Intercom Vol. III, 2023 by Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati

Intercom

Volume III, 2023

S I S T E R S

O F

C H A R I T Y

O F

C I N C I N N AT I

A LETTER FROM OUR SISTER IN LEADERSHIP Dear Sisters, Associates and Friends,

e have been blessed during these past months by two special guiding events arising from the work and amazing heart of our Pope Francis. He has opened the universal Catholic Church synod, in which all members journey together and take an active part in her evangelizing mission: to be the light and love of Jesus made visible to all. This is the third year of a four-year process that involves listening, prayer and walking together with all members of the Church, even those estranged.

CONTENTS FEATURES Joyful Beginnings .................................... 4-6 S. Whitney Schieltz professes perpetual vows. A Voice for Justice ...................................... 7 Meet the congregation’s Justice Promoter Mackenzie Doyle. “Somewhere It Hides a Well” ............. 10-11 S. Victoria Anyanwu brings clean water to Nigeria. Walking God’s Path ............................. 14-15 S. Sandy Howe’s ministry to asylum seekers and refugees. A Spirit-Led Synod .............................. 16-17 S. Tracy Kemme attends synod in Rome. Following Her Grace ........................... 18-19 S. Christine Rody celebrates 65 years of religious life. Called by Spirit, United by Love ......... 20-21 Past and present Associate directors reflect on 50 years. Journeying in Faith................................... 22 Get to know Associate Gail Metcalf.

His second recent guidance is to be found in his new Apostolic Exhortation “Laudate Deum,” the October sequel to his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’.” In this recent exhortation Pope Francis addresses the urgency of the climate change challenges he noted in the original encyclical, and calls all of us to address this “global social issue . . . one intimately related to the dignity of human life.” He reminds us that “our care for one another and our care for the Earth are intimately bound together” since “the effects of climate change are born by the most vulnerable people, whether at home or around the world” (Laudate Deum, par.3). In this issue of Intercom, we read of our Sisters and Associates who throughout their lives have reached out to people, through education and other direct forms of service, who live on multiple margins of poverty and need, locally and throughout our world. Many have cared for God’s Earth through choice of lifestyle, political action, and some through specific ministries. Our new Justice Promoter Mackenzie Doyle updates us on the work of our Justice Circles, each of which focus on major levels of justice needs and through their work embrace Pope Francis’ call to unity, community and service on a local and global level. We are excited that our Sister, Whitney Schieltz, made her profession of Final Vows this past November, as we move onward together in a world ever more deeply in need of our help. And so much more. As we, members of the Charity Family, respond to the calls of our Charity Mission, Charism and Vision statements, which direct us to live Gospel values, committed to acting justly and living simply for the healing of our global home, may our “radical listening” and “deep prayer” lead us to continue to answer the call of Pope Francis and the synod to become “the light and love of Jesus made visible” to all with whom we live and work. Indeed, let us continue to dare to risk a caring response in all areas of our lives.

Allowing the Spirit to Flow ................ 24-25 S. Annette Muckerheide looks back on 60 years of religious life.

Blessings,

St. Joseph Home – The Present Years... 26-28 The many transitions and growth at SJH between 1990-present.

Sister Lois Jean Goettke, SC

On the Cover: Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Whitney Schieltz professed perpetual vows during a Mass on Nov. 4, 2023 in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Motherhouse. Read more on pages 4-6. Disclaimer: The information contained in Intercom is intended for general information and educational purposes only. Opinions expressed herein are the views of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.

IN MEMORIAM Please visit “In Memoriam” at www.srcharitycinti.org for biographical information and reflections on the Sisters of Charity and Associates who have died. May our Sisters and Associates enjoy the fruits of their labor as well as peace with God. Associate Mary Jo Maximovich November 14, 2023

S. Marion Agnes Boeddeker October 27, 2023

S. Teresa Dutcher November 5, 2023

S. Carol Joan McCarthy October 20, 2023

S. Josetta Marie Chu October 6, 2023 Associate Barbara McCormick September 26, 2023 I N T E RC O M

Moving Into the Future By S. Teresa Marie Laengle

s we began our leadership term on July 1, 2023, we immersed ourselves in the opportunities presented. In August, team members Sisters Monica Gundler, Lois Jean Goettke and Teresa Marie Laengle joined more than 900 leaders of women religious congregations in Dallas, Texas for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) annual assembly. Drawn by Sacred Mystery – A Journey into Hope was the theme of the gathering, which included opportunities for prayer and liturgy, insightful speakers, table processing, breakout sessions and a presentation on Hildegard of Bingen and leadership. A highlight of the assembly was the keynote presentation by Brian Swimme, an evolutionary cosmologist, who presented a broad cosmic perspective of the evolving universe. Presentations were upbeat and hopeful on the realities facing the future of religious life as we walk into the unknown with Divine Mystery; placing emphasis on the mission, gifting the world through our vocations, and living as a global sisterhood. Breakout sessions throughout the assembly included: Intercultural Leadership, Making Change Happen, Possibility Thinking, and Sacred Encounters. S. Donna Markham, OP, was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award for her lifetime work with Catholic Charities. The Leadership Team came home with new insights into the future of religious life and a sense of direction for the future of our own congregation. In September, the Sisters of Charity held their Fall Congregational Days with the theme In Service of the Mission. In solidarity with the opening of the General Assembly of the

Fall Congregational Days was an opportunity for Sisters and Associates to gather and look to the future of the congregation. VOLUME III, 2023

S. Monica Gundler (left) was one of the SC Leadership team members joining other leaders of women religious congregations in August for the LCWR annual assembly.

Synod, Taize prayer was held in chapel. To further expand on the theme, S. Montiel Rosenthal provided a PowerPoint presentation which included the names of all Sisters and Associates involved in volunteer ministries. During the past year, Sisters and Associates have given more than 94,450 volunteer hours, by conservative estimates. Gratitude was expressed for the service rendered by all. Additional presentations and updates were provided throughout the weekend. Mackenzie Doyle, newly hired justice promoter, explained the recently formed Justice Circles and how they function. S. Tracy Kemme, who was in Rome for the opening of the synod, presented a PowerPoint via video on Vocations and an update on Formation. S. Mary Catherine Faller, who is responsible for scheduling of La Casa del Sol Ministry Center, explained that any nonprofit organization can use the building at no cost since it is environmentally self-sustaining. And S. Monica Gundler, president, shared some thoughts about the future of the congregation with table discussion to follow. The Sisters and Associates gave a very positive response to the weekend and look forward to forthcoming meetings discussing the future of religious life and the future of the Sisters of Charity. As the Leadership Team develops future plans, involvement of all Sisters and Associates is vital. It is beneficial to learn from other religious congregations and how they are moving into the future of their religious lives. This is an exciting time of continual change! Future religious life will not look anything like the past years. It is a time to rely on the creative Spirit of our God. 3

Joyful Beginnings By Erin Reder

ooking at the person she is today, S. Whitney Schieltz can’t help but see the growth that she’s experienced since entering the Sisters of Charity in 2015. The Dayton, Ohio, native first came to know the Community after a chance meeting at a Martha Dinner in 2014. While she was raised Catholic, S. Whitney will be the first to tell you she didn’t have much of a personal piety throughout her youth. In fact, it wasn’t until she was living in Lexington, Kentucky, and attending graduate school, that she started revisiting the idea of going to church. Her housemates were attending a nondenominational church and talked freely about their faith and spirituality. Out of curiosity S. Whitney decided to tag along, and while she enjoyed the church, she sensed that it wasn’t quite the right fit for her. She returned to the Dayton area after her degree was complete and began attending a Catholic parish in Beavercreek. Since she didn’t have a strong religious formation in her younger years, it was suggested she participate in the RCIA program. It was in this experience that she learned about the Martha Dinner that ultimately led her on the path to discernment. The event was for women wanting to learn more about religious life. “I think I knew it was specifically for women considering religious life but I was also curious enough that I figured, what’s the worst that could happen?” she explains. There she met Sisters Tracy Kemme and Andrea Koverman (Novices at the time) as well as Sisters Lois Jean Goettke and Janet Gildea. They casually talked about her interests and gave 4

her a brochure. At home S. Whitney visited the SC website and when she came across a blog S. Tracy published at the time, “Diary of a Sister-inTraining,” it was then that she started to realize this may be more than just a casual visit to learn about religious life. “I started freaking out a little bit,” she says with a laugh, “amazed that I was even entertaining the idea.” But something kept pushing her forward and she ended up visiting the Motherhouse that February and getting to know more about the Community and Sisters. She continued to visit and take part in opportunities presented and the one thing she realized throughout: “It never felt weird or wrong,” she says. “Why fix something that’s not broken?” In September 2015 S. Whitney took the next step and began Affiliation with the Community. She moved to New Mexico to live and minister with the Sisters on the U.S./Mexico border. These next few years were a time of tremendous growth and of being stretched to her limits. “Trying to navigate that first year was pretty difficult,” she recalls. “I remember struggling a lot in my discernment and thinking I’m not cut out for this. But, there was something about being stretched and pushed out of my comfort zone that made me realize I didn’t really want to have a life where I’m not being challenged. It may not always be easy, but this is the kind of life I want to have.” One of her biggest challenges involved discerning ministry and determining how to put her architectural and historic preservation background to use. She didn’t feel that her I N T E RC O M

gifts could fully be utilized at the clinic run by the Sisters in Anapra, Mexico, and so, near the end of her first year of Affiliation, she began serving at Villa Maria, a transitional women’s shelter in the Segundo Barrio in El Paso, Texas. Here she began to realize her ministerial calling as she helped the women seek housing and employment opportunities. Once she returned to Cincinnati in August 2017, S. Whitney again found herself trying to determine how to do ministry as a Sister and use her gifts. After a variety of volunteer experiences during her first year of Novitiate, a phone call from S. Barbara Busch, executive director of Working In Neighborhoods (WIN), set S. Whitney on a path that has ultimately led her to the joy and fulfillment she experiences today. “WIN needed someone to work on their housing development projects, and I was excited to help,” she recalls. As the current housing coordinator and volunteer coordinator at WIN, S. Whitney finds herself wearing many hats. Her days are filled with a variety of tasks, which can include but are not limited to funding applications, collaborating with architects and engineers, soliciting bids from contractors, applying for permits, working with potential homebuyers, placing volunteers and sometimes just providing a listening ear. “Hearing our clients’ stories is humbling,” she says. “Coming from a lifestyle where you aren’t worried about paying the bills or struggling paycheck to paycheck, it’s helpful for me to stay grounded by accompanying people whose lives are more economically challenging than my own.” She continues, “The thing I really like about WIN is even though I focus on our housing development projects, there’s also opportunities to work with our community building and financial literacy teams. As an all-encompassing community development corporation, there’s no boring day at WIN. It’s been a place where I’m learning a lot and growing, and I have had opportunities to connect with other professional mentors and to collaborate.” S. Whitney’s architectural and historic preservation expertise were also called upon by her congregation these past few years. In 2020, as the Community prepared for the demolition of Seton Hall on the Motherhouse property, S. Whitney joined the property planning committee and used her gifts and knowledge in the areas of demolition/ salvage, adaptive re-use and new construction. “It was fun to use all my design software again and actually do architectural drawings and models,” she says. “I was able to use a lot of different expressions of my repertoire of knowledge, in many different ways, and in a relatively short amount of time.” She was instrumental in the design of the congregation’s new ministry center, La Casa del Sol, located across the street from the Motherhouse and constructed with a number of state-ofthe-art energy conserving technologies. VOLUME III, 2023

She adds that her involvement beyond her ministry and the SC Community has also led to personal growth and fulfillment. S. Whitney is an active member of Bellarmine Chapel located on the Xavier University campus, getting involved with multiple liturgical ministries and social mission teams. “Having another source of community has been a blessing,” she says. “I realized during formation that most of my closest relationships at the time were with women religious, which was great, but diversity is also important. I was starting to feel a greater need for interaction with other people – especially with the pandemic causing increased isolation – and Bellarmine has been one of those places where I’m able to connect with people from a variety of backgrounds and lifestyles.”

