By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
March 10, 2005

CHEROKEE - One woman in the Diocese of Sioux City has been given the gift of 100 years as a Catholic.

Catherine Hanlon of Cherokee will celebrate her 100th birthday on March 23 and has been a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Cherokee most of her life.

Two of her nieces will hold a birthday party for her at Immaculate Conception Church. Hanlon noted that this was not necessary but they wanted to have it anyway. She would like her nieces and nephews to bring their children for her birthday so they can all meet her and see her.

Hanlon was born March 23, 1905 and was raised in the Cherokee area. She was the first child in her family that was born in Cherokee. She has three brothers and three sisters.

"We were never without something to do," said Hanlon of having a large family.

She attended Immaculate Conception School until she was in fifth grade. Her family then moved to a farm in the country. She came back into Cherokee and went to IC school for her freshman and sophomore year in high school as well.

"I had a lot of catholic education," said Hanlon.

For her college education, she attended Morningside College, junior college in Cherokee and graduated from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

For about 10 years of her life, she lived in California, but moved back to Cherokee eventually. She currently lives in an apartment building next to Immaculate Conception Church. The building used to be the Mount Saint Mary's Convent where sisters lived at one time. She was in the first kindergarten class that took classes in the convent building.

Hanlon is a former teacher who taught in country schools and small towns in Iowa such as Mapleton and Varina. She taught elementary age children.

"They would come to me and say, 'can you help me with this?'" said Hanlon. She offered to help students after school. "Those kind of kids, I really gave more of my time to help them because they didn't get that kind of help at home."

She explained that when she gave the students a little of herself she noticed that is when they would love to go to school and would talk to her.

"That is really when I felt gratified," said Hanlon. "I never had a child that I didn't like. They can tell if you like them. I enjoyed teaching because I like kids."

At Immaculate Conception Parish, Hanlon has been a member of Catholic Daughters of the Americas and the ladies guild.

"I have enjoyed participating with the ladies union because that was a way of mingling with all the people," said Hanlon. "I have always gone to the ecumenical presentations. I think they are great."

Hanlon commented that she is also into politics and stands up for what she believes even though it may go against what others around her may think. She is a strong Democrat and added that almost every friend that she has ever had has been Republican.

She has lived for 100 years and seen many things. The one thing that has remained a constant, she concluded, is that she loves being a Catholic.