Reliance on Grace By S. Joanne Burrows
“We must be so careful to meet our grace – wherever we go ‘there is a store of grace waiting …” - Elizabeth Ann Seton
M
eeting the store of grace that awaits has taken extra vigilance and courage for the new Leadership Council (LC) that took office in July 2019. As S. Marge Kloos so aptly captured in a recent reflection on the team’s first year in leadership, The Leadership Team of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati began “During these months, the ‘yes’ to their four-year term on July 1, 2019. Pictured are (front row, from leadership has certainly unfolded in left) Sisters Marge Kloos, councilor; Teresa Dutcher, councilor; ways unimaginable to all of us. ... Patricia Hayden, president; (back row, from left) Joanne Burrows, councilor; and Monica Gundler, councilor. Never did it dawn on me that ‘yes’ could be so pervasively defined by of assessing congregational realities and a global event for which no yet-to-be developing a direction for the future. The identified intervention exists, no use of committee presented its findings at the Fall resources can fix, and no discernable plan Congregational Days in September 2019. can move us from crisis to normalcy.” The presentation included an assessment of The year began challengingly enough with relocations, establishing a new team, defining expectations and roles, and immersing themselves in congregational affairs. With the exception of S. Marge Kloos, who continued as an executive councilor, S. Patricia Hayden, president, and Sisters Joanne Burrows, Teresa Dutcher and Monica Gundler were new to congregational leadership. Advancing the facilities planning process set in motion by the previous Leadership Council was a priority for the new team. The team joined the Motherhouse Property Planning Committee (MPPC) over the summer in the intense work 4
Seton Hall, the former college dormitory, and its potential for renovation to meet future needs. Following a discussion of the information presented, a leaning was taken, and the Sisters unanimously agreed that Seton should be demolished. Further investigation determined that there is adequate space in the Motherhouse and other buildings to meet congregational needs for the next 10 years, thus, there is no need to build a new office/welcome facility at this time. After touring buildings, conversing with residents and staff, and reviewing lots of possible scenarios, new locations for all congregational offices and Sisters services were determined.
In early February 2020, the Leadership Council began planning for a Congregational Day in March to present the work of the MPPC to the Sisters. At the same time, the coronavirus was emerging as a major story. On March 13, our world turned on its head with the news that COVID-19 was raging in New York. Four councilors were out of town at conferences and meetings. Abrupt travel home, texting and conference calls kept us in contact as we strategized to address the situation. It would not be until late May that we would be able to share the property plans with Sisters using livestreaming and closed circuit television. On St. Patrick’s Day, Ohio Governor DeWine issued a stay-at-home order for Ohio. LC quickly joined with the Campus Senior Management Team to establish a COVID-19 Response Team to coordinate the campus-wide response. We watched daily briefings, and researched the emerging information from the CDC and ODH to help us respond to the crisis. The Response Team has continued to meet through the intervening months to handle the emerging nature of this global pandemic. S. Monica compares it to “building the plane while flying it.” Care for the Sisters on campus and support for the staff were our primary focus. We took the unimaginable and wrenching steps of closing our campus to the public and the Motherhouse and Mother Margaret Hall to all but Sisters in residence and staff performing critical I n tercom
