Leanne Robertson remembers the day as a schoolgirl when her mother snatched a letter from the mail and disappeared into her room to read it.
“Wow, that must be one special letter, I thought,” she said. “She later told me it was ‘from Sister.’ I was fascinated.”
The letter was from Ursuline Sister Mary Celeste McCue. She joined the Ursuline Sisters at age 31 in 1927, taught dramatics in the Academy and also taught in the commercial department. After five years, she was assistant bookkeeper for the community treasurer until she was appointed postmaster in 1949, where she served for 11 years. She died in 1966.
It was what Sister Mary Celeste did prior to becoming an Ursuline that continues to resonate with people like Leanne Robertson. In 1925, as Nan McCue, she founded a national sorority called Kappa Delta Phi, with its purpose to pursue “sisterly love, loyalty to God and country, intellectual and cultural development, and civic influence on the community.” The name was the reverse of the Phi Delta Kappa fraternity.
After two years as its leader, Nan McCue left the sorority and joined the Ursulines. But the sorority members have never forgotten her, especially this year, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the sorority.
There are 19 chapters of Kappa Delta Phi across the country, with the most in Indiana. For the centennial year, the members decided to have their annual gathering in Sister Mary Celeste’s hometown of Louisville on June 26-28, 2025. At its conclusion, Robertson – who completed her term as the 54th president – and two other members, who all three live in Arizona, rented a car to drive to Maple Mount so they could visit the grave of Sister Mary Celeste for the first time.
“I knew how much my mother esteemed her,” Robertson said. “Without her beginning this sorority, we wouldn’t know each other. These women are my best friends.”
“We’re very dedicated to Sister Mary Celeste,” said Aline Barbeau, from Tucson.
Robertson restores old photos as a hobby and worked on a picture of Sister Mary Celeste so that every member at the convention would have their own small copy. She placed the photo in a small bag with a bee charm, and a quote that said, “A bee that makes honey is great, but a bee that makes other bees that make honey is extraordinary.” She brought leftover bags to deliver to Sister Sharon Sullivan, congregational leader, to pass out to the Sisters.
“It’s very intimate to work on a photo of a person,” Robertson said. “I spent many hours ‘painting’ it pixel-by-pixel to bring it back to its original condition. The photo was enlarged while I was working on it, I could see her hands holding her rosary. I felt such peace in that moment. She always prayed for us.”
During the convention, each of the members wrote “thank you” cards to the Sisters, and Robertson delivered them to Sister Sharon.
Robertson, Barbeau and Maureen Schertzer made the trip to Maple Mount. Each of the women joined the sorority this century. There are 259 members across the country.
“I enjoy the charitable work, the friendship, and the sisterhood,” Barbeau said. “I love the rituals and prayers.”
Schertzer said a friend inspired her to join. “All the women have such love in their heart for everybody. We get together as groups to do charity work.” The sorority raised $172,000 this year for charity, which supports women and children. They also donate to assist occupational therapists.
The women visited Sister Mary Celeste’s grave, then the Chapel, where Sister Sharon told them about its history. They met Sister Cecelia Joseph Olinger, who told them as a student at Mount Joseph Academy in the 1950s, it was her job to clean the post office during the years Sister Mary Celeste was postmaster.
“We can say we met someone who knew her,” Robertson said.
