One of 12 children, three of whom became members of St. Benedict's Abbey, and three who became Sisters at Mount Saint Scholastica.


Sister Ildephonse Nordhus
(January 4, 1891 - March 16, 1974)

Rites Monday for Sister Ildephonse Nordhus, 83, who passed away at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mount St. Scholastica Convent following an illness of two months.

She had been a Benedictine sister for 60 years.

Born January 4, 1891, in St. Benedict, Kans., Elizabeth Nordhus entered Mount St. Scholastica Convent February 9, 1913, and professed vows on August 14, 1914, she shared in the rite of consecration of virgins May 9, 1954. Sister Ildephonse spent most of the years of her religious life as a prefect and teacher of art in the Academy of Mount St. Scholastica, serving only a short time elsewhere - at St. Louis college, Atchison, and in Marysville, MO. She received her high school and college education at Mount St. Scholastica and did advanced work in art at DePaul university, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Institute of Kansas City, MO, and the University of Kansas at Lawrence.

She was graduated from Mount St. Scholastic High School and Mount St. Scholastica College, both in Atchison, and was a prefect and art teacher at the high school many years. Sister Ildephonse studied art at DePaul University, the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Art Institute. She also taught for a short time at St. Louis School in Atchison and in Marysville, MO.

After her retirement from the academy, she spent the last few years in the convent infirmary.

Surviving are three brothers; Henry Nordhus, Maryville, Kans., Rev. Cyprian Nordhus, St. Benedict's parish, Kansas City, Kans., and Leo Nordhus, St. Benedict.

She was preceded in death by two sisters; Sister Celestine and Sister Placida, both of Mount St. Scholastica community, and a brother; the Rev. Clement Nordhus, a monk at St. Benedict's Abbey.

Vigil services will be held in the choir chapel of Mount St. Scholastica Convent at 7 tonight, and the mass of resurrection will be celebrated in Mt. Scholastica chapel at 4 p.m. Monday. Burial will be in the convent cemetery, with the Harouff-Arensberg Mortuary in charge. The public is invited to both services.