Jane Fox, RSCJ, 1859-1945

The long life of Mother Jane Fox extended from the last days of St. Madeleine Sophie to the end of World War II. The field of her activity linked the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific Ocean. Her vigorous and enthusiastic personality developed from a literal sense of duty to generous self-giving.

Jane Fox was born in St. Louis on January 4, 1859, and was brought up by an affectionate stepmother. She attended a normal training college and subsequently was guided by her director to the Society of the Sacred Heart. She entered the novitiate at Maryville, St. Louis. From the beginning perfection was her goal, demanded first of herself and then, less rigorously, of others. She was sent to the juniorate, a program of teacher training, at Conflans near Paris, where she profited by the strenuous formation of Mother Digby. Professed on August 18, 1889, she returned to Maryville as surveillante of the novices, but was soon called to be mistress general (head of school) and then superior in Omaha. Here her natural severity was tempered by a spirit of loving service. She relaxed the discipline in the school and created a strong family spirit among the children while demanding much from the young teachers.

In 1898 Mother Fox was sent to the west coast to found the convent in Menlo Park (now Atherton). Here she welcomed Mother Digby, then superior general, who invited her to a superiors’ retreat at Manhattanville. In 1906 the great earthquake reduced the convent of Menlo to rubble; the community took refuge in St. Joseph’s School where they carried on classes out of doors through a season of incessant rain.

In 1909 Mother Fox went to Lake Forest as superior vicar of the West. Once again disaster struck in the form of a cyclone in Omaha, which forced the nuns to live for many months in St. Francis Hospital, where Mother Fox joined them. In 1918 she returned to Lake Forest for the founding of Barat College. This liberal arts college was soon followed by another in Menlo Park, also begun under Mother Fox’s leadership as vicar. It was later transferred to San Francisco as San Francisco College for Women; it became Lone Mountain College in 1970 when it accepted male students.

Mother Fox participated in the General Council of 1922 and two years later handed over the government of the western vicariate to Mother Mary Guerin, while remaining at Lone Mountain as assistant. Years earlier when she had asked how she was to fulfill her new mission, she was told, “The business of an assistant is to make a success of her superior.” Mother Fox put her heart into that last responsibility. As she grew older both her sight and hearing began to fail. She followed Mother Guerin to Seattle in 1939. She celebrated her golden jubilee there and died there on November 17, 1945.