For decades, students at St. Frances Academy could count on seeing Oblate Sister of Providence Sister John Francis Schilling at nearly every football game, basketball game, play, concert and school event.
As an English teacher, counselor, principal and president, she helped transform the East Baltimore school by strengthening its counseling services, expanding its athletic programs and leading the construction of a gymnasium and community center that became a centerpiece of campus life.
Sister John Francis, whom generations of students affectionately called the school’s biggest fan, died Oct. 9. She was 81.
Her death marks the loss of one of the most influential figures in the history of St. Frances Academy, the nation’s oldest continuously operating predominantly Black Catholic high school.
“She had been here so long that, by the time I got here, she was teaching the children of her students,” said Deacon B. Curtis Turner, head of school at St. Frances Academy. “And then by the time she left, she was teaching the grandchildren of some of those same students.”
A member of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the pioneering religious order founded by Mother Mary Lange to educate and evangelize Black children, Sister John Francis devoted much of her ministry to St. Frances Academy. A white woman serving in a historically Black Catholic institution, she embraced the Oblates’ mission and became one of its most recognizable advocates in Baltimore.
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Sister John Francis’ given name was Barbara Lee Schilling. She entered the Oblate Sisters of Providence in 1967, making her first profession of vows in 1969 and her final profession in 1972.
Sister John Francis held a bachelor’s degree in English education from what is now Towson University and later earned a master’s degree in clinical counseling.
She joined the St. Frances faculty in 1984 and over nearly three decades served in a variety of roles including guidance counselor, English teacher, principal and president.
Sister John Francis arrived during a period of transformation for the school. The athletic programs were still developing their identity, and the boys basketball team had only recently moved beyond its Catholic Youth Organization roots.
According to a 2005 Catholic Review article, she oversaw fundraising and construction of a 33,500-square-foot community center and gymnasium, established an endowment fund and formalized community organizing programs.
She also brought professional expertise to student support services, establishing a partnership with what is now Loyola University Maryland to strengthen the academy’s counseling department and expanding resources for students and families.
Athletics, however, remained one of her greatest passions.
A basketball player as a child, Sister John Francis founded the girls’ basketball program at St. Frances and watched it become one of Maryland’s most successful programs. In a 2014 Catholic Review interview, she reflected on the role athletics played in the school’s growth.
“It’s been a very important part of our growth as a school,” said Sister John Francis, then president of St. Frances Academy. “It can be both good and bad. It brings us notoriety because people like sports and they know us for that, but people may think we’re all about basketball, which is not true.”
Even after stepping away from administration, she remained a constant presence on the sidelines. She kept the official scorebook at home games, tracked statistics and offered feedback to players.
“She kept score for all of our games,” said Nytearia Burrell, a St. Frances alumna who now serves as director of student activities. “She would keep the score book, and she would actually tell the official table that they were wrong if she had something different.”
Her commitment never wavered, even after she developed lymphedema and relied on a seated scooter to navigate campus.
“I don’t think she ever missed a basketball game or a football game if she could attend,” Deacon Turner said.
In recognition of her devotion to student-athletes, school leaders dedicated the academy’s new basketball court in her honor in 2010.
“We see her name every day on the gym floor because she loved the girls’ basketball team,” said Natasha Drew, a St. Frances alumna and the school’s information technology manager.
While many admired her as an athletic supporter, former students say her greatest gift was her ability to connect personally with young people.
Drew still remembers interviewing with Sister John Francis during the admissions process.
“You walk in the room, you just see this nun with the veil on, sitting looking like the Godfather at this big desk, and just staring at you, no smile, just a pen, a pad,” Drew said. “And you sit down, and she starts asking you questions. It was a little bit intimidating.”
Behind the formidable first impression, however, was an educator who made it a point to know every student’s name and story.
Deacon Turner recalled her gift for inspiring students, including young men who might not otherwise have discovered a love of reading.
One of her favorite books to teach was “The Secret Life of Bees.”
“She even convinced me to read it one day,” Deacon Turner said. “I read it on a flight somewhere. I was like, ‘Let me just let me read this darn book.’ So she even motivated me to read something I wouldn’t have normally read.”
Her philosophy of education extended beyond academics and athletics. In a 2010 Catholic Review interview, she explained why she regularly attended student performances and events.
“I think it says a lot if you support them, not only in athletics, but at the plays or hearing the kids sing,” Sister John Francis said. “Whatever the kids are doing, I think it’s important the teachers, the administration and the parents support the kids because there’s so much negativity and everybody’s there to point out when they get in trouble, but so many times we miss the good parts.”
A viewing will be held at St. Frances Academy from 3 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 20. A wake service will be offered at 10 a.m. on Oct. 21 at Mount Providence Convent in Arbutus, with an 11 a.m. funeral Mass to follow.
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