Pauline Borgia Reeping

From Capitol Hill to the nunnery and back, Pauline made lifelong friends wherever she went.  A native Washingtonian, she came from a large Irish Catholic family and worked for five members of Congress: John Dingell, Jim Healy, Scoop Jackson, Claude Pepper, and George McGovern.  In 1960, when McGovern first ran for the Senate, she told him not to worry about her.  If he won, she’d go work for him in the Senate, and if he lost, she’d go back to school to finish her degree.

When McGovern lost, Pauline went to College of St. Benedict in Minnesota to study speech and drama. She entered the convent in 1961.  Known as Sister Alban, she taught drama at the local high school where some students called her Sister All Bran.  She left the convent in 1966, returning to D.C., to continue her career.

Pauline worked for the Select Committee on Crime when Claude Pepper headed it.  Later she worked for the Maritime Commission and the Office of Management and Budget where she met her late husband, Jack Nadol. They enjoyed many years together with their beloved dogs and always welcomed family and friends at “Polly’s Pub.”

Her connection to the Catholic Church was central to Pauline’s life and she was an active member of St. Bartholomew’s Church.  She hosted many friends of all ages in her home and some stayed for weeks.  Her greatest joy was her family, whether enjoying Sunday dinner with her late sister Rosie and her husband Andy, or spending time with her step-sons David and Matthew, her grandchildren, and her many nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10am on Saturday, March 14 at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland.  Interment will follow at St. Gabriel's Cemetery in Potomac, MD.