Nun shocked to read her own pronounced death?

It's kind of nice, in a way, when the local newspaper prematurely pronounces you dead, said Sister Janelle Cahoon.

"The universal feeling that has come across is that people are very glad I'm not dead," Sister Cahoon, 82, a Benedictine nun at the College of St. Scholastica. "That's good for a person to hear."

Those who live and work with Sister Cahoon were a little surprised to read in the Saturday Duluth News Tribune that her funeral was included in a 1999 documentary.

In the week since, Sister Cahoon has heard plenty of references to Mark Twain's quote "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" -- his response after hearing that the New York Journal had printed his obituary.

Ah, the newspaper error. A misspelled name or misprinted date can be irritating.

News editor Craig Gustafson felt embarrassed and upset when he picked up the Sunday News Tribune and saw the only correction: Sister Janelle Cahoon is not dead.

"It was a tough error," Gustafson said. "I was having a good day on Sunday until I saw that."

The correction also prompted a lot of ribbing from college faculty, students and other sisters at the monastery.

"At first, it was a little shock" to read about Sister Cahoon's funeral, said Sister Armella Oblaka. "But I had just seen her the day before, and she looked doggone good." Article here.