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Founded in the late 1970s and named in honor of the late Sister Mary Cleophas Costello, RSM, former president of Mount Saint Agnes College from 1953-1968, the lecture series features prominent women who embody the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and artistic ability.

Sister Cleophas was a highly respected leader with expansive interests in music, art, language, and philosophy. She shared her understanding of women’s pivotal role in society with her students, thus influencing the lives of many young women.

In 1971, Sister Cleophus guided Mount Saint Agnes College, an all-women’s Catholic college in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, through the merger with then, Loyola College in Maryland. The University recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of that merger and women students at Loyola.

Previous Sister Cleophas Costello lecturers have included authors Amy Tan, Mary Higgins Clark, and Piper Kerman, poet Maya Angelou, musicians Mary Chapin-Carpenter and Marin Alsop, child safety activist Elizabeth Smart, gold medal Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, and the founder of the ‘Me Too’ movement Tarana Burk.