Sister Dolores Super was born in Little Falls, Minn., the 10th of Andrew and Elizabeth’s 11 children. Her father died when she was 14 years old, which left her mother to raise these 11 children alone. S. Dolores speaks very lovingly of her saintly mother who was the cook at a school where our Benedictine sisters taught. When she came for home visits, S. Dolores would go to the school and help her mother prepare and serve lunch to the children.
The Benedictine sisters were also S. Dolores’ teachers in the old Antler Hotel which served as a school, convent and rectory. It was there that she started taking piano lessons in the third grade. Her fingers danced over the keyboard so gracefully that by the seventh grade, she was playing the organ in church. S. Dolores finished her last two years of high school at St. Benedict’s High School in St. Joseph, Minn., and graduated as a postulant.
After completing her novitiate at age 19, S. Dolores went to St. Mary’s in St. Cloud, Minn., to be the organist and music teacher. She received a master’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., then served for six years as organist and music teacher in Breckenridge, Minn. Ever obedient, at the wish of her prioress, S. Dolores completed her work in music and music education, earning her doctorate at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Next followed 34 years of service at the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) in St. Joseph from which she retired in 1994.
An accomplished musician, S. Dolores began her career with CSB in 1960, moving through the academic ranks to full professorship. She also served as chair of the music department for 16 years. Throughout her career, S. Dolores retained a deep love for music and performed a number of solo organ recitals. Playing and practicing were soul-recharging times for her. One of her friends recalls her saying, “No day spent with an hour of Bach is a bad day.”
In 1978, S. Dolores assumed responsibility for an administrative post with CSB’s academic affairs department. This was the first in a series of advancements in that area, leading to her appointment in 1983 as academic dean of the college. Prior to that appointment, S. Dolores’ job included responsibility for the academic programs in the Bahamas and for adult continuing education.
Aware of the necessity of preparing students for their place in the world, S. Dolores supported programs providing students with experience in other cultures. To learn for herself, she spent the fall of 1974 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, with the college’s study abroad program. In 1996, S. Dolores and Sister Telan Hu led students to Beibei, Sichuan, China, in another study abroad program.
A seasoned professional, S. Dolores made numerous contributions to the broader community as a board member of CSB and the United Way of Central Minnesota, as well as chair of St. Cloud Hospital’s board of directors for 10 years. She was also one of the founders of Studium, the monastery’s program for scholars, and served as its first director. Under her leadership, Sister Karen Rose, the current prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, was invited to be one of the Studium scholars. Great decision, S. Dolores!
Thank you, S. Dolores, for your many years of service. Congratulations as you celebrate your 75th jubilee!
Written by Ingrid Anderson, OSB, and Kathy Rademacher, OSB