Mary Ewens, an older sister of Betty Ewens Quadracci, was like most of her first-grade classmates – until she wasn’t. Attending St. Robert’s Parish School in Shorewood, she felt a call to become a nun. “All the little girls loved our first-grade teacher and wanted to be like her,” says Ewens. “But then they changed their minds – and I didn’t.”
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Ewens made her dream official in 1953, when she joined the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, a group of nuns in southwestern Wisconsin committed to promoting peace and justice in society, preaching and teaching to spread the message of Jesus.
As part of her work, Sister Ewens has taught and worked in administrative roles in schools and universities around the world, even all the way to Rome.
She’s also an accomplished academic, with an impressive body of awards, research and publications – including her doctoral dissertation, a book on the role of the nun in 19th century America.
But for Ewens, the core work of a sister is about helping people in need: “We see those not being served and try to help them.” Ewens spent decades investing in the next generation of Catholic students, some of whom she stays in touch with. In spite of her age – Ewens is 90 – her support of this work hasn’t stopped.
While she doesn’t travel as much these days, she still stays busy, conducting research and regularly hosting meetings of fellow nuns in her retirement home – a non-Catholic community in Muskego that happens to house 95 Dominican sisters.
“Wherever you are in life, there are people around you,” Ewens says. “And whatever you’re able to do, you can find people who need you and do something positive for them.”
Her accomplishments are many, but it’s Ewens’ spirit that’s most inspiring, says her niece, Elizabeth Quadracci Harned. Like Betty, who had polio as a child, Mary has lived with a disability for decades – she’s legally blind – but prefers that not be a topic of discussion.
“They both had bigger obstacles than the average person, but they didn’t let anything stop them,” says Quadracci Harned. “No matter what happens, Mary’s always said ‘I have to get back to work.’”
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