Brophy, Mary Liguori

(1901-1982) Already possessing a law degree from DePaul University before entering the Sisters of Charity (B. V.M.) in 1926 (in 1965 she was the only Catholic nun to be a member of the Illinois State Bar), Sister M. Liguori later earned an M.A. in sociology and economics from the University of Notre Dame, adding in 1943 a Ph.D. in sociology from Catholic University of America. Melvin Williams, in his Catholic Social Thought (1950:92), considered her doctoral dissertation among “the most important research by American Catholics on social thought that has been produced.” Professor and Chair of Sociology at Mundelein College (Chicago), Sister M. Liguori served until 1980 as teacher, attorney/scholar, social justice advocate, and researcher. In 1971, she was appointed Assistant Dean and Professor at Saints Junior College in Mississippi.

Sister M. Liguori was one of the early organizers of the American Catholic Sociological Society, helping Ralph Gallagher S.J. in the first organizational meeting of March 1938. Hers was a moderating and supportive voice, frequently interpreting for others Gallagher’s decisions in his early years as Executive Secretary. She served as the organization’s Treasurer until the position was joined to that of the Executive Secretary. She also served in various capacities on the executive committee of ACSS for a number of years.

Sister M. Liguori’s research interests were within the fields of sociology and economics, and they centered upon changing neighborhoods and social justice. She published little, because her emphasis was on the applied aspects of the social sciences.

—Loretta M. Morris