SPRING 2001 • VOLUME 1
Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis
100 YEARS
OF
E D U C AT I O N
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF THE THIRD ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS Dedication to Jesus Christ involves us intimately in the liberating and reconciling misThe Gathering Place is published to keep
sion—to make God more deeply known and loved, and in so doing, draw all persons to fuller and freer life.
the public informed of the mission and ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the
Together with all our sisters and brothers who strive for a more just world, we undertake those activities which will promote the material and spiritual development of the human family.
Third Order of St. Francis.
Spring is my favorite season. There are signs of new life all around.The tulips and crocuses brighten up a winter weary garden. And all this reminds me of the freshness of what the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis are doing for all of us. EDITOR Reneta E.Webb, Ph.D., CAE
I was reflecting on the theme of this issue of Gathering Place — “100 years of Education” — and thought of all the children who, through the years have been taught by the Sisters. Right from the very beginning, education was the heart of the mission and ministry of the congregation. Mother Felicia summed it up in her response to the challenge of starting a new order of teaching Sisters. She simply said, “What will happen to the children?”
EDITORIAL BOARD Sr. Carlene Blavat Sr. Judith David Sr. Marygrace Puchacz Sr. MaryLou Wojtusik Sharon McElmeel
PROOFING STAFF
In this issue, you will have a peek at the strong history of educational activities which defined much of the ministry of the SSJ-TOSFs. This was emphasized by the dedication of School Supervisors who worked with the teachers in a “Quest for Quality.” I interviewed some of the Sisters who served in this capacity for the congregation, and they testify to the importance of innovative and effective teaching.
Sr. Adalbert Stal Sr. Dolores Mary Koza Sr. Louise Szerpicki
PRODUCTION & LAYOUT Newcomb Print Services/ The Printed Word
OFFICE
In my garden, the bulbs planted last fall sustained the rigors of winter and came to full bloom in the spring sunshine. The excellent education that was so much a part of the SSJ-TOSF ministry bears its fruit in “Voices of the Alums.” You will enjoy hearing from the people who were students in the schools in which the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF taught.
Development Office P.O. Box 388129 Chicago, IL 60638-8129 Telephone: 1-773-581-7505 Fax: 1-773-581-7545 Web site: www.ssj-tosf.org e-mail: dev@ssj-tosf.org
“100 years of Education” is a theme that follows from the fact that the SSJ-TOSFs will celebrate their Centennial on July 1, 2001. It was a glorious past. The future is yet more exciting.
Reneta Webb
Copyright by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, Inc. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
FEATURES DEPARTMENTS What Will Happen to the Children?
28
In the News
40
Sister Generose - 100th Birthday & 80th Jubilee
41
Property Update - Dedication of Clare Hall
43
Congregational Leadership
9-16
44
Vocation/Formation
Quest for Quality
46
Centennial Celebration
47
Obituaries
Historical article based on the original inspiration of Mothers Felicia and Clara for founding a new congregation of Sisters.
1-8 Voices of the Alums Testimonials from alums who attended the schools where the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis taught.
The School Supervisors of the SSJ-TOSFs were symbolic of the dedication which the entire congregation had to quality education.
17-22 Current Educational Currents Sisters making educational news today
23-27
It was 1901. Sister Felicia and Sister Clara were confronted with the option of forming a new religious community to serve the educational needs of immigrant children. Sister Felicia voiced “WHEREVER WE SERVE,
a simple question that reverberated in the spirit and mission of WE DO SO WITH SINCERE
the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis through RESPECT FOR THOSE WITH WHOM
100 years. She went to the heart of the matter by asking,“What WE MINISTER.
TO E AC H P E R S O N
will happen to the children?”
WE COME AS NEIGHBOR, F R I E N D A N D S I S T E R .”
The history of the educational ministry of the congregation falls clearly into two parts, divided roughly around 1960. The first half
1990 CONSTITUTION OF THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH,TOSF
of the century is dominated by the Catholic parochial school
(ARTICLE 37, P. 31)
system which depended on the dedicated work of the sisters. In the second part of the century, the SSJ-TOSFs expanded their educational activities to respond to the evolving social and tech-
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nological changes that marked the last few decades.
1901
The Early Days The Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884) mandated “a school for every parish” within two years. That bold statement sent repercussions through the parishes that were springing up in the Midwest to serve the growing populations of European immigrants. Towns named “Sobieski” and “Pulaski” and “Krakow” and “Polonia” and “Casimir” were springing up in Wisconsin. Clusters of Poles were settling in the larger metropolitan areas of Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland, building large new parishes and schools to serve their spiritual and educational needs. The children of these immigrants needed teachers who would respect the traditions of their Polish background, and, at the same time, help them to become respected American citizens. But very few sisters could be found who could help the children bridge the gap to American citizenship. Fr. Luke Pescinski, pastor of St. Peter’s Parish in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, talked to his fellow pastors about founding a new order of teaching sisters who could serve the educational needs of the Polish immigrants settling in the Midwest. In April of 1901, Fr. Pescinski presented the idea to the five sisters at St. Peter’s:
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ASSUMPTION, BVM
PULASKI, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 190 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1991
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
MENASHA, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 210 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1994
ST. PETER
STEVENS POINT, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 300 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI DETROIT, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 835 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1987
SWEETEST HEART OF MARY DETROIT, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 1195 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1967 OF
Sister Sister Sister Sister Sister
Sigfried (14 years in the congregation) Chrysantha, 20 years old Oswalda, 21 years old Sebalda, 18 years old Irma (5 years in the congregation)
All of these sisters were members of the School Sisters of St. Francis, a congregation hard pressed to provide enough Polish speaking sisters to all the parishes where they were needed. Sister Ephrem, age 28, was also a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis. She had opened a school in Pulaski,WI, just the year before. Being familiar with the shortage of teachers, she accompanied Sr. Sigfried to a meeting on April 23, 1901 with four priests (Fathers Pescinski, Manel, Wisniewski and Malkowski) and the Bishop of Green Bay, Bishop Messmer. They presented the idea of a new religious congregation to staff the schools and, as Bishop Messmer stated, “to assume the work in small and poor schools... this is the special object of founding this community.” Bishop Messmer made it very clear, “From the very outset I wish to say that I favor this plan entirely and I shall do whatever I can to expedite their plan.” Fr. Stanley Nawrocki, pastor of St. Mary of Perpetual Help, Chicago, was a good friend of Fr. Luke Pescinski. He had a thriving parish school of about a thousand students and sixteen sisters, where Sister Cleta (later Clara) Bialkowski was assigned as principal and superior. In 1901, she was 29 years old, and in the words of Fr. Nawrocki, a woman “strong in spirit, constant and wholehearted in service to the young.” Fr. Nawrocki suggested that Sister Cleta would be an excellent leader of the new congregation. She chose Sister Felicia Jaskulska, who was also teaching at St. Mary’s at the time, to assume with her
ST. MARY PERPETUAL HELP
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 1100 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS GREEN BAY, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 100 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1980
“ … TO A S S U M E THE WORK IN SMALL AND POOR SCHOOLS… THIS IS THE SPECIAL OBJECT OF FOUNDING THIS C O M M U N I T Y. ” BISHOP MESSMER, GREEN BAY
the leadership of the new congregation. It was a perfect complementary combination. Sister Felicia, who entered the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1889, moved frequently into new school settings where she taught immigrant children of different European backgrounds - to adopt American ways without losing one’s Catholic European heritage. Sister Cleta provided strong organizational skills. Sisters Felicia and Clara immediately communicated with Sister Boleslaus Rybicki at Sweetest Heart of Mary in Detroit, Michigan, about the educational ministry to the Polish immigrant children. The need for qualified teachers was also being felt in Detroit, so Sister Boleslaus and ten sisters joined the commitment to educating these children in need. The new congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph was established on July 1, 1901. By the following September, there were 44 sisters and 10 candidates who were teaching 3,930 students in seven schools.
