At five foot two, Sister Lisa Maurer is a larger-than-life figure for the student athletes that tower above her on the football field.
Although the sight of a nun passionately coaching on the sidelines might come as a surprise to most, she is a beloved and trusted figure for her team, for The College of St. Scholastica and for the entire Diocese of Duluth in northeast Minnesota.
The double vocations naturally go hand in hand for the Minnesota-born sister whose father coached the same sport. Sister Lisa was working professionally as a teacher and coach of volleyball, basketball and softball in her hometown of Sleepy Eye when she began to discern a new path in life.
It was not long after she joined her religious community, the Benedictine Sisters of the St. Scholastica Monastery, that she began attending the football practices and games at the college.
This community of Benedictine monastic women live both a contemplative and active ministerial life as they seek God and carry out the mission of the Gospel.
The athletic staff took notice of Sister Lisa’s keen interest in the sport and in the well-being of the students, and in 2015 she was asked to become an assistant coach.
Values to “run” each day
She coaches young men far beyond the tactics of football; she guides them in their personal and spiritual lives.
One of the key messages she shares with students is what she calls the “four plays for a good life.”
They are core values that come from the Benedictine Health System, a healthcare ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Duluth, Minnesota.
“In football you have a big playbook,” Sister Lisa said. “There are lots of plays, but really they’re all based on a few things. You can run, or you can pass, or you can hand off.”
She tells students that these are the four values they should “run” in their daily lives:
Hospitality
“Let all guests who arrive be received as Christ.” –Rule of St. Benedict
Stewardship
Deliberate action to ensure the best use and conservation of our many gifts
Respect
Honor the diverse needs and spirituality of every person made in God’s image.
Justice
Be morally responsible and foster peace in the society around us
“Those four plays you can run all day, every day of your life,” Sister Lisa said. “At work, at school, at home, if we’re intentional about living those things, they can help us tackle whatever comes our way with joy.”
She continued,
I believe that if you live your life in values, that’s a joyful life.”
College students look up to her
She has found that young people feel comfortable speaking to her because of her role as a coach. It opens pathways for discussions on the struggles of real life. Coaching, she found, can be used as a “real-life application of how we live as people.”
“Over the past nine years, she has attended daily practices and is on the sidelines at every game, home or away,” said Barbara McDonald, president of The College of St. Scholastica. “Many of the players consider Sister Lisa their prayer partner and spiritual advisor, and she makes it a habit of checking in with the young men, particularly those who may be struggling with personal issues.”
“Through sports you can speak in a more real way to kids about things because it’s putting things into action,” Sister Lisa said.
“You can call them to task much easier, or you can give an example much easier,” she said. “And so to me, sports and religion really go well together. They use examples of athletes quite frequently in the Bible.”
“Sister Lisa is an amazing person all around. She has helped me both on and off the football field,” said one young football player.
“On the field she is a firecracker who is just as passionate about the game as anyone else on the sideline, if not more. Off the field she has helped me learn and grow spiritually, as she would help in the creation of our pregame prayers, which has led me to create a football Bible study with her help. Sister Lisa is a saint for Scholastica football.”
What are young people looking for?
Sister Lisa doesn’t just serve the football team; she is committed to each student-athlete across the college’s 22 athletic programs, such as the women’s hockey team, below:
Every year she provides a special prayer service for each team at the beginning of their season that includes the blessing and distribution of religious medals of St. Benedict.
In addition to her duties on the field, Sister Lisa walks with hundreds of expectant mothers as president of the Women’s Care Center in Duluth. This crisis pregnancy center provides free, confidential counseling, support and education for pregnant women before and after the birth of their children.
“She defines how the power of faith can transform lives and communities that transcend the borders of the Diocese of Duluth,” said Bishop Daniel Felton, pictured with Sister Lisa below.
“In a world where we need our Catholic faith to prevail and engage our youth, she is a supporter of anything that involves young people; she develops a trust few can hold in our community.”
Sister Lisa has taken her playbook on the road; she speaks at youth conferences outside her diocese, reaching an ever-growing audience of young people who develop a greater interest in their faith after meeting her.
She’s optimistic about their futures because she has seen that they want Christ in their lives. She sees that once they are introduced to the Church, they say, “Oh, that’s what I’ve been looking for.”
“It’s not just something for Sunday when you’re in church,” she tells them. “That’s not how we live our faith and how we connect with God and make a difference in the world. You have to do it all the time. Even on the football field.”
Cover image photo: Derek Montgomery
Catholic Extension Society is honored to share the story of Sister Lisa Maurer, a finalist for our Lumen Christi Award. This award is our highest honor given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve. Visit this page to read the other inspiring stories from this year’s finalists.
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