Thomas Welder

Sister Thomas Welder, OSB (born Diane Marie Welder;[1] April 27, 1940 – June 22, 2020) was an American educator, academic administrator, and Benedictine nun. Born and raised in North Dakota, she entered Annunciation Monastery in 1959, at age 19. She began working at the Benedictine-sponsored Mary College in 1963 and served as its president from 1978 to 2009. Under Welder, the college expanded to become the University of Mary. She received North Dakota's highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, in 2004.

Thomas Welder
President of the University of Mary
In office
1978–2009
Personal details
Born
Diane Marie Welder

April 27, 1940
Linton, North Dakota, U.S.
DiedJune 22, 2020 (aged 80)
Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S.
Alma materCollege of St. Scholastica (BA)
Northwestern University (MMus)

Early life and education
A young Diane Welder (later Sister Thomas Welder) pictured in her St. Mary's Central High School photo (1958).

Diane Marie Welder was born on April 27, 1940, in Linton, North Dakota, to Mary Ann (née Kuhn) and Sebastian Welder.[2][3] Her father died of a kidney condition in 1951; her mother became a Benedictine sister in 1968, after raising Welder and her siblings.[3][1] Four of Welder's maternal aunts also joined religious orders.[1] Welder attended Cathedral Elementary School and St. Mary's Central High School, Bismarck, North Dakota, graduating in 1958. She studied at the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota, where she discerned her vocation to religious life.[2]

Welder returned to Bismarck to enter the community of Benedictine nuns at Annunciation Monastery.[2][4] The Benedictines founded Mary College in 1959; Welder was a member of their first freshman class.[1][5] She was given the religious name "Sister Thomas" when she entered the novitiate.[6] She made a religious profession in 1961 and a perpetual monastic profession in 1964.[6][7] She completed a bachelor's degree at the College of St. Scholastica in 1963[2] and received a master's degree in music from Northwestern University in 1968.[2][8]

Career
Sister Thomas Welder, on her first day as president of the University of Mary in 1978.

Welder began working for Mary College in 1963.[9] She taught music and chaired the humanities department.[10] In 1978 she was named the school's fifth president.[9] The college attained university status in 1986, becoming the University of Mary,[8] and the enrollment increased from 925 students to nearly 3,000.[11] As president, Welder was known for her ability to remember names and faces.[12][13] She emphasized teaching servant leadership and Benedictine values.[10] In 2004, she was granted the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, the highest honor of the state of North Dakota.[9][8] Her portrait is displayed in the North Dakota State Capitol.[14] In 2009, she retired and was named President Emerita.[10][15]

Death

Welder had polycystic kidney disease; she received two transplants, in 2001 and in 2011.[16][17] She died in Bismarck, North Dakota, on June 22, 2020,[18] after having been diagnosed with kidney cancer.[13] The state governor, Doug Burgum, and the former governor and current senator John Hoeven expressed their condolences.[19] Hoeven and Senator Kevin Cramer memorialized her in floor speeches to the United States Senate on June 24.[20]

A visitation, open to the public, was held for Welder on June 28, 2020, by the University of Mary, in conjunction with the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, in the Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel on the University's campus. During the seven-hour visitation period, guests were invited to pray before the body of Welder while friends and community leaders read aloud continuously from the St. John's Bible the Gospels of Luke and John.[21] Notable readers included Senator John Hoeven and former First Lady Mikey Hoeven,[22] former Governor Ed Schafer and former First Lady Nancy Schafer,[23] among many others. At the end of the visitation, the Sisters of Annunciation Monastery led a vigil with Evening Prayer (or Vespers), after which Governor Doug Burgum offered a reflection.[24]

The following morning, June 29, 2020, the visitation continued with the continuous reading of the St. John's Bible, this time from the Psalms, ending with the Song of Ascents, select psalms traditionally chanted by pilgrims concluding their travels by ascending the steps of Temple in Jerusalem.[25] These final psalms were read by Senator Kevin Cramer and his wife Kris Cramer before concluding for the funeral liturgy.[26]

The funeral Mass (liturgy) was celebrated by Monsignor James P. Shea, President of the University of Mary, with the Sisters of Annunciation Monastery singing as the choir. The University of Mary's President's Council (vice presidents) served as ushers. Shea also preached the homily, per a request of Welder made shortly before she died, using texts personally selected by Welder.[27][28] Following the funeral, the congregation processed with the closed casket to the Sisters' cemetery where she was laid to rest.