Rapid Growth The early 20th century was a time of growth for parishes. People gathered under their respective parochial and ethnic umbrella. The parishes were the centers of spiritual and social activity. Mothers’ Guilds supported the school and sponsored other parish activities. The Holy Name Society scheduled retreats for men. There were the Young Ladies Sodality, the Ushers, St. Cecilia’s Choir, the Rosary Society, the Knights of Columbus, etc. All met regularly. The Baseball League and the Bowling League offered social alternatives. The parish choir was involved in liturgy and in entertainment. All the organizations joined in processions for the Resurrection Mass or for Corpus Christi Sunday or for the May Crowning. First Holy Communions and Confirmations were occasions for extended family celebrations to mark the spiritual event in the life of the child. By 1908, 183 members of the Sisters of St. Joseph were working in 23 parish schools in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. By 1918, the membership of the congregation had grown to 419 sisters working in an additional 22 parishes in four more states, namely Missouri, Connecticut, Texas and Pennsylvania.
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The teaching expertise of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF was well-established. New groups of immigrant children reached out for the gift of education. In 1934, the founding spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF - loving care for the “little ones,” the minores expanded to include the needs of Hispanic children. They staffed a poor Hispanic parish school, Holy Family, in Fort Collins, Colorado, and in 1947, staffed Our Lady of Guadalupe school in Indiana Harbor, Indiana.
“That spirit of generous response to need marked the services of the Sisters in the ever-expanding parish communities, those centers of Americanization for great numbers of immigrants. After World War I and the subsequent immigration laws that were prejudiced against southern and eastern Europeans, the parish communities became more stabilized. Growth for the second- and The years during World War II were hard on everyone. Teaching materials, as well as food, clothing and other basic necessities, were in short supply. This did not diminish the quality of the education provided by the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF. School supervisors conducted workshops and other teacher training sessions to insure that the children were receiving the best possible foundation for life.
third-generation children demanded professional educators. The Sisters prepared themselves for this role by earning college
The 50s and 60s were a time of social unrest in the United States, particularly in the south. It required bold leaders to uphold the dignity of every individual. Again, the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF were there to ask,“What will happen to the children?” St. Francis Mission in Greenwood, Mississippi, was opened in 1951.The sisters found a former nightclub called the Blue Moon which was to serve as the first church, two-room school and temporary convent. By the Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of the congregation in 1951, the 1,015 members of the congregation staffed 69 elementary schools and 7 high schools, as well as maintaining faculty positions at the college and university level.
degrees. Not all could be given the opportunity to study full-time for a few years; most continued their education while teaching. As teachers, principals and supervisors, they participated in developing the Catholic elementary school program in their own schools and in their respective dioceses.”
P. 24-5,Vol II, A Fitting Response: The History of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis.
High Schools The construction of a new wing to the original motherhouse in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, was completed in 1915. It provided space for St. Joseph Academy, a high school originally operated for the sisters, novices and postulants who were finishing their high school education. It was opened to the public in 1922, the first high school for girls taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF. Under the principalship of Sister Mary Alexia Knopke, St. Joseph Academy was fully accredited by First graduating class of St. Mary of Perpetual Help High School with Msgr.Thomas Bona. The Catholic University of America by January 1924. It was renamed Maria High School in the Marian Year of 1954, and in 1957, moved to a new building across the street from the congregational home. The high school continues today as a diocesan co-ed school named Pacelli High School. Early in 1922, George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago, called Msgr.Thomas Bona, pastor of St. Mary of Perpetual Help, Chicago, Illinois, to open a two-year commercial high school for both boys and girls. Sister Mary Leonia Ciolek was the principal of the high school with the original enrollment of twenty-one boys and girls. St. Mary’s continued the two-year course until 1939 when the third year was added, and immediately after, the fourth year. It received full accreditation as a four-year co-ed high school and continued to serve the educational needs of urban Chicago teens until 1984. From 1948 to 1966, Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish in Detroit, Michigan, extended their educational offerings to include, first, a ninth grade and then expanded to a full four-year high school. Sister Mary Berenice Bronczyk was the principal of both the grade school and the high school in 1948 when the high school started with 196 students and six Sisters. Sisters Lucilda Swienton, Silviana Kudlaty and Alberta (Sr.Ann) Maslanka also served as principal of the high school. In the mid-sixties, requirements for labs, libraries and other high school resources proved too much of a drain on finances, and the high school was closed, concentrating then on the grade school.
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Rev. Anthony Nawrocki (brother of Rev. Stanley Nawrocki of St. Mary of Perpetual Help) constructed St. Barbara’s Church and school to accommodate the overflow influx of Polish immigrants into the Bridgeport area of Chicago, Illinois. Mother Clara was assigned to oversee the project, completed in 1914. At the time, the parish school included grades 1 through 8. But in 1925, St. Barbara School in Chicago, Illinois opened a ninth grade with Sister Mary Crescentia Schroeder as principal. It was designed as a two-year business program to address the educational needs of the geographic area. On April 12, 1949, under the principalship of Sister Mary Silvina Skiba, the school was fully accredited as a four-year high school. Today, because of declining enrollment, the high school is scheduled for closing at the end of the school year 2001.
