January- February 2021
Immaculate Heart Community
News Notes
Contents Page 1 President Page 2 Vice- President Page 3 Casa Esperanza Page 4-6 Corita Art Center/Casa Esperanza & Birthdays Page 7 IHC Care Coordinator Page 8-10 Namaste Prayer Group
Copyright 2019 Laura Vazquez Rodriguez Laura Vazquez Rodriguez promotes humanity through her art. The Los Angeles Latina artist, raised in Pico Rivera, is a skilled visual storyteller. Her works focus on spiritualty and art, the bond between mother and child, life and death, love and healing. Laura’s work has been showcased widely in universities and galleries and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Laura has granted the Immaculate Heart Community use of several of her works for one year in our internal publications. She is the first in a series of women artists of color we will showcase in print and in our Art Camino series. Lauravrodriguez.net
Page 11-12 IHM Advent Retreat Page 13 Announcemnets Page 14-15 Poems/Thank you Notes Page 16-17 Mary Howie & Pat Dominguez Back Page Sve The Date
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January- February 2021
Belonging to a Beloved Community
Lately I have been anticipating with hopeful expectation the public release of the “Rebel Hearts” documentary about our Community. This film has been over two decades in the making by a talented, dedicated and persistent team who continued to believe in the importance of the story of the journey that led to the birth of our new Immaculate Community of Los Angeles. I am expecting that some viewers will find it inspiring and others may have some “why did they….” or “why didn’t they”…...questions. This led me to reflect on the attraction and purpose of Christian communities over the centuries, and that led me straight to the Gospel with all of its challenges, inspiration and mysteries. Of course there are many reasons for joining a community: the work of the Holy Spirit, the sense of call in a person’s life, a desire to deepen one’s faith or to give service in the world. Each of us has her or his own way of understanding this journey. One of the outcomes of joining a community like ours is coming to know that henceforth we will be saying with our lives that we have chosen to join our lives with others who are also working to create a better world that is more just, loving and joyful for all. We see that we can be part of that transformation and accept that there will be some personal costs as well as benefits. In community, by definition, we are no longer alone on our faith journey. We will be both supported and challenged to consider the needs and well being of others side by side with our personal choices for ourselves. The world of wants and needs opens up for us in new ways. How deep and wide are we willing to go? The choice is always ours. That makes it harder in some ways and also more possible. So here’s a question, both personal and communal: What if the Kin-dom of God that Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and others wrote about and sought to create, really does exist within us and among us? Luke’s Gospel puts the question this way: Someone asked him, “When will the Kin-dom of God come? And he said, “The king-dom of God will not come if you watch for it. Nor will anyone be able to say, ‘It is here’ or ‘It is there.’ “For the Kin-dom of God is within you.” May we welcome the coming of the Kin-dom in our lives and the life of the Immaculate Heart Community. Karol Schulkin, IHM President
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January- February 2021
Going Home January became a reality check for me in several ways. Facing the deaths of Community members and helping the families bury their loved one (or not) turned my own thoughts to my husband and me. I finally got Tom to complete his Enduring Power of Attorney, he of course being a stubborn attorney himself. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. When Pat Dominguez died, the questions from her sister on what to do next convinced me that expert planning was an achievable goal, the final good gift we can give to those we love. Pat bought her casket, ordered flowers for it, selected her memorial card, arranged for music, decided where she would be buried. Her loving efficiency let her family envision her departure from them. The COVID reality did not help. A family gathering was dangerous, yet that is what they wanted. I told them our Community could provide a priest and create the burial service. Their relief was palpable. However, I told them our members could not come as we were in lockdown. But I would be there. Then my own fears set in as I considered facing a large group of strangers. I could not get a priest and offered myself as officiant, relying on my prison chaplain experience. The service was moving and looking at the faces of this large family I knew they needed to share their memories and pray together. So we did. Anna Maria Prieto was there and we bravely sang Salve Regina for our Pat. The experience shaped my decision that until COVID departs I cannot do that again, meaningful as it was. Nor can we expect aging priests with health issues to preside. Here is my advice for you and your families. • Cremation is the option that allows for delayed service when a Mass or liturgy can