The Journey Vol. III 2022

Words from Leadership

is volume of e Journey magazine celebrates the ministries of some of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, past and present. It recognizes the many years of ministry provided by Mary Ninette Manning, SCN, in her role as counselor at Bethlehem High School in Bardstown, Kentucky, and her e ort to assist each student in being the best person she or he could be.

is magazine also celebrates the holy grounds of Nazareth, the ministries of education that took place at Nazareth Academy and College, and the ministry of prayer that has always taken place and continues on the campus, especially in the newly renovated St. Vincent de Paul Church. is volume also acknowledges the ministry of housing for the elderly at Nazareth Villages and a retreat ministry at Nazareth Retreat Center that continue to take place on the grounds.

Simply maintaining the beauty of nature on the grounds is itself a ministry of caring for the earth. We share that ministry with others as we invite people to run, take exercise or meditative walks on the campus or simply take the time to be with their God in a place of peaceful beauty.

Ministry does not just happen on campus. is volume also informs the reader of the ministry of naturopathic medicine that is taking place at another Nazareth, Nazareth Hospital in Mokama, India, as well as the housing ministry happening throughout India and Nepal as part of the celebration of our 75 years in India. e “Toolbox for Prayer” gives the reader insights into the ministry of prayer of one of our Sisters in India, Jane Karakunnel, SCN.

Moving to another part of the world, this volume celebrates the ministry to the elderly that is occurring in a poor section of Belize City by one of our youngest members in the Western Province, Carlette Gentle, SCN. Moving from the youngest to one of the oldest members of the Western Province, but not the oldest, is a celebration of the current ministry of Teresa Margaret Bransky, SCN. At 101 years young, hers is a ministry of leading by example through her “gentle and loving concern for the world, the community, and each person.”

At the end is a recognition of our recently deceased members and a glance at some of the ministries they provided during their lives. Indeed, a book could be written about the impact each one has had.

Hopefully, as the reader contemplates the content of this volume of e Journey, the reader will be led to consider her or his ministry in life and nd something in the reading to support her or his own e orts to make a positive di erence in the life of another or in the lives of those in need.

Adeline Fehribach, SCN Vice President

In this issue

04

Helping Students Be Their Best

08

Holy Ground

This summer, Sisters celebrated the 200th anniversary at Nazareth. 16

Sister Mary Ninette Manning is recognized for years of service to Bethlehem High School in Bardstown, Kentucky, where she made it her mission to educate the student as a whole.

20

25

Celebrating

75 Years in India

Building 75 Homes to Celebrate Empowerment – The provinces in India decided to make a significant impact on those less fortunate. Sisters agreed to build 75 homes for 75 families.

Sister Carlette

Sister Carlette Gentle recalls embracing religious life at a young age. It was youthful exuberance and embracing of life from the Sisters that first attracted her to the Congregation 25 years ago.

On The Cover

On Aug. 31, 2022, Sisters at Nazareth Motherhouse Campus celebrated the 101st birthday of Sister Teresa Margaret Branksy. For more see the highlights on page 25.

Celebrating Helping Students Be Their Best

Sister Mary Ninette Manning recognized for years of service to Catholic high school

On a plaque inside the counseling center at Bethlehem High School in Bardstown, Kentucky, Sister Mary Ninette Manning, SCN, shares the following message:

“ e goal of Bethlehem High School is to educate the whole student. at e ort includes nurturing many aspects of their growth. Depression, anxiety, a poor self-

image, and a sense of being lost or not being good enough are some of the things that can impede progress and doing one’s best at the educational level. Hopefully, counseling might help a student believe in herself or himself, realizing that she or he can become the best person they can be. We are all special in the eyes of God. Sometimes, we need some help in discovering and believing that.”

Bethlehem welcomed Sister Mary Ninette back to campus for a special celebration to dedicate the newly-renovated Lourdes Counseling Center in her honor and in loving memory of two school alumni, Laverne K. Corbett and Carole T. Corbett.

Sister Mary Ninette served as a counselor at Bethlehem High School, a small but thriving Catholic school, for over three decades. She retired in 2018, the last Sister of Charity of Nazareth to leave the school since the Congregation established it in the early 1800s. ough retired, Sister Mary Ninette remained close with the school’s sta , students, and alums. is summer, Bethlehem High welcomed Sister Mary Ninette back to campus for a special celebration to dedicate the newlyrenovated Lourdes Counseling Center in her honor.