1902
Y E A R S TA F F E D
SS. PETER AND PAUL
INDEPENDENCE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 115 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1973
ST. MICHAEL
NORTH CREEK, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1905
1903
Y E A R S TA F F E D
A second St. Joseph Academy was opened in 1926 in the newly built Provincial Convent in Garfield Heights, Ohio. In 1939, it was renamed Marymount High School and in 1957, it was moved to a new building on the convent site. Having changed the name to Trinity High School in 1973, the school flourishes even today as a co-ed institution and as part of the intergenerational campus including Marymount Hospital, Marymount Place, The Franciscan Center, Siena Prints, Marymount Congregational Home, and Marymount Child Care Center. The basic spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF is still evident in the high school’s goal of “learning, believing and achieving.” Sacred Heart High School in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, was opened in 1933. It was very much in response to Mother Felicia’s challenge of “What will happen to the children?” since it was clearly an educational need in that part of the country. The high school continued to educate youth until 1953. Lourdes High School was built in the Depression years and opened in 1936. As Sister Venantia Uszler explained, “It was for the poor girls that Mother Sylvester built Lourdes High School in Chicago with the tuition from 1936-43 only $30.00 a year.” Lourdes High School advanced the quality of the education for young women by preparing them for college and professional life. Through the years, the demographics of the school have changed, but the founding spirit has not. The motto of the school, in this 21st Century, is “Challenging Women for the Changing World.”
ST. CASIMIR
HULL, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1910
1904
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. CASIMIR
ST. LOUIS, MO INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1905 OF
ST. MARY CZESTOCHOWA
CICERO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 54 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
ST. SALOMEA
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 120 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1984
1905
Y E A R S TA F F E D
The cornerstone for Regina High School, Harper Woods, Michigan, was laid in 1956. From the very beginning, with Sister Bernadette Nowakowski as principal, Regina High School was “dedicated to nurturing and upholding Christian virtue and academic excellence and aspires to a mission of promoting the moral-spiritual, intellectual-physical, and personal-social growth of young women who face the challenges of the 21st Century.” Today, with an enrollment of 775, Regina has 59 teachers, 50% of whom have a master’s degree or higher. Over half of the teachers have been at Regina 10 years or longer and eight are graduates of Regina. There were two high school engagements by the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF in Nebraska, each responding to a need for affordable education for high school students without sacrificing a solid academic experience. The first was St. Libory High School in St. Libory, Nebraska (1946-49) and the second was Central Catholic High School in Loup City, Nebraska (1963-69).
ST. MICHAEL
BEAVER DAM, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 200 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1974
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP
POSEN, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1909
1906
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. CASIMIR
KRAKOW, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 75 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1967
New Directions The second half of the century moved the educational ministry of the congregation in new directions. After World War II, that is, from 1945 into the 1960s, despite a great influx of new members into the congregation, it became necessary for pastors to employ increasing numbers of lay teachers in the parochial schools. By the late 1960s and early 70s, the texture of the parochial school system as it was known in the first half of the century was changed. Fewer sisters, and, in some cases, no sisters, were available to teach and the Catholic schools were staffed by capable lay teachers. Some schools were closed because of finances; others were merged to consolidate resources for a dwindling school population. Some urban areas changed demographics and the educational mission of the congregation needed to change accordingly. The fitting response to Mother Felicia’s question took the appropriate historical form.
Sister Rita Marie Malachinski
In 1961, the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF included special education and services to the mentally challenged into their educational ministry. Bishop Floyd Begin of Cleveland called for two sisters from each religious community in the diocese to serve the needs of the mentally retarded. He planned a special meeting for the volunteers, and two sisters came - two Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF. Sisters Fidelia Kobak and Marygrace Puchacz opened St. Emeric Special School in Cleveland, Ohio, with the assistance of the diocese. The school was later moved to St. Augustine’s and continued for many years to serve the needs of special education in the Cleveland area. Marymount Rehabilitation Services opened in 1967 in Garfield Heights, Ohio, as a work training program for mentally challenged adults. They had the opportunity to learn skills in dietary services, laundry, hotel service and similar positions so that they could integrate into the work force. The program continued until 1982. The special education initiative was continued when Mother Engelbertha Wojciechowski invited Sister Rita Marie Malachinski to get a Masters degree in Special Education and establish the Bartlett Learning Center (BLC), together with a residential program in Bartlett, Illinois. That was 1968. It began as a day care center as well as a school for educable mentally handicapped. The residential program was discontinued, but the school flourishes to this day. It now includes a program to assist “graduates” of BLC to develop work and living skills for independent living. Sisters’ Treatment Group Home was established in Two Rivers,Wisconsin, in 1971 by Sisters Edmund Antoniewicz and Irmina Bula to care for severely handicapped children. Sisters’ Treatment Group Home has had 82 residents pass through its care. From 1974 to 1986, Koinonia Homes, Inc., located in Cleveland, Ohio, and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, provided guided group living for handicapped adults. It was 1974 when Sister Marygrace Puchacz began what is now two not-for-profit corporations in the San Francisco, California area called the East Bay Services to the Developmentally Disabled, and the other is Concord Residential Club. East Bay employs a staff of 50 serving the needs of 1,600 clients, teaching them skills of independent living and providing caregiving. Concord Residential Club is a HUD apartment complex for persons with developmental disabilities. Perceiving similar needs in South Bend, Indiana, Sister Gretchen Clark and Sister Sharon Dillon established the Chiara Home in 1993, providing temporary relief for one hour to a month for families that have a child or adult who needs constant special attention. In 1962, the congregation agreed to staff three missions in Puerto Rico: Lares, Jayuya and Quebradillas.The sisters staffed the schools serving the poorer children on the island. By 1963, the missionary activity extended to Lima, Peru as well. There were eleven sisters off the mainland at that time. Even on the mainland, education was reaching out to children of many ethnic backgrounds.