I can contribute. My mindset has shifted from what can I receive to how can I be a contributing member and take the nourishment I receive from this SC Community and give it out into the greater community.”

Eight years after she first entered into the process of becoming a Sister of Charity, S. Whitney now looks to the future with joy. She knows that she has become a very different person from the individual she was when she first entered. She’s gained a new-found confidence in herself that allows for endless possibilities. “The reason I entered is not quite the same as what has kept me here,” she says. “When I entered I felt like this was a place where I could be a part of something greater than myself and receive spiritual nourishment and encouragement. Now it feels much more like what’s kept me here is realizing that this congregation is what’s helping me grow into the version of myself I want to continue to grow into. I feel like even though there’s been a lot of challenges, there’s been a greater sense of peace in my life as I have had the Community by my side. Finding a ministry that actually gives me a sense of purpose, I feel much more joyful and excited about what

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A Voice for Justice By Katelyn Rieder, Communications co-op

rowing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, Mackenzie Doyle (justice promoter) recalls being taught by her parents at a young age that she was “called to care for others.” The family often volunteered together at their local church—cooking meals and cleaning up at night. She laughs, “In high school, my faith practice was just kind of like, ‘I go with my parents on the weekends to Mass.’” Her connection with faith did not blossom until her senior year at Iowa State University, where she enrolled in a Catholic Social Teaching course. “It gave me a theological understanding that the Church cares about racism, the Church cares about immigration. It made sense why I didn’t agree with my more conservativeleaning Catholic folks, because that’s not the entirety of what it means to be Catholic.” From here, Mackenzie started to become more involved with campus ministry. She grew a close relationship with her campus minister, Emily Klaus, who acted as a role model, as a practicing woman of faith also motivated by social justice. “She showed me that it was not only possible, but it was who I was meant to be.” After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and Spanish, Mackenzie was certain her future would consist of being a full-time police officer. However, she began to question the reality of her role. “[Being an officer] really opened my eyes to the brokenness of the system I was working for. I felt pretty powerless—despite having power—to actually help people, specifically communities of color and those dealing with mental health issues.”

(From left to right) S. Nancy Bramlage, Associate Karen Martin and Justice Promoter Mackenzie Doyle worked together to coordinate a prayer service for peace at the Motherhouse in August 2023.

She and the police force mutually parted ways after about a year. Mackenzie then moved back home and started working at Old St. Pat’s, a parish that has a strong focus on social justice ministry. Around this same time, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd tragically became victims of police brutality. As a former officer, Mackenzie had a strong reaction to the injustice. These events, combined with all she was learning at Old St. Pat’s, “lit a fire underneath” her. She enrolled in the pastoral ministry master’s program at the University of Dayton— which made her certain that she was born for this path. “I just felt a calling to do justice ministry work,” she reflects. It was not long after that Mackenzie put in her application with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, and the rest is history. To integrate herself into the SC Community, Mackenzie spends time meeting with Sisters, Associates, and employees to build connections. This includes the six Justice Circles’ facilitators and members, which she helps run. “I think one of my goals is to help the Circles not become so much isolated silos—we have to work together for justice in the world,” she says. “I’ve just been trying to support them in their work, and also catch the looser issues that don’t fit neatly, per se, in a Justice Circle.” She continues, “I don’t want to be seen as the only person who does justice—I really want to be a facilitator of the work that the Sisters and Associates are already doing, and are going to do.” With so many different issues occurring today, Mackenzie expresses how it can be challenging to figure out what to prioritize. She says, “We’ll probably mess up a lot more than we’ll get it right, but I think what I’ve learned from the Sisters of Charity so far is that they never stop trying.” When faced with these inevitable challenges, Mackenzie persists and pushes through for the sake of continuing justice efforts—a testament to her passion for this work.

(From left to right) Sisters Romina Sapinoso, Monica Gundler, Lois Jean Goettke, Kathryn Ann Connelly, and Justice Promoter Mackenzie Doyle at the YWCA Racial Justice Breakfast in October 2023. VOLUME III, 2023

“The world is so in need of love and justice,” she says. “And even if it gets discouraging or feels hopeless, I think we should keep trying to make the world kinder, more just and loving for all people.” 7

2023 JUBILEE

Celebrating Our Jubilarians O n Aug. 27, 2023, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati honored those Sisters celebrating significant anniversaries as women religious at the Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse. This year a total of six Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati celebrated silver, golden or diamond anniversaries with the Community. Congratulations to Silver Jubilarian, S. Sandy Howe; Golden Jubilarians Sisters Judith Ansberry, Margaret Eileen Golden and Patricia Saul; and Diamond Jubilarians Sisters Kathleen Daly and Annette Muckerheide on their lives of service and commitment to God’s people. Sisters celebrating additional anniversaries were also recognized during the weekend and early the following week in Mother Margaret Hall nursing facility.

(From left) Sisters Barbara Muth, 75 years, and Marie Irene Schneider, 65 years

S. Rita Cocquyt, 70 years

S. Ann Lehman, 75 years

Jubilarians enter the chapel for their celebratory Mass.

The Community, friends and family offer a blessing to all jubilarians.

S. Judith Ansberry (front, center) was honored for her 50 years as a woman religious. She entered the Vincentian Sisters of Charity on Aug. 6, 1973. I N T E RC O M

Additional Anniversaries 80 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Ann Koebel 75 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Grace Ann Gratsch S. Ann Lehman S. Barbara Muth S. Helen Therese Scasny 70 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Rita Cocquyt Sisters celebrating 65 years with the Community are (front row, from left) Sisters Pat Newhouse, Timothy Ann Schroeder, Christine Rody, (back row, from left) Marie Irene Schneider, Patmarie Bernard, Jacqueline Kowalski, Ginny Scherer and Juliette Sabo. Not pictured are Sisters Barbara Jeanne Krekeler and Carol Power.

S. Ann Koebel, 80 years

65 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Patmarie Bernard S. Jacqueline Kowalski S. Barbara Jeanne Krekeler S. Patricia Newhouse S. Carol Power S. Christine Rody S. Juliette Sabo S. Ginny Scherer S. Marie Irene Schneider S. Timothy Ann Schroeder 55 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Mary Catherine Faller

Sisters celebrating anniversaries were recognized during a luncheon in Mother Margaret Hall in August.

(From left) Sisters Ruth Ann Rody and Mary Lee Krall enjoyed celebrating their 45 years as Sisters of Charity. (From left) Celebrant Fr. Jim Meade with Sisters Jacqueline Kowalski (65 years) and Juliette Sabo (65 years)

45 years of service S. Diana Bode S. Mary Lee Krall S. Christine Okpomeshine S. Ruth Ann Rody 35 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Margarita Brewer S. Mary Kay Bush 30 YEARS OF SERVICE S. Louise Zaplitny

(From left) Sisters Pat Newhouse, 65 years, and Mary Barbara Philippart

VOLUME III, 2023

“Somewhere It Hides a Well” By S. Mary Ann Flannery

uthor Angie Kim claims to have been inspired by Antoine de Saint Exupery’s famous book, “The Little Prince,” when she was a child in Seoul, Korea. The lines that riveted her attention were, “One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs and gleams. What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.” No one knows this better than S. Victoria Anyanwu. S. Victoria has been making periodic visits to her native Nigeria where she began providing medical service in 2006. She is a nurse working in Cincinnati. She started doing medical assessments of the people in her village of Umunagbor and eventually secured six physicians to do 685 evaluations of villagers. She and the doctors found that everyone who was evaluated suffered from diseases that could be directly attributed to the contaminated water they drank and used for bathing, washing clothes and doing household chores. People in surrounding villages exhibited the same illnesses because of contaminated water. She shudders when she describes the water people had access to saying, “It was all scum, no oxygen. It was brown muddy water. Nothing could live in this water from ponds scattered throughout the villages.” Year-after-year S. Victoria saw the illnesses increase. She asked herself, “Why treat the results of contaminated water without getting to the cause?” Eventually, she thought the best way to resolve the problem would be to create wells that would bring clean water to the surface. “I knew the water was there; we had to bring it up through wells,” she said. But, bringing up the water would require the power of generators so she enlisted the help of S. Louise Lears to work on estimating the costs of purchasing generators to pump the water from far under the desert-dry ground. At first this seemed like a dream. “Each of 10 villages was to get a generator but the cost of fuel tripled due to a new government and its policies.” So, Plan B went into action. “I love to bargain,” said S. Victoria, with a wide smile and her head shaking as she chuckled. “I thought I should get solar panels and not rely on fuel-driven generators. Nobody was using solar in the villages. They could learn more from this, too.” She approached a company to purchase and install solar panels and they agreed to help because they liked her mission for clean water. A solar panel could be set up for a 10

Clean running water comes ﬂowing from one of the unit panels.