“Sister Mary Ninette’s abiding presence as the school counselor from 1982 to 2018 has been an inspiration to many,” said Olivia Seeger, a Bethlehem High graduate who spoke during the Aug. 15 gathering. “Her advocacy throughout the years mirrors the intercessory example of Mary, who

leads people closer to her son, Jesus, the great Comforter. Today, we honor Sister Mary Ninette’s years of compassionate service.”

e occasion was notable for Sister Mary Ninette and the school’s current counselor, Dr. Nathalie Barber Corbett, whose family made renovating the counseling space possible. In addition to being dedicated in honor of Sister Mary Ninette, the space was also dedicated in memory of two of Dr. Barber Corbett’s family members, Laverne and Carole Carole Corbett, school alums.

e occasion was notable for renovating the being dedicated of Dr. Barber Corbett’s family members, Laverne and Carole

stepped up to make it happen.

Dr. Barber Corbett recalled how Laverne was very ill when she was a teenager, and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth cared for her. So when the Corbett family realized the need to remodel, rename and dedicate the counseling space at Bethlehem, they stepped up to make it happen.

grandchildren, and are graduates. So, to contribute

said. She was delighted to honor the former counselor and Bethlehem’s

“Many of the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are Bethlehem graduates. So, the Corbett Family wished to contribute to this project in honor of the service of Sister Mary Ninette Manning and the memory of Laverne and Carole,” Dr. Barber Corbett said. She was delighted to honor the former counselor and Bethlehem’s “last Sister” with the gesture.

Present with Sister Mary Ninette at the August event were fellow Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Camille Panich, the vice provincial of the Western Province for the Congregation and Susan Kilb, a former Bethlehem administrator.

Father Jim Graf, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth Associate, various Bethlehem faculty, alums, students, friends, and other religious o cials were also in attendance.

e celebration kicked o with a Mass in Bethlehem’s quaint Chapel of Nativity, followed by comments and a blessing of the counseling center.

Sister Mary Ninette herself blessed two of the chairs where students and families sit during counseling.

“May they come to know peace and joy and continue to grow in this wonderful school of education lled with love, joy, and many blessings,” she said. She also shared blessings with the Corbett family and thanked them for contributing to the center.

“It is absolutely beautiful. It speaks of healing, and I know those who come here will love it,” she told the family. “You are a big part of it, and you always will be.”

Dr. Barber Corbett said the students and sta had long referenced the counseling center as “Sister Mary Ninette’s o ce.” So, when presented with the opportunity, they chose to make the title more o cial with the dedication. She added that anyone she speaks to about Sister Mary Ninette mentions how fond they are of her and how she positively impacted their lives during her time with Bethlehem. In that same spirit, the center has been and will continue to be a place lled with love.

“May they come to know peace and joy and continue to grow in this wonderful school of education filled with love, joy, and many blessings.”

Dr. Nathalie Barber Corbett is pictured here with Mary Ninette Manning, SCN, in the counseling center at Bethlehem High School.

Sister Mary Ninette came to Bethlehem High School in 1982, where she counseled generations of students. She helped each student navigate their personal struggles, whether it was an issue at school or home, and made sure they felt heard and supported. During her time with Bethlehem, Sister Mary Ninette also worked as a marriage and family therapist for the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Upon learning of the dedication, e Most Rev. Shelton J. Fabre, Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, wrote to Sister Mary Ninette to commemorate the special day and thank her for her service to Bethlehem and the Archdiocese.

“I pray that you will be continually renewed in Christ Jesus as you retire from these ministries. Please know of my prayers for you and all the faithful of the Archdiocese that you have served so well,” he said.

Bethlehem Chaplain Father Steven Reeves also praised Sister Mary Ninette for her commitment to students and said the school honors her ministry alongside the many other Sisters of Charity of Nazareth who served at the school over the years. He said the dedication was tting on the day celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he thanked God for Sister Mary Ninette and all women religious who follow Mary’s example.

In a re ection of her work, Sister Mary Ninette describes the Catholic school as wholesome and very much like a family.

“ e longer I was at Bethlehem, the more important I felt it was for me to be there,” she shares. So many adolescents were struggling with life and various challenges. It was my

honor to journey with them, watching them grow and mature.”

ough Sister Mary Ninette’s retirement from Bethlehem marked an end to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth being on sta , the Sisters and the school remain closely involved and supportive of one another. e Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and Bethlehem High School will always be connected.

“Mother Catherine Spalding’s picture is here in the hallway,” Sister Mary Ninette said

during her summer visit to the school. “She and the Sisters of the 1800s founded Bethlehem in 1819, just seven years a er our Congregation was established. All the time I was here, I tried to keep that legacy going.”

She said that just as the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are known as pioneer women, the young women who come through Bethlehem are also pioneer women, and she is proud of all they have accomplished.

Holy Ground

Nazareth, Kentucky, is home to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. It is a sacred ground to many and boasts a beautiful campus with a rolling landscape. It is where you will nd the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

This summer, Sisters celebrated the 200th anniversary at Nazareth

The Beginning

In 1822, the Sisters moved to Nazareth and built a new school. Within a decade, the school known as Nazareth Academy could accommodate 100 boarders at its new location over three miles north of Bardstown, the site of the present Motherhouse.

