Sister Judy Zielinski, #LourdesStrong Alumna and Sister of St. Francis

Sister Judy Zielinski, OSF, MA

Proud Lourdes Alumna and Sister of St. Francis

’67, AA – Liberal Arts

Director of Faith and Values Programming

NewGroup Media, South Bend, IN

 

In the early days of Mother Adelaide Hall I remember watching Sister Agneta painting the mural above the planetarium lobby door- little by little we all watched her sketch and work the space, bringing Mothers Adelaide, Stanislaus, Justinian, among many, and campus landmarks to life. This mural inspired me, planted me squarely in our tradition and made me to feel that I was joining a long line of Sylvania Franciscans serving the Church. I was fascinated by Sister’s decision to even incorporate the awkward heating cover panel into the mural by painting a quotation on it…a use of space that spoke to me about “using what you have” in the best way possible.”

More than anything, Lourdes nourished by love of learning. I remember the awe I felt in reading poetry and literature, the joy of learning to speak and read in French and Latin, the self-discipline and logic of math and chemistry, and the ongoing excitement of exposure to a liberal arts education. We lived, sat, and studied in the midst of the classists -the perennial wisdom of the world’s greatest writers, philosophers and scientists. It surrounded us on the walls, the shelves, the windows, and the ceilings. And all of this meshed perfectly with the Franciscan tradition of unity within the cosmos. How lucky I was- how privileged to have had a youth marked by such intellectual and spiritual power and grace.