Sister Rosemary Rader, age 91, died on June 29th in St Paul. Rosemary taught in the Religion Department as a visiting associate professor in 1994/95, and then as a Benedict distinguished visiting professor from 1996–98 and again from 1999–2001. She is remembered as a wise, warm, gracious, theologically adventurous, and lighthearted colleague who took her work and her students very seriously.
Rosemary brought her lively mind to bear on current political and theological issues, as well as on her exploration of early medieval Oxford, where she had studied. Her feminist work on inclusion within Christianity often challenged church authority, but she held a deep commitment to her order and her faith. Growing up as part of a large Catholic family in rural Minnesota, Rosemary joined the Benedictine Sisters as a postulate in 1948 and served as the St Paul’s Monastery Prioress from 1984-1992.
A private Mass of Burial was held on July 6.
Comments
I have very warm memories of Rosemary from her numerous stints at Carleton in the 1990s when, as you rightly observed, she took Anne Patrick's place — not only in the classroom, but also as a mature and wise yet theologically adventurous presence on campus. Students missed Anne, of course, but in Rosemary they found a teacher and mentor of such enthusiasm and intellect that the transitions back and forth between the two seemed almost seamless. I recall with particular gratitude the support and sage advice she gave to me when I was a first-time chair, especially one year when every other senior member of the department was on sabbatical, leaving me to oversee five newly hired tenure-track or replacement professors. Fortunately, Rosemary was one of them, and she helped me through countless rough patches that year simply by being who she was: a calm, cheerful, and patient counselor, whose vocation ran very deep indeed. I'm not sure I could have gotten through the year with my sanity intact without her, and I felt forever in her debt for the help she offered me at that time. She will be greatly missed by all those fortunate enough to have known her.
Since I could not attend Rosemary's wake, I posted this thread to the St Olaf list and offer here as well. I write this currently from The Colleges of St Johns/St Bens just before the Feast of St Benedict. Rosemary was so influential for me as a new scholar and esp as a feminist scholar of religion.
I still tell stories about Rosemary in my Intro religion classes. How unassuming she'd look when she'd ask for inclusive language for humans and when students would get angry (that would happen frequently then) she'd say ok, you can just use the feminine then. And laugh.
Or when I'd admire her good, hard work of radical inclusion in Christianity but be a bit puzzled about how sometimes she'd clash with church authorities & whether it all matched with the Rule and she'd laugh and say "obedience is not my strong suit". But it was a special kind of dear obedience as we know from her leadership of women religious.
I taught at both Olaf and Carleton with her and we had many many lunches at the Happy Chef working out the world. When I was pregnant with twins and on bedrest she led the sisters in prayer for me. They were thrilled when I named the boys for popes (I didn't but shhhh don't tell them because I was so thrilled they cared for me- I told them that too so no secrecy needed).
As one child of many in rural MN she often talked about the freedom offered by choosing the religious vocation. Options for women so few. She had a rich full career and mentored many many people and practiced deep care of souls.
I've lived a richer life because of her. May her memory be ever a blessing and may light perpetual be upon her.
My aunt rose, the most powerfully influential person in my life. We traveled across the country staying at all the university's she was teaching.