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In 1966, four sisters began teaching religion to children of migrant workers. As the missionary activities continue even today, several sisters are involved in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to newly arrived citizens of the United States. The spirit of Mother Felicia Jaskulska still permeates the ministry of the SSJ-TOSFs. It was a sign of the new directions that were taking place in the early 70s when Sister Sandy Sabo joined with an inter-community group to serve St. Agatha-St. Aloysius School, Cleveland, Ohio. The sisters no longer received their “assignments” for teaching; rather, they were invited to discern where the Spirit was calling for a fitting response from them. Further, individual religious communities were no longer assuring commitments to staff the parish schools. The sisters recognized that the best way to continue the existence of Catholic schools was to pool resources and work together, across congregational boundaries. Sister Sandy continues to respond to the needs of the school even today, serving there as principal. Another of the responses came in the form of Prologue, an alternative high school in uptown Chicago, Illinois, started in 1973. It was established by Sisters Alice Trebatowski and Athena Calogeras in response to the estimated 60% dropout rate of inner-city youth over 16 years of age. “What will happen to the children?” was alive in the hearts of the sisters.
1907
Y E A R S TA F F E D
SS. CYRIL AND METHODIUS EATON, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 105 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1975
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 1500 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1983
ST. MICHAEL
WAUSAU, WO INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1911
ST. WENCESLAUS
RIPON, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1915
The need for day care and pre-school grew as society moved to more mothers working outside the home. When the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF extended their educational ministry into California, Sisters Marygrace Puchacz and Fidelia Kobak, while working with Catholic Charities in 1967, started the first Head Start Program in the state. It was operated in the “Blue Goose” camps of the migrant Spanishspeaking farmers. In 1976, Sister Helen Heullmantel opened the Brooklyn Youth Center in Detroit, Michigan. The center served youth from ages 4 to 17. In 1978, she opened the Sunshine Montessori school for children ages 2 to 6 years. In Garfield Heights, Ohio, Sister Felicia Mann opened the Marymount Child Care Center which offers day care, after-school care and pre-school programs. The Child Care Center opened in 1991 and now has 214 children, ages 3 to 12. “WHEREVER
Adults were not left out of the education picture. Sister Madeleine Adamczyk established the Forever Learning Institute devoted to the education of older adults, in South Bend, Indiana in 1979. She recognized that there is a child in all of us who is ready and eager to learn. This resonated with Sister Helen Heullmantel’s FOCUS Adult Center in Michigan, which began in 1981, and offered educational and other assistance to adults in the Detroit community.
WE SERVE, WE DO SO WITH SINCERE
Keeping the Spirit Although the educational terrain has changed over the last 100 years, the original spirit which prompted the founding of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis has remained consistent. It is a spirit that finds a new incarnation in each cycle of life. It is the spirit of care and concern that asks,“What will happen to the children?”, the spirit which prompts each Sister to say, “How may we serve?”, the spirit reflected in the 1990 Constitution of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF: “Wherever we serve, we do so with sincere respect for those with whom we minister. To each person we come as neighbor, friend and sister.” (Article 37, p. 31)
RESPECT FOR THOSE WITH WHOM WE MINISTER. TO E AC H PERSON WE COME AS NEIGHBOR, FRIEND AND S I S T E R .” ARTICLE 37, P. 31 1990 CONSTITUTION
Did you know that Sister Sylvester Retkowski taught Stanislaus Bona at St. Casimir in Chicago? Later he became Bishop Bona of the Green Bay Diocese where the Sisters of St. Joseph of the THIS GROUP OF HOLY, DEDICATED WOMEN HAVE MADE AN EDUCATIONAL IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS. THE VALUES THEY TAUGHT, THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION THEY LAID... HAS MADE
Third Order of St. Francis had their beginning. It was the same Sister Sylvester who taught Sister Mary Fidelia Gorcowski, who later became a School Supervisor for the SSJTOSFs. Sister Fidelia entered the congregation in 1916, and testified to the excellence of Sister Mary Sylvester’s teaching of the 7th and 8th grade subjects at the motherhouse during that time. She recalled classes in mathematics where she learned well how to work problems in proportion and to extract square roots and cube roots of numbers. Evidently, Sister Sylvester was continuing the tradition of sound teaching that she used at Immaculate
“GOD MORE DEEPLY KNOWN AND LOVED AND IN SO DOING
Conception Parish in Chicago, Illinois, where she taught for the previous eight years. Stasia Cihowlas (Sister Mary Basilia) was a pupil there in the early 1900s and spoke with admiration of the
DRAW ALL PERSONS TO FULLER AND FREER LIFE.”
quality education in the parish school. Think of it. Thousands of Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF have taught thousands of children all over the United States. This group of holy, dedicated women has made an educational impact on the lives of countless individuals. The values they taught, the educational foundation they laid... all this has a ripple effect in making “God more deeply known and loved and in so doing draw all persons to fuller and freer life.” (Mission Statement, Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF) In this issue of Gathering Place, the students speak for themselves:
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spring 2001
SS. Peter and Paul
St. Barbara High School
I remember the incident well:
I am a teacher today because of Sr. Dorothy Bendik. In 1963, at age 14, I walked into the Science lab of then Sr. Laurentia. I couldn’t have been less interested in anything scientific. That year, and again in sophomore Biology, she opened an exciting window to the world around us in ways that totally astounded and captivated my peers and me. She understood the necessity of making that classroom come alive for us - and we learned in spite of ourselves. She utilized tools of humor, hands-on experiences, lively question-and-answer sessions and a few unorthodox methods of her own to win us over and to help us appreciate our world. When I chose to go into teaching myself, I was fortunate to have Sr. Dorothy as my mentor. From those first days at St. Barbara High School until this very day, I draw my inspiration from her wisdom.We now celebrate a 37-year friendship. She continues to teach me that my work is a calling and a mission. In my thirty years of teaching, I have had the joy of seeing my own former students as happy and successful adults. When they give me credit for any of this, I send up a prayer of thanks for the guidance and direction Sr. Dorothy has given me throughout my life.