St. Thomas

However, Nazareth was not their rst home. e Congregation began in St. omas, Kentucky.

In 1812, in the newly-formed diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky, Bishop Benedict Flaget was overwhelmed by the responsibility of providing religious education for the children of Catholic families who had migrated to Kentucky from Maryland a er the Revolutionary War. In response to this need, Bishop John Baptist David called for young women willing to devote their lives to the service of the Church. From among a group of six women that responded to the call, Catherine Spalding, originally from Maryland, was elected the rst superior of the Congregation.

In 1814, the Sisters opened a one-room school at St. omas Farm, near Bardstown. One of the cabins used for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Bishop Flaget’s log house in which the Sisters initially stayed until their own cabin became available, is still standing at St. omas.

When the Sisters and all who lived with them at St. omas came to Nazareth, on June 11, 1822, they used the study of the minister who had owned this farm for their chapel. e Annunciation grotto marks this site.

On June 11, 1822, over 200 years ago, Mother Catherine led the entire community of Sisters and boarders, more than 30 in all, in procession to the new Nazareth. It would be some time before Catherine would recognize the move as a “special blessing of Providence.”

In a prayer service over the summer, Amina Bejos, SCN, stated, “We give thanks for the foresight and courage of our early Sisters. We thank God and them for the beauty, grace, and comfort of this holy ground we call home. As we remember their trust in providence and willingness to risk, we pray that we, too, might have the visionary agility to move along the path where God’s light shines.”

Over 100 Sisters and Associates gathered at St. omas on Saturday, June 9, 2012, to celebrate the founding of the Congregation. Sisters and Associates traveled by bus from Nazareth to St. omas, where they were greeted by friends wearing sunbonnets and bib aprons.

The Church

e spires of St. Vincent de Paul Church greet visitors upon entering the campus, and beautiful old buildings dot the landscape, many of which are listed on the National Historic Register.

With an eye toward the future in 1850, Mother Catherine undertook the most demanding building project of her life with the construction of a new church and academy. She hired William Keely, architect of the Cathedrals in Louisville and Chicago, to design the new church.

She saw the new church as . . . “an edi ce to the honor of God, not indeed as rich as the one built by Solomon, but as ne as his poor daughters of Nazareth could build to his honor for future generations.”

e church was consecrated on July 19, 1854, and has served us well with several changes over the years.

The Campus Today

e 245-acre historic campus has hundreds of stately trees and several ponds. e Nazareth Cemetery is the burial place of many Catholic pioneers, including Bishop John Baptist David and Mother Catherine Spalding.

At one time, Nazareth was a working farm. Henry Smith, who served Nazareth Campus for nearly 20 years, recalls the work days of milking cows and hauling hogs, the beekeeping, and caring for the 40-acre apple orchard. He remembers when SCN Center and Russell Hall were built. Smith, who was born only minutes away from campus, still enjoys visiting campus and seeing its evolution.

ough there is no longer an academy or college, the spiritual and prayerful setting is still home to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, administrative o ces, Heritage Hall museum, Nazareth Villages, and Nazareth Retreat Center, which o ers workshops, retreats, and spiritual direction.

e pioneer spirit began long ago in a log house in St. omas. It continues today, rooted in Nazareth, Kentucky. at spirit now even travels far across the Indian Ocean, to the Himalayan mountains, over the Caribbean Sea, to the Kalahari Desert and coastal forests of eastern Africa, where you will nd the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth as they continue to follow the vision of their foundress and the love of God, with creativity and perseverance.

Naturopathy for Wellness at Mokama Hospital

Naturopathy – also called naturopathic medicine – is a medical system that has evolved from a combination of traditional practices and health care approaches popular during the 19th century. People visit naturopathic practitioners for various healthrelated purposes, including primary care, overall well-being, and treatment of illnesses.

Naturopathy is as old as history; it is as new as tomorrow; the system that cured people years ago will help people today.

Naturopathy is the art and science of healthy living and a drugless system of healing based on well-founded philosophy.

It has its own concept of health, disease, and principle of treatment. e wellness movement of today advocates the same basic principles as early naturopathy, clean eating, tness, and mindful coexistence with the breakneck pace of modern society.

Nazareth Hospital inaugurated the Wellness Center, the rst in Bihar, on April 20, 2016, by the Archbishop of Patna, William D’Souza, SJ. He quoted Mt. 11:28, “All of you who are tired from carrying the heavy load, I will give you rest.”

A person born healthy and strong can stay healthy by living in accordance to the body's needs of fresh air, sunshine, exercise, relaxation, positive thinking, a positive attitude, prayer, meditation, and a proper diet. All of these play a signi cant role in keeping a sound mind and a healthy body.