well in each of five villages at a cost of $3,600 each. S. Victoria used the money from selling the generators and from donors and was able to purchase the panels for five wells. Next, she had to drill the wells. After careful research, S. Victoria and her advisers determined that one well could service two villages amounting to five wells for 10 villages, a total of $60,520. They also found that they had to drill 600 feet and install a tubular casing to prevent the well hole from collapsing, and then cover the costs of the tanks, wiring for power, control panels, storm protectors on the solar panels, chemical treatments, and labor. Today, the wells are running with clean water 24/7. Coming to the wells is easier than walking long distances to the fetid pools as in the past. No longer do villagers have to buy precious water and purchase fuel for generators or keep barrels and pails filled with rain water. She feels a deep sense of personal pride for her own village of Umunagbor Ihitte as a daughter of the people making their lives so much better. No one could be happier than S. Victoria. “My mission is to give glory to God,” she says wistfully. She believes that the water project will keep people healthier and that is surely a way of praising God. She recounts how her mother taught her to give what she could to make life better for others. “My mother had a difficult pregnancy when she carried me. She almost died when I was born so when I lived and she lived, she dedicated me to God,” says S. Victoria. But she was Biafran and life was not easy growing up as a Biafran in Nigeria’s political environment. Stories of starving I N T E RC O M

Biafrans in the 1970s rang in my ears as S. Victoria recalled the strife in southeastern Nigeria where Biafra existed and then receded from Nigeria as a separate state in 1967 only to be reclaimed in 1970. “I am Biafran and we have suffered much under Nigeria’s government and we continue to be disregarded. I want to help my people.” She added that Biafrans are intelligent people who want to go back to their agricultural roots devising ways to provide water for crops. “The villagers were so happy they said they would make me a king!” She laughed uproariously as they told her this. “All over water, something we take for granted.” S. Victoria Anyanwu has found a way to help her poor village and other villages all because she realized that under the barren ground “something throbs and gleams and makes the desert beautiful (because) somewhere it hides a well.” Donations for this project can be made to: Vicki Humphrey Finance Office Sisters of Charity 5900 Delhi Rd. Mt. St. Joseph, Ohio 45051

The new wells will alleviate the sufferings of women and children who walk miles every day to fetch disease-infested pond water.

Editor’s Note: Quotes from Angie Kim taken from “Inside the List,” column written by Elisabeth Egan, New York Times Book Review, p. 24. October 8, 2023.

Construction of the tank stand.

les.

e bore ho

Digging th

VOLUME III, 2023

S. Victoria A nyanwu (bac k left) says her clean wat er project w ill boost both persona l and househ old sanitary conditions an d will promo te good health and q uality of lif e. 11

Growing in Unity, Love and Service: The Associate program celebrates 50 years By Associate Angela Anno

among all the participants during meetings and meal tables and during free time, enabling Sisters and Associates the opportunity to reconnect with friends and meet new ones. It was a great time of celebration and belonging to the SC Charity Family!” Associate Karen Martin

rom the opening Taize prayer on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, to the salt ceremony on Monday, Oct. 2, Fall Congregational Days and the Associates’ 50th anniversary celebration were sacred experiences that deepened relationships and opened our spirits to new possibilities

“My experience was one of joy, God’s hand was evident in so many inclusion, shared values/charism expressed ways—in the opening Taize prayer that with clarity, artistry and music. I found drew us together; in S. Monica Gundler’s the four days to be deeply prayerful and guided meditation to soar above and renewing.” Pam Korte be open to new ways of seeing things; S. Joyce Richter (third from left) took Associates in S. Montiel Rosenthal’s PowerPoint (from left) Beth Ronan, Gail Metcalf, Karen Accompanying Others that showed the variety of ways Sister Martin, Felicia Olakanmi, Nancy Bick Clark and As we grew in our love and relationships Elaine Steiner on a guided tour of the Bender and Associate volunteers offered more with each other and the Sisters, we Mountain woods near the Motherhouse property. than 94,000 hours of service last year; were challenged on the final day by in S. Victoria Anyanwu’s presentation of Vincentian Associate Dr. Vie Thorgren, an expert on restoring bringing water to people in arid parts of Nigeria; in Justice connections, to take a deeper look at the way we interact with Promoter Mackenzie Doyle’s sharing of the opportunities others. Her presentation via Zoom involved talks and small available through Justice Circles; in Dr. Vie Thorgren’s group reflections. challenge to look at how we interact with each other; and in the We are living in liminal times of division, violence, salt commitment ceremony. poverty, hunger, climate change, increasing numbers of Though some, including Chanin Wilson, director of immigrants and refugees, and an ever-growing gap between Associates, were unable to be with us in person, we were still the rich and the poor, according to Dr. Thorgren. We’re at the together and interacted with each other as they joined us doorway to something new and how we interact with others through Zoom. can make for a better future.

Coming Together As One Family

Growth in unity and love with the Sisters and each other was a recurring theme throughout our time together; in prayer, talks, meals, hikes, games, laughter, and joy. There was incredible mingling, much deeper than simple welcoming and inclusion.

In our service to others, we strive to seek mutuality in which each person has something to offer and both make

“There was a true sense of belonging to each other that brought new energy to the Motherhouse. I felt so connected to everyone and am experiencing new joy and openness. I feel such gratitude to the leaders who made everything flow seamlessly together.” Gail Metcalf “One vital impression of the entire time was the inclusive spirit among the Sisters and Associates. There was considerable fluidity 12

(From left) Claudia Rogers, Patti Traver, Angela Anno, Ione Ruth Klekamp, Carolyn Davis, S. Teresa Marie Laengle and Pat Grublenik enjoy each other’s company during the 50th anniversary celebration.

On Oct. 2, 2023, Associates and Sisters gathered for an all-day visioning celebratio n with Vie Thorgren (an Associate of the Siste rs of Charity of Leavenworth and Nazareth) facilitating.

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(From left) Associate Maggi Yocis and S.

Louise Lears

Sisters and Associates were invited to add salt in a color of their choosing to glass vases symbolizing the beauty and diversity of their gifts.

(From left) Associates Jennifer Melke Marks and Karen Martin

(From left) S. Patrice Vales, S. Jean Miller, Associate Sue Miele, S. Dee Sizler, Associate Anne Shaffer and Associate Dave Scharfenberger enjoy lunch together during the Oct. 2 visioning celebration.

decisions. Sandpaper relationships that rub us the wrong way call us to a deeper perspective and deeper level of love. We want to be in the background and allow the other to shine, be aware of God’s role, wait on the movement of the Spirit, and practice reverent listening. In speaking of how our virtues of simplicity, charity, and humility come into play, Dr. Thorgren focused on becoming aware of the humility of God who could not bear that we would not know our value and worth; who knows our longing for God and gave us our neighbor; who gives us His body and blood; who is willing to die for us; and who trusts us with His plan for all creation. “I learned so much from Vie’s presentation on accompaniment. It truly changed my way of thinking.” Ione Klekamp “I found Vie’s second session on accompaniment to be very helpful, especially the need to practice deep and reverent listening. The entire presentation was inspiring and provided much food for thought. Our table sharing was also very uplifting.” Carolyn Davis “The presentation by Vie Thorgren was incredible. My heart, mind and soul are still processing her message and questions. She informed, inspired and challenged us to live in accompaniment with each other and with all of God’s people and creation.” Karen Martin

Deepening Our Commitment Every person has a unique gift to bring and we are all richer when it’s shared. This reality was visually expressed in the VOLUME III, 2023

Representing a number of regions throughout the U.S. and beyond, Associate Vicki Welsh (front) gathers with (back, from left) Associates Dee Mansi, Destiny Sargeant, Gail Metcalf, Kate Lears and Pat Grubelnik.

(From left) S. Caroljean Willie and Associate Dee Mansi

opening activity celebrating the Associates 50th anniversary, which ended Fall Congregational Days. Each person was invited to add salt in a color of their choosing to glass vases symbolizing the beauty and diversity of their gifts and combined commitment and service following the way of Elizabeth Seton. It was a sacred time as each person came silently as “Here I am Lord” played in the background to confirm their commitment to be salt and healing for others, offering their unique gifts for service through the ways of charity, humility, and simplicity. “Seeing the Sisters and Associates walking up to place our colored salt in the vases called to my mind that we were each placing our individual gifts and talents in there and how we are each being sent forth to use them for the good of others. …” Carolyn Davis “The salt covenant that the Sisters and Associates made together on Monday morning clearly spoke to me about the importance of the mission and how each of us serves as an integral part. I was very moved as I listened to the words of ‘Here I Am, Lord’ and watched how the various colors of salt, placed by the Sisters and Associates in the vases, grew and intermingled.” Patrice Harty “The salt commitment ceremony was not just for Associates. Sisters, too, took part in the covenant. It was very moving and inclusive and allowed people to come up at their own pace. It was a good way to celebrate the past 50 years as Associates and seal our covenant together for the next 50 years.” Destiny Sargeant 13

Walking God’s Path By S. Patricia Wittberg

n reflecting on her 25 years as a Sister of Charity, S. Sandy Howe sees how God’s blessings have been with her at every step of her journey. Her first ministries were in education at St. Albert the Great School (Dayton, Ohio) as a religion teacher for the seventh and eighth grade, and at Seton High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) as campus minister and community service coordinator where she worked with the students in faith formation, retreats and days of reflection, and community service opportunities. She also led mission trips both in and outside of the United States. These were, she said, truly blessed experiences. After 14 years at Seton, she was blessed with the opportunity to go on a sabbatical and a 30-day retreat. “Although I had no idea what I was going to be called to do for ministry when my sabbatical was over, I did know that God had a plan for me and I just needed to be willing to respond with a ‘YES.’” God’s plan was soon revealed. The Sisters of Charity Leadership Council asked her if she would be willing to coordinate a new program to welcome asylum seekers to Cincinnati. She would help them get acclimated to living in the United States and find resources for them: English classes, legal services, schools for their children, medical appointments, church services, transportation to shopping, and, eventually, job opportunities. Planning for this “Newcomers Transition Program” involved repairing and furnishing the Farmhouse building on the Motherhouse grounds to ready it for a family to live there.

In September 2018, a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo arrived and moved in. Samuel and Marie had fled political persecution in Congo and, with their two young children Samuel and Samuela, had crossed the Atlantic to Brazil and then traveled all the way up South and Central America to the Texas border where they sought asylum. Once settled in their new home, the parents attended daily English classes at Catholic Charities while the children began school. Sandy says that during that time other Sisters and Associates provided invaluable help: driving to classes, offering child care when needed, and other necessary services. Samuel and Marie lived on campus for three years. After obtaining employment, they were able to move to their own three-bedroom apartment. Currently, they are looking at buying a house. And this past September, after five years, they finally received their Green Cards and are thrilled to be thriving here! After Samuel’s and Marie’s family moved, S. Sandy became involved with Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio in its Refugee Resettlement Program: first as an intern, then as a volunteer and, since October 2021, as a paid employee. In the meantime, the Leadership Council had realized that the house on the Motherhouse campus was not really suitable for newcomers. So the Community invested in purchasing and renovating a duplex in St. Bernard so that we could house two S. Sandy Howe (center) celebrated her 25th anniversary with the Sisters of Charity in August with the help of family and Community members.