be celebrated, and families can gather safely. Christian faith groups approve this decision. • Get your DPOA completed and notarized and use legal forms, not homemade ones. • Past DPOA papers may have deceased people named as your executors. • Revise your requests with younger people named, notarize the document and either get legal help on a formal will or download an official form, date it, sign it, get it notarized. As your Vice President I will help you do this. Over the next few months you can request a private zoom meeting with me and Denise, our care coordinator. I have your current file and we can review its strength and weaknesses. Please do this . Your legacy of money, details around your death and funeral need formal, legal attention. Your family and your Community will be grateful in a stressful time for them. That is what I learned from my very own stubborn attorney. After all, we are all just walking each other home. Nan Cano, IHM Vice Pesident
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January- February 2021
Casa Esperanza by Jaren Sorkow, Director of Casa Esperanza Though 2020 was incredibly hard for all of us, we did end the year on a positive note, organzing two powerful events. On December 9, in collaboration with National CORE and Hope Through Housing Foundation, we organized a major Covid-19 safety event and a holiday giveaway. The event included testing, at the park across the street from Casa. I am pleased to report that over 300 people received tests. In addition to holiday gifts, we gave out over 250 bags of personal protective equipment to the Blythe St. community, in just under two hours. Each bag contained several cloth masks, plastic shields, sanitizer, gloves, and Covid-19 resource guides and information, in both English and Spanish. We were also thrilled to have Congressman Tony Cardenas visit and help give out bags and meet some of our families. We also received significant media coverage from the event, and our media contacts have expressed interest in doing future stories on Casa and the community. When I get the opportunity to speak to Community members, I always try to stress and articulate our obligation—and the impact—on focusing on intersectionality amongst our ministries. In late December, we demonstrated that impact with a Corita/Casa event. The Corita team delivered 100 #Corita101 boxes to Casa, filled with materials for a virtual workshop on 12/22 with the internationally recognized Los Angeles based artist Patrick Martinez. In addition, thanks to a donation from the Herbert and Schroeder families, we have 100 spaghetti meal kits inspired by Corita’s serigraph “juiciest tomato of all.” Though we remain closed to the public, our staff is working on developing online programming and other events for the first quarter of 2021. These events include online financial literacy workshops, online support groups, drop-in virtual homework center, and online art programming. In addition, we will continue to host safe public events that focus on health and wellness. Once we get dates for our events, I will let the Community know. As always, please also reach out to me if you want to learn more or to know how you can support us.
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January- February 2021
Corita and Casa Esperanza by Nellie Scott, CAC Director Created and distributed 100 art boxes, in support of a very special webinar/workshop with artist Patrick Martinez, (b. 1980 Pasadena, CA) is known for his mixed media landscape paintings, neon sign sculptures, cake paintings and memorial/Pee Chee paintings. These works serve to evoke place and to unearth sites of personal, civic and cultural loss - finding inspiration in the everyday and addressing social justice issues. Additionally, Patrick grew up in San Gabriel Valley. WIth Corita’s “the juiciest tomato of all” and “wonderbread” fresh on our minds, we were able to provide 100 spaghetti meal kits for families. Thanks to a special financial donation facilitated by development of $1250, we were able to feed minds and body all at the same time right before the holidays. We have been sharing the recipe far and wide for fans to join us in a #recipeforcelebration to make it their own. We would like to share the recipe with everyone to join us as we close out 2020 and look forward to all possibilities 2021 will bring!
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January- February 2021
5518 Franklin Avenue The Corita Art Center team is proud to share that we received a favorable vote on December 17th from the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in the efforts to see 5518 Franklin Avenue recognized with designation. The entire Corita Art Center team are overjoyed about what this means both locally and nationally. Currently, only 3% of historically recognized monuments in the city of Los Angeles are associated with women's heritage. On a national level, only 8% are associated with histories of BIPOC and women combined. Designating this space with landmark status is a critical step in recognizing and redressing this disparity. However, the ongoing work of upholding the legacy of female artists and cultural leaders continues. We commend the Cultural Heritage Commission for paving the way for future conversations focused on equity.