SCNs Aruna Kerketta and Sushma Xaxa, along with Dolmit and Gilbert Lepcha, were the rst sta to work at the center.

ey practice care for others with the belief that disease occurs when we violate the needs of the body. e whole system of treatment is based on ve elements, ether, air, re, water, and earth. It consists of therapies that are gentle, non-invasive, e ective, and do not have adverse e ects. Naturopathy addresses the physical, environmental, lifestyle, attitudinal, and emotional aspects of health. It treats the cause of the disease, not the symptoms.

e objectives of naturopathy are to change the unhealthy living of people and to teach them the beauty of a positive lifestyle with the practical help of di erent naturopathy modalities.

Naturopathy specialist Dr. M. Sarju and a consultant at Nazareth Hospital said, “As the vehicle needs servicing a er a certain mileage, we human beings also need to get back to nature to bring harmony within our whole system.”

us this center o ers the hope and scope for wellness and wholeness for all with a drugless system.

e well-setup center combines naturopathy, Ayurveda, and acupuncture. ey o er yoga, hydrotherapy, mud therapy, massage, various types of packs, herbal application, diet therapy, as well as Shirodhara, kizhi, pichu, dhara, and Basti. Accommodation is available for a comfortable stay at the center.

Sister Aruna shares her experience of working in the wellness center, “Since it is new for people in and around Mokama, slowly, they have come to know the bene t of it and are responding to it.”

About 80% of those who seek wellness treatments are with chronic illnesses. ere is about 20% of persons who are in need of rejuvenation and detoxi cation.

Archbishop of Patna, William D’Souza, SJ

“It’s a long treatment of seven days to one month. ey become like a family and interact a lot and share about their personal life and family. Su cient time is given for sharing and counseling,” says Sister Aruna.

ough patients come with speci c problems, they return healed and feel whole. My experience is that naturopathy treatment is the complete healing within mentally, physically, and spiritually. us, it is holistic healing.”

Dayawanti Minj came with severe lower back aches. She was unable to walk, sit or bend. She was having numbness in both legs due to spinal nerve compression. She was treated by orthopedics and neurosurgeons and was advised surgery as the last option le to be cured. She took a chance and came to the wellness center for treatment. In a month’s time, she was able to carry out her daily routine activities. She followed all the instructions given to her, and now she is able to do all the household work.

ere is a simple lifestyle that one can adopt to keep healthy. At the wellness center of Nazareth Hospital, the sta is seeking ways to promote healthy lifestyles for people of the area. Nature has the tremendous power to heal, repair, and bring harmony to the body, mind, and soul.

Dr. Bhavna Shekhar cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the Wellness Center in Mokama.

Sta at Mokama Wellness Center including SCNs Aruna Kerketta (le ) and Sushma Xaxa (second from right).

Nazareth Retreat Center stands in the long tradition of the mission of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, serving all peoples, the poor, women, the marginalized and care for the earth. We offer opportunities for spiritual reflection in a holistic ecumenical approach, which reverences the human spirit and all creation. We are committed to respond to the diverse needs and longing of the people of God in these challenging times.

Upcoming Retreats

e Cosmic Christ

Virtual presentation by Fr. Vincent Pizzuto, PhD

January 7, 2023 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Attending Grief

Hope in a Changing World

Virtual presentation by Lisa Irish

January 28, 2023 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Maintaining a Contemplative Calm

In a Chaotic World Presented by Judith Valente March 24, 25, 26, 2023

Building 75 Homes to Celebrate Empowerment

As we look at our world, we know we must continue to exist for the people for whom Jesus existed and for those he served in his day: the outcasts, the women, the sinners, and those living on the edges of society.

Translated to today, we are called to active engagement on behalf of the poor and oppressed, to advocate for education, equal opportunity, and equal rights for women and girl children, to e orts for the creation of a more just, and loving society, as well as for a deeper commitment to social and ecological justice.

e Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are celebrating 75 years of ministry in India. In marking the importance of the celebratory year, the provinces in India decided to make a signi cant impact on those less fortunate. Sisters agreed to build 75 homes for 75 families. ey also decided to provide nancial assistance to 75 girls for skills training or higher education.

Framing housing as a human right may be an important rst step to implementing systemic change in our world. Sisters nd it a source of joy for them to see the happiness of the deserving family members when they hear that they were able to have a house of their own. ey did not have to live in fear anymore of keeping a roof over their heads and their families.

In the Patna Province

Lilly omas, SCN, came to know of Chandini Devi, who lives in the village of Sinduwari in Shapur. Her husband died 20 years ago, and she was le alone with three small children, two boys, and one girl. Her family reached out to her during this crisis. A er the death of her husband, she went to her mother’s house and lived there.

It was a blessing that she knew tailoring. She managed to give her children a basic education with the help of her family and her little earnings from tailoring. With her little savings, she bought a small parcel of land in her name with no home on it.

