Alumna Jane (Adams) Maschue ’18 has received the John Tracy Ellis Award from the American Catholic Historical Association (ACHA) for her academic dissertation, “Saint, Scholar, Martyr: Boethius in the Margins, 800–1500.” Her work, based on years of manuscript research, was praised by the ACHA for “breaking new ground,” bringing to light a millennium of tradition about the sixth-century philosopher.
Maschue, who graduated from Christendom in 2018, is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Catholic University of America, with her project on Boethius serving as the culmination of all her years of study. Taking on such an endeavor, which involved studying primary sources copied between the ninth and fifteenth centuries, is impressive enough. But doing so while raising four children, all under the age of six, is incredible and a testament to Maschue’s discipline, skill, and passion for history.
“I believe that the exigencies of family life have made me more effective at writing and studying in a careful and focused way,” relates Maschue, who is married to fellow alumnus Luke Maschue ’18. “In my experience, caring for my home and children is precisely the kind of work that takes me outside myself and allows me to rest from my intellectual labors so that I can return to them with renewed energy.”
Maschue first gained inspiration for the project during her time at Christendom. After developing an early fascination with the Middle Ages, she was introduced to the works of Boethius — especially his famed Consolation of Philosophy — by Academic Dean Dr. Kevin Tracy. Reading the original text with him sparked a passion for Boethius and his interpreters that ultimately led to her dissertation.
Her research focuses on manuscripts of The Consolation of Philosophy copied between the ninth and fifteenth centuries, particularly the marginal notes added to the text over time. These annotations retell the story of Boethius, including his theological and philosophical writings and his execution under the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. She charts how these short histories of Boethius change over time as they were recopied in places like the tenth-century monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland, twelfth-century cathedral schools in Northern France, and Dominican studia in fourteenth-century Italy.
“Boethius was remembered in various ways by different people, with some emphasizing his Roman patriotism, others focusing on his defense of Catholic orthodoxy, and some readers seemingly more interested in his wife,” says Maschue. “My dissertation ends by examining the late medieval development of a cult for Boethius at his tomb in Pavia, a devotion that remains active to this day.”
Maschue’s research work for this groundbreaking project took her across the world. She studied manuscripts in the British Library, libraries at Cambridge and Oxford, and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. She also explored archives in Pavia, where Boethius is buried, and made extensive use of digitized manuscripts from the Vatican Library, the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.
All her hard work resulted in a landmark project that wowed the ACHA, which bestowed on her their John Tracy Ellis Award.
“Tracing Boethius’ reception first as a Roman thinker and later as a Catholic figure, [Maschue] engages creatively with philological methods to connect historical fragments. In her ongoing archival research in Italian libraries, Maschue consults ninety-three surviving manuscripts of Boethius’ widely read Latin text, The Consolation of Philosophy, each containing marginalia including biographies, poems, and glosses. Rethinking these short, marginal biographical texts, she contextualizes these fragments within the larger body of secondary work to trace the memorialization of Boethius over centuries: showing how he came to be seen not just as a political martyr for Rome but venerated as a saint. Drawing skillfully and creatively on her expertise in Latin, paleography and diplomatics, Maschue also excels in making her findings legible to those outside her field.”
Maschue is currently writing the final chapter of her dissertation, with plans to complete her Ph.D. in early 2026. She credits her professors at Christendom — especially the late Dr. Brendan McGuire — with setting her on this path.
“My greatest mentor at Christendom was Dr. Brendan McGuire, who gave so much of his time and energy to answering my questions, encouraging my research, and challenging me in my studies,” she reflects. “I am sure that without Dr. McGuire, I wouldn’t be in graduate school today. He was the first professor who introduced me to the study of manuscripts. In particular, his historiography seminar, in which I wrote my thesis, as well as his course on Byzantine and Islamic Art and Architecture, were rich experiences, and I still return often to the methods and ideas I encountered in those courses.”
Jane Maschue (second from left) with four other fellow alumni at a conference at St. Louis University. All five were students of Dr. Brendan McGuire, Maschue’s greatest mentor, and were thrilled to be together again at the university where he completed his studies.
Throughout her academic journey, Maschue’s greatest partner has been her husband, Luke. An accomplished scholar himself, Luke was recently awarded a Weaver Fellowship from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute to support the writing of his own dissertation. Together, the two have shared the workload of raising their children and pursuing scholarship.
“None of it would be possible without Luke’s support for my scholarship and willingness to spend our spare time reading and writing together,” Maschue shares.
Pursuing dual vocations as a historian and as a wife and mother has shaped Maschue’s life since leaving Christendom. While the work has been demanding, it has also been deeply fulfilling, leaving her with so much wonder and gratitude.
“Studying books written carefully by hand, often more than a thousand years ago, has deepened my sense of wonder at the work that so many scribes and scholars have undertaken to preserve the great ideas of the past,” concludes Maschue. “I’m grateful for the professors at Christendom who continue to participate in this work of cultural preservation, and whose guidance laid the foundation for my work as a historian. I’m so blessed to have a husband, parents, and siblings who are a great support to me as I work on this project, and I’m most grateful to God for His immense generosity to me and my family.