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families. The house was recently transferred to Working In Neighborhoods, which now owns the building. Unlike our first family, the house would be for refugees at this time, and not for asylum seekers. The difference between these two official categories is that refugees come here with all their legal documents, sometimes after waiting for years in their home or in another country. They are able to begin working as soon as they arrive, and often have connections here to help them. So they will be able to move and live on their own sooner, and the duplex will be able to shelter more families. The need for transitional shelter is great for both refugees and asylum seekers.

(Front, from left) Sisters Marianne Van Vurst, Mary Gallagher and Jean Miller delivered gifts of winter hats, scarves and gloves, diapers, and supplies to families in the Newcomers Transitions program.

S. Sandy reports that the first two families have moved into the duplex this year: Amissa and her seven children came from Burundi in March, and Ibrahim, Hadlah and their four children arrived from Jordan in June. “They are all learning English as they are adjusting to life in Cincinnati and the United States,” she said. S. Sandy noted again that the help of the Sisters and Associates has been invaluable. Recently, the Sisters in Mother Margaret Hall nursing facility took a collection of winter hats, scarves and gloves, diapers, cleaning supplies and a host of other items for the two families. Sisters Jean Miller, Mary Gallagher, and Marianne Van Vurst delivered what they had collected to the families.

As S. Sandy says, “This line of work, this ministry, has been extremely life-giving and a real joy. It also has its challenges that require patience and perseverance. Things tend to take a long time, so waiting on paperwork, return calls, and

appointments can get frustrating. The language barrier also has its challenges, but it has been a real learning experience finding ways to communicate.” Many times, she said, it also brings much laughter. There are also many rewards. Watching the children grow and learn new things over the years, rejoicing with the adults as they learn English, gain employment, and get driver’s licenses and cars is a joy. S. Sandy also says that she could not do what she does with the families without the SC Community. “The Sisters and Associates have been a part of this program since the beginning. Their love, prayers, support, and interest have made all the difference.” But coordinating the Newcomers Program and working with the Refugee Resettlement Program at Catholic Charities is not all that S. Sandy is involved in! She is also on the boards of two local nonprofits: currently chairing the Board for Price Hill Will, and serving on the Santa Maria Community Services Board. The Sisters of Charity have a long history with both of these organizations, which serve those in need on the West Side of Cincinnati. Santa Maria was, in fact, started by Sisters Blandina and Justina Segale back in 1897. S. Sandy also co-chairs the Justice Circle on Immigration and Ending Human Trafficking, in which Sisters and Associates advocate and provide services for immigrants to our city. As S. Sandy says, “Being involved in so many opportunities as a Sister of Charity is truly what makes me so happy, joy-filled, and peace-filled, knowing that God has called me to this. Yes, at times it can be overwhelming, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am so very blessed to be celebrating 25 years as a Sister of Charity and couldn’t be happier. I look forward to my next 25 years!”

Ibrahim (right), Hadlah (left) and their four children arrived from Jordan in June.

VOLUME III, 2023

A Spirit-Led Synod: Heeding the Age-Old Call to “Restore My Church” By S. Tracy Kemme

uring the summer of 1206, Francis of Assisi was praying before a crucifix in the dilapidated San Damiano Chapel when he heard a call from God that revolutionized both his life and Christianity: “Francis, don’t you see that my house is falling into ruin? Go, then, and restore it for me.” More than eight centuries later, Pope Francis is leading a historic synod process that has again stirred up this energy of renewal. On a radiant October day, the eve of the Synod of Bishops opening in Rome, I found myself in Assisi praying before the very same San Damiano cross. I asked God, in awe and earnest, “How do you call us to restore your Church today?” I traveled to Italy on Sept. 27, 2023, with the Discerning Deacons Young Adult Synodal Pilgrimage. Discerning Deacons is an organization that engages Catholics in reimagining women’s roles in the Church, specifically restoring women to the diaconate. They invited 16 young adults from across North America to journey together to Rome to celebrate and bear witness to the start of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. For the first time in the Church’s history, this assembly includes lay voting members, including women and young people. The meeting comes as part of the worldwide Synod on Synodality, a process of listening and dialogue initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to hear from the whole People of God. Remarkably, the theme of rethinking women’s participation in Church emerged globally.

many Christian churches gathered with Pope Francis and the synod delegates to pray for the upcoming assembly. My heart was overcome by the beauty of both silence and song filling St. Peter’s Square. The Word proclaimed in many languages reminded us of our wondrous unity in diversity and set the tone for a synod that discerns in relationship with our global human community. Notably, the San Damiano cross hung above the altar throughout the evening, transported from Assisi for this momentous occasion. Again, we could feel the desire of Pope Francis to enkindle the spirit of his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, who practiced ecumenism as he sought renewal of his own faith tradition. After the ecumenical prayer service, delegates entered several days of retreat together – another first that would allow delegates to grow in friendship and prayer before entering the meeting hall on Wednesday, Oct. 4 – the feast of St. Francis. Indeed, even the format and furniture of the synod meetings sings of renewal. Mixed groups of lay and ordained people from an array of cultural and ethnic backgrounds sit at round tables, instead of in stadium-style seating as in previous Bishops’ assemblies. They engage the working document (Instrumentum Laboris) through the methodology of conversations in the spirit, free to share honestly from their hearts and from the experience of their communities. One Sister delegate mentioned that such open, egalitarian discernment seemed to

We began our pilgrimage by participating in Together 2023, an ecumenical weekend gathering for young adults sponsored by the French ecumenical Taizé community. Friday afternoon, Sept. 29, we joined young adults from many nations at the beautiful Jesuit Curia for a dialogue on and experience of synodality. S. Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, led us through the “methodology of conversations in the Spirit,” the same process that is being used in the synod room. My small group included a Brazilian Opus Dei member, a progressive politician from the Netherlands, and a Croatian college student. As we engaged the steps of authentic sharing and deep listening, interspersed with silent prayer, a palpable sense of the renewing Spirit overtook the room. I left the experience overjoyed that the synod would proceed this way, in true communal discernment. On Saturday night, Sept. 30, after a day of Together workshops, we processed through the streets of Rome to Vatican City for a special ecumenical prayer vigil. Leaders of 16

Sixteen young adults traveled to Italy in September 2023 with the Discerning Deacons Young Adult Synodal Pilgrimage to celebrate and bear witness to the start of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. I N T E RC O M

S. Tracy Kemme praying before the San Damiano cross, the same cross St. Francis of Assisi prayed before in 1206.

The San Damiano cross hung above the altar during a special ecumenical prayer vigil on Sept. 30.

be stretching some of the bishops and helping to dismantle the feeling of hierarchy. The mission of our Young Adult Pilgrimage, in addition to bearing witness to this historic moment as synodal ambassadors for our U.S communities, was to encounter delegates in a posture of support and prayer. Throughout the Together experience and after the opening Mass of the synod on Oct. 4, we met and prayed with more than 25 delegates, from Julia Oseka, a 22-yearold U.S. college student originally from Poland, to Cardinal JeanClaude Hollerich of Luxembourg, who holds a most influential role as “relator general” of the synod. Cardinal Hollerich even welcomed a hug from me and humbly received our group’s prayer over him. We invited each delegate to share their prayer intentions, and almost every one asked for an open heart to listen deeply to the Spirit and one another. Encountering women delegates was especially moving, for both them and us, as they prepared to enter spaces and roles never before filled by women. They seemed genuinely touched and buoyed by our cheerleading, and they were generous in entrusting their prayers to us. Helena Jeppesen-Spuhler from Switzerland asked us to pray for the “force of the Spirit” to bring reconciliation and openness to dialogue. S. Lalitha Thomas of India asked for humility, patience to bear any tensions, and the grace to remain hopeful. Catherine Clifford of Ontario asked us to pray that women’s voices truly are heard. Whether they requested it or not, we prayed courage and strength over each of them – brilliant, loving, prophetic disciples who are making a new way in the Church. At press, we cannot predict outcomes of this synod assembly. An authentic discernment process must remain radically open to where the Spirit leads. Pope Francis has decided that this meeting will have a Part Two next October, so we probably will not see concrete decisions this time. Instead, we may gain more clarity on the important questions and areas VOLUME III, 2023

S. Tracy Kemme (left) prays over a few of the women delegates of the synod.

for discernment on the three major themes of communion, participation, and mission. In addition, exciting for us, there may be opportunities to engage throughout the year and again add our voices to the discernment process. On the train home from Assisi on Oct. 3, we saw an Instagram update that Pope Francis had placed a replica of the San Damiano cross at the entrance to the synod meeting hall. Wow! Every day, as delegates passed through the doors, to and from their sessions for this historic discernment process, they were greeted with a powerful symbol of God’s call to restore a struggling Church. The same Spirit that inspired St. Francis of Assisi to abandon himself to the Gospel call seems to be stirring up the winds of renewal in Rome and throughout the world. What a time to be alive! Such a moment does not allow us to be spectators only. Instead, it beckons each of us to pray about our part in the great work: “God, how do you call me to help restore your Church today?”

