Mary Catherine Schmidt was the sixth prioress of Sacred Heart Convent, but she held the reins at a time of social and economic upheaval and kept the monastery afloat in an age of despair.
Indeed, Sacred Heart was able to flourish in the midst of depression.
It was never easy, however.
She was elected prioress at the age of 33 in 1932. Because of the drought and depression of the Dirty Thirties, the convent's academy was operating under financial hardships. Nevertheless, she pursued the sisters' dream of building a college on the hill. In the summer of 1935, she got the go-ahead from the convent community to build a $234,000 structure, even though the convent had little in the way of cash reserves with which to operate. Working tirelessly, she raised enough funds to keep ahead of construction costs, and Bede Hall was finished in 1936. Mount Marty Junior College was open for business that fall.
Mother Jerome also served as the school's first president, from 1936-57.
During World War II, she spearheaded the uphill drive for the building of the Bishop Marty Chapel. Her determination and ingenuity again prevailed, and the chapel with its towering steeple now reigns over the city's skyline.
Mother Jerome served as prioress until 1961. She later taught German in college.
She was honored as Yankton's Citizen of the Year in 1980. She died in 1983.
CENTURY EDITION
