Thompson was received into the novitiate of the Franciscan Sisters that same year. She professed religious vows the following year, upon completing that stage of formation, at which time she received the religious habit of the congregation and the religious name by which she is known. In 1954, after professing perpetual vows as a Franciscan Sister of Oldenburg, she was sent by her superiors to teach at St. Mary's Academy while she worked on getting a bachelor's degree at Marian College (now Marian University). She obtained her degree in 1960, at which time she was assigned to teach at a school run by the congregation in the inner city of Cincinnati, Ohio.[6]
While teaching in Cincinnati, Thompson was assigned to spend her summers working on a master's degree at Xavier University, where she earned a degree in education with a concentration in communications in 1964.[6] She then received permission to work on a doctorate in theater at the University of Michigan, which she received in 1966. While teaching there, she trained notable actors such as Christine Lahti and Gilda Radner.[6] She then began to teach at Marian College, where she served as chairwoman of the Department of Theater and Speech.[5]
From 1982, Thompson was an associate professor of African American studies and assistant dean/director for multicultural programs at Fordham University, where she was honored with an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts in 2002.[7]
In 1987, she gave a speech at the inaugural National Black Catholic Congress, a revival of the Colored Catholic Congress spearheaded by Daniel Rudd a century before.[8]
She retired in 2005, moving to the motherhouse of her congregation in Oldenburg.[5]
Thompson has served as a member of the nominating committee for the Tony Awards.[9]