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January- February 2021
Our hearts are full today as we heard from friends and colleagues who gave personal and professional testimonies about the importance of Corita’s legacy and why her studio is an essential part of the cultural history of Los Angeles. We want to thank all our partners, friends old and new who stepped up in voice and talents. Every single person and organization that worked tirelessly to ensure that Corita’s studio would not be erased from history in exchange for a few parking spaces. To the LA Conservancy, Hollywood Heritage, Immaculate Heart Community, and every individual that signed our “Save Corita’s Studio” letter of support, we thank you. We would also like to extend a very special thank you to the volunteer preservationist, Kathryn Wollan, who has been with us every step of the way. Because of your passion, incredible work, and organizing efforts, this building now has the potential to become a vital and vibrant site of art, culture, learning, and creativity once more. Today, we had over 1.5 hours of testimonies given publicly, received over 1300 signatures from cultural leaders, organizations, and friends the world over and at least 421 individual letters were sent in. We will be sure to send updates as you all walk with us on this journey.
Birthdays
January 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5 1/7 1/12 1/14 1/15
Pauline Krismanich Vivian Gabehart Ana Rubyn Sharon Bagley Lynn Enloe Anna Prieto Gloria Kolarik Dorothy Washle
February 1/18 1/19 1/20 1/23
Donna Alioto Leila Justen Hermine Lees Ella Mae Lorack Maureen McCue (Candidate) Ken Murphy 1/29 Silvia Gutierrez 1/31 Ann Chamberlin
2/19 Virginia Hurst Mary Lyons
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January- February 2021
The Road Ahead: Onward and forward in 2021 Denise Traboulsi, MSW, MPA IHC Care Coordinator As we put 2020 in our rearview and look to better days ahead, with the COVID-19 vaccine within our reach and a divisive election season behind us, the horizon ahead brings us hope to regain some semblance of normalcy in our lives. Reflecting on the last couple months at Kenmore, I was laser focused on the 9 IHMs who relocated to St. John of God, Kingsley Manor and Santa Monica Health Care Center. As 2021 unfolds, so does my work as the IHC Care Coordinator. I look forward to continuing serving and supporting those who moved from Kenmore as well as expanding my availability to IHMs outside of Kenmore. I would like to take this opportunity to remind all members of the IHC that I am available by phone, email, Zoom, or even in person if you live in the greater Los Angeles area to assist and support you in navigating your health, social, emotional and overall care needs. I hope you are all in process of receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Information about the COVID-19 vaccine and who is eligible to receive is constantly being updated and changing by the day. The most relevant information for individuals about when they are eligible and where to receive the vaccine will likely come from your health plan or health care provider. If you have questions or concerns about taking the vaccine, please consult with your primary care physician. If you need assistance accessing the vaccine in your area, please contact me. If you have been tested for COVID-19 over this past year, please note that in most cases you should not be charged for the test. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (CARES Act) ensures that COVID-19 testing is free to anyone in the U.S. However, I have seen several Medicare Summary Notices with unpaid charges from COVID-19 test providers. This is Medicare’s way of alerting you that you might be billed for a service not covered by Medicare. This does not mean you owe anything to the provider. If you receive a bill for a COVID-test, you should review and inquire about the charge before you pay it. For any of the above or other issues or concerns you might need assistance with, please call me at: 310-613-7899 or email me at dtraboulsi@ihmresidence.org Stay safe and be well.
The Immaculate Heart Community Gratefully acknowledges the leadership of Our new Executive Director, Kathleen Buczko Onward to our best future! We Can Only Speak of Hope
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January- February 2021
ENTERING THE HEART OF WINTER
This is taken from the NAMASTE Prayer Group on January 10, 2021.
WINTER DARKNESS Winter darkness swaddles the long evenings with comforting covers of stillness, Greets the brightness of the waxing moon, Fills the clear royal blue sky with brilliant patterns of shining stars, Applauds the vigor of determined dawns, Receives the bowed head of setting sun.