Awards and honors
Sister Thomas Welder receives the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award from then Governor John and First Lady Mikey Hoeven, the highest honor the State of North Dakota bestows on one of its citizens (2004).

References
  1. Swift, Tammy (September 21, 1997). "Sisters Mary Ann and Thomas are Fellow Benedictines in Bismarck but They're Much Closer Than That". Forum. p. 1B – via Germans from Russia Heritage Collection.
  2. "University of Mary holds 50th commencement". Jamestown Sun. May 12, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  3. "Mary Ann Welder". The Bismarck Tribune. February 24, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  4. "Univ. of Mary president says retirement comes at right time". Jamestown Sun. Associated Press. May 14, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  5. "Welder puts U-Mary on the map". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  6. "Obituary for Sister Thomas Welder at Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Service". www.eastgatefuneral.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  7. "Religion digest 6-4: Five Sisters celebrate 50 year jubilees". The Bismarck Tribune. June 3, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  8. "Sister Thomas Welder". North Dakota Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  9. "Sister Thomas Welder to retire". The Bismarck Tribune. Associated Press. May 6, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  10. Herzog, Karen (April 17, 2009). "Sister Thomas leaves a growing legacy". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  11. "Current and former University of Mary presidents earn highest honor". Chamber Connection. Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce. July 2015. p. 23.
  12. Kalberer, Lauren (March 12, 2019). "Women's History Month – Sister Thomas Welder". KX NEWS. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  13. Suleiman, Bilal (June 22, 2020). "Former longtime University of Mary President Sister Thomas Welder dies; remembered for leadership, kindness". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  14. "Sister Thomas Welder passes away". www.kfyrtv.com. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  15. "About Sister Thomas". University of Mary. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  16. Herzog, Karen (July 2, 2005). "Situation 'a real call to trust'". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  17. Eckroth, Leann (April 4, 2011). "Sister Thomas Welder gets kidney transplant". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  18. "Iconic Servant Leader, Educator and University President Emerita, Sister Thomas Welder has Died". News Room - University of Mary. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  19. Sweeney, Pat (June 22, 2020). "Longtime U-Mary president dies". KNOX Radio. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  20. "Late Sister Thomas Welder honored in Congress". The Bismarck Tribune. June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  21. "Sister Thomas Welder Visitation, June 28, 2020". Youtube. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  22. "North Dakota Senator John and Mikey Hoeven Reading at Sister Thomas Welder's Visitation". Youtube. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  23. "Former ND Governor Ed and Nancy Schafer Read at Monday's Visitation for Sister Thomas Welder". Youtube. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  24. "North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum Reflects on his Friendship with Sister Thomas Welder". Youtube. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  25. "What are the Songs of Ascent?". GotQuestions. GotQuestions. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  26. "ND Senator Kevin & Kris Cramer Reading the Songs of Ascent at Sister Thomas Welder's Visitation". Youtube. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  27. "University of Mary President Monsignor James Shea Homily at Sr. Thomas Welder's Funeral Mass". Youtube. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  28. Shea, Msgr. James. "Homily for the Funeral Mass of Sister Thomas Welder, OSB" (PDF). umary.edu. University of Mary. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  29. "SAHF Inductees: Sister Thomas Welder". Norsk Høstfest. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  30. "Honorary Doctorates".
  31. "Sr. Thomas Welder to earn prestigious award". Diocese of Bismarck. September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  32. "Sr. Thomas Welder receives Honorary Doctorate from St. Anselm College".
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