Madeline Studer

Mankato Mortuary
1001 North Riverfront Drive
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
507-388-2202

Our beloved Sister Madeline (Madge) Studer, 87, died peacefully at 5:35 p.m., Sunday, August 25, 2013, at Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota. She had been anointed earlier in the afternoon with several School Sisters of Notre Dame and her sister-in-law, Mary, present. Sisters were also with her when she died. Using her second language, American Sign, she often signed the word "Home" before she died.

The funeral Mass for Sister Madge, with Father Ted Hottinger, S.J., as presider, will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, August 30, in Good Counsel Chapel. Burial of her cremains in our cemetery will follow at a later date. The vigil service will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 29. We extend our sympathy to her sisters, Virginia (Bill) Orthel, Carol Elmore, Kay (Bienve) Perez, Margaret Studer and Rose Marie Studer; her brothers Philip (Rosa Lee), Steve (Hope O'Hara), and Gerald (Mary Ann); her sisters-in-law Mary, Judy and Janet Studer; her nieces and nephews and their families, her former colleagues and students, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She was preceded in death by her parents, Julius and Caroline (Wingert) Studer; her stepmother, Minnie; her sister, Sister Rita Studer, SSND; and her brothers, Vincent, Marvin, Stanley and Cletus. Three brothers also died in infancy.

When Sister Madge was born on a farm near Tony, Wisconsin, on February 20, 1926, the snow was so heavy that the doctor came out on a homemade snowmobile to assist her mother and the midwife. She was baptized Madeline Ann at St. Anthony Church, Tony, on March 5. Shortly after that, Madge moved with her parents and sister Rita to a farm southeast of Wesley, Iowa. Madge wrote, "Growing up on a farm was a delightful and satisfying experience . . . enjoying nature and life around me. Both my sister and I had to accept a lot of responsibility. We milked cows, helped with cooking, washing, ironing, gardening and canning. I was my mother's helper, taking over much of the care of my younger brothers and sisters."

The Catholic faith was important to the Studer family. Madge learned her prayers from her mother and the family prayed the rosary daily. "We learned from our parents the Christian example." The Studer children attended St. Joseph School in Wesley and were taught by Franciscan Sisters from Milwaukee. Music was another important aspect of the Studer family life. Sister Madge commented, "Both Mother and Dad played instruments; Mother played organ and Dad, the clarinet. He and I often played piano and clarinet duets at home. Mother had me begin piano lessons when I was in third grade."

Because the family valued Catholic education, Rita and Madge attended Good Counsel Academy in Mankato as boarders. During the 1940-41 school year, Rita was called home to take care of the family when their mother was diagnosed with abdominal TB. She died March 31, 1941, leaving ten children. Rita stayed home and Madge helped during vacation. Madge's autobiography continues, "Eventually our pastor told my dad to stop mourning and go out and find himself a good woman. He did just that and Minnie became our beloved stepmother." Rita was able to continue her schooling and entered the SSND candidature in 1944, the same year that Madge graduated from high school. Madge worked the next year in her dad's business office and helped out at home. In August 1945, she entered the candidature, but was called home the following April to take care of her newborn brother while her stepmother recovered from major surgery. Madge re-entered the candidature in July, and taught the next school year at St. Nicholas, New Market.

At her reception into the Novitiate, she was given the name Sister Mary Carolyn, a form of her mother's name. (Rita had received their father's name, Julius.) Sister Madge later returned to her baptismal name. Following profession in 1948, she helped open the new mission of St. John the Baptist, Dayton, Minnesota, where she taught intermediate grades. At Dayton, and wherever she taught, she was the parish organist and often conducted school and adult choirs. Sister Madge also taught at St. Francis de Sales, St. Paul (1954-56); and Assumption, Cresco (1956-61); Immaculate Conception, Gilbertville (1961-62) and SS. Peter & Paul, Springbrook (1962-63), all in Iowa. In 1963 she went to Sacred Heart, Eden, South Dakota, where she was both principal and teacher. She continued in that dual role at St. Joseph the Worker, Mankato (1967-70) and Project Discovery, St. Paul (1970-74). She commented, "That was my last formal teaching experience as my hearing was failing." During her teaching years, she earned a BE from Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, in 1959, and an MS in administration from Loras College, Dubuque, in 1972. Later she earned a certificate in Sign Language from Technical Vocational Institute, St. Paul, and an MA in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University, Omaha, which qualified her for spiritual direction and retreat work.

Commenting on the transition required because of her hearing loss, Sister Madge wrote, "I thought about what I would do now. What could my ministry be? I decided to learn sign language, so I took classes and trained to become an interpreter. It took a long time, like learning any foreign language." As part of her training, she completed an internship in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, and then in 1976 began an eight-year ministry to persons who were deaf in the Green Bay diocese. In her words, "For eight challenging, delightful years, I traveled the Fox Valley area giving pastoral service, training church interpreters, doing religious education and youth work and building up the Deaf Community." A 1978 article in the Appleton Post-Crescent featured her work with the deaf in the larger community. She was quoted, "Sometimes the week gets too short. Particularly short when the needs are so great." She worked with the deaf in religious education classes in Catholic and Lutheran congregations; appeared in court to interpret in accident and criminal cases, speaking legal language with her hands; went to nursing homes, hospitals and Job Service offices; conducted Bible studies in various churches; taught teachers of religious education programs; accompanied parents to school conferences; and taught sign language in halfway houses and the prison. She became an advocate for the deaf, especially because it was an "invisible handicap."

In October 1984, Sister Madge expanded her advocacy as she began a new position in the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, as a resource consultant to persons with disabilities. Her goal was to "create a caring community in church" so that anyone with a disability could become fully integrated into parish life. She implemented Jean Vanier's "Faith and Life" support groups which combined Bible lessons and prayer with song and community-building activity in several parishes. In 1988, sister Madge moved to the St. Cloud diocese where her main role was adult education: preparing religious education teachers. She continued interpreting for the deaf and assisted with religious education classes for the deaf.

Sister Madge next served as a community leader at Good Counsel (1990-93). She described the following two years (1993-95), "My last real job was in beautiful Montevideo where I worked as director of pre-school and primary religious education plus pastoral work. What a perfect ending to a varied career!" During the 1995-96 school year, she lived in St. Paul and helped her sister, Sister Rita, with Sister Parish work. She also provided spiritual direction and volunteered at Sand Castle Day Care. In 1996, she moved to Good Counsel for a "busy, happy retirement" where she continued Sister Parish outreach, spiritual direction and ministry to the deaf. She also helped care for Sister Rita, who suffered a severe stroke, until her death in 2004. Sister Madge used her sewing and needlework skills as she produced many items for the SSND Craft Fair. She continued sharing her musical abilities, playing the organ for Notre Dame community prayer, and planning weekday liturgies for the Good Counsel community. Throughout her life she stayed closely connected to her family, and they to her.

Known for her caring, listening and understanding heart, she, too could say, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." May Sister Madge now freely walk in this spirit and life, and clearly hear the words spoken to her for all eternity.