By Sam M. Lucero
Catholic Herald

Minong Sister is world renowned scholar

Minong -- When Sr. Ingrid Peterson is not busy assisting with the liturgies at St. Mary Parish in Minong or teaching a Bible study class for the Solon Springs-Minong-Gordon parish cluster, she can be found at her religious order's retreat and ministry house on Nancy Lake. Here Peterson, a member of the Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, spends time writing her latest book.

"It's on the early Franciscan women," said the writer and scholar. "The women who are responsible for religious life as we know it today -- with women belonging to congregations and living in community and leading lives of prayer; but also being engaged in the many needs of society. "

The topic is not foreign to Peterson. In fact, while her neighbors and fellow parishioners at St. Mary Parish know her simply as Sr. Ingrid, the worldwide Franciscan community knows her as one of the world's leading authorities on Clare of Assisi and Franciscan spirituality.

Earlier this summer Peterson's important contributions to Franciscan studies were recognized by St. Bonaventure University's Franciscan Institute. She received the Franciscan Institute Medal, given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Franciscan scholarship. She is the first woman to receive the award since its inception in 1987.

Born in Grantsburg, Wis., in 1935, Peterson said her family moved to St. Croix County after losing their farm following the Great Depression. They finally settled in New Richmond, where Ingrid, the youngest of three children, attended public school.

"When it came time to go to college my mom wanted me to go to a Catholic school," she said. She attended St. Theresa College in Winona, Minn., run by the Franciscan Sisters based in Rochester, Minn. Peterson transferred to Wisconsin State University in Eau Clare before returning to Rochester and joining the Franciscan order. She earned a master's degree in speech from the University of Michigan in 1969 and a doctorate degree in English from the University of Iowa in 1981.

Her studies in medieval, Renaissance and romantic literature gave Peterson a solid foundation for Franciscan research.

Peterson taught English at St. Theresa College until it closed in 1989. Rather than find another teaching post she turned her attention to scholarly research.

At the time, the Franciscan community was preparing for the 800th anniversary of Clare's birth in 1193. "Instead of getting another job teaching I started to write a biography on her," Peterson said.

That biography, "Clare of Assisi: A Biographical Study," became an important dissertation on the medieval saint.

"Nothing had been done on Clare in the English-speaking world since 1953, since the celebration of her birth," she said. "And still there is so little information available about her. That's why I called it a biographical study. We don't know enough about her to write a biography."

Peterson's work was well received. Three thousand copies were published and all were sold.

Since the 1993 publication of Clare of Assisi, interest in the 12th century saint and close associate of St. Francis of Assisi has grown, said Peterson. "When I started writing the book there was just nothing on her. Now the new sources coming out have propelled a lot of scholarship on her, so there's been a lot done now, particularly in the European world."

Peterson is fortunate to live in an era of church history when scholarly research -- particularly by women -- began to flourish.

"The Franciscan world has changed," she said. "We always talk about Francis. And now, everyone is starting to say Francis and Clare, realizing that Clare also was a significant part of the story. "

She said Vatican II was a turning point in the study of Franciscan history.

"Right now, we are the first generation of Franciscans ever to have access to our primary sources," Peterson said. "Vatican II told us to go back to our roots. We really hadn't been interested in doing that before. So we started to investigate our sources."

Another important development was the advent of women's studies, said Peterson. "I started (women's studies) at the University of Iowa in 1972 with a woman who was very interested in medieval mystics," she said. "That's when the women's studies just began. I just got in at the right time. "

While timing has been an ally of Peterson's, the support she has received from her religious community has allowed Peterson to dedicate her life to research. "Prior to today, women's ministry was all teaching and hospitals," she said.

In addition to writing, Peterson is a member of the Franciscan Institute's summer faculty at St. Bonaventure University. For the past six years she has been an adjunct professor at St. Francis College in Loretto, Pa., and served for eight years on the faculty at the Franciscan Sabbatical Program at the Tau Center in Winona. Peterson also travels around the country offering presentations on Clare and other early Franciscan women.

As a role model for younger women, Peterson serves as a mentor to women who are interested in scholarly studies.

She believes lay women are well equipped to continue her work. "They are going to carry on and do the research for us (women Religious)." Many young scholars she has met are fluent in several languages, which will help them in translating documents, she added.

As she continues her writing from the ministry house she shares with Sr. Kate Zimmerman some 10 miles west of Minong, Peterson is happy to be home in Wisconsin.

"This really does feel like my home," she said. "At my age, I'm sort of coming back to my roots. I feel kind of grounded here. This is where I belong. The neighbors here have been wonderful and the people at church -- they are my family."

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2000