In Memory of Sister Mary Jude Marlborough

Born near Edgard, on the "German Coast" of the Mississippi River, Josephine was the tenth of eleven children of Amelia Schmidt and Adam Marlborough; she survived her five brothers and five sisters. Her early schooling was in Gramercy, where the educational system was nominally public, but accommodated the predominantly Catholic population. Jo was a basketball star at Lutcher High, where she graduated in 1933.

The sisters arrived in Paulina, another river community neighboring Edgard, Lutcher and Gramercy, in August 1935. Jo was one of the young women who came to help, and in a short time, made her decision to join them. On October 6, Rosary Sunday, she entered as a postulant at St. Mary's in New Orleans.

Her group was culturally diverse. One, like herself came from the "River Road," while the other three were from Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York. The postulants took a full schedule of college work, along with the load of chores that moved those in authority to look for relocating the novitiate away from the motherhouse / high school / college. After the novitiate year, she was professed June 15, 1937, with Srs. M. Anna Taggart, Hildegarde Luca, Lucy Songy, Martin Rauscher, and Agnes Kocinski and sent out to teach.

She was a self-taught artist, constantly creating things of beauty. Gallon bleach bottles of white plastic became colorful clothespin containers to be sold at the fair, or given as gifts. Where others saw only a cypress "knee" (the external root of the cypress native to Louisiana swamps), she carved a breathtaking Blessed Mother. There seemed no limit to her aptitude for discovering and designing treasures, transforming ordinary objects with her capable, creative hands.

Her talent for arts and crafts served her well in the primary classrooms where she found herself, first at St. Peter's (Reserve, LA), then at St. John the Baptist (New Orleans). With Saturday School, summers, and a full year of college work in 1939, she earned her B, A, in 1941. Three more years of primary teaching at St. Anthony (New Orleans), another at St. Agnes (Baton Rouge), and she moved to middle grades, where she continued from 1947-49, 1954, 1956-68 in Reserve; In 1949-52 she taught at the rural, public school staffed by the Dominicans in Lizana, MS; in1953 and1955 at St. Joseph, Paulina (later Chanel Interparochial) where she had first met the sisters, and 1968 at Mater Dolorosa (Independence, LA). There she served as principal 1969-75. Back in Paulina, she settled into her third grade classroom in Chanel, from 1975-82. When the sisters withdrew from Paulina Sr. Mary Jude moved to New Orleans and into intercommunity collaboration, residing at St. Mary's, Burdette St. with sisters from Dominican High, and teaching at nearby St. Rita with the Marianites of Holy Cross. Sr. Winifred, the principal, was from Ireland; Jude was her right hand.

On Wednesday morning, January 16, 1985, as she attended Mass at the parish church, her life was changed. A deranged, unemployed ex-convict shooting apparently at one of the statues, then aimed two bullets at Sister's head, and finally shot and killed himself. There was an outpouring of concern and support from all over the country. As soon as she could write, she carefully scripted a six-point statement stating, "I thank the Lord for sparing my life, which is indeed a miracle. I am happy to be able to do more work for Him and His children." She closed with "I forgive the man who shot me. I 'm praying that God will give him eternal rest." Sister gradually recovered enough to return to St. Rita's as a welcome special assistant to her beloved Sister Winifred, whose tender care helped in her healing.

In 1993 Sr. M. Jude retired to the motherhouse, where she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1997. In 2000 she was transferred to Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center.

Her outstanding qualities may have been her spontaneity, forthrightness, simplicity, and creativity. Above all she will be remembered as faithful, a warm and passionately loving person.