Sister M. Roberta Melchner collection of Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. materials

Mary Roberta Melchner, S.S.N.D, was born September 2, 1901 in New York City. She received an M.A. from Boston College in 1942 with the thesis “Hopkins and the Common Man,” and remained actively engaged in the study of Hopkins for the rest of her life. She taught English at the Girls’ Catholic High School in Malden, MA for more than 35 years, and also taught and served in New Hampshire and New Jersey. Sister M. Roberta Melchner died July 24, 1975, at the age of 73.

Source: "Sister Mary Roberta Melchner, SSND," Box 56, Folder 1, Sister M. Roberta Melchner collection of Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. materials, SC.002, Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Notre Dame Library.

Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. was an English poet and Jesuit priest, who published few poems during his lifetime but received critical acclaim and recognition as one of the leading Victorian poets after his death. Hopkins was born July 28, 1844 to Manley and Catherine (Smith) Hopkins. His family were both artistic and deeply religious Anglicans. He studied classics at Balliol College, Oxford (1863-1867)and in 1868 began his Jesuit novitiate. During his Jesuit service Hopkins taught, served as curate at several churches, and continued to write poetry.

Hopkins died of typhoid fever on June 8, 1889. Although he had burned all his poems upon entering the Jesuit novitiate, he had sent some to his friend and fellow poet Robert Bridges. Bridges published the first collected edition of Hopkins' work in 1918.

Source:

“Gerard Manley Hopkins.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 July 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Manley_Hopkins. Accessed 10 October 2018.