Little, Sister M. Angelica

An oral history of Sister Angelica Little, a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill from 1923 until 1993. The interview was conducted by Sister Virginia Pascaretta on March 5, 1983 and March 15, 1983.

Sister M. Angelica Little was born on September 23, 1904 in Ebensburg, Pa. Daughter of Peter J. Little and Bertha O’Connor, Mary Elizabeth Little joined the community on September 8, 1923 as Sister M. Angelica Little.

Sister M. Angelica taught school education for many years, including at St. John’s High School, Scottsdale; and Sacred Heart High School, Pittsburgh; and later taught English at Seton Hill College. From 1953 to 1970, she taught visually handicapped children at the DePaul Institute, Brookline. After her retirement in 1970, she remained at the DePaul Institute as a tutor.

Sister M. Angelica earned her B.A. in English and Education from Seton Hill college in 1926 and earned her M.A. in these subjects from Columbia University in 1933. She also studied Special Education for the Blind at Catholic University in the summers of 1953 and 1954. In 1942 she helped found the House of Mary during her social ministry in Pittsburgh. She was a prolific writer of songs, verses, and plays, and she directed her students at the DePaul Institute in her plays throughout her teaching career. She also introduced the Talking Prayerbook for the Catholic Blind recordings for her students in 1955.

Sister M. Angelica Little passed away on March 10, 1993 at the age of 88.