Margaret Ellen Traxler, SSND, (March 11, 1924 – February 12, 2002) was a prominent

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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with the

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and a prominent

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist. She was also a leader in developing institutions to help poor women in the city of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Biography

Early life

Traxler was born in 1924 in

Henderson, Minnesota Henderson is a city in Sibley County, Minnesota, United States. The population in was 886 at the 2010 census. History Henderson was founded in August 1852 by Joseph R. Brown, and was named for his mother's maiden name. By 1855, Henderson ha ...

, the daughter of a country doctor and a nurse. The fourth of five girls in the family, she was known affectionately as Peggy and was a lively girl who enjoyed the debate team at school and played the trumpet in the school band. Hosted by Sturdy Roots as "The Church, Abortion, and Sister Margaret Ellen Traxler" Traxler entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the

in 1942, after completing high school, and the following year was given the

habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

of the School Sisters and the

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of Sister Mary Peter, the name she used for some 20 years. She earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in English from the College of St. Catherine in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, and later received a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campus ...

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. For the next 17 years she taught in high schools and colleges of her

religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...

in Minnesota and

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Social Activism

At that point, Traxler, who had returned to using her

baptismal name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

, began devoting herself to advocacy on behalf of interracial justice and the rights of women in society and in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, She took part in the

Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the ...

in 1965, singing "

We Shall Overcome "We Shall Overcome" is a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the American civil rights movement. The song is most commonly attributed as being lyrically descended from "I'll Overcome Some Day", a hymn by Charles Albert Ti ...

". Just prior to Selma, she joined the staff of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, based in Chicago, serving successively as Assistant Director and Director of its Department of Educational Services (1965–1971) and as Executive Director (1971–1973). During this period, she and 12 other nuns marched in the front row of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

, and she also worked with King to organize "traveling workshops" of Sister-scholars to assist schools preparing for integration, and established a program to place Religious Sisters in African-American colleges to allow the regular faculty to pursue advanced degrees. In 1977, Traxler became an associate of the

Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is an American nonprofit publishing organization that was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1972. The organization works to increase media democracy and strengthen independent media. Mo Basic infor ...

(WIFP). WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media. Other notable activities included attending the peace negotiations in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France, for ending the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, organizing the NCCIJ's Citizen's Task Force of Inquiry regarding Civil Liberties in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland, and co-founding the

National Coalition of American Nuns The National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN) was founded in 1969 by Margaret Traxler and Audrey Kopp. The organization is known for its advocacy for women's rights, support for the Equal Rights Amendment, opposition to the Catholic Church hiera ...

and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry, for which she received an award from the

Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and ''kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1 ...

Women's rights

Traxler was a prominent supporter of the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

with her lobbying group, National Coalition of American Nuns. In 1984 Traxler was one of 26 Religious Sisters who signed their names to an advertisement in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' entitled "

A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion "A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion", alternatively referred to by its pull quote "A Diversity of Opinions Regarding Abortion Exists Among Committed Catholics" or simply "The New York Times ad", was a full-page advertisement placed on ...

". The ad stated that there was more than one Catholic position on

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

, and called for

religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or countr ...

and discussion within the Church. The ad showed the results of a poll of American Catholics: 11% were against abortion in any form. The ad said that this demonstrated a great majority of Catholics were sympathetic to at least some instances of abortion. Traxler upheld the church's teaching opposing abortion, but believed each woman had a right to make the choice for herself. Although 96 other religious leaders, both priests and

laymen In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

, also signed the ad, it was the members of religious congregations who drew the

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's wrath and who had to retract their statement or risk expulsion from their congregations. The four-year ordeal that ensued saw two Sisters leave religious life, and heralded the start of Traxler's heart troubles. Traxler defended the poll findings by appearing on television with a tube of toothpaste, saying that the toothpaste cannot be put back in the tube; an analogy to the Church's inability to hide the fact that the majority of American Catholics disagreed with its doctrinal position. "The tension that comes with Rome on your back is enormous," said Sister Betty Barrett, who added that Traxler suffered greatly when Rome forbade her friend of 30 years, Sister

Jeannine Gramick Sr Jeannine Gramick, SL ( ; born 1942) is an American Catholic religious sister and advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. She is also a co-founder of New Ways Ministry. In 2021, Pope Francis addressed two letters to New ...

(also a School Sister of Notre Dame at the time), to continue her pastoral ministry with gays and lesbians. Gramick called Traxler "a giant of a woman, a prophetess to us all, unafraid to speak truth to power."

Institute for Women Today

Traxler was also the founder of the Institute for Women Today, a Christian–Jewish–Protestant coalition to reach out to troubled women. Under the aegis of the IWT, she organized skilled workers and lawyers to travel to women's prisons in

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to provide training and advice. And she visited these prisons regularly, bringing the women sewing machines to make clothes for their children. She opened Sister House on Chicago's west side to aid women coming out of prison. She established Maria Shelter for abused women and children and Casa Notre Dame for older homeless women. And she funded these projects by speaking regularly, and without embarrassment, at churches and synagogues.

Death

Traxler suffered a debilitating

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 2000 that ended her public work, and retired to the infirmary at the

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of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in

Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 United States ...

. She died two years later and was buried in the Sisters' cemetery there.

References

External links

Oral history interview with Margaret Traxler
The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories, Library of Congress
National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice records
The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories, Library of Congress
Sister Margaret Traxler Papers, 1916–1918, 1924, 1941–2002
Marquette University

Catholic Research Resources Alliance
"Getting Rid Of Old Habits"
(1985), ''Mother Jones''
"Like A Sister: Margaret Traxler Shelters Hope In Poor Women's Souls"
(April 26, 1998), ''Chicago Tribune'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Traxler, Margaret 1924 births 2002 deaths People from Henderson, Minnesota School Sisters of Notre Dame St. Catherine University alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Burials in Minnesota 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns 20th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Minnesota 20th-century American women educators Catholic feminists Catholic feminism Equal Rights Amendment activists