Winter Darkness nestles close in the heart of wine cellars, Envelopes dreams of dozing bears, soothes the fallow frozen land, Grants flower bulbs needed time to catch their husky breath, Lingers gratefully in resting soil and lullabies the hidden seeds. Winter darkness allows owls longer hours to hunt, Gives creatures room to roam freely, lets the moon dance her fullness In the shadowed elbows of leafless trees, Sings the silence of peacefulness, Joins hands with the dancing light of the amazing aurora borealis. Something in my human psyche keeps wanting to light up the darkness, To stay away from the silent shadows and steer clear from thick, black nights. Perhaps I have not spent enough time holding hands with long winter evenings. Not all darkness demands a shining candle held before its coal black eyes. by Joyce Rupp
Something to think about: As the days get longer and longer, after the solstice, there is an invitation to an unhurried pace in the circle of life. Nature accepts the great change, that the pilgrimage of Earth brings. Now is not the time for stretching and growing. Now is the time for withdrawal and restoration of energy. These are times of nourishment for the earth. All of creation needs time to pause and have its energy renewed. So do humans. Winter offers this gift of essential renewal.
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Winter is the season of waiting. It requires great trust and a willingness to believe that this angst will not last forever. There is quiet growing taking place in nature, in animals and in humans. Baby bears are born, branches with terminal buds grow every day, and flower bulbs are strengthened for their future journey upward toward the sun. In the frozen human heart, the silent seeds of confidence are prepared for amazing new growth. While we are in our winter space, we may be tempted to give up, to lose hope, to stop believing in ourselves and in the presence of the Holy One because we cannot see our growth. Winter asks us only to be, to live with mystery, to wait patiently especially in this time of confinement at home. We are required to keep a delicate balance between yielding to winter’s silence and keeping our eyes on a future springtime. Each day challenges us to carry hope in our hearts no matter how sparse our awareness of inner stirrings might be. SONG – John Lennon & The Plastic Ono, Live 1975 “Imagine” (Google/Library/Music/JohnLennon) Questions to ponder: What does Winter mean for you? Winter is a season of waiting. What are you waiting for in the next three months? What does your spirit most long for now? Who or what is most helpful to get through the challenges and disheartening times? RITUAL – Carrying Winter in my Heart {You need a long scarf or shawl) (Hold the scarf, placed flat on the table or desk or lap before you, as a sign of the loss of vitality when in the wintertime.) EAST – Great Spirit of the East, my dreams grow dim and weak. Songs of hope fly away like ghost of long ago. Enter my lost and wandering heart. Greet me with your promise of new life and your revitalizing energy. Speak to me of blessings to come while the hidden and the unknow gestate in the dark spaces of my inner heart. (Hold the scarf in your uplifted arms.) SOUTH – Great Spirit of the South, the sun hides from my bereft heart. The light of consoling love has dimmed. The warmth of self-satisfaction turned cold. Soften the pain of my depleted spirit. Surround me with the assurance of love.
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January- February 2021
Strengthen my trust as I stand in the shadows of life. Let the remembrance of fruitful times gently hold me. (Place the scarf over your heart.) WEST – Great Spirit of the West, the leaves of my good fortune wither While the wind whispers the need to let go. My good works fade and blow away. I bend with vulnerability and weakness, The basket of happiness emptied of its fruit, The pitcher of love void of satisfaction. Part of me fears the surrender required. Empty me of what keep me from growth. Protect me from what leads to despair. (Place the scarf around your shoulders.) NORTH- Great Spirit of the North, my heart is frozen, my mind barren. A glacial wilderness pervades my life yet the seeds of hope are secretly planted. They gestate and turn within me, silent messengers of transformation. I wait with faith-filed confidence, hearing songs without a sound. I will stand with full courage, breathing deeply the ancestral air which strengthens me. LASTLY, in closing, remembering the coming of the Magi and the coming of St. John the Baptist on the 13th - the closing of the Christmas Season. Star of Wonder, radiant Goodness, We turn to you as the Source of Love. Keep us mindful of your transforming presence. Shine this goodness and love on every person with who we come in contact each day. Draw us to your irresistible love. We bring your love into our world. May all those who suffer find solace in your love Star-Light, May all of creation be at peace. Amen. Rose Chamberlin, IHM
Ideas, prayers and readings taken from THE CIRCLE OF LIFE by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr.