Leaders of many Christian churches gathered on Sept. 30 with Pope Francis and synod delegates to pray for the upcoming assembly. 17

Following Her Grace By S. Joan Cook

riends and Sisters describe S. Christine Marie Rody as always eager to encourage others to be their best selves. She says about herself that in her varied ministries as teacher, missionary, canon lawyer, congregational leader and volunteer she looks for ways to promote growth and healing among the people she serves.

heard a talk about vocations in sixth grade, she remembers realizing, “I could do that!” She entered the VSCs after her sophomore year in high school, and was given the name S. Mary Thomas Aquinas – a name that suited her well because of her Dominican connection and her interest in learning. After Vatican Council II Sister resumed her baptismal name, S. Christine Marie.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, S. Christine was the first child of Joseph and Ruth She earned a bachelor’s degree at Rody. Her brother William Joseph (Bill) St. John’s Teachers College in Cleveland, is deceased and his widow Sandra lives and taught at St. Mary’s and St. Barnabas in Florida. Her brother Robert Joseph elementary schools and religion at Lumen S. Christine Marie Rody celebrated 65 years (Bob) lives in Norwalk, Ohio; her sister Cordium High School, Bedford. She was of religious life in 2023. S. Ruth Ann lives at the Motherhouse; and eager for her religion students not simply her youngest brother Joseph Francis (Rusty to learn about Catholicism, but to also because he has red hair) and his wife Janice live near Ravenna, become committed Catholics. Her 1970 article in Religion Ohio. At a young age S. Christine developed an intercultural Teacher’s Journal, “Teen-Aides in CCD,” describes her program awareness from her father, a crane operator on Lake Erie. She of fostering the students’ good will and generosity by preparing occasionally toured with him the different ships he loaded and them to serve as aides in CCD classes. They learned to listen unloaded, and she was fascinated that the crews spoke different to primary children’s prayers, instruct them in participating languages. Her correspondence with a pen pal in Bombay, in offertory processions, and prepare lessons using filmstrips India gave her further appreciation of the common features we – 1970s audio-visual technology. She further enriched her all share, along with our many cultural uniquenesses. religion teaching by earning a master’s degree in theology at St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. The program S. Christine was taught by the Vincentian Sisters of included a summer in Israel and Greece, making it possible for Charity at St. Mary’s and St. Pius X elementary schools in S. Christine to broaden her students’ multi-cultural awareness. Bedford, Ohio, and by the Adrian Dominican Sisters at Marymount High School in Garfield Heights. When she

S. Christine Rody (right), with S. Barbara Hagedorn, was the general superior of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity when the congregation merged with the Cincinnati community in 2004. 18

S. Christine joined the Cleveland Latin American Mission Team, realizing she could enrich the Salvadoran women who wanted to learn the same subjects their children were being taught in school. And she knew that her high school students in Ohio would benefit from her intercultural experience. When several members of the Cleveland Mission Team were brutally assassinated, S. Christine and her fellow missionaries discerned with Archbishop Pilla of Cleveland about their future in El Salvador. She realized she would likely be the assassins’ next target. So she celebrated Christmas with the other members of the Cleveland team, then returned to the United States. She served for a year at the Vincentian Center for Spirituality while discerning how her gifts could best serve the people of Northern Ohio. S. Christine recognized the need for a Spanish-speaking member of the Cleveland Marriage Tribunal, and enrolled in the Canon Law program at The Catholic University of I N T E RC O M

America. That program was interrupted when she was elected general superior of the VSCs, and eventually completed the licentiate program at CUA and served in the Marriage Tribunal and as delegate for religious in the Diocese of Cleveland. S. Mary Ann Flannery observes, “A thread of compassionate justice motivated S. Christine throughout these careers, each one leading to the next with even greater awareness of the need to serve those seeking justice in their life situations.” [Intercom Spring 2010 p. 15] As general superior, S. Christine continued her efforts to enrich the lives of her Sisters and the people they served. She negotiated for VSC Sisters to work in Pineville, Kentucky. This Appalachian ministry was a significant outreach opportunity for all the Sisters: they collected toys and clothes for the people of Pineville, benefitting the recipients and broadening the Sisters’ awareness of the extreme poverty in that area. Another significant step was to join the SC Federation, another opportunity for the VSCs to stretch their awareness of the larger world. A significant challenge was developing as the Sisters began to experience diminishment in their numbers. They were determined to maintain their commitment to ministry, and a major opportunity arose with the realization that Lumen Cordium High School was no longer sustainable. While the decision to close the school after 24 years of educating young women was a sad and difficult one, the Sisters and the Bedford community were at peace, realizing they had made a wise and timely decision. Continuing in a spirit of communal discernment, the people concluded that a senior living facility would be an asset for the Bedford community. Light of Hearts Villa was born two years later. At the blessing ceremony S. Christine invited the attendees, “Let us pray that we may continue to do the work of God in this building with the people we count as blessings to our lives.” S. Christine was serving as general superior as the Sisters began taking significant steps into an unknown future

S. Christine Rody (middle) uses her fluency in Spanish in her volunteer ministry at the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Cincinnati.

and merger with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. She opened the 2003 General Chapter, reminding the Sisters of their commitment to maintain the mission in the midst of diminishment. “We are called to fix our sights on Christ and to walk together down our road toward the future God has planned for our good – a future full of hope.” The two communities merged in June 2004. As a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, S. Christine continues to share her gift for encouraging people to grow. In congregational leadership as councilor and treasurer, her experiences with diminishment, care of property and support of the Sisters served her and all the Sisters well as realities in the Church and world have continued to change. Today S. Christine serves in the Marriage Tribunal of the Toledo Diocese and volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Cincinnati, using her fluency in Spanish in both of these settings. And she shares her enjoyment of quilting in her hobby of gathering groups to make purses for the Motherhouse Gift Shop. She lives the advice of Saint Elizabeth Seton to always follow her grace.

S. Christine Rody with an El Salvadoran cross given to her by Jean Donovan and Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, two of the four U.S. missionaries killed in El Salvador in 1980. In her spare time, S. Christine Rody enjoys quilting. VOLUME III, 2023

Called by Spirit,

United by Love By Erin Reder

aking a look back on the 50 years since the Sisters of Charity Associate program commenced, one can’t help but reminisce on the joys and challenges, evolution and graces that have presented themselves. Past and present directors Sisters Rita Hawk and Mary Ann Humbert and Associates Mary Jo Mersmann and Chanin Wilson all gathered before the Sept. 2 Motherhouse celebration to remember the past, honor relationships and imagine the future. (From left) Both current and former Associate directors Chanin Wilson and Mary Jo Mersmann agree that one of the memories they cherish most has been the

Even though the program began in the 1970s, it wasn’t opportunity to take part in pilgrimages to the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Seton in until 1992 that S. Rita Hawk was hired as the first director of Emmitsburg, Maryland. Associates. She had been involved prior to that serving on the Colorado, Florida, etc.) and get acquainted with the Co-Membership Committee for the Dayton province. Those early years she remembers as quite a challenge. There was much Associates and even the Sisters,” S. Rita said. It was during a visit with S. Mary Loyola Mathia and the Associates down in resistance and hesitation to the program; many Sisters did not Florida that she realized the Associates wanted to feel more understand what the relationship was or its purpose. Yet, the connected to each other. That conversation was the impetus program continued to grow. “It was organic,” says S. Rita, “a for the first Associate Convocation held in July 1995. With real sign of the Spirit. People were drawn to the charism.” more than 140 Sisters and Associates attending, the goal for As she began to dive in to her role, S. Rita said she needed the convocation was for Associates to clarify, identify and to bring some organization to the program. She formed an intensify their relationships with the Community; to become Advisory Committee of Associates and Sisters to assist in more connected with the SC roots; to further a sense of developing policies and procedures, as well as educating the mutuality between the Sisters and Associates; and to offer an congregation on its purpose. She also created an Associate opportunity for SCs and Associates to pray with, socialize handbook to serve as a guide and orientation to the program. with and become more acquainted with one another. S. Rita “One of the first things I did was go around to all the explains that the convocation was a turning point with more different places where we had Associates (New Mexico, Associates being accepted. In 1997 S. Mary Ann Humbert took the reins as director. She too felt the challenge to help Sisters realize the value and blessing in the Sister-Associate relationship. She worked tirelessly to stretch Community members’ thoughts about the Associates and the possibilities. S. Mary Ann advocated for more integration – in publications and celebrations. “I felt good that there was a lot more interconnection,” recalls S. Mary Ann, “of Sisters appreciating the Associates, and offering reverence, respect, sharing – that was really what I wanted to do.”

(From left) Associate Mary Jo Mersmann, S. Mary Ann Humbert, S. Rita Hawk and Associate Chanin Wilson were part of the Mass on Sept. 2 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Associate program. 20

In 2000, S. Mary Ann invited Sisters and Associates to respond to a questionnaire entitled, “Can You Picture This?” One of the questions asked was if members thought the director of Associates could be a lay person. The majority of responses said ‘no.’ However, in June 2002 Associate Mary I N T E RC O M

Jo Mersmann was hired as director of Associates. “That was a challenge,” Mary Jo says with a laugh. Her many years of experience as a director of religious education and lay pastoral ministry and her life-long relationship with the Sisters helped prepare her for the role. “From what I learned from S. Mary Ann was one of my biggest roles was to advocate for Associates. Whenever there was a letter that went out to just SCs, I’d call and ask if Associates could be included. My first duty, always, was to advocate.” Persistence through resistance and misunderstanding was key. Many milestones occurred during Mary Jo’s 15 years as director. When she started in her role there were approximately 100 Associates; when she retired in 2017, the number had doubled. Helping Sisters gain a better understanding of who the Associates were and why they were a part of the charism, was a large part of her sense of duty. Mary Jo was proud of the development of the Associate formation program; the 2012 Caritas Convocation planned by the Associates for the congregation as a way to build community and strengthen the Sister/Associate relationship; and her involvement with NACAR (North American Conference of Associates and Religious), which offered her the ability to share with the SC Community what others were doing all over the country and world. Another special memory involves the pilgrimages to Emmitsburg, Maryland and the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. “The Shrine has a special place in my heart,” she says. “Going there over and over again with new people who saw something different or shared something different in prayer or discussions, that’s a really important memory for me.” In 2017, Chanin Wilson was named director of Associates. In addition to facing the same challenges as past directors, Chanin was the first Associate director living outside of Cincinnati. Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she found herself depending on technology. “Not being in Cincinnati has been good,” she says. “It’s a changing world. Not all Associates are in Cincinnati. It’s been a challenge at times, but it’s been a good growth for us. We have been forced

to be more creative to find ways to connect.” “Having Chanin outside of Cincinnati has helped those in Cincinnati see that everything doesn’t have to happen here,” adds Mary Jo. “There are people in other places and they too can carry on the charism. It’s empowering Associates to plan their own gatherings and activities and to carry forward the mission themselves.” One way of doing so was the implementation of regional representatives, which was developed in 2017. Six Associate leaders committed to helping Associates stay in touch, providing leadership for and building relationships with Associates in their region. The structure provided Associates and SCs with new connections and opportunities to get to know each other. In addition, COVID had a huge impact on the ability for Sisters and Associates to gather. Through technology, Chanin and administrative assistant Sue DiTullio created opportunities for gathering through Zoom. Associate Shares now take place monthly and provide a topic of conversation and scheduled time for Associates and Sisters to meet virtually to connect on a deeper level. The four women agree that each Associate has been called by God to be a part of the charism/mission of the Community; whether it be daring to risk a caring response, living life through love and friendship, and/or connecting to Mother Seton, Associates are charism carriers, living it in their own unique ways. It’s a connection that continues to inspire. “Every time an Associate makes their commitment, I feel like we are being called to be better Sisters of Charity,” says S. Mary Ann. “When they say how they want to connect with us or what they see in us, it feels like a call. It’s important for all of us.” The 50th anniversary celebration on Sept. 2, 2023, as well as the visioning celebration at the Motherhouse on Oct. 2 were opportunities to honor the past but, more importantly, to look to the future and where the Associate program and the Community are headed. “It’s continually changing,” says Chanin. “Just like the Sisters, it’s evolving.”