Chicago, IL
Garfield Heights, OH
It was the first day of school, first grade, September 1960. Here I was, a somewhat overwhelmed seven-year-old. I had not even mastered sitting in the desk! The desktop was fastened to the seat by a vertical bar. The opening to access the seat was opposite the bar. I sat in my seat but from the wrong side! Therefore, my legs could not slide under the desk. Instead, they were in the aisle. A classmate raised his hand and pointed out to my first-grade teacher, Sister Joan of Arc Majkrzak, that I was improperly sitting. Sister’s response was a quiet: “I will keep him after school and show him the right way.” I still recall my thought: “No way am I staying after school.” I didn’t either. My first act of civil disobedience? I attended SS. Peter and Paul between 1961 and the time I graduated in 1969. The principal for the last seven years was Sister Alphonsine. During those eight years, I had six Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis as teachers: Sister Joan of Arc, Sister Regina, Sister Ferdinand, Sister Angeleta, Sister Rae Marie and Sister Helene. Suffice it to say that the Sisters had an influence on my maturation process. Those formative years helped prepare me for higher education that culminated in my securing a Juris Doctor Degree. Specifically, the sisters instilled a work ethic, pride in one’s appearance and belongings, a strong moral compass and the importance of giving back to others and to the community. This latter trait is one I may have taken very seriously as I complete my fifteen years as a member of the Cleveland City Council. To these sisters, thank you. Edward W. Rybka Councilman,Twelfth Ward City of Cleveland
Karin Walczak Chicago, IL
St. Peter School Stevens Point, WI
The Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, taught me at St. Peter’s grade school in Stevens Point,Wisconsin from 1954-1962. The fundamentals of Reading,Writing and Arithmetic were drilled until we understood them. I struggled through grade school and nearly flunked the sixth grade. One day, Sister Mary Laetitia Matan pulled me aside and told me she was moving me up to the top group in class on a trial basis. She explained that I would have to work harder to stay in the group, but she was sure that I could do it. Sister also told me that if I asked for a little help from God, I’d have no problem with this or any other challenge in life. I have no idea why Sister Laetitia took me under her wing and gave me so much personal attention, but I do know that it had a major impact on my life. My grades improved through St. Peter’s, Pacelli, college (BS in Mathematics and Chemistry) and graduate school (MS and Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Science). I have had a successful career with steady advancements to my current position of VP of Research. Many of these results can be traced to my education at St. Peter’s where I was trained to read critically for content, use math to solve problems, present information orally and write clear reports. My whole educational adventure began with the love of my mom and dad and their sacrifices in sending me to St.
Peter’s and Pacelli. The great, solid, fundamental education that I received from the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, is a major component in my educational and career success. I have used what I’ve learned from the Sisters at St. Peter’s throughout my life. The personal attention, encouragement, and on occasion a gentle push from Sister Laetitia were the catalyst. Sister Laetitia’s advice about involving God in all aspects of my life remains the best advice that I’ve received. Allan J. Glinski, Ph.D. Wisconsin Rapids,WI
Holy Cross Elyria, OH
From 1961 through 1970, life as I knew it was pretty much in the hands of the good Sisters of St. Joseph at our little Polish Parish, Holy Cross School in Elyria, Ohio. To dear Sisters Angelica, Angela, Erasma, Casimir Marie and Mary Helen Jaczkowski, well, I didn’t become a nun, but I can’t say that each of you didn’t make me think of it a time or two. The four classrooms that made up that school have long since closed, but I still make the annual trip back to attend Christmas Midnight Mass, and as I look up and around the high walls and ceiling, the school memories, smells, songs and echoes of 100 feet walking in and out of the church flood back in my mind. To neatly wrap up eight years in a couple of paragraphs is difficult. Though I have to mention Sr. Helen because she remains a presence in my life even after 30 years... But going back in time again, thanks for the field trips, and letting us listen to your beloved 1969 Detroit Tigers win the World Series on the transistor radio, and not blowing your top when we all hid in the confessional (class sizes were small) on graduation day wiggling our fingers out the air holes when we saw you come down the church aisle, for understanding that the Beatles were cool, for the reprimands, the praises, for not being afraid at the time to change to the new dress habit and always remaining a woman and true to your profession. To you all, please accept this rather tardy, but unconditional and heartfelt “Thank You.” God Bless each and every one, wherever you are now, with all of my love. Celia Bajda Avon Lake, OH
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Holy Cross School New Britain, CT
As I look back at my foundational roots at Holy Cross in New Britain, CT, I remember a community of dedicated Franciscan women who were my teachers and mentors. I was drawn, in the second grade, by the sight of Sr. Ursuline’s Franciscan cord, and then by Sr. Ligouri’s challenge to consider priesthood, and by Sr. Edwin’s dedication to the Church, to Sr. Christella’s devotion to St. Anthony of Padua ... these women were part of my YES to a religious vocation. Even as I prepared to enter the Conventual Franciscan Friars in 1966, I can still hear Sr. Angelyn’s words of advice: “Pray for perseverence.” These women of the Gospel prepared us for the classroom of life. They brought out the best in us with reverence and respect for our personhood. It is the same set of gospel values that has had a strong impact on my experience of Catholic education and faith formation through the years. I owe it, we owe it, to these faith-filled women who helped us see Jesus in us. Sisters, you’ve indeed made a difference with your lives… we are living proof. Hopefully, we can follow in that same tradition of making a difference through excellence and perseverance. Fr. Noel Danielowicz, OFM Conv. St. Francis of Assisi Community Bessemer, AL
Sacred Heart of Jesus Cleveland, OH
Trinity High School Garfield Heights, OH
During the latter years of my education at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cleveland, OH, Sister Mary Helen Jaczkowski was the principal. All school-wide publications and announcements had to have her approval. Several times, something I submitted was edited. At the time, I really did not fully understand why.Years later, I look back and realize that she was only protecting the integrity of a Catholic education. I am happy to say that soon after I graduated in 1982, I was able to call Sr. Mary Helen a friend ... By the way, she makes great dill pickles! I am fortunate that the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, also were a part of my high school education at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights, OH.The education I received there really prepared me for life. Sister Catherine Britton, among others, was responsible for making Trinity a top technical school in Ohio. The combination of theology and technology promoted morality and ethics where none are required to exist. I am a Systems Engineer at a major telecommunications corporation as a direct result of my education. My favorite courses at Trinity were Computers,Art, and Polish. Yes, Polish. Sister Theresita piloted the first Polish language curriculum. It was her vision that provided me with a much greater appreciation for my heritage and the opportunity to learn the native language of my grandparents. To this day, though quite “rusty,” I still converse with my father and others in the Polish language. I am teaching my two sons and granddaughter bits of the Polish language and traditions. Greg Wicinski Temple Terrace, FL
St. Stanislaus
They had a way of inspiring a student to excel to be the best they could be.
