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Agnes Mary Mansour
Agnes Mary Mansour (April 10, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American former Catholic nun, as well as a politician and public official. She is known for having been given a choice from the Vatican in 1983 to end her religious vows or to resign from her position as the director of the Michigan Department of Social Services, which required her to support and allocate public funding for abortions. The controversy involved her belief that abortion was tragic but should be legal, despite her religious vows and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
After graduating from college in Detroit, Mansour entered religious life with the Sisters of Mercy and earned a doctorate in biochemistry. She served as the president of Mercy College of Detroit from 1971 to 1983. She ran unsuccessfully for public office in 1982, in the process provoking comment from the Archbishop of Detroit.
The governor of Michigan appointed her to lead the state's social services department, and she was confirmed in early 1983. During this time, the Archbishop of Detroit and Vatican officials asked Mansour declare herself against abortion—as her department was responsible for abortion services funded through Medicaid. Mansour refused to make such a statement, and two months after her confirmation as director, she was required by the Vatican to decide whether she was to continue as director or as a nun. She chose to give up her vows as a nun.
After serving out her appointment, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1988.
Josephine A. Mansour was born in Detroit, Michigan to Lebanese immigrants on April 10, 1931, the fourth of four children in her family, all girls. She was baptized in the Maronite branch of Eastern Catholicism.
After finishing St. Charles High School in Detroit's East Side, she graduated from Mercy College in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology and chemistry. She entered the Sisters of Mercy, assuming the name Sister Agnes Mary on September 7, 1953, transferring to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. She continued her education at Catholic University in Washington D.C., earning a Master of Science degree in chemistry in 1958.
On August 16, 1959, she took perpetual vows to become a nun. The name "Agnes" ("lamb" in Latin) and a pious motto were thrust upon her by her superiors: "Sweet heart of Jesus, be my love." She bridled under the motto, which she wore on a ring, finally removing the ring in 1979 and choosing her own motto: "Free to be Faithful". She entered Georgetown University and earned a doctorate in biochemistry in 1964. Regarding a harmful side effect of the use of chloroquine in the treatment of malaria, dangerous to the eyes, she co-authored The Ocular Deposition of Chloroquine, with Howard Bernstein, Nathan Zvaifler and Martin Rubin. After receiving her doctorate, Mansour returned to Chicago and accepted the chairmanship of the Mercy College Department of Physical Science and Mathematics. She also coached the basketball team.
Mansour studied academic administration in the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows program at the University of Kentucky. In 1971, she began serving as president of Mercy College of Detroit, staying in the position until 1983. As president, she greatly expanded enrollment and facilities at Mercy College, doubling the number of degree programs while balancing the budget with increased endowments. After 1987, she served as visiting professor to Michigan State University and Wayne State University.
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Agnes Mary Mansour
Agnes Mary Mansour (April 10, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American former Catholic nun, as well as a politician and public official. She is known for having been given a choice from the Vatican in 1983 to end her religious vows or to resign from her position as the director of the Michigan Department of Social Services, which required her to support and allocate public funding for abortions. The controversy involved her belief that abortion was tragic but should be legal, despite her religious vows and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
After graduating from college in Detroit, Mansour entered religious life with the Sisters of Mercy and earned a doctorate in biochemistry. She served as the president of Mercy College of Detroit from 1971 to 1983. She ran unsuccessfully for public office in 1982, in the process provoking comment from the Archbishop of Detroit.
The governor of Michigan appointed her to lead the state's social services department, and she was confirmed in early 1983. During this time, the Archbishop of Detroit and Vatican officials asked Mansour declare herself against abortion—as her department was responsible for abortion services funded through Medicaid. Mansour refused to make such a statement, and two months after her confirmation as director, she was required by the Vatican to decide whether she was to continue as director or as a nun. She chose to give up her vows as a nun.
After serving out her appointment, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1988.
Josephine A. Mansour was born in Detroit, Michigan to Lebanese immigrants on April 10, 1931, the fourth of four children in her family, all girls. She was baptized in the Maronite branch of Eastern Catholicism.
After finishing St. Charles High School in Detroit's East Side, she graduated from Mercy College in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology and chemistry. She entered the Sisters of Mercy, assuming the name Sister Agnes Mary on September 7, 1953, transferring to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. She continued her education at Catholic University in Washington D.C., earning a Master of Science degree in chemistry in 1958.
On August 16, 1959, she took perpetual vows to become a nun. The name "Agnes" ("lamb" in Latin) and a pious motto were thrust upon her by her superiors: "Sweet heart of Jesus, be my love." She bridled under the motto, which she wore on a ring, finally removing the ring in 1979 and choosing her own motto: "Free to be Faithful". She entered Georgetown University and earned a doctorate in biochemistry in 1964. Regarding a harmful side effect of the use of chloroquine in the treatment of malaria, dangerous to the eyes, she co-authored The Ocular Deposition of Chloroquine, with Howard Bernstein, Nathan Zvaifler and Martin Rubin. After receiving her doctorate, Mansour returned to Chicago and accepted the chairmanship of the Mercy College Department of Physical Science and Mathematics. She also coached the basketball team.
Mansour studied academic administration in the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows program at the University of Kentucky. In 1971, she began serving as president of Mercy College of Detroit, staying in the position until 1983. As president, she greatly expanded enrollment and facilities at Mercy College, doubling the number of degree programs while balancing the budget with increased endowments. After 1987, she served as visiting professor to Michigan State University and Wayne State University.