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January- February 2021
Immaculate Heart Community Advent Retreat: December 2020 Feminist Theologian and co-founder of the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual, Mary Hunt, Ph.D. led the Immaculate Heart Community Advent Retreat December 11-13, 2020. The theme of the retreat was ‘Finding A New Way Again: Celebrating and Reflecting upon the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Immaculate Heart Community.’ During the Friday evening opening session we reflected on what the milestone of fifty years means and identified the unique gifts, central to who we are and that only each one of us as an individual can contribute to the whole of community. Through sharing our hopes and dreams for the Community, we were asked to identify possible ways forward into a radically new, rapidly changing, and unknown future. By way of inspiration Mary quoted feminist theologian Mary Daly who said” Throw your life as far as it will go!” Saturday morning offered context for our discussions. Mary identified some of the challenges we face, challenges faced not only by the IHM’s, but by other religious communities in these unprecedented times. We are not alone in grappling with an aging and numerically declining membership, diminished resources, institutional transition and crucial questions of identity, mission, and legacy as we move into the future, and all of this in the context of a much broader erosion of age-old cultural and religious forms. Referring to her 1992 work, “Fierce Tenderness: A Feminist Theology of Friendship” Mary reminded us that in spite of whatever formidable socio-political challenges that we as a community face, it is our rootedness in the profound and enduring bonds of friendship that provide the essential groundwork and foundation of viable community life. Though often unacknowledged, it is in fact, networks of close friends joined together for a larger common purpose that is the enduring and valid basis for community. Committed attention to our friends generates community. She assured us that we have been, are, and will continue to be, upheld and sustained by the care and carefulness of our beloved friendships. “Hold each other lightly,” she counseled,” but with a firm grip on what/who we most deeply love and value.” Given her long friendship with our own leaders, Anita Caspery and Pat Raif, it is not unlikely that Mary had in mind, the IHM’s when in 1992 she wrote, “Realizing the importance of women’s relationships with each other is crucial for the formation and development of any sort of community. Friendship takes the power away from an external authority and relies on committed bonds to prevail. Such a move to friendship bodes well for a canonically affiliated group that may eventually choose to sever ties with male authority and continue its woman-centered work in the world. Then women will finally be religious agents, able to name their own experiences, make decisions on the basis of them, and live accountability on the basis of these choices without male interference. Such agency is a rare but important goal that ought to be normative.” (Mary E. Hunt, Fierce Tenderness, 1992.)
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January- February 2021
The Saturday afternoon session focused on the tripartite pillars of study, prayer, and action as the template for community life, wherein education is ministry, spirituality is sustenance, and the practice of social justice arises out of the former two and is paramount to who we are as Christians. In discussing education Mary identified three crucial social issues to be addressed. These are: racism and white supremacy, issues of LGBTQ justice and ecological degradation/global climate change. Additionally, it was pointed out that patriarchy’s genocidal global war against women, in the form of femicide on a massive scale, continues unabated. It has, in fact, been exacerbated and has increased due the disruptions of a global pandemic, to scarcity and social isolation, ongoing wars, climate and economic migration, a resurgence of poverty and a virulent misogynist backlash fueling the emergence of authoritarian nationalistic regimes in many countries of the world, including the United States. In considering the second pillar of community life, Spirituality, Mary raised the challenges of: the inherent contradictions between feminism and institutional Catholicism, clerical corruption, and the ongoing sexual abuse of children by clergy, illegitimate appropriation of the religious symbols, rituals and cultural heritage of indigenous and other marginalized communities. And lastly, the massive shift in the developed West from established traditional religions to new or non-religious movements that are ‘spiritual but not religious.’ In this context, Sherry Purcell referred us to “The New Republic of the Heart: An Ethos for Revolutionaries” by Terry Patten. Finally, we discussed the third pillar of community life, social justice, and the thankless but necessary work to effect social change, Mary admonished us to put our knowledge and experience at the service of the world and to let the world’s needs, rather than the failings of both church and government, set our agenda. She reminded us that our commitment to education and spirituality must be the ultimate source and inspiration for our activism. The work for justice and peace, that Pat Reif and others have so courageously modeled for us, is the inevitable outcome of our understanding of and rootedness in our faith lived as members of the Immaculate Heart Community. In closing, Mary referenced the Guatemalan poet, Julia Esquivel Velasquez who wrote, Accompany us then on this vigil and you will know what it is to dream! You will then know how marvelous it is to live threatened with Resurrection! To dream awake, to keep watch asleep, to live while dying and to already know oneself resurrected! (Esquivel Velasquez, Threatened with Resurrection, 1982) by Michelle de Beixedon, IHM
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January- February 2021
St John of God update All have received both vaccinations. Enjoying full access to the spacious grounds Meeting new friends Anticipating chapel re-opening and new planned activities Dining on plates after weeks of Styrofoam in covid conditions Buildings covid free.