Maria High School
I can still remember the words that Sister Ernestine told us in class one day, that the nicest thing a student could do for the Sisters was to send them a letter in one’s lifetime and tell them how they did. Well, Sisters, I say a BIG THANK YOU, for all you have done for me. Know that your words of wisdom, and the education you gave me, helped me to become who I am today. For this, I am eternally grateful.
Stevens Point, WI Stevens Point, WI
I had the opportunity to receive nearly my entire education from Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF. I attended St. Stanislaus School in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, for grades 1 through 8 and then Maria High School from 1963-1967. I can still name all my grade school teachers and have wonderful and distinct memories from each grade. Even more memorable was my high school experience. I remember many bright, welltrained educators from those four formative years. Sister Florence Domka was my freshman General Science teacher. It was my first real “science” class and I wasn’t particularly anxious for it. It wasn’t long before Sister Florence had changed my apprehension to curiosity and excitement. She taught me the scientific method which first involved objective observation. That is a skill I have developed and used professionally in my 28 years as an Educational Speech Language Pathologist. Two years later, I enrolled in Sister Florence’s Chemistry class. I took it shortly after she earned a Masters Degree at the University of Notre Dame. She was the only person I knew with that level of training and expertise. She set high standards for her students and I often look back to her classes as those that set the foundation of my later study skills. I, too, now hold a Masters Degree in my field... In many ways, I consider Sister Florence one of the most influential people in my life. Kathy Burress Duluth, MN
St. Stanislaus
Stevens Point, WI In all my years of grade school, I was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, and out of all the Sisters that taught me, three of them stand out and left me with wonderful impressions. The three Sisters are: Sister Arlene Stuczynski (second grade), Sister Ann Marie Dulak (sixth grade), and Sister Ernestine Jastrzemski (seventh & eighth grade). Sister Arlene taught me to become a Mass Server and have deep reverence for the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament. Sister Ann Marie taught me to appreciate music, singing, and studies. Sister Ernestine taught me to appreciate life itself and to set a goal and to pursue it. Their charismatic approach to teaching made me listen to their words and take them to heart.They were firm, but fair, kind and loving in and out of the classroom, and I will always be deeply grateful for that.
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Deacon Donald Borski Stevens Point,WI
SS. Peter and Paul Garfield Heights, OH
Trinity High School Garfield Heights, OH
My first experience with the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, was in 1936 as a 1st grader. Our teacher was Sister Loretta, a kind and gentle woman with the patience of a saint. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a long relationship that ended with her death in April of this year. I was privileged to associate with my teachers, both as a student and as an adult.There was an aura around each of them that exuded love of God, love of teaching, and love for their students. Theirs was a “no nonsense” approach to teaching that commanded discipline and respect. Each had her own individual style of motivation - some with a carrot and some with a stick, and both effective. I remember each of my grade school teachers and could relate anecdotes about each of them, but space does not permit me to do so. Excellence was expected by all of them not only from a student, but from an acolyte, a member of a choir, or a participant in a play or program. A smile, a pat on the head, a holy picture, a positive comment on a report card were the rewards, as well as the promise of salvation. I am indebted to the Sisters for instilling a value system and prioritizing God, family, country.Through them I developed an appreciation of learning, loving, and achieving. It is well to note in this Centennial celebration that the Sisters are not only educators, but minister in health care, pastoral care and
as social advocates.They are, and have been, an example of Christ-like love and living.They have been a profound positive influence on my life and therefore on the lives of all of our children and grandchildren. Their contributions to our Church and to society in general are immeasurable. Evidence of our trust in the Sisters as educators is that my siblings and I, my children and grandchildren, spent a cumulative total of 182 years in grade school and high school classrooms under the direction of the good Sisters. Robert J. Rybicki Broadview Heights, OH
Holy Rosary Gary, IN
I graduated from Holy Rosary elementary grade school in 1967. I had come to the school in 1963 after failing fifth grade in the local public school. My parents wanted better for their five children, my father having completed 3rd grade in Mexico as a child and up to 5th grade after being drafted into the U.S. Army, and my mother having completed 6th grade, the equivalent of elementary school in Mexico. We children eventually all graduated from Holy Rosary and Catholic high schools. I have had the privilege of being taught by a number of capable and professional nuns, but the one I must give belated thanks is Sister Pulcheria, my fifth grade teacher. I had the opportunity to volunteer to stay after class to help her clean up for the summer recess and glimpsed the gentle, good heart this woman possessed. Sister Pulcheria’s lasting gift to me was the requirement, given to the whole class at the end of the school year, to read thirty books by the end of summer. She handed out a sheet with lines to fill in with the names and authors of the books. I believe I read 29.Years later, as a physician, a fellow classmate (from grade school) remarked to me that he had noted an intellectual change in me when we started sixth grade... I give Sister Pulcheria the credit for helping me discover my love of reading. She set me on a course that allowed me to eventually be accepted into medical school. As a physician, I have served in the Army, and was assigned as doctor to a combat engineer battalion for Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Presently, I am employed with Community Hospitals of Indianapolis in the occupational medicine department and currently work as the plant medical director here at Thomson Consumer Electronics. Sister Pulcheria has cast a beneficent shadow on my life and consequently on my family. Now that she has passed away, my regret is not being able to thank her personally in this life. Luis L.Villarruel, M.D. Indianapolis, IN
St. Simeon Bellwood, IL
It was November 1962, at St. Simeon Elementary School in Bellwood, Illinois. We heard a knock on the door and saw a startled expression on Sister Paulette Kuta’s face. President Kennedy had been shot, and we third graders joined Sister Paulette in praying the rosary. A short time later, another knock confirmed Sister’s worst fears. The President was dead. Assassinations, Vatican II, the Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Liberation, and Vietnam all made up what was to be called the turbulent 60s. It was a rough journey through these changing times, but those of us who experienced the love of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, are forever grateful. Sister Paulette typified so many of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Her fondness for children and her compassion for people were evident in her everyday actions. She shared with us her love of the Blessed Sacrament as we prepared for our First Holy Communion. She taught us about the lives of the Saints, forming us in the way of Christ, and imparting in us her gentle spirit. Often we arrived early to school and peered out the window to spy on Sister leaving the convent to come to class.We would hide in the cloakroom, muffling our laughter, and yell, “Surprise” as Sister sat down at her desk. Surely she muffled her laughter, too, as she tried to maintain a straight face so as not to spoil our surprise. During Lent, Sister allowed those of us who attended daily Mass to eat our breakfasts at our desks, as in those days we fasted from midnight before receiving Holy Communion. Sister taught us with kindness and encouragement, and mesmerized us with her many stories. Many children loved to stay after school and help Sister clean the room. A few kids would sneak Sister’s shawl from the back of her chair and drape it over their heads and pretend they were Sister. As a teacher today in public education, I’m never surprised by the fact that so many of our teachers are Catholic, many inspired by the sister teachers of our youth. Surely, I’m a teacher today because of Sister Paulette. I hold many fond memories of the love the sisters shared with us at St. Simeon. Sisters Deotillia, Theodorette, and Lorraine Costello served as principals. Srs. Charisima and Cecilia fashioned our beautiful choir. Sister Loretta instilled a love of science. Srs. Joseph and Veronica mentored the junior high students. One day, Sister Lenore surprised everyone by wearing a white habit that we had never seen before, announcing her new assignment with the missions in Lima, Peru. Sr. Odelia shared a love of math and Srs.Theresita and Josita were always willing to share a smile. Sister Juanita’s beautiful red hair was a surprise to us all with the change of habit. Even the most unruly students had a way of responding to Sister Gabriel’s laughter.
