{"id":1967,"date":"2022-03-01T08:41:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T08:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/?p=1967"},"modified":"2026-01-12T21:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:33:58","slug":"an-unexpected-journey-the-dreams-art-and-spirituality-of-sister-blanche-marie-gallagher-bvm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/2022\/03\/01\/an-unexpected-journey-the-dreams-art-and-spirituality-of-sister-blanche-marie-gallagher-bvm\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unexpected Journey: The Dreams, Art, and Spirituality of Sister Blanche Marie Gallagher, BVM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Over the next several months, the WLA Blog will feature posts written by guest writers. These writers are graduate students in the Public History program at Loyola University Chicago. Each visited the archives during Fall 2021, delved into the collections, and wrote about a topic not yet explored here. We are excited to share their research and perspectives! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 1. Sr. Blanche Marie Gallagher<\/strong>
Sr. Blanche Marie at her Chicago studio next to her artwork, “Homage to Teilhard: Planetization.” <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In mid-twentieth-century America, it would have been reasonable to expect a young middle-class woman to graduate from high school, maybe attend college, find a handsome veteran to marry, and raise a family of Boomers. For Patricia Gallagher, this is precisely the path she envisaged for herself \u2013 a motion-picture-perfect life as personified by Ginger Rogers and Kathryn Hepburn [i]. However, a series of serendipitous turning points took Gallagher on a much different and unexpected journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Born in 1922, Patricia Mary Jane Gallagher grew up in Waverly, Iowa. She was the youngest of five children, and, as the only daughter, she \u201chad been able to maneuver\u201d her father from day one [ii]. Patricia\u2019s childhood virtuosity for music prompted a scholarship offer from the State University of Iowa, where her friends were enrolling. However, Patricia\u2019s plan was dashed when her father, in a rare moment of resistance to her charming maneuvers, insisted that he \u201chad to send his children to Catholic colleges under pain of sin\u201d [iii].  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia begrudgingly began her university career at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. However, she would not give her father the satisfaction of becoming a music major after he forced her to abandon her state-university scholarship. Instead, she randomly selected Interior Design from the course catalog but found herself mistakenly enrolled on the first day as an art major [iv]. This accident of fate was just the beginning of Gallagher\u2019s life-long relationship with art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 2. 1938: Art Department<\/strong>
A photograph of the skyscraper building’s 13th floor studio space depicts how the art department likely appeared to Patricia Gallagher in 1942.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two years at Clarke were two too many. Patricia detested the strict Catholic disciplinary code and desperately wanted to escape Iowa [v]. After soliciting information from other institutions, Patricia applied to Mundelein College \u201cbecause of the picture of the building on the catalog cover, and because it was in Chicago\u201d [vi]. In 1942, her parents moved her into the 13th<\/sup> floor of the Art Deco skyscraper building on Sheridan Road.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 3. 1931: Skyscraper Building<\/strong>
The skyscraper building’s impressive fa\u00e7ade attracted Gallagher to Mundelein College.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

For $150 a year, Patricia joined 620 female students enrolled at Mundelein College. Like many young women of that era, she rallied home-front support for the war, drew stocking \u201cseams\u201d on her legs, danced with Loyola men in the gymnasium, drank Brandy Alexanders at the Yacht Club, smoked Menthol Kools, and worked a part-time gig at Marshall Field\u2019s [vii]. During classes, the students were groomed \u201cto become wives of men of consequence,\u201d and Patricia was on track to fulfill her motion-picture fantasy marriage [viii].  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 4. 1944: Blood Drive<\/strong>
As World Warr II roiled overseas, Mundelein students on the home front supported the war effort through blood donations. (Patricia Gallagher is seated second from the right.) <\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a February night in 1946, Patricia awoke to a Presence. \u201cIt was a voice, a knowing, nothing that I could doubt\u201d [ix]. Despite not considering herself to be remotely \u201choly,\u201d this nocturnal summons changed the trajectory of Gallagher\u2019s life. Although her life may have been preordained, it was certainly not expected nor going as planned. Upon graduation from Mundelein, Patricia relinquished the dream of having a family, entered the order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and became Sister Blanche Marie Gallagher.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 5. 1965: Sr. Blanche Marie Gallagher, BVM<\/strong>
Sr. Blanche Marie poses in her (pre-Vatican II) habit with some of her artwork.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