The four directors of Associates (from left) S. Rita Hawk, S. Mary Ann Humbert, Mary Jo Mersmann and Chanin Wilson have each played a pivotal role in the development of the Associate program.

VOLUME III, 2023

Journeying in Faith By Associate Dave Scharfenberger

ssociate Gail Metcalf considers herself to be a lifelong learner. She has learned through her journeys, whether through travels or engaging in new activities. Her motivation is growing in her faith and serving others. Gail feels called to follow the beatitudes, to respond especially to those in poverty.

At the recommendation of the Sisters, Gail took a side trip to El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. She saw first-hand the efforts of the Sisters to minister to the people around Juarez. Gail was struck by the poverty of the people and their efforts to provide for their families.

When Gail lived in Massachusetts, she was always an active volunteer. One of her volunteer activities was serving on the local board of education to make a difference in the school system. When she retired at 57, she decided to become a “professional volunteer.”

A recent journey brought Gail to Cincinnati to meet the Sisters at the Motherhouse and Associates. One of the places Gail visited was St. Joseph Home, a former sponsored ministry founded by the Sisters of Charity. She While in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Associate Gail was impressed with the care that the Metcalf (left) met S. Carol Power (right) and learned staff showed to each person. “I observed Gail and her husband, Jon, later moved about her years of service in the area. the love and kindness shown by every to Florida, and she immediately looked for employee,” Gail said. “They really have a family atmosphere.” new opportunities to volunteer. She got involved in Mothers against Drunk Driving and spoke on MADD Victim Impact panels. This cause was near and dear to her heart as her mother was killed by a drunk driver. While she was on retreat, she learned about the Associates of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and was immediately drawn to the Charity charism. “I was impressed with their spirituality and their commitment to minister to and care for people on the margins and to treat them as human beings,” Gail explained. “The Sisters paved the way for living out the Gospel through spirituality and service.”

Gail feels like her journeys have given her a greater appreciation and sense of connection to the Sisters of Charity and the Associates. Being an Associate has given her the support to grow in her faith and her ministry to the homeless. Gail’s journeys reinforced her feeling that she is at home with the Sisters of Charity. She continues to minister to the people in Florida as she lives out her faith. “I feel blessed every day of my life and am so glad to connect with people who share the same values,” Gail shared. “My faith has brought me through all times in my life. That’s what keeps me positive.”

Gail began the discernment process on becoming an Associate with the help of her companion Associate Peggy Brockman. She made her commitment three years ago and immediately joined a group of Associates in Florida. The small group not only came together to pray but also engaged in action, ministering to the homeless in the area. But Gail wanted to learn more. She had often taken off traveling by herself as a way to reflect and refresh her spirit. (Her husband Jon has always supported her travels.) In 2022, Gail traveled cross country to see her daughter in San Diego, California, and decided to visit Albuquerque and Santa Fe in New Mexico, sites of the places where S. Blandina Segale worked. With the help of Chanin Wilson, director of Associates, she got the names of Sisters Carol Power and Juanita Marie Gonzales. Gail was in awe by their work, their spirituality and their energy for helping others. Gail also saw the churches where S. Blandina worked and the school that S. Blandina started. 22

On a recent trip to Cincinnati, Florida Associate Gail Metcalf (front row, third from left) enjoyed meeting the Sisters and Associates in the area and learning more about the SC legacy. I N T E RC O M

Everything is

Connected By Mackenzie Doyle, justice promoter

ne of the key grounding values of our new Justice Circles is intersectionality, and in my first few months as the new justice promoter, I have seen numerous connections and opportunities for collaboration, another grounding value, and intersectionality. This value is truly core to our new vision of justice work that we are trying to live into because no issue can operate in its own silo. Every issue of justice intersects with others. Currently we have six Justice Circles: Earth Justice; Immigration and Ending Human Trafficking; Peace and Nonviolence; Poverty, Homelessness, and Food Insecurity; Racial Justice; and the United Nations NGO Impact. In this article I thought I would share with you some opportunities for intersectionality from this fall. During the months of August and September, the NGO (non-governmental organization) representative for the Vincentian Federation, Dr. Jimmy Walters, focused on homelessness at the United Nations. Jimmy is a member of the Working Group to End Homelessness. This group hosted an event Oct. 5 that included listening to the stories of those who have or are experiencing homelessness. The NGO Impact Circle invited members from the Poverty, Homelessness, and Food Insecurity Justice Circle to join them in their August and September meetings since the NGO Impact Group is focused on having grassroots conversations between the global work Jimmy is doing and our local contexts. Another opportunity for collaboration popped up after I attended the Peace and Nonviolence Justice Circle’s meeting in August. Circle facilitator S. Andrea Koverman mentioned that Sept. 21 was the International Day of Peace, and I thought it might be a wonderful opportunity for a prayer service for peace at the Motherhouse. Then I realized this event took place during National Migration Week (important for the Immigration and Ending Human Trafficking Justice Circle) and the Season of Creation (important for the Earth Justice Circle). So S. Nancy Bramlage (member of the Immigration and Ending Human Trafficking Circle) and Associate Karen Martin (member of the Peace and Nonviolence and Earth Justice Circles) helped me create an intersectional event that showed how peace and nonviolence is key to every other Justice Circle topic. We began our prayer service with a drum chant invoking the natural elements of earth, wind, sky, and sea led by Sisters Shirley Le Blanc, Dee Sizler, Marie Tessmer, and Terry Thorman. We then moved into a prayer to the Four Directions where we acknowledged the contributions of VOLUME III, 2023

(From left) Sisters Terry Thorman, Marie Tessmer, Shirley Le Blanc and Dee Sizler began the prayer service for peace with a drum chant.

indigenous peoples to the land that we are praying on and entered into an indigenous practice of greeting the three Spirits (or Trinity) from the Four Directions. We then moved into a reading of the petitions which incorporated a petition from each Justice Circle topic showing how it intersects with peace and nonviolence. We concluded the service by inviting everyone to write an intention, word, or phrase for peace on a paper dove and place it on our “peace tree.” This tree was displayed in the alcove across from the Motherhouse chapel until Oct. 2, the International Day of Nonviolence. It was a wonderful and much-needed prayer service for our world as we remembered the need for peace in our relationships to the Earth and all other creatures as well as the need to create a world where no one is forced to flee their homes because of war, violence, and/or climate change. In November, we had our first All-Justice Circle Gathering, an afternoon of collaboration amongst the Justice Circles. As a part of that meeting, we had table conversations with members of different Justice Circles, asking them to envision how we can collaborate together. As a request from the Earth Justice Circle, we also brainstormed ideas for our Laudato Si’ Action Platform commitments for 2024. Each Circle came up with an idea of an action to take next year at the intersection of Earth justice and their topic. This coming year, many of our Laudato Si’ education goals will include intersectionality with the other Justice Circle issues. We also hope in 2024 to put some of the ideas on collaboration into action, such as creating a justice focus quarterly or monthly that invites all the Justice Circles to focus on together. We have also decided to open our Justice Circles to all in the Federation, other congregations, students, and other community members. 23

S. Annette Muckerheide: Allowing the Spirit to Flow Through Her By Elizabeth Bookser Barkley

n her 34 years teaching biology at Mount St. Joseph University, S. Annette Muckerheide made sure that her students absorbed her most important message: “Life is life is life. We are all connected, and we are obliged to care for life in all its marvelous forms.” At a recent reunion of biology alumni, S. Annette relished meeting her now-professional former students. “I tried to instill in them how to think, how to be curious, how to see God in everything. It was a joy to realize that many of them got that message. Their lives radiate this.” That she would lead the life of a scientist was always clear to her because of the influence of her mother, “a wonderful teacher,” and her father, a chemical engineer. He never tired of answering the questions she posed even as a young child: “What? How? What if?” That she would enter religious life was less certain. Her parents, once Catholic, had left the Church when their pastor would not allow her mother’s best friend, who was not Catholic, to be in their wedding. Although the family, including her younger brother Don, had rich conversations at home, religion never entered into any of them. Science was the “how,” but religion was the “why” that her parents avoided. Still, they sent her to Catholic schools, Cardinal Pacelli and St. Ursula in Cincinnati, Ohio. Out of curiosity, S. Annette would secretly slip into churches, sometimes attending Mass without her parents’ knowledge. One day in fifth grade, she looked at the Sister who was her teacher and thought, “I could be a Sister.” She never articulated that dream to her parents, and learned only later in life that they had transferred her to McNicholas High School, afraid that if she stayed under the influence of the Ursuline Sisters, she would want to join them. When she was ready for college, they wanted her to attend the University of Cincinnati, but she begged to be able to join a friend who had been accepted at the College of Mount St. Joseph (now Mount St. Joseph University). Her father drove the two of them to the Mount, where they were greeted by a smiling S. Margaret Loretto Ryan. On that day, she remembers, “I knew that this was where I belonged, this is what I wanted.” It was during her sophomore year that her vocation to the Sisters of Charity, rather than another 24

S. Annette Muckerheide (right) celebrated 60 years of religious life in 2023.

community, became clear to her. One day her chemistry teacher, S. Ignatius Sanche, put an arm around S. Annette and asked, “When are you going to New Orleans?” That city was home to the provincial house for the Sisters of St. Joseph, the order who taught at McNicholas. When S. Annette told her, “I’m not going,” S. Ignatius asked, “So, you’re going to join us?” “I guess so.” It took only three words to decide. After eight years teaching in high schools in New Mexico and Ohio, S. Annette returned to the Mount, trading her days learning from Sisters of Charity biology faculty to becoming a faculty member in the very classrooms and labs where she had been nurtured. With pride she notes the “thousands of students” whose lives she has impacted through her teaching and mentoring. She also inspired and connected with many Mount faculty and staff during her years there. One of them, Dr. Jim Bodle, a professor of psychology, describes her as “rooted, deeply committed, and spirited (in several senses of the word).” Her life as a Sister of Charity and her spiritual values “fed into an academic integrity,” he says. “She was so honest, and she made decisions on what she saw as true to the values the Mount espouses. She saw the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law in our academic policies.” Some of her colleagues will remember her for the many I N T E RC O M

Friends for nearly 50 years, Sisters Joan Wessendarp (left) and Annette Muckerheide have enjoyed many hobbies and activities together through the years.