How lucky I was to have Sister Paulette as my teacher. How lucky I was to share in the love that the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, shared with all of us at St. Simeon. Hopefully, those of us who had our hearts stirred by these Sisters continue their legacy by stirring the hearts of those around us, in Jesus’ name. Joe Speechley De Kalb, IL
St. Mary of Perpetual Help High School Chicago, IL
My association with the Sisters began on my first day of high school in September of 1963 at St. Mary of Perpetual Help in Chicago. I recall my days at SMPH with deep appreciation for the caring education I received from the sisters. The sharpest impression made upon me by the sisters was the passion each sister possessed for her subject area: Sr. Zenobia in math, Sr. Euphebia in music, Sr. Christine in French, Sr. Viola in history, Sr. Aldona in chemistry, Sr. Consuela in biology, Sr. Agnese in literature, Sr. Bronisia in
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clothing, and all the other strong women role models I was fortunate to have during my four years at St. Mary’s.Their dedication and expertise is brightly reflected in my own career as a teacher. Beyond the classroom, I felt the Sisters’ positive influence through the many extra-curricular activities they provided. The message of Christian leadership, responsibility, dedication, and service was clear through their guidance and training.They were my teachers, yet they were also caring and loving friends. When I think of them now, the slogan “faith in education” comes to mind as a description of what they lived and what I learned from them.The richness of my high school experience under the guidance of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, is a personal asset upon which I draw every day. God bless them! Mary Balich Vujic Chicago, IL
1908
St. Mary of the Angels Green Bay, WI
Y E A R S TA F F E D
Maria High School
ST. STANISLAUS
EAST CHICAGO, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 190 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1995
Stevens Point, WI With a memory filled mind And a grateful heart, A state of confusion exists Just knowing where to start!
Their sense of humor And joy through song, Have helped to carry me Through distant miles and challenges long.
From ‘55-‘64 at St. Mary of the Angels, Then from ‘64-‘68 at Maria High School, The SSJ-TOSF sisters worked hard To give me education’s tools.
I, too, teach And have done so for years. With organization and determination, I have conquered many fears.
Diagramming, outlines, Roman myths, and more; Geometric theorems, Periodic Table of Elements, life systems, plant dichotomies add to the score Democratic development, Jane Eyre, drawing and violin; All these experiences set my head a-spin.
But nothing remains stronger for me Than the love of God and religious joy That you caused to come to be!
ST. HYACINTH
ANTIGO, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 80 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1978
ST. MICHAEL
I learned to be disciplined Through their example and art Of bringing the best out From each young spark. Not a day goes by Without a thankful thought, For those who cared And sacrificed so I could be taught
Editor’s Note: The response to the “Voices of the Alums” was so overwhelming that we were not able to accommodate all the pieces in this issue. The article will be continued in Volume 2, Number 2 of Gathering Place. Thank you for your contributions!
So, Sisters, be assured your memory lives on In action and word! P.S. Sister “Honey’s” taffy apples, 10¢ apiece,will never be duplicated or deliciousness decreased.
Kathy Janssen Cheyenne,WY
JUNCTION CITY, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 50 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1968
ST. HYACINTH
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 385 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1990
NATIVITY OF BVM
LORAIN, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 60 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1987
“KEEPING HER EYES ON GOD
Right from the beginning of the congregation, quality
AND HER PUPILS, AND WITHOUT NEGLECTING
education was a priority for the Sisters of St. Joseph,
HER RELIGIOUS DUTIES,
TOSF. It was a teaching community committed to eduTHE TEACHER SHOULD L A B O R I N D E F AT I G A B LY
cation at its very start. To assure that this would hap-
IN THE CAUSE O F E D U C AT I O N .”
pen, the congregation sought educational excellence in
two different ways: first, by an ongoing pursuit of higher 1912 CONSTITUTION
OF THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH,TOSF
education for the sisters; and, second, through the work
of the School Supervisors whose task it was to keep
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everyone up to date with effective teaching techniques.
1909
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. ADALBERT
ROSHOLT, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 125 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1998
ST. STANISLAUS
SUPERIOR, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 120 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1968
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 393 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1987
ST. JOHN CANTIUS
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 600 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1990
Preparing the Teachers Candidates who joined the new congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph founded on July 1, 1901, were required to “apply themselves to study for three years to be educated adequately for teaching. Toward this purpose they will attend classes in the English language at the Normal School in Stevens Point. Only after passing final examination will they be missioned as teachers.” Setting these criteria was a major step, in light of the standards of teaching existing at that time.
ST. MICHAEL
BERLIN, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1916
1910
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. ADALBERT
The Constitution of 1912 made the level of quality very clear: “Keeping her eyes on God and her pupils, and without neglecting her religious duties, the teacher should labor indefatigably in the cause of education. She must keep the end in view which the community has regarding education:
MILWAUKEE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 400 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1972
• To include the principles of a pious life and guide the children on the way of salvation ... planting in their hearts the seed of solid virtue and religion.
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 300 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
ST. BARBARA
• To teach the science that will be most useful to them. • To train them so that they will not only be good Christians and law-abiding citizens themselves, but be able to inspire others with a love for all that is true, noble and good.”
