Mary Frances Clarke Founders' Day Celebration

Name: Mary Frances Clarke Founders' Day Celebration
Start: 2025-10-03T11:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-10-03T13:00:00-05:00
Location: Clarke University

Schedule

Fri Oct 03 2025 at 11:00 am to 01:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Clarke University | Dubuque, IA

Friday, October 3
11 a.m. • Campus Mass
Sacred Heart Chapel
We are collecting non-perishable food items for the Clarke CUpboard (food pantry). If you would like to contribute, please place your donations in front of the altar before Mass.
Noon • Community Meal
Clarke Dining Hall
Enjoy with your meal plan or pay $8 at the door (debit/credit card, no cash accepted)
Clarke was established in Dubuque in 1843 by an Irish woman, Mary Frances Clarke, who founded a congregation of teachers and religious women, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVMs). The congregation consisted of Mary Frances Clarke, Eliza Kelly, Margaret Mann, Rose O’Toole, and Catherine Byrne. Mary Frances Clarke tasked the group to teach without seeming to teach, to remain progressive with the times, and to encourage young women to think for themselves. Today, Clarke University continues this mission.