S. Annette Muckerheide ministered for more than 30 years as a faculty member of the biology department at the College of Moun t St. Joseph.

leadership roles she held, including being chair of the biology department, the Honors Program, and the promotion and tenure committee. Some may recall that twice she received the student-nominated Excellence in Teaching Award named after one of her beloved professors, S. Adele Clifford.

co-founder of WIN with S. Barbara Busch, observed, “Them kids just pull all the love that’s in you right out, don’t they?”

But Jim has a deeper insight into her as a teacher because he co-taught with her an Honors course called Science and Faith, where as a woman religious biologist, “Annette was deeply committed to the entirety of the course.”

Music also brings her joy and finds expression in her longtime commitment to the music ministry at the Motherhouse, where she plays the flute, an instrument she learned as a student at the Mount. When she is playing, she is conscious of the physical instrument, but as importantly, it works as a metaphor for her relationship with God.

She built relationships with her students, but that didn’t prevent her from setting a high bar for them, “making them accountable so they grew into better students,” according to Jim. In the Science and Faith course, students learned that religion and biology “can’t be the same because they come from disciplines that have different ways of knowing, and both approaches to reality have to be respected,” he explains. “Along with her scientific perspective, S. Annette brought a sense of awe” as students explored the connections between the two disciplines. The wonder at creation that she brought to her teaching continues to fill her life now that she has left the classroom. She finds great joy in being outdoors in the midst of nature. She makes sure she gets out every day, often walking the Motherhouse grounds with S. Joan Wessendarp, her friend of nearly 50 years. On her own, she sometimes “loops around the cemetery or back into the woods. At home I can sit on the tree-shaded porch at the side of our house.”

In that moment, S. Annette realized, “None of what I was giving to those children was mine. It was God’s doing, what was in me was divine.”

“Flutes are hollow, so it’s my breath passing through that metal that produces sound,” she says. Pushed to explain her instrument’s relevance to her spirituality, she smiles: “I need to be empty enough to let the spirit do what she will.” S. Annette Muckerheide finds much joy in her longtime commitment to the music ministry at the Motherhouse.

Journaling is another way she prays “to create space, silence, for God to speak. When it comes, I write it down. That is prayer,” she says. “And, sometimes prayer is just presence.” After she retired from her position at the Mount, she had more time to be present to young children at Working In Neighborhoods (WIN), a social service agency, where she added structure to an after-school program. Some days could be rough. At the end of one such day, Marilyn Evans, VOLUME III, 2023

St. Joseph Home THE PRESENT YEARS By Sandra Lundgren, SJH

he Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati have been ministering to the Greater Cincinnati community for more than 170 years. It was through their work at Good Samaritan Hospital, in particular, that they observed the need, conceived the response to it, and labored to deliver care to the community’s most vulnerable in post-Civil War Cincinnati—unwed mothers and their children. This was not always a popular cause in that era, but this ministry is the root of St. Joseph Home. The Sisters were proven to be far-sighted as they adapted over and over again through the decades, pursuing opportunities to improve their service, and more fully realize their mission. Visionary as they were, it’s interesting to ponder if they could have pictured St. Joseph Home as it is now. Certainly, they would recognize, and approve of, the continuity of the mission to care for the most vulnerable.

In 2014 St. Joseph Home dedicated its first Community Home with a ribbon cutting and house blessing ceremony. SJH Community Homes offer greater independence to adults with complex disabilities who are able to live with less intensive medical staffing.

By 1976, the transition in mission was complete. And by 1986, when S. Marianne Van Vurst became administrator, she immediately recognized that the campus buildings were not sufficient to meet the rapidly growing need. To address the lengthening wait list, the Board did a feasibility study of expansion, demonstrating the need to grow from 32 to 48 beds. However, it took three attempts before securing the required approval of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.

Their path from maternity home and infant asylum, while never without challenges, was one of constant growth and response. This path continues today as St. Joseph Home enjoys a well-deserved reputation for the quality of care given to people of all ages, and of all faiths, who live with complex disabilities and medical needs. How did this come to be? The steady stream of changes, first noted at the golden anniversary in 1923, not only continued, they accelerated. St. Joseph Home moved from their original facilities to the purpose-built campus in Sharonville in 1967. But shortly thereafter it became apparent that housing unwed mothers was no longer a priority need in the community. Instead, what was urgently needed was care for infants and children with complex disabilities who now were surviving birth and living into childhood. 26

With two locations in Cincinnati, the St. Joseph Home Day Programs help adults with complex disabilities to secure employment or find fulfilling volunteer opportunities in the community. I N T E RC O M

The Board approved this innovation, and launched the ‘Time to Care’ campaign to raise funds to repurpose an existing building. For this campaign, which raised $3 million, S. Marianne reached out to Tom Hiltz, head of the Harold C. Schott Foundation, and his wife, Francie, for leadership support. The on-campus Respite Center continues to bear the Foundation’s name.

President and CEO Dan Connors (right) joined St. Joseph Home in 2016 saying one of the opportunities he most cherishes is connecting personally with the individuals served as well as their families.

Once approved, S. Marianne moved ahead quickly, initiating the first-ever capital campaign for the renovation and enlargement of St. Joseph Home, the ‘Touch of Love’ campaign. Instrumental in supporting this campaign were a roster of Who’s Who in Cincinnati philanthropy of that era including the Lindners, Castellinis, Neyers, and former State Senator Richard Finan. Mr. Finan, who currently serves as the mayor of Evendale, continues as a donor and an active volunteer at St. Joseph Home’s annual 5K fundraiser. ‘Touch of Love’ raised $6.3 million and established an endowment to support the ministry as it moved into the future. As part of the expansion, St. Joseph Home grew from 13 to 18 buildings, with construction completed by 1992. The dust had barely settled on the new cottages, family gathering space and warm-water therapy pool additions, when the Sisters were requested to respond to another evolving need. By the mid-1990s, the Sisters already had two decades of experience in ministering to people with complex disabilities and medical needs. St. Joseph Home was established, and successful, in this burgeoning area of need when the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services approached them with a request. While 48 people with complex disabilities called St. Joseph their home, many more lived with their families. But then, as now, those families occasionally needed a break—to get their own medical needs met, to travel for work, or literally, for a respite from the demands of care. No place in the Tristate area was providing this service. But the state thought that St. Joseph Home was uniquely qualified to do so, and asked them to take it on. VOLUME II, 2023

The campaign funded not only the establishment of a five-bed center, it also created a scholarship fund for those needing respite care who lacked financial resources to cover their stay. While several other spaces were remodeled thanks to the ‘Time to Care’ campaign, just five years later more renovation was needed in response to a success, rather than a problem. Residents were living longer, past childhood. As they grew older and their needs evolved, the equipment they needed became larger and took more space, such as lifts that enable caregivers to safely move adults out of bed and into a wheelchair or bathtub. In 2004, the first cottage intended for adults was created. The next major transition didn’t involve buildings. It was about leadership. After 15 years at the helm, S. Marianne was ready to retire from her role in 2011. From its very first day, St. Joseph Home had been led, managed, and operated by Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, with some help from others. In being clear-eyed about the future, and what was best for the people being served by St. Joseph Home, the decision was made to shift the organization to lay leadership. Sisters were to remain active on the Board, but day-to-day operations would no longer be their hands-on responsibility. The Board selected Michael Rench, who had both a master’s of divinity and experience at the state level with disability services, and who had been consulting with St. Joseph Home to be the first lay leader. And soon after he started, he brought on another veteran of the state disability

St. Joseph Home’s Harold C. Schott Respite Center provides a much-needed break for families caring for someone with a disability at home. 27

system to be his VP of Operations, Dan Connors, who became president and CEO in 2016. Rench describes this as a time of ‘radical change,’ in terms of both leadership and service model. The overarching goal was, while focusing on the core strength of serving people with complex disabilities with the highest standards of care, to open up new opportunities for individuals with complex needs, including services in smaller settings in the community. This approach paved the way for new programs. To bring this community-based model more fully to life, St. Joseph Home acted to close gaps in service by: starting the Adult Day Program in Blue Ash in 2013; starting the Pediatric Ventilator Unit in 2014; and opening the first Community Home in 2018. In each case St. Joseph Home offered a positive response to what might have been seen as a negative situation. At the time, St. Joseph Home was paying a subsidized rate to participate in Hamilton County’s Day Program for adults with disabilities. But in 2012, the County changed the policy, ending the subsidy. The Board, including S. Maureen Heverin, felt other providers which had capacity didn’t have the expertise to provide programming for the adults with complex needs served by St. Joseph Home. This was seen as an opportunity rather than a problem, and we started a Day Programi n a building in nearby Blue Ash to serve our residents. However, other individuals with complex needs wanted the service, too. There was a community need, so first the Blue Ash site expanded, then another site in Sharonville was added in 2019, with expansion of that site in 2023. By 2014, a new need was emerging for children who required the support of a ventilator to live in a residential setting, as opposed to a hospital setting. Although S. Marianne had envisioned someday serving children on ventilators, it wasn’t a simple matter of desire. In order to support ventilator care, considerations included the need to upgrade electrical infrastructure, adding equipment, and having more nursing and respiratory staff. Dr. Susan Wiley, of the Children’s Hospital Complex Care Unit, and also the St. Joseph Home medical director, was involved in the decision-making. CEO Michael Rench gathered a coalition and presented the situation to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities as an opportunity; he used his policy knowledge and dialoged with other providers, persuading them about the possibility of caring for these children, at a lesser cost, outside of a hospital. To say that decision has been a success is an understatement. Today, St. Joseph Home’s state-certified Pediatric Ventilator Unit is one of only five in Ohio. It has a reputation for pioneering partnerships and care protocols with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and area schools that the children attend. And when circumstances are appropriate, staff work intensively with families for those children who 28

Since 1992 St. Joseph Home has had a warm-water, therapeutic pool, providing exercise and recreation for residents and Respite Center guests.