Visit Hermine Lees with greeting cards to 1491 Bradford Rd Cambria CA 93428 Or email: mlees@gmail.com
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Pat Dominguez, IHM February 16, 1937 - December 22, 2020
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RIP Denise Hamlin, formerly Sister Corona RIP Terry Lee Walker, formerly Sister Ellen Recovering from COVID: Judy Small, IHM and family. Hermine Lees,IHM Maria Inez Martinez,IHM
Zoom Memorial Service February 26, 2021 1pm
Please save the dates of March 12, 13 & 14, 2021 for our Lenten/ Spring Retreat. It will be via ZOOM. Peace & All Good, Kathryn Clare, IHM Program Chair
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January- February 2021
2 kKinds of People Which One Fits You?? The world is home to two kinds of folk: those who name their horses and those who don’t --Tea Obreht, “Inland” ===Either you are a crunchy person or you’re not. --Marion Cunningham, “The Breakfast Book” There are two kinds of people in the world: the kind who alphabetize their record collections and those who don’t. --Sarah Vowell, “The Partly Cloudy Patriot” There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired. ---F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby” I divide the world into people who want to control something and those who want to make something. --Henri Cole,”The Paris Review” There are some people who can live with wild things and some who cannot. ---Aldo Leopold, “A Sand Couty Almanac” (cited in The New York Times, January 31, 2021)
THANK YOU NOTES A Huge Thank You to One and All! Happy New Year! A Very Healthy 2021! Thanks to one and all who graciously remembered those of us who moved to our new home just before Christmas and the New Year. I want all of you to be assured of our thanks and prayers. Stay well and continue to spread the peace, love and joy to all you come in contact with. Peace to everyone from all of us at St. John of God Mary Lyons, IHM The following notes,although addressed to me, are for spiritual journals I purchased to lessen the isolation and acknowledge the noble efforts of all at St. John of God when in quarantine. IHM donors funded this purchase. Nan, IHM Vice President What a perfect time to receive “All Shall Be Well,” our hope and encouragement Spiritual Journal gift! I am enjoying every page! Gratefully in Mary’s Heart! Eilene Berg, IHM
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January- February 2021
Thank you for the lovely illustrated book of quotations by different saints. Thank you for all our loving concern for all of us. We got the vaccination today. That brings us closer to freedom. You are in my daily prayers. Love, Pauline Krismanich, IHM You are one in a million!!! We are very special people for having you as an IHM!!!Thanks, thanks, thanks!! Agnes Caballero, IHM
Last Scraps of Color in Missouri Karen Craigo, Poet Laureate of Missouri Today I passed a stand of trees: tall, closely packed, bare and almost black from rain. But underneath. I saw smaller trees, just getting started on their slow snatch-and-grab of sky, and I saw these were golden still, and they glowed like campfires in the dark. lately I’d been wanting a little light---and there it was, and all I had to do was turn my gaze a few degrees from center. Some blessings find us when we move to them— they’re waiting only to be seen. Near the end of a difficult year, may we breathe in prayer or supplication: Show me, Show me, show me.
