By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 1/27/05)

"I wanted to be a Marine," Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Maureen Christopher Dusterhoff said when asked if she had always known she wanted to be a teacher. "But service to God is a higher service than service to country."

Sister Maureen first heard the call to religious life when she was in high school. She was inspired to become a nun by the example of the girls she went to school with at St. Patrick Academy and the Sisters of the Holy Cross who taught her. Ten of Sister Maureen Christopher’s classmates entered the religious life.

Originally from Washington, D.C., Sister Maureen Christopher was one of six children. She attended Holy Name Grade School and graduated from St. Patrick in 1950 and entered the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She professed her vows in 1955.

Sister Maureen Christopher earned her undergraduate degree from Immaculata College in Immaculata, Pa., and a master’s degree in history from Villanova University in Villanova, Pa.

She worked in schools in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Norfolk before she came to Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington 20 years ago. She has taught first, fourth, sixth and eighth grade as well as high school advanced placement economics and government.

"To say that she immediately became a living legend (at O’Connell) will be an understatement," said her colleague, Father Luis Valdivieso, at her jubilee celebration in November. "Let’s face it. We were not ready for this human hurricane."

"I really tried to fight (the call to religious life)," Sister Maureen Christopher said. She enjoyed playing basketball and working at the Navy Yard.

When she told her family she was entering the religious life, she said they gave her two to three months before she would drop out.

Fifty years later, she hasn’t given up yet.

"I’m very happy with the choice I’ve made," Sister Maureen Christopher said. "People should be open to the urge to follow the call (to religious life) because God will take care of you."

Sister Marie Pierre, one of the first teachers at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More School, was also a strong influence on Sister Maureen Christopher and sponsored her when she joined the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart.

"I just wanted to serve in a religious community and be a teacher," she said. "A religious teacher can bring a symbolic presence and religious experience" to the classroom.

What keeps her excited about the teaching field even after 50 years is the sense of gratification she feels when students respond to her.

Sister Maureen Christopher was named teacher of the year in economics in 1994, and in February the Arlington County Veterans of Foreign Wars will honor her as their Teacher of the Year.

Sister Maureen Christopher’s advice for other teachers is to always stay current and be willing to listen to parents and students.

"I have seen the evolution of a more challenging curriculum," she said about her years at O’Connell. "O’Connell has definitely raised the bar of a Catholic learning experience."

Nine of Sister Maureen Christopher’s students have returned to O’Connell to teach, three in the social studies department.

Carolyn Crenshaw is one of those three. She called Sister Maureen Christopher "one of the most memorable teachers I ever had." Her class often referred to their government teacher as "Techno-nun" because of her use of PowerPoint presentations and slides. "She always had little stories and anecdotes to entertain and keep us interested."

Michael Hardy graduated from O’Connell in 1991 and returned there to teach after receiving a direct invitation from Sister Maureen Christopher.

"Her own passion for us and for the subject matter made her stand out," Hardy said. "You can tell that Sister cares about what she teaches and her students. That showed me what is important."