Mary was born June 23, 1880, in Winchester, Ky., to David and Elizabeth Barrow. From infancy she suffered from paralysis in her right foot. Mary was a precocious child, an avid reader with insatiable thirst for knowledge. The family moved to Owensboro, Ky. At the age of 20, Mary began teaching school. She was a talented educator and saw the urgent need of higher education for youth in western Kentucky. When she expressed a desire to join the convent, her pastor directed her to Mount Saint Joseph. She entered the novitiate at the age of 26. On May 31, 1907, Mary received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Michael.
Following her novitiate, Sister Mary Michael taught in Mount Saint Joseph Academy until 1922. Her fields were religion, science, and history. During the next three years, she studied at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she completed requirements for a master’s degree in history. At this time, she wrote The Foundations of the Ursulines in the United States. Returning to Mount Saint Joseph, she was named the first dean of Mount Saint Joseph Junior College. In 1929, Sister Mary Michael experienced her first mission life at Calvary, Ky., and then at Waverly, Ky. Next came an assignment to Sacred Heart Academy in Waterflow, N.M., where she lived and taught for eight years. While there, she wrote the story of the first 25 years of the Ursulines in New Mexico in her book, Candles of the Lord. For the next three years, she was registrar at Brescia Hall in Owensboro, which was a division of Mount Saint Joseph Junior College. She also taught general psychology and European history. In 1946, Sister Mary Michael wrote Angela in Action, a pamphlet recounting the daily life of a modern daughter of Saint Angela. Sister Michael’s insightful vision was influential in moving Mount Saint Joseph Junior College to Owensboro in 1950.
Sister Mary Michael left Brescia College in 1953 and returned to Mount Saint Joseph, remaining an inspiration by her life of prayer and contemplation. She had classes with the novices during this time. Death came to Sister Mary Michael on May 21, 1956. Msgr. Gilbert Henninger, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass on May 23, followed by the burial service in the convent cemetery where Sister’s remains rest.