Antonius Kennelly Papers

Sister Antonius Kennelly was born Mary Kennelly on May 5th, 1901 in St. Thomas, North Dakota. Sister Antonius was assigned the study of chemistry to fill a need for a chemistry assistant at the College of St. Catherine, but she grew to love and excel in the field. She received her BA in chemistry and language from St. Catherine in 1926 and her MA in chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1929. Finally, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Munich, Germany in 1933. In Germany she studied under Dr. Heinrich Otto Wieland, who won the 1927 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She also met Madame Curie, discoverer of radium, while visiting in Paris. Later, after her term as President of the College, Sister Antonius began working in hospitals and became a registered medical technologist in 1950.

Over the years, the Sisters of St. Joseph gave Sister Antonius many important assignments, drawing heavily on her love of education and scientific expertise. Her assignments included: 1933-1943 Chemistry professor, College of St. Catherine (CSC); 1943-1949 President, CSC; 1950-1956 Superintendent, St. Joseph’s Hospital; 1956-1973 Chair, natural sciences division, CSC; and 1973-1976, Chemistry professor, CSC.

During her life she was a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Medical Technologists, Minn., the Academy of Science, the Catholic Roundtable of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, and Iota Sigma Pi. Additionally, she served on the boards of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education (1946-1949) and the MN Catholic Hospital Conference (1953), as president of the Association of MN Colleges (1948-1949), and as the national secretary of Iota Sigma Pi (1970-1975).

Sister Antonius Kennelly retired from teaching in 1976 and died in 1995.