Maxine Marie Silk / Sr. Mary St. Cornelius
Birth: 8 Jan 1913, San Francisco, California
Death: 8 Aug 1985, Dubuque, Iowa
The last-born of Bridget and John’s grandchildren was Maxine Marie Silk, born in San Francisco on January 8, 1913. She was eight years younger than her sister Muriel and a very independent individual. Her grandmother Bridget referred to her (like her brother Vince) as being “full of the Divil” and she certainly was a strong-willed individual.
Maxine attended St. Paul’s Grammar School and High School, graduating with the Class of 1931. She seems to have been outgoing and well-liked. She was often in the social pages of the Chronicle, even as a child. There were articles about Halloween parties, taffy pulls, teas, and society birthday parties that she attended, often with her sister. At 12, she was a member of the Sunflower Tapestry Club and the Chronicle Club. There were bridal showers and surprise parties with dancing late into the night. After graduating, she became active in the St. Paul’s Alumnae Association, where she organized teas and bridge parties and attended the annual alumnae dinners at the Hotel Stewart.
Maxine attended the San Francisco College for Women (later, Lone Mountain College), where she graduated cum laude in 1935. While there, she was involved in dramatics, acting in Little Women and directing a portion of the pageant of one-acts. She was a member of Junior Council of Catholic Women.
Maxine was a devout Catholic and felt the call to religious life. On September 8, 1935, she became a novice in the Sisters of Charity. She was accepted on March 19, 1936, where she took on the new name Sister Mary St. Cornelius, BVM. She took her First Vows on March 19, 1938, and was missioned to Immaculata High School in Chicago. She took her Final Vows on August 15, 1943.
Death: 8 Aug 1985, Dubuque, Iowa
The last-born of Bridget and John’s grandchildren was Maxine Marie Silk, born in San Francisco on January 8, 1913. She was eight years younger than her sister Muriel and a very independent individual. Her grandmother Bridget referred to her (like her brother Vince) as being “full of the Divil” and she certainly was a strong-willed individual.
Maxine attended St. Paul’s Grammar School and High School, graduating with the Class of 1931. She seems to have been outgoing and well-liked. She was often in the social pages of the Chronicle, even as a child. There were articles about Halloween parties, taffy pulls, teas, and society birthday parties that she attended, often with her sister. At 12, she was a member of the Sunflower Tapestry Club and the Chronicle Club. There were bridal showers and surprise parties with dancing late into the night. After graduating, she became active in the St. Paul’s Alumnae Association, where she organized teas and bridge parties and attended the annual alumnae dinners at the Hotel Stewart.
Maxine attended the San Francisco College for Women (later, Lone Mountain College), where she graduated cum laude in 1935. While there, she was involved in dramatics, acting in Little Women and directing a portion of the pageant of one-acts. She was a member of Junior Council of Catholic Women.
Maxine was a devout Catholic and felt the call to religious life. On September 8, 1935, she became a novice in the Sisters of Charity. She was accepted on March 19, 1936, where she took on the new name Sister Mary St. Cornelius, BVM. She took her First Vows on March 19, 1938, and was missioned to Immaculata High School in Chicago. She took her Final Vows on August 15, 1943.
Immaculata High School was an all-girls high school in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. It had opened in 1921. According to the Women and Leadership Archives website at Loyola University Chicago, “The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) conducted the school from its opening in 1921 to its closing day sixty years later, preparing thousands of young women during its operation for their futures as women of faith, household managers, mothers, college students, and career women.” The building, which was designed by an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright for millionaire industrialist Ralph Greenlee in 1893, was entered in the National Registry of Historic Places in 1977 and became a Chicago Landmark in 1983.
Maxine served at The Immaculata, as it was known, for 43 years. She was a Latin teacher for much of the time. Later in life, she served as both the bookstore manager and the maintenance manager. Specific details are few and far between, and Sister Mary Anton Sweitzer, whom Corny’s cousin Sr. Toni Lynn Gallagher, asked to find details, had difficulty gathering material. As she said in a note in 1989,
Sister was the kind of person who would have nothing about her in the files. She always thought of everyone else, but never about herself. She would be having parties for everyone else, but when anyone wanted to have one for her, that was an entirely different story.
She was truly a wonderful Sister and very close to me. I lived with her for the 50 years of her religious life and enjoyed every moment of it. She could never do enough for her friends—no matter how difficult the task. I know that I shall never forget her, for she meant so much to me.
One thing that was known was that she was a big baseball fan. In Chicago, she became a huge Cubs fan and could often be found at Wrigley Field during the summer, in full habit, of course. She may have had a chance to see her cousin Bobby Rosenberg play in Seal Stadium when she visited back home.
Maxine served at The Immaculata, as it was known, for 43 years. She was a Latin teacher for much of the time. Later in life, she served as both the bookstore manager and the maintenance manager. Specific details are few and far between, and Sister Mary Anton Sweitzer, whom Corny’s cousin Sr. Toni Lynn Gallagher, asked to find details, had difficulty gathering material. As she said in a note in 1989,
Sister was the kind of person who would have nothing about her in the files. She always thought of everyone else, but never about herself. She would be having parties for everyone else, but when anyone wanted to have one for her, that was an entirely different story.
She was truly a wonderful Sister and very close to me. I lived with her for the 50 years of her religious life and enjoyed every moment of it. She could never do enough for her friends—no matter how difficult the task. I know that I shall never forget her, for she meant so much to me.
One thing that was known was that she was a big baseball fan. In Chicago, she became a huge Cubs fan and could often be found at Wrigley Field during the summer, in full habit, of course. She may have had a chance to see her cousin Bobby Rosenberg play in Seal Stadium when she visited back home.
In 1981, The Immaculata closed and Sr. Corny spent the rest of her life at Wright Hall, the BVM motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa. In 1985, she was diagnosed with cancer. With prayer, she came to accept the cancer and she passed peacefully on August 8, 1985. She was laid to rest two days later in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Dubuque.
She made several trips home to San Francisco over the years and her nephews and their wives came to know her. Joanne Calvert remembered her as a no-nonsense, get-it-done person with whom you always knew where you stood. The life of a nun n a high school seemed a perfect fit. Like her father, she was a dominant personality with strong opinions, but she loved people, especially her students, and dedicated her life to education and contemplation. Her life was a blessing to others. In her eulogy, Sister Helen Garvey, BVM, described her thus:
Sr. Mary St. Cornelius, who preferred to be called Corny, was an institution at Immaculata. She was a whirlwind of activity, majoring in bells and in all events which involved people. She was the first up and the last to bed. She lived life fully and changed often. This youngest child of Michael and Marie Forde Silk brought us a generous heart and a brilliant mind.
She made several trips home to San Francisco over the years and her nephews and their wives came to know her. Joanne Calvert remembered her as a no-nonsense, get-it-done person with whom you always knew where you stood. The life of a nun n a high school seemed a perfect fit. Like her father, she was a dominant personality with strong opinions, but she loved people, especially her students, and dedicated her life to education and contemplation. Her life was a blessing to others. In her eulogy, Sister Helen Garvey, BVM, described her thus:
Sr. Mary St. Cornelius, who preferred to be called Corny, was an institution at Immaculata. She was a whirlwind of activity, majoring in bells and in all events which involved people. She was the first up and the last to bed. She lived life fully and changed often. This youngest child of Michael and Marie Forde Silk brought us a generous heart and a brilliant mind.