965, a few months after graduating high school, Sister Margie entered the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Indiana. She began her ministry of teaching in 1968 and earned her bachelor’s degree in history in 1971 before earning a master’s degree in religious education in 1978. She went on to teach elementary education, was the coordinator of liturgy and religious education, served as the eastern vocation director for the Congregation, and was the vice president of mission and philosophy for Mount Carmel Health in Columbus, Ohio. From 1999 through 2005, she served in outreach to Catholic students on college campuses throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana, which then led to an opportunity to write a regularly occurring article called "The Cutting Edge" – a column focused for young adults – in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend's Today's Catholic newspaper from 2000 to 2013.
Sister Margie's vocation was always centered around students, so it was no surprise that she gladly accepted the chance when the opportunity to work with our softball team as a team chaplain came up later in her ministry years. The collaborative work of former Athletic Director Lynn Kachmarik and Sister Lou, the team chaplain program took flight in the early 2000s.
Through multiple head coaches during her time as a chaplain, Sister Margie was a mainstay in the dugout through the cold and windy days to the warm and sunny ones alike. On the former of those days, she proudly donned a softball parka willingly shared by a member of the team. On the latter, Sister Margie had her sunglasses on and water in hand to cheer on her Belles. With her welcoming and sometimes sly smile, she was quick to celebrate the team's successes and support the Belles when the breaks went the other way. Beyond the dedication needed to show up for the team through doubleheaders in springtime in Northern Indiana, she was a regular at team activities including dinners and holiday gatherings, was on all softball email communications, and created her own way of connecting her Belles with the Sisters of the Holy Cross by literally opening the door to the novitiate as members of the team regularly made the visit to the Convent side of campus. Sister Margie was engaged with our athletes through her diligent attendance of other teams’ competitions, was a regular at events hosted by the Athletic Department, and again brought the athletes to the Sisters through invitations to the renowned Sister Margie Show in the Lillie O'Grady Center.
While Sister Margie's health made it difficult in the later stages of her ministry to be as physically present, she continued to stay connected with the Athletic Department and her SoftBelles. She was quick to welcome softball alumnae, their friends, and their family from far and wide any time they made a stop back to campus. She was family to all, and her family knew no bounds.
In a November 2013 edition of her column "The Cutting Edge", Sister Margie penned this reflection:
A good friend of mine died. She was very generous person who anticipated others' needs and was always willing to go the extra mile for others even when she may not have felt so well herself. As I visited the funeral home and heard all the nice things that people said, I hoped that she really knew how much she was loved and appreciated. My fantasy was that she was looking down from heaven surprised at just how much people cared about her.
We cannot help but to think the same about her - we hope that she really knew how much she was loved and appreciated. We hope that she knows how she touched the lives of so many people present here today and sending their love from afar. And we hope that she is looking down from heaven knowing how much we cared about her.