1911
Y E A R S TA F F E D
By 1919, Mother Felicia Jaskulska was sending a few sisters each year for full-time study to the Sisters’ College at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. At least 11 Sisters graduated in the 1920s, some with Master’s degrees. In the mid 1920s, Sister Scholastica Revers was among the first sisters of the congregation to graduate from the Sisters’ College. She became a highly esteemed school supervisor. Sister Scholastica held classes in classroom pedagogy on Saturday afternoons with the novices. She taught, demonstrated effective methods for pupil learning, and checked daily lesson plans.
ST. JOSAPHAT
OSHKOSH, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 95 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1975
ST. MICHAEL
IRONWOOD, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1918
ST. JOSEPH
When the Diocesan Sisters’ College opened in Cleveland in 1928, Mother Clara Bialkowski soon assigned teachers of the Province to Saturday and summer classes. She appreciated the diocesan school board’s directives that young sisters were to complete junior college level before being missioned to teach. However, having commitments to fulfill in parish schools, she found it necessary to delay full-time college work for some of the young sisters. For this reason, some of the sisters would take courses on weekends or during the summer.
ROCKVILLE, CT INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1918
ST. MARY
BREMOND, TX INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1918
In a letter to the Provincial superiors of February 14, 1953, Mother Mary Dionysia Plucinski wrote: “The Holy Father obligates the Mothers General to see that sisters get an education better than teachers in public schools. Hence, sisters must take some courses during the summer and, if possible, during the school year until they reach the standard. Workshops or demonstrations in Religion, Music,Art,Arithmetic, English and other subjects should be encouraged by the Provincials and attended by all the sisters concerned. A few sisters should be sent for courses in Theology. The Supervisors, Principals of High Schools, Sister Administrators of Hospitals and some of the nurses should attend conferences and meetings scheduled by Ecclesiastical or civil authorities.” A year later, the “Sister Formation Movement” gave even more impetus to education and preparation for teaching. This was an international mandate to excellence that came as a result of the first International Congress of Teaching Sisters in Rome, September, 1951. Pope Pius XII encouraged the assembly: “Not a few of your schools are represented to Us and praised as very good, but not all. It is Our keen desire that all strive to become the best. This, however, presupposes that your teaching sisters know and possess their matter perfectly. Thus, give them a good preparation and formation that will also meet the qualifications and degrees demanded by the state.” Not only did the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF strengthen their efforts to educate the sisters in institutions of higher learning, they established Immaculata Junior College in 1955. Immaculata Junior College held classes in Bartlett and Chicago, Illinois, specifically for sisters preparing for teaching. Sister Fidelia Gorcowski and Sister Madeleine Adamczyk worked tirelessly to organize the college and move it successfully through the accreditation process. They wanted to make sure that all the sisters of the congregation had access to solid preparation for their profession that would match the Diocesan Sisters’ College in Cleveland, Ohio, and St. Joseph Junior College (affiliated with St. Norbert’s College in West De Pere,Wisconsin) in Stevens Point,Wisconsin.
School Supervisors
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Elementary and high school teaching developed under the guidance of the congregation’s school supervisors. Although “school supervisor” became a specific title within the congregation in the late 1920s, the concept was already in operation with the founding of the congregation. At Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish in Detroit, Sister Mary Boleslaus Rybicki, not only taught the highest grade, but also, as principal, promoted conscientious work in all the classrooms, giving assistance to beginning teachers. Novices in the new congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, were sent to Detroit to receive teacher-training from Sister Boleslaus. At one point, she had as many as ten novices assigned to her school. During the day, she would observe their performance in the classroom. In the evenings, from seven to eight o’clock, she would teach the sisters Polish grammar, arithmetic and nature study, after which the sisters prepared their lessons for the following day.
Standing: Sister Madeleine Adamczyk, Mother Mary Dionysia Plucinski, Sister Bernadette Nowakowski, Sister Mary Fidelia Gorcowski, Sister Mary Scholastica Revers Kneeling: Sister Mary Angelica Wiater, Sister Mary Carmeline Charo
Sister Mary Cherubim Pliska also preceded the title of school supervisor, but certainly carried out all the functions of that position, especially in the Wisconsin area. Even as a youngster, she had an enthusiasm for learning. A frequent visitor to the library, she read Scott’s Ivanhoe when she was in the fourth grade. In true SSJTOSF “quest for quality,” she sought to integrate technology into her teaching methods. She was one of the first persons to use film, producing footage of the foundresses and some of the early congregational events. She was an outstanding teacher herself, and in turn worked with other sisters to achieve high quality education.
After graduating from Sisters’ College in Washington, D.C., Sister Mary Scholastica Revers began supervision of the congregation’s Chicago schools. She taught, demonstrated, and checked on daily lesson plans and effective methods for pupil learning. The diocesan school superintendent, Monsignor John J. Kozlowski, would attend demonstration sessions that she arranged on Friday afternoons for teachers of specific grade levels. Pleased with what he saw, the superintendent invited Sister Mary Scholastica to assist other teaching congregations in the Chicago, Illinois, area. In 1929, when the superintendent was named pastor of the new St. Roman Parish in Chicago, Illinois, “he selected our sisters to staff his school.” Sister Mary Eulodia Wrobleski recalled,“This was a great tribute to us, and it was generally conceded that his choice of our sisters as teachers for his school showed his appreciation of Sister Mary Scholastica’s ability to train sisters in methodology.” Sister Mary Dionysia Plucinski served as a school supervisor in the Diocese of Cleveland 1924-27 and 1929-31, and taught at the diocesan Sisters’ College that opened in 1928 for the professional preparation of teachers in Catholic schools. This signaled a change in the role of school supervisor. Not only were the supervisors working to elevate the teaching ability of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF; the congregation was now being called upon to prepare teachers from other religious communities, and later participated in preparing lay teachers as well. The reputation of the congregation as having highly prepared teachers was wellestablished.
1912
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. MARY SCAPULAR
OF THE
AMHERST, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 150 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1970
ST. JOSAPHAT
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 300 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1966
TRANSFIGURATION
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 75 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1983
1913
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. ANTHONY
CALUMET, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1921 OF
OUR LADY CZESTOCHOWA
OF
OUR LADY CZESTOCHOWA
NEWCASTLE, PA INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1920
ST. LOUIS, MO INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1924
1914
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. STANISLAUS
KEWANEE, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1930
ST. STANISLAUS
CHAPEL HILL, TX INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1916
ST. STANