“Peace and Mercy: The Life and Works of Sister M. Fides Shepperson” is published and available on Amazon here.

Poet, philosopher, pacifist, and so much more. A prolific writer and educator, she was universally recognized for her wide knowledge of classical literature, history, and philosophy, as well as her deep concern for human rights and international peace—Sister M. Fides Shepperson, R.S.M. (1867-1952).

Her vocation was influenced by the writings of John Henry Newman and the example of Catherine McAuley.

Believed to be the first female admitted to any Catholic college in America, she was the first to graduate from Duquesne University (BA, 1911, MA, 1913) (then Holy Ghost College), the first woman to receive a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh (PhD, 1923) and among the first faculty of Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) when it opened in 1929.

In this brief biography, it is my hope that the life of Sister Fides is kept from being lost in the foggy mist of time. Hers was a remarkable life—the life of a groundbreaking education, of a religious sister, historian, poet, screenwriter, educator, peacemaker, and more—a life worth knowing, recording, and remembering.