Today, both of her sons are working as day laborers. e home they are living in belongs to her brother, and it needs a lot of repairs. Her brother has asked her to vacate the house, as he wants to build a home for his own family. Chandini Devi also wants to build a house on her land as soon as it would be possible. Building a house is a distant dream for Chandini, since she needs to save money for the marriage of her daughter.

ey had asked for help from the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth to build a temporary house a er they bought the land. e family was extremely happy and grateful when approached and told about this proposal.

e work of the house is almost over. Only some interior work is to be completed. All the members of the family worked hard to complete the house.

ey are deeply grateful for the nancial support they received for making their dream of a house come true.

Chandini Devi stands in front of her new home with two of her children.

In the Bangalore Province

Some true stories can sound almost unbelievable. One such story belongs to Daisy Joseph, a widow of Pakkam Parish in Wayanad, Kerala. Born in abject poverty, her parents sent her to various convents in and around Wayanad during her teens to work and be one of the breadwinners of the family. When she came of age, she was married to Joseph. e marriage did not bring any new twist to Daisy’s fortunes, and it only worsened a er her husband deserted her a few years later.

Le with her little son (now 13 years old), Daisy found odd jobs here and there to feed themselves and to live under a roof. When the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth undertook the project of building homes for the homeless to commemorate the Jubilee of their presence in India, the Pakkam Parish team, consisting of Father Jaison Kalathiparampil, SCNs Vandana Velleringatt, Jean Kulangara, and Joicy Joy

and Carla Perunilathil, FDM (Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy), felt the urge to reach out to Daisy.

Sister Carla, aware of the desperate need for Daisy to nd and buy a piece of land to build her house, spent months contacting all the convents where Daisy had worked with the hope that some of her savings may have been preserved by the Sisters in those convents. Sister Carla’s untiring e orts bore fruit as she successfully gathered enough savings preserved in the name of Daisy by the nuns of the various convents where she worked.

e next challenge was to nd a plot of land. is time Sister Carla had the support of the parish priest, the Father Jaison, who explored various options and nally identi ed property adjacent to the parish land. It also meant they had to intervene with the seller to give her an access road. e uni ed e orts of the Sisters

of Charity of Nazareth, the parish priest, and the FDMs ensured that Daisy Joseph had a small piece of property in her name.

en began the e orts of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kakkavayal to start the construction of a home for Daisy. Sister Joicy identi ed the needed contractor and supervisor for the construction of the house. Under the leadership of Suma Muthukattuparampil, SCN, the construction of the small two-bedroom house for Daisy is now complete.

In the presence of a limited group of wellwishers, Daisy’s home was blessed by Father Jaison on July 13, 2022. Sister Joicy had the honor of installing the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a custom that all the

traditional Catholic homes in India follow. Sister Suma handed over the key to the house to Daisy while Sister Jean joined Daisy as the oven was lit for the rst time in the new house.

Daisy’s joy knew no bounds on the day she saw her newly-built home. She is truly grateful to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for having considered her a bene ciary of this project. Owning a home was not a dream she had ever entertained in the past. It has come to be thanks to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and the team of clergy and religious in Pakkam Parish of Wayanad.

Today, Daisy owns her own home.

Daisy Joseph stands with Suma Muthukattuparampil, SCN, during the blessing of her new home in Kerala.

Embracing Religious Life at a Young Age

As Carlette Gentle, SCN, enters a room with her youthful smile and extroverted presence, many are surprised to learn she is a “nun.” In high school classrooms, as she talks about vocation, she is often asked by the students if she watches television, or about her wardrobe and other inquiries about her that differ from their ideas of religious life. Sister Carlette happily answers each query, ready to educate and inspire.

At 41, Sister Carlette is among the younger Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in the Western Province, but her youth and self-described “loudness” does not isolate her from her fellow Sisters. It was youthful exuberance and embracing of life from the Sisters that rst attracted Carlette to the Congregation 25 years ago.

Sister Carlette grew up in Belize the youngest of ve children. Her family was one that loved to cook, and Carlette spent much of her time in the kitchen where she developed a passion for the culinary arts. She rst met the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth when she was in high school as she helped prepare meals for Sisters visiting Belize.

“My godmother, who is an Associate, said, ‘you have to go help the Sisters cook,’” she said. e teenaged Carlette remembers feeling frustrated, initially, that her summer break would be spent working, but she agreed. is summer encounter would awaken in her a calling more powerful than anything else she had experienced in her young life.

As Carlette worked in the kitchen, observing the visiting Sisters, she remembers feeling shocked at just how “ordinary” they seemed.

“ ey were dancing, they were laughing, and I was so attracted to that,” she said, explaining that these women were not what she pictured when she thought of “nuns.” e young Carlette watched as the Sisters got up and danced to the beat of the Garifuna drummers, embracing the culture and the people around them with genuine joy. “I remember thinking, ‘ is is what I want. is is excitement. ey are happy and I want this happiness.”

