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May 16, 2017, Wilmette, Illinois – Sister Nancy Murray, OP, known for her one-woman performances of the life of St. Catherine of Siena, received a fitting and unexpected honor for her Golden Jubilee. Regina Dominican High School – her alma mater and former scene of her ministry as a teacher and campus minister – named the stage in their newly renovated theater the S. Nancy Murray, OP, ’65 Stage.
The surprise revelation of the new stage – and a special tribute to Sister Nancy – took place May 1 after a dinner in her honor and in the middle of her own performance as St. Catherine of Siena.
“It was a big surprise,” Sister Nancy said in an interview back in Adrian, Michigan. “I didn’t know this was coming.”
About 400 people attended the event, which raised more than $100,000 for the school’s theater renovation and fine arts program. The program included dinner and a special presentation by Sister Ann Romayne Fallon, OP, who had been President of Regina Dominican when Sister Nancy was on the faculty.
“Students loved her, and why shouldn’t they?” Sister Ann Romayne noted. “Joy and excitement were two ingredients that were present in every class she taught.”
Sister Nancy’s performance of St. Catherine of Siena was interrupted by a special surprise: a performance of her favorite songs from “The Sound of Music” by a choir of Regina Dominican alumnae. She was taken backstage afterward for the final surprise: the naming of the new Sister Nancy Murray, OP, ’65 Stage.
“I looked out at the former students,” Sister Nancy recalled. “They were doctors and lawyers, special education teachers, social workers, a CPA, a judge, mothers who cared for their special needs children. This was such a great joy. This was over the top incredible. It was a step back in time that made us all move forward with great joy.”
Watch a video of the tribute to Sister Nancy.
Feature photo (above): Sister Ann Romayne Fallon, OP, former President of Regina Dominican High School, presents an award to Sister Nancy Murray, OP, still in costume as St. Catherine of Siena. | Photo Courtesy of Regina Dominican High School