By the 1960s, the second wave of feminism, known as the women\u2019s liberation movement, swept across the United States and Europe, transforming the Catholic Church in the process. At the beginning of Gallagher\u2019s teaching tenure at Mundelein, the college community observed a strict convent routine consisting of meditation, classes, meals, and prayer [x]. However, by 1962, the Catholic Church was taking steps to \u201copen the windows\u201d and embrace the needs of modern society. In the wake of these progressive reformations, the Mundelein faculty tossed out their old habits and stepped into miniskirts [xi]. While the church and college were undergoing this transformation, Sr. Blanche Marie was experiencing a spiritual and artistic revelation of her own. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 6. “Homage to Teilhard: Christogenesis”<\/strong>
Painting by Blanche Marie Gallagher, BVM.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In 1959, the work of Teilhard de Chardin \u2013 a French Jesuit priest and theologian \u2013 was posthumously published and Gallagher \u201cbecame entranced with his cosmology, his perception of evolution, and his theology of creation\u201d [xii]. To decipher the complexity of Teilhard\u2019s words, Gallagher embarked on a series of paintings entitled, Homage to Teilhard: Visual Response. <\/em>Teilhard\u2019s writing introduced ideas that informed Gallagher\u2019s work and transformed her outlook on life. In an article for Christianity and the Arts<\/em>, she summarizes her epiphany: she wrote, \u201cArt evolves into life; life into art\u201d [xiii]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 7. “Homage to Teilard: Planetization”<\/strong>
Painting by Blanche Marie Gallagher, BVM.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Instead of becoming the quintessential mid-century American housewife of her dreams, Sr. Blanche Marie\u2019s journey led to multiple art degrees, research across thirty-two countries, apprenticeships in international studios, and her role as professor and chair of the Art Department at Mundelein College. Ironically, her incredibly progressive career was shaped by patriarchal influences and events beyond her control \u2013 her father\u2019s insistence on a Catholic college, an invitation from God, and Teilhard\u2019s writing. Nevertheless, Sr. Blanche Marie embraced a six-decades-long career as an artist, educator, writer, and spiritual influencer. Following a brief illness, she passed away in Chicago on November 19, 2010.   <\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 8. Mundelein College Art Class<\/strong>
Sr. Blanche Marie Gallagher teaches a painting class on the shore of Lake Michigan.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

For more information about Sr. Blanche Marie Gallagher\u2019s rich legacy or to explore the lives of other Mundelein College alumni, visit the Women and Leadership Archives online collections<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shannon is studying American and public history at Loyola University Chicago. Her research interests are in 20<\/em>th<\/sup><\/em>-century American history, focusing on architecture, historic preservation, and memorial landscapes. In addition, she aspires to a career devoted to interpreting history for public audiences at cultural sites and institutions. Beyond her professional pursuits, Shannon enjoys playing the piano, strolling with her dog (Vesper), and partaking in Chicago\u2019s rich culinary culture.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Images <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1. Untitled<\/em>, 5\u201d x 7\u201d photograph, 1974-1976, Women and Leadership Archives, Box 3, Folder 8: Post-Vatican II. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 2. 1938: Art Department,<\/em> June 1938, 8\u201d x 10\u201d photograph, Mundelein College Photograph Collection, https:\/\/luc.access.preservica.com\/uncategorized\/IO_669c7a9d-3539-419d-b4b7-77e3bcb3697e\/<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 3. 1931: Buildings: Campus View Winter,<\/em> 1931, 8\u201d x 10\u201d photograph, Mundelein College Photograph Collection, https:\/\/luc.access.preservica.com\/uncategorized\/IO_84abf169-6841-45a8-ab87-c15ae7fb226d\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 4. 1944: Blood Drive,<\/em> 1944, 8\u201d x 11\u201d photograph, Mundelein College Photograph Collection, https:\/\/luc.access.preservica.com\/uncategorized\/IO_62391dbc-d1e9-4e02-bfa5-51afe761d68c\/<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 5. 1965: Sr. Blanche Marie Gallagher, BVM<\/em>, 1965, 3\u201d x 5\u201d photograph, Mundelein College Photograph Collection, https:\/\/luc.access.preservica.com\/uncategorized\/IO_22c5177c-558c-405b-9872-982869db23f2\/<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 6. Homage to Teilhard: Christogenesis,<\/em> 3\u201d x 5\u201d notecard, Women and Leadership Archives, Box 1, Folder 15: Cards Designed by Gallagher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 7. Homage to Teilhard: Planetization,<\/em> 3\u201d x 5\u201d notecard, Women and Leadership Archives, Box 1, Folder 15: Cards Designed by Gallagher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 8. Untitled<\/em>, 5\u201d x 7\u201d photograph, 1974-1976, Women and Leadership Archives, Box 3, Folder 8: Post-Vatican II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\nLoyola University Chicago’s Women and Leadership Archives Blog is designed to provide a positive environment for the Loyola community to discuss important issues and ideas. Differences of opinion are encouraged. We invite comments in response to posts and ask that you write in a civil and respectful manner. All comments will be screened for tone and content and must include the first and last name of the author and a valid email address. The appearance of comments on the blog does not imply the University’s endorsement or acceptance of views expressed. Questions? Please contact the WLA at wlarchives@LUC.edu<\/a>. <\/em><\/span> \n\n
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Over the next several months, the WLA Blog will feature posts written by guest writers. These writers are graduate students in the Public History program at Loyola University Chicago. Each visited the archives during Fall 2021, delved into the collections, and wrote about a topic … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1967"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2469,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967\/revisions\/2469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}