By Michael Motes

Sister Mary Agnes Sullivan, a native Atlantan and graduate of old Sacred Heart (now St. Joseph’s) High School, is certainly no stranger to library work, having served as teacher and librarian in schools throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, Nebraska and other states. But her most exciting, and perhaps challenging, job as librarian begins early next moth when she sets sails for an around-the-world cruise aboard the World Campus Afloat.

During her four months aboard the 564-foot-long floating college campus, St. Mary Agnes will visit such exotic ports of call as Casablanca, Dakar, Cape Town, Madras, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Honolulu. She will be the only religious sister aboard the ship and in charge of the vessel’s 8,000 volume library.

The World College Afloat program, which is sponsored by Chapman College in Orange, Calif., begins on Feb. 3 when the faculty and almost 500 students sail from New York bound for Casablanca, Morocco. During the months at sea, students will be offered a full college curriculum, including such subjects as anthropology, history, music, sociology and speech and drama. A Roman Catholic priest will serve as the ship’s physical education director.

Sr. Mary Agnes looks forward to the experience with great anticipation, describing her emotions as “exciting, adventurous and a little scary.”

“One must be very flexible to live aboard a ship,” she said recently in a telephone interview form St. Catharine’s College, St. Catharine, Ky., where she serves as school librarian. “The spiritual, intellectual and physical man—the whole man—will be taken in on this cruise.”

While docked in foreign ports, the students and faculty of the S.S. Universe Campus will meet with students and heads of state from throughout the world. This is one part of the trip to which Sr. Mary Agnes looks forward with great excitement.

During her trip around the world, the Dominican Sister will send first-hand reports of her travels and photographs which will appear in the BULLETIN.

Her departure for Africa will follow another exciting event for St. Mary Agnes. On Jan. 29, she will celebrate her Silver Jubilee as a member of the Dominican Order. A morning liturgy banquet and reception will be held at St. Catharine’s College. All of her family are from Atlanta, including her mother, Mrs. Leo P. Sullivan, a member of Christ the King Parish, will be on hand for this event.