Sr. Jean McGrath, CSJ '62

The following bio was published in September 2024

Sr. Jean McGrath, CSJ ‘62 has dedicated her life to educating and serving her community. She led St. John Fisher as their principal for 31 years. 

Born the second of seven siblings, it was always clear to Sr. Jean and her siblings that Catholic education was a top priority for her parents. She was thrilled to become an official “Cajetan Warrior,” before proudly following her sister Mary, a member of McAuley’s first graduation class, to McAuley. She is forever grateful for the sacrifices her parents made to ensure that each of them had the strong education and spiritual foundation that Catholic Schools provided. 

At McAuley, Sr. Jean was encouraged to think critically, to love music, to be challenged to think she could make a difference in the world, and to enjoy the myriad extracurricular activities that the school offered. The Student Council, the newspaper and yearbook, National Honor Society, and chorus each tapped some part of her soul that made those years so happy. 

Altruism influenced Sr. Jean’s post-McAuley ambitions and, much to the surprise of many, she entered religious life as a Sister of St. Joseph, convinced that the lifestyle of the sisters would be the best way for her to make a difference in the world. 

She was first assigned to teach second grade before moving to St. Paul High School in Chicago, serving as a teacher and assistant principal. The school was a unique experiment designed as a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools. She loved teaching English and Religion and working with an amazing faculty, great kids, and a supportive community of parents. When the school closed, she was asked to be principal of St. High School in Lyons, Illinois where once again a wonderful faculty, good kids, and strong family support reaffirmed her decision to be an educator. 

When she was asked to be the principal at St. John Fisher School (SJF), she saw that through the work of her predecessors, the school was at the forefront of transformational education.  Imagine: a school with more than seven hundred students had twenty Commodore Computers! She told her family and friends she would stay at SJF for three years and then do something different and broaden her horizons. Thirty-one years later, her horizons were still on 103rd Street and every student had his or her own computer. 

At St. John Fisher Sr. Jean was privileged to work with a wonderful community of teachers, children, parents, and others who demonstrated what she thinks the Church should be about; building relationships, caring about each other, serving the needs of our neighbors whether they live next door or in the most vulnerable areas of the world, and creating a place where faith and family can flourish.

While education has always been Sr. Jean’s primary ministry, the Sisters of St. Joseph have provided her with opportunities that she hopes have made her a better person and more effective leader. She has been privileged to work on leadership teams and various boards inside and outside of the community, including the Board of Trustees at Mother McAuley. She has been able to continue her education and been given time to deepen her own spirituality. 

Sr. Jean recognizes daily how very blessed her life is. Her own family and extended family, her always supportive group of friends, her religious community, and the families and faculties with whom she has been privileged to work have truly revealed to her the face of a loving God who calls her to be her better self, and who walks with her in good times and in not so good times. She continues to believe that Catholic schools and strong parishes and communities are where most people come to know God and each other and where they grow in faith, hope, and love. She thinks Catherine McAuley had the same idea.