Thursday, May 8, 2014

Ade Bethune Collection: 30 Years



Ade Bethune at the dedication of the
Ade Bethune Collection
This month’s display commemorates the thirtieth anniversary of the Ade Bethune Collection at St. Catherine University.  The Collection was dedicated on May 4, 1984.

Born in 1914, Ade Bethune was a liturgical artist best known for her work as illustrator for the Catholic Worker, a newspaper edited by prominent social activist Dorothy Day.

Bethune’s relationship with St. Kate’s began in 1939, when she was invited to speak at the third annual conference of the Catholic Art Association, held on the St. Paul campus.  She spoke in Jeanne d'Arc auditorium on the topic "Personalism and the Industrial Counter-revolution." Over the years, she formed many enduring relationships with some of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, most notably with Sr. Cyril Clare Casey, and  Art Professor Judith Stoughton, CSJ.  Sr. Judith later wrote Proud Donkey of Schaerbeek, a biography of Bethune. Stoughton and several other CSJs were instrumental in persuading Bethune to donate her writings, artworks, and other belongings to the St. Catherine University archives in 1984.

Ade Bethune speaking at the Ade Bethune Collection dedication:




  1. To learn more about the Ade Bethune Collection, please visit the St. Catherine University Archives online at http://library.stkate.edu/spcoll/bethune.html. Materials from this collection will be on display during the month of May on the main level of the St. Paul Library, in the case in front of the video carrels. 

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