The daughter of John and Mary Byrne Purdy, Margaret was born Nov. 11, 1889, in Curdsville, Ky. Following her schooling she entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph and had a four‑month postulancy. On November 21, 1912, Margaret received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Dolorosa. Her sister Helena was invested the same day and given the name Sister Mary John.
Prepared for the teaching apostolate, Sister Dolorosa’s first assignment was the smaller Kentucky schools for five years. Her next missions were in Nebraska at the various schools operated by the Ursuline Sisters and Sister Dolorosa taught 16 years using well her Nebraska certificate. While in Nebraska she also studied and earned her degree from Creighton University. Sister Dolorosa then began more years of teaching in Kentucky, but she also had a three‑year assignment at Waterflow, N.M. Her final mission was St. Joseph School in Central City, Ky., and there she also assisted the Sisters with her cooking and washing although her health was gradually failing. During Sister Dolorosa’s many years of educating students she had taught at both grade and high school levels, and her major fields of interest were history and mathematics.
Death came to Sister Dolorosa on July 20, 1969, from a heart blockage. The funeral Mass was celebrated by Msgr. Albert Thompson, former MSJ chaplain, who also preached the sermon. Four other priests were present. Following these services on July 22, Sister Dolorosa was laid to rest in the convent cemetery. Among her survivors were her three Ursuline sisters: Sister Mary Ephrem, a Louisville Ursuline, and Sisters Mary John and Jean Catherine, Mount SaintJoseph Ursulines.