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Mary N. Howey
August 15, 1929 - December 20, 2020 We are grateful for the Masses, prayers, and condolences we received in memory of Mary. She used to tell us, "You are my blessing." Now, with her spirit and smile she blesses us all. Alexis and Lenore. Mary Howey Obituary (1929 - 2020) - Los Angeles Times (legacy.com) August 15, 1929 - December 20, 2020 Mary N. Howey died peacefully on December 20, going home to her God. She was 91 and lived a full life of kindness, generosity, joy, and service to others. Mary was the oldest of three girls born in Los Angeles to Leonor and Alex Navarro, who had immigrated from the Philippines. She earned her B.S. in Pharmacy from USC, and practiced her profession for 55 years, owning Kelly Pharmacy in downtown Los Angeles, serving her customers with expertise and care for their well-being. They were grateful for her guidance and faithful service. In her professional life, she experienced discrimination from those who did not respect or trust her as a female pharmacist. At Christmastime in 1951, Mary married Roderick Allen Howey who served in the U.S. Air Force. He was tragically killed two weeks later in a plane crash, January 11. Mary retired in 2006 and continued to support and enjoy the cultural life of Los Angeles--theater, Philharmonic, museums, LAPL lectures, and movies. She was an avid reader with wide interests and loved watching L.A. sports teams and the Trojans. Mary will be missed for her enthusiasm, her deep faith in God, and her love for family. She will celebrate Christmas with relatives who pre-deceased her and with her nephew, Arthur Dowling, with whom she shared fun and happy times. Her spirit will inspire hope and patience with life's challenges as she embraced her final months with gratitude and courage. Survivors include her sisters, Lenore Navarro Dowling, IHM and Alexis Navarro, IHM plus her cousins, nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren. Arrangements and memorial service to be arranged. To honor the life of Mary N. Howey whose life exemplified care for others' health and well-being, donations may be sent to a shelter for women with children, Alexandria House, 426 Alexandria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90020. We are grateful for the Masses, prayers, and condolences we received in memory of Mary. She used to tell us, "You are my blessing." Now, with her spirit and smile she blesses us all. Alexis and Lenore
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Patricia Dominguez, IHM
Pat was the eldest of thirteen children born to John and Natalia Dominguez in Los Angeles. She died December 22,2020 having devoted 65 years to the Immaculate Heart Community of California. Pat is survived by Armida Cox, Hortense Dominguez, Natalie Dona, Alex Dominguez, John Dominguez, Edward Dominguez, and Richard Dominguez and many loving nieces and nephews. Pat joined the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart as Sister Mary Jacinta in 1955 and remained a member in the new ecumenical community formed in 1970. Pat’s years as a skilled elementary school educator saw her teaching at Holy Spirit and the St Thomas School in Los Angeles and the St Theresa school in Palm Springs, George McCann in Visalia, Sacred Heart in Lancaster and St. Luke’s in Temple City. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, she taught at Utah St. School and was a bilingual teacher at Second Street School for 34 years, retiring in 2004. In her retirement, Pat volunteered in the IHC archives. She had an uncanny gift for finding the perfect photos for research and memorials. A lifelong learner, Pat read, painted, enjoyed movies and travel. One memorable trip took her to Barcelona, Spain in 1998 with Community members celebrating the founding of the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart in 1848 in nearby Olot, Spain. There the current sisters of the original order enjoyed companionship with the newest generation of the American order. We will miss Pat’s ready smile and friendly support. Christmas season officially began only once we had received her Christmas cards sent to every Community member, including 2020. A memorial Mass will be celebrated when COVID subsides. Private burial occurred at Rose Hills Cemetery. A zoom memorial will be shared with family and friends in February. Donations in honor of Pat may be made to the Immaculate Heart Community, Finance Dept.,PO 86268, Los Angeles 90086.
January- February 2021
Immaculate Heart Community 5515 Franklin Avenue Suite A Los Angeles, CA 90028 (323)466-2157
News Notes is published by and for members of the Immaculate Heart Community Editors: Nan Cano, IHM Vice President Production: Nickie Strother If you would like to submit something for publication in March/April New Notes, please submit your article and/or information no later than March 15th to Nickie Strother (Production) at nstrother@ihworks.org and Nan Cano, IHM at ncano@ihworks.org Printed on Recycled Paper
Artwork by Hermine Lees, IHM
Save The Date February 6, 2021 9am Board of Trustees Meeting February 14, 2021 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY March 12-14 Lenten Retreat IHC New Mailing Address: P.O. Box 86268 Los Angeles, CA 90086