can be weaned from the ventilator, so they might move home, enabling other children to move out of the hospital and into a more holistic life at St. Joseph Home. In another of the Sisters’ visionary moves, they had purchased land adjacent to the Sharonville campus that had a house on it, which they leased to Good Samaritan Hospital for stroke patients for a few years. When the hospital ended that program, St. Joseph Home had an opportunity to continue to advance the community model of care by starting a Community Home program. In 2014, St. Joseph Home tore down the existing house and purpose-built a wheelchairaccessible home for four adults as a prototype. In 2020, St. Joseph Home opened its second such Community Home in College Hill and they are opening a third one in 2023. These homes give more people with complex needs a smaller, community-based setting as an option. And it is a way to practice true community inclusion, by establishing these homes within neighborhoods. Current President and CEO Dan Connors said, “Throughout our history, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati displayed great foresight and courage. The motto of their founder, St. Elizabeth Seton, was, ‘Hazard yet forward.’ The Sisters were always willing to move boldly forward to serve marginalized individuals, even when it was not easy. They made courageous decisions on behalf of the people with the highest level of need, and have inspired all who continue to follow in their path.” I N T E RC O M

A Time for Transformation By S. Caroljean Willie

eneral Omar Bradley was our society: church, government, a senior officer of the education, our economic system, etc. United States Army during and asking if they are truly serving and after World War II. His words the needs of humanity and the rest following the war are certainly of creation at this time. applicable to our reality today. He A recent article stated scientists wrote: “We live in a world of nuclear are telling us that, “We have built giants and ethical infants, in a world everything for a world that no that has achieved brilliance without longer exists.” EC strives to provide wisdom, power without conscience. presentations that grapple with this We have solved the mystery of the S. Caroljean Willie has traveled the world to give presentations reality. We don’t have the answers, atom and forgotten the lessons of on climate change, current Church teaching on environmental but we are not afraid to ask the the Sermon on the Mount. We know sustainablility and practical suggestions for reusing, reducing questions and we invite you to more about war than we know about and recycling. explore them, too. Economist Kate peace, more about dying than we know about living.” Raworth writes, “We need to reimagine the shape of progress. We have written before about the devastation of Earth from climate change, but today we need to be conscious of the destruction of Earth caused by civil conflicts and wars, as well. Joanna Macy, environmental activist, ecologist, author and scholar, tells us that, “The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying our world – we’ve actually been on the way for quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up … to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other.” EarthConnection’s (EC) mission is to assist in this awakening. Through webinars, nationally and internationally; in-person presentations; programs for Girl Scouts, teachers, elementary, secondary and university students; an organic garden and native plant landscaping, EC provides up-todate scientific information on climate change as well as current Church teaching on environmental sustainability and practical suggestions for reusing, repairing, refusing, reducing and recycling. Sociologist Anthony Wallace writes that we are at a “Revitalization Moment.” He posits four stages of this moment: Stage 1 – serious individual stress; Stage 2 – alienation everywhere; Stage 3 – people agree there is a problem, but do not know how to cope with it; and Stage 4 – the emergence of a new world view and the restructuring of old institutions to enable it. Stage 4 requires systemic change and that is extremely difficult because it means questioning the cultural values we live by and being honest with ourselves about whether those values will lead us to a more just and peaceful world; one which recognizes our interconnectedness with all of creation. It means reexamining the very pillars of

VOLUME III, 2023

Today, we have economies that need to grow whether or not they make us thrive; what we need are economies that make us thrive whether or not they grow; this requires a profound shift in mindset.” How are our churches, government, educational institutions providing us with the tools for this transformation of consciousness? In 2015 Pope Francis wrote the encyclical, “Laudato Si’” in which he provided a blueprint for caring for our common home. On the most recent Feast of St. Francis, Oct. 4, he released an Apostolic Exhortation entitled “Laudate Deum” writing, “Eight years have passed since I published Laudato Si’, when I wanted to share with all of you, my brothers and sisters of our suffering planet, my heartfelt concerns about the care of our common home. Yet, with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point” (LD 2). He writes specifically about the United States: “If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries. We can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact” (LD 72). The future of our planet rests on our willingness to awaken to world realities and an openness to a transformation of consciousness that will allow us to seriously evaluate the impact of our lifestyle on the planet which we call home and our willingness to recognize in the words of Pope Francis that “Everything is connected.”

Seeker, Servant, Saint Elizabeth Seton: By S. Georgia Kitt

s daughters of Elizabeth Seton, we can attest to her deep faith, her openness to what God asked of her and the God-directed path she followed from seeker to servant to saint. Now all of this is being shared in a new, state-of-the-art museum and visitor center at The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

In the Valley Elizabeth found a forever home!

Cincinnati SC contributions continued throughout the weekend. S. Grace Ann Gratsch was delighted to be invited to do the narration for the museum covering the actual canonization. She attended the ceremonies in person in Rome in 1965. She shared, “I was truly blessed to be The Saint exhibit at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth The blessing and dedication took in a certain space at a certain time. Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, provides insights into place on Sept. 22, 2023 along with a I was on mission at Villa Nazareth, the dedicated efforts of Americans for Mother Seton to Mass of Thanksgiving in the Basilica. In teaching Italian boys. So when Pope be declared a saint. attendance were dignitaries, members of John announced that Elizabeth Seton the Seton Shrine Ministries, the National Leaders Council, had been declared a saint, I was present in the audience. the Shrine Board, the Sisters of Charity Federation, Sisters The square erupted with shouting, hugging and laughter; and Daughters of Charity, Shrine Junior History Interpreters the bells pealed celebrating Elizabeth as God’s gift to our and the Seeds of Hope members. The persons responsible for land. It sounded like New York City on New Year’s Eve. I its development are quick to share that the effort is designed was honored and humbled to lend my voice. The words of to honor this American woman saint and to take from her life scripture come to mind: ‘He who is mighty has done great an example of how we are to live the Gospel today. things for me. We are glad indeed.’” Early in the weekend festivities, our own S. Judith Metz, Community historian and an interpreter of Elizabeth Seton Writings, was called on to help set the historical context for what the Valley was like when Elizabeth and her family first arrived. It seemed to have been a haven for refugees, people with immediate needs, seeking housing and an education.

S. Lois Jean Goettke served as a panel member at the dedication luncheon; it was made up of representative SC Federation congregations sharing how Sisters are living the mission and charism of Charity today. S. Lois was taken with the large globe with which the visitor can interact. Eventually it will include past as well as all current ministries of the 14 congregations served by Elizabeth’s daughters across the world. It only requires a tap of a finger! For Cincinnati archivist, Associate Veronica Buchanan, the new museum exceeded her expectations. “I am thrilled with the level of interaction that is possible for visitors, including children. We, as Federation congregations, look forward to participating in the rotating exhibits.” S. Alice Ann O’Neill was invited to provide cello music for the attendees as they arrived for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Bishop William E. Lori, Archdiocese of Baltimore, offered the blessing and Rob Judge, executive director of the Shrine, welcomed all invited guests.

(From left) S. Louise Lears, Ann O’Neill (one of the miracles attributed to the canonization of Elizabeth Seton), S. Lois Jean Goettke and S. Pat Newhouse unite at the opening and dedication of the Shrine’s museum and visitor center in September. 30

S. Joan Cook was proud and humbled to be a daughter of Elizabeth. “I was serving on the Shrine board when the staff members shared their dream of expanding and upgrading the museum to promote devotion to Elizabeth. The SC Federation I N T E RC O M

The Seton Shrine Museum and Visitor Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland was dedicated in September with many SC Community and Federation members attending.

Intercom is the official magazine of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. This apostolic Catholic women’s religious community exists to carry out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through service and prayer in the world. Approximately 190 Sisters are joined in their mission by 204 Associates (lay women and men). Sisters, using their professional talents as ministers of education, health care, social services and environmental justice, live and minister in 15 U.S. dioceses. They also sponsor institutions to address education, health care and social service needs, with particular concern for direct service to the poor.

congregations supported the effort resulting in this beautiful new space to honor Elizabeth, but also give witness to the collaborative determination and hard work of so many people.”

Intercom Staff

Videos and interactive activities are now housed in three core galleries. They provide the opportunity for visitors to get to know Elizabeth as seeker and servant, as a role model for all, with a contemporary appeal. One finds how her life can relate to all.

Erin Reder

S. Judith commented, “It is a joy to see Elizabeth as a model held up in such a wonderful way. I am encouraged by those who come to learn more about her and seek her intercession in their lives. You experience the evolution of her faith and sense a real personal connection.”

Director of Communications

S. Pat Newhouse was thrilled and privileged to be at the grand opening of the new museum and visitor center. “I have been volunteering for five-week periods during the summers since 2004. It has been amazing to see how the Shrine has developed programs and tours over the years. People find that Elizabeth’s joys and struggles are very relevant for today. She offers hope to many, showing them that all are called to holiness, no matter what your vocation in life may be.” S. Louise Lears found the entire weekend to be a gift! She shared, “The visitor center feels truly welcoming, inviting us into the life and legacy of Elizabeth Seton. As I moved to the museum, I felt immersed in the extraordinary life of Elizabeth Seton, inspired by her story. Her personal writings, the interactive exhibits and the rare artifacts spoke to me of Elizabeth’s legacy – a legacy of strength, faithfulness, and hope that we can draw upon today. My dream is that people of all ages and backgrounds will experience the Seton Shrine Museum. I believe their hearts will be touched by this amazing saint.”

S. Grace Ann Gratsch recounted her attendance at Elizabeth Seton’s canonization in 1965 for the Shrine’s new museum exhibit. VOLUME III, 2023

Archivist Veronica Buchanan (right) played a large role in the new interactive exhibit at the museum.

Editor Graphic Design/Layout

Michelle Bley S. Georgia Kitt Executive Council Liaison

S. Barbara Hagedorn Letters to the editor, articles and photos are welcome. The staff reserves the right to edit for space and readability. Make submissions to: Communications Office 5900 Delhi Road Mount St. Joseph, OH 45051 Phone: 513-347-5447 Email: erin.reder@srcharitycinti.org Subscriptions: $15 per year

5900 Delhi Road Mount Saint Joseph, OH 45051 www.srcharitycinti.org www.facebook.com/ sisters of charityofcincinnati 31

5900 Delhi Road Mount Saint Joseph, OH 45051 http://www.srcharitycinti.org www.facebook.com/sistersofcharityofcincinnati

8 (From left) Sisters Ann Koebel, 80 years, and Pat Saul, 50 years, celebrated their jubilees at the Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse in August 2023.

The Sisters of Charity Community celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Associate program in 2023. S. Tracy Kemme (second from left) was one of 16 young adults who traveled to Italy in September 2023 to bear witness to the start of the General Assembly of the Synod.