As summer ended, Carlette began to ask more questions about what religious life was like through the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. She would visit groups on retreats and share meals and celebrations with them whenever she could.

“I kept going back. I couldn’t not go back,” she said, overwhelmingly drawn to this spirit that surrounded these women. On one visit, a Sister had a T-shirt with the words, “You can be yourself and be one of us,” printed across the front. Carlette fell in love with that phrase, understanding that the Sisters would accept her for who she was.

From her second year of high school, Carlette knew she wanted to be a part of the Community. is desire was not as easily accepted by others, though. In a time and

In Belize City, Carlette Gentle, SCN, helps the community with her program, Living Independently in Full Existence, or LIFE, a ministry that works diligently to meet the needs of the elderly.

place where entering religious life at such a young age was becoming less common, Carlette’s classmates would sometimes tease her, giving her the nickname “Sister Fresh” and questioning what she might miss out on if she joined the Congregation.

“Of course, they are your best motivators,” she said of those who doubted her decision. “If you really want to do this, despite their comments, you will pursue it.”

At 17, Carlette was invited to visit the Nazareth Motherhouse Campus in Bardstown, Kentucky. It was the rst time she had traveled to the United

States, and she spent the summer visiting the di erent ministries so she could learn more about the Sisters and their work.

“Everybody was so welcoming, it was like they’d known me for years and this was the rst time I was meeting them,” she said.

Carlette understood that in order to make the fairest decision, she had to explore life outside the Congregation. She nished college, dated, and studied hotel and catering management. At one point, she was o ered a scholarship opportunity to study in Germany and potentially

become a professional chef. She had gone as far as to ll out the paperwork, but something was missing that only the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth could ful ll.

“I really, really wanted to become a Sister,” she said, and she professed her perpetual vows in 2013 at the Nazareth campus.

Instead of going to Germany, Sister Carlette stayed in Belize to study social work, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree and, most recently, completing her master’s degree. She spent a lot of time in Las Flores, Belize, working with a youth group

and preschool. She taught cooking classes to women there and helped out in other ways around the village.

In Belize City, Sister Carlette unlocked another passion - helping the elderly community. She helped establish Living Independently in Full Existence, or LIFE, a ministry that works diligently to meet the needs of the elderly, such as providing transportation to and from medical appointments, minor house renovations, and improving access to nutritious food, health care and other basic needs.

In addition to serving the senior citizens in Belize as director of social work for LIFE, Sister Carlette is

also the associate vocation director, working with those interested in joining the Congregation.

Being in the Western Province, where the median age of a Sister is around 84, Carlette sees how the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth community is shi ing. Religious life will not be the same as it is today, just as it has changed in her own time as a Sister and from when she was a wide-eyed teenager discovering the Congregation for the rst time.

“It’s evolving into something new. So, how can we embrace that and look at where God is calling us to be?” she said.

She believes the Community must continue to look at ways to grow and adapt; to bring together those who want to serve God and their communities in mission and who are also impelled by the love of Christ. Sister Carlette and other younger members of the Congregation o er a unique perspective for that future. ey, too, will be the link to religious life for other young women ready to embrace the calling.

Two Wings of My Prayer Life

By Jane Karakunnel, SCN

As an Indian Christian Religious, the two wings of my prayer life are Biblical and Indian Spirituality. At home, we had everyday family prayer, which included Rosary and reading from the Bible. I was responsible for conducting it. It was a vocal prayer that did not touch my heart though there was devotion to do it. A er coming to the Congregation too, prayer was mostly a recitation of psalms and singing of songs. ough I was faithful to it there was not much impact on my life. Prayer was like an activity I had to do it but I did not enjoy it or experience anything in my heart.

During my education in the Seminary, I was introduced to both Biblical and Indian spirituality, which made a deep impression on my life, and I began to experience the warmth and joy of the magnanimous heart of God. Teaching Scripture to novices and catechists gave me a chance to enjoy the treasures in the Word of God. I was deeply touched by the unconditional love of God, who has been very active in salvation history and in my own personal history.

ere are many quotations from the Bible which have inspired, challenged, and strengthened me in my vocation and mission. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you …, I call you friends …, I have chosen you …, bear fruit that will last … (Jn. 15:9 to 17) … I made myself all things to all people in order to win at least a few for Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 9:22).”

St. John’s Gospel invites me to enter into a contemplative union with God while St. Paul has inspired and motivated me to follow his pastoral heart in reaching out to the people in loving service.

In Indian spirituality, the practice of Ashtanga Yoga and the study of Bhagavad Gita has greatly helped in my spiritual life. Yoga means fourfold union: union with God, self, others, and creation. Ashtanga means eight-step methodology to attain this union. e rst two steps are Yama and Niyama, which means

social and individual discipline in one’s daily life. Asana means the posture which should be comfortable and steady. It also includes my attitude towards my body and keeping the body t and relaxed through exercise. Pranayama is the control of breath. rough breathing in and out consciously, the body becomes relaxed and attuned to the Divine presence within and without. Pratyahara is controlling the senses by withdrawing from the sense of objects. Dharana is concentrating on one point, one person, or one Word. Dyana is meditating on that, and Samadhi is contemplating becoming one with that. In practice, it is to concentrate on my favorite form of Jesus, meditate and contemplate, which means to imbibe the values of Jesus and to be lled with the fruits and gi s of the Holy Spirit. Following this method can lead one to a deep spiritual experience and oneness with the Divine present everywhere.

Bhagavad Gita is known as the Gospel of India. I was inspired by the deep intimacy of Krishna and Arjuna as master and disciple. It has helped me to understand my relationship with Jesus. Krishna suggests three margas (ways) to Arjuna to attain liberation of self and union with God. ey are Gyana (knowing), Bhakti (loving), and Karma (serving). ese are very much present in John’s Gospel too. “Eternal life is to know God (Jn. 17:3). God so loved the world (Jn. 3:16). Do as I have done (Jn. 13:15).” Knowing God experientially, loving God intimately, and serving God by serving others sel essly (Nishkama Karma).

Questions for re ection: How do I attune myself to the presence of the Divine?

What do the two wings of prayer, Biblical and Indian spirituality, awaken in me?

Sister Jane Karakunnel ministers in the Patna Province. At present, she is directress of the Catholic Women’s Association of Patna Archdiocese and the Bihar Regional Secretary of the women’s commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. She has a Bachelor of eology from Dharmaram College, Bangalore, and Master of eology from Catholic eological Union, Chicago. She has been teaching Scripture in formation and pastoral ministry in parishes. She is also the director of the SCNA Program in the Patna Province.

Highlights Highlights

e new Archbishop of Louisville, the Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre, visited the Nazareth Motherhouse Campus near Bardstown on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. While on campus, Archbishop Fabre celebrated Mass with the Sisters in the historic St. Vincent de Paul Church. He also enjoyed lunch and met with the Central and Western Province Leadership Teams to learn more about the Congregation.

A water tower at Nazareth Motherhouse Campus was torn down on Sept. 6, 2022, and its loud crash disrupted an otherwise quiet morning in the woods. e tower was constructed near Peter’s Puddle in the 1950s to replace another tower built a half-century earlier. e water tower remained in service at Nazareth until the summer of 2019. Having deteriorated with age and rust, extensive maintenance would have been needed to keep the site from becoming hazardous. erefore, the decision was made to remove the structure and recycle the metal.

Jane Karakunnel, SCN, was honored recently by the Chairman Bishop of the CBCI Council for Women for raising the highest amount of contributions for the education of Kandhamal girls. ese were girls hurt in the widespread violence against Christians in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, India, in August 2008.

A beautiful fall evening brought joy and laughter to campus on ursday, Oct. 27, as hundreds of children and their families trick-or-treated at Nazareth. e event was a big success, exceeding 400 trick-or-treaters (not including the guardians who accompanied them). Costumed children of all ages traveled the paths around campus and received candy and treats from Sisters, employees, residents of Nazareth Villages, and volunteers.

loving concern for the world, the community and each person,” said Camile Panich, SCN, Vice Provincial for the Western Province.

Sister Teresa Margaret Bransky celebrated her 101st birthday in August with breakfast, Mass in St. Vincent de Paul Church, and a special meal with other Sisters in the Motherhouse dining hall. “Sister Teresa Margaret leads by example and demonstrates a gentle and

JOURNEYING ON

Martha Discher, SCN, 94, (formerly Sister Louis Mary) was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 17, 1928. She died July 21, 2022, in Louisville. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 64 years.

Born the middle child, Sister Martha grew up with her older sister, Mary, and younger brother, Joseph. e family attended their neighborhood church, St. James. Her father, Louis, was of German background. His family created a home goods store on Market St. in Louisville called “Geher and Son.” Her mother, Evelyn, was of Irish descent, born in Louisville.

Sister Martha served in educational ministries, teaching at Sacred Heart in Memphis, Tennessee; at St. John Central in Bellaire, Ohio; and Mercy Academy in Louisville. Her interest in biology led her to study Hospital Administration at St. Louis University, earning a Master’s Degree. In August of 1964, she was assigned to St. Joseph In rmary in Louisville. From 1979 to 1987, she served in leadership positions at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, KentucKentucky

Upon retirement, she volunteered with local parishes and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She visited the sick and assisted her SCN Congregation. She is survived by her extended family and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Dolores Greenwell, SCN, 97, (formerly Sister John William) was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, on Aug. 27, 1925. She died Sept. 2, 2022, in Nazareth, Kentucky She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 77 years.

Sister Dolores earned her nursing degree from Spalding College in Louisville, Kentucky, with a minor in psychology. In the 1950’s she served as a psychiatric nurse at Our Lady of the Oaks Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and at Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Louisville. Her nursing skills led her to become a surgery supervisor at Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky

A er Vatican II, new awakenings came to Sister Dolores. In 1971, she asked and received approval for a sabbatical at Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario. ere she had spiritual direction and time and place for prayer, which reinforced Dolores’ vocation call to live her life “for the sake of the Kingdom.”

She served children at St. omas-St. Vincent Home in Anchorage, Kentucky, and the migrant community at the Health Center in Ruskin, Florida. Sister Dolores continued to devote her life to health care ministries as a hospice nurse in Paintsville, Kentucky, and at the Floyd Co. Health Dept. in Prestonburg, Kentucky.

She is survived by her sisters Lavon Cecil and Charlotte Ann Hall and by her brother Albert C. Greenwell. She is also survived by her extended family and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Mary Naomi Elder, SCN, 95, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sept. 1, 1927. She died Oct. 30, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 74 years.

In 1967 she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and in 1971 earned a master’s degree with a minor in math and social studies. Sister Mary Naomi was a certi ed catechist and director of liturgy. In 1985 she was named an honorary Kentucky Colonel.

She used her education to serve in teaching positions. She once said that her years at Sacred Heart (1953-1966) were the best years of her life, “Our spiritual life was supported by wonderful diocesan priests and the Bishop of the Diocese.” She adds that the school population encompassed families from all economic backgrounds, “from the very poorest to those with considerable means.”

She worked with AfricanAmerican children over the summer to prepare them to enter the recently integrated schools that fall. She realized six weeks was not enough time, but the Bishop said, “Be present to them,” and those words stayed with Sister Mary Naomi throughout her years.

From 1975-1981, Sister Mary Naomi was parish secretary at St. Francis of Rome in Louisville. For nearly 15 years, she served as a secretary and administrative assistant at Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Louisville.

She is survived by her brother, Jack Elder of Louisville, her extended family, and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Elizabeth (Liz) Wendeln, SCN, 85, was born in Bronx, New York, on May 4, 1937, named Marie Dorothea. She died Nov. 6, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 65 years.

Sister Liz’s earliest ministries were in education in Kentucky. She majored in German, earning her bachelor’s degree in the language from Spalding University in Louisville. Both of Sister Liz’s parents were born in Germany.

In 1971 she began her ministry in religious education in the Rural O ce of Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Louisville. Sister Liz earned a master’s degree in religious studies at Mundelein College, Chicago.

In 1975 Sister Liz helped to prepare the rst pastoral team in the Diocese of Belize. is formation was critical as it became the basis for strengthening lay leadership in the Diocese of Belize.

Sister Liz served as the director of temporary professed and director of novices. She was elected to regional leadership for the northern region in Quincy, Massachusetts, and then elected as president of the SCN Congregation in 1993.

As president and chair of the SCN Health System, Sister Liz was instrumental in moving the SCN hospitals into the then established Catholic Health Initiative.

She is survived by her brother, eodore H. Wendeln, (wifeJerri), her sister Betty A. Wendeln Cousins, ve nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren, and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Legacy Society The Legacy Society

e SCN Legacy Society recognizes with gratitude those who have remembered the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in their estate plans.

e Sisters of Charity of Nazareth have been blessed to receive nancial support from many who, with deep faith, have chosen as their legacy to share in the SCN mission. rough this bond of faith, tireless e orts are made around the world by Sisters on behalf of those who are marginalized and victimized by poverty and social injustice.

How do I join the SCN Legacy Society?

e SCN Legacy Society was formed as a way to gratefully acknowledge those who have remembered the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in their estate plans, thus creating a legacy of generosity that extends beyond their lifetime.

A gi of any size, joined with others who have done the same, can make a di erence for generations to come.

Some ways to leave a legacy include:

• A bequest in your will naming a speci c gi amount or a percentage of your estate a er all obligations have been met;

• Naming the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth as a bene ciary of a life insurance policy;

• A bequest of stocks, securities or real estate;

• Naming the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth as a bene ciary of a charitable trust.

Simply let us know that you have named the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in your estate plans and you will be gratefully welcomed as a member of the SCN Legacy Society. You may remain anonymous, if you desire.

SCN Legacy Society members are remembered annually at a Mass o ered at St. Vincent Church at Nazareth.

We always recommend that you contact your attorney or accountant to learn how these options relate to your personal circumstances.

CONTACT:

Spalding Hurst

Office of Mission Advancement P.O. Box 9 Nazareth, Kentucky 40048

(502) 348-1593 spalding@nazareth.org

Nonprofit U.S. Postage PAID Louisville, KY Permit No. 715 O ce of Mission Advancement

P.O. Box 9 Nazareth, Kentucky 40048 nazareth.org | 502-348-1519