Remembering Sr. Margaret Hoffman, SNDdeN
For Immediate Release – April 16, 2021
Sr. Margaret Hoffman former faculty and chair of the Art Department at NDNU and long-time advocate for peace and justice will be missed.
With fond memories of her contributions to the NDNU community, we share news of the death of Sr. Margaret Hoffman, SNDdeN at age 93 and after 75 years of being a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.
Sr. Margaret founded the Art Department at College of Notre Dame and served as faculty member and chair during her 20-year tenure. You may be familiar with her most visible artwork on campus – the windows and bell tower that are part of Cunningham Chapel. Sr. Margaret selected the subjects for the windows based on her Stanford University master’s thesis on Marian imagery in art. She collaborated with French artist Gabriel Loire who designed and constructed the windows out of dale de verre (French for “slab glass”). Sr. Margaret also designed the bell tower and the sculpture of Madonna and Child that hangs above the fountain outside Cunningham Chapel.
If you have been to the SND Province Center, you may have seen Sr. Margaret’s art depicting the Beatitudes with rainforest images and quotes from Sr. Dorothy Stang.
For many years, Sr. Margaret was the Justice and Peace Coordinator for the California Province. She communicated earnestly about issues related to justice and peace, and she wasn’t one to shy away from a protest, either. In 2016, Sr. Margaret received the Guardian of Justice Award from the Sr. Dorothy Stang Center at NDNU. She was active on the NDNU campus, attending various campus events, and even celebrating with students and families at the after-Graduation-Mass celebration. She made a positive impact on many in the CND/NDNU community. We are grateful for the part of her life she shared with us.
You can read more about her life here: https://snddenwest.org/meet-sister-margaret-hoffman/
You can read the obituary here: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mercurynews/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-mary-hoffman-sndden&pid=198340412&fhid=26208
Sr. Margaret’s funeral is Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 11:30am in Cunningham Chapel. A video recording of the funeral will later be posted on the SNDdeN West YouTube Channel.