I received a newsletter from my alma mater, College of Notre Dame of Maryland (soon to be College of Notre Dame University!) and it had some interesting things on the calendar. The one on Catholic writers that I was really interested in was only 4 days away from the day I received the newsletter, so I was a little annoyed at not having enough time to get things together to attend that! However, they are also having an exhibit:
February 28 to April 23,
Loyola/Notre Dame Library
Here's what the newsletter had to say:
"Writer Flannery O'Connor holds a special place in the hearts of the Notre Dame community, as the most important female Catholic writer of the 20th century, and as a treasured correspondent of poet and English professor, Maura Eichner, SSND '41."
I'm just gonna stop there and point out that she is important to Notre Dame because CND of M is the last all-women's Catholic college in Maryland. So they have a little smidge of a feminist thing going on there. :) Also, for those that don't know, that "SSND" stands for "School Sisters of Notre Dame," which is a religious order. The nuns live in a convent down the street from the college. It wasn't until the college level of my Catholic education that I ever ran into nuns as teachers! :) They're pretty cool people! lol
"A new exhibit (Feb.28 to Apr.23) at Loyola/Notre Dame Library highlights O'Connor's unique relationship with Notre Dame, focusing on her letters to Sister Maura in 1963 and early 1964. After meeting Sister Maura and speaking to her class during an October 1963 visit to camus, O'Connor wrote to a friend: 'Every school I go to I end up with more friends among the Sisters--all highly individual too...the one who runs the writing program at Notre Dame of Maryland is Sister Maura, a poet. As poets, when they are good they are very, very good and when they are horrid--she is good.' "
It goes on to talk about Sister Kathleen Feeley, SSND '50, who wrote a book about O'Connor entitled "Flannery O'Connor: Voice of the Peacock." Sister Kathleen had corresponded with O'Connor's family and friends for research for the book, which are all on display. Really cool? I was awarded the Sister Kathleen Feeley Scholarship while I was at school and met her during a luncheon for the scholarship recipients.
I should really read some Flannery O'Connor. Kinda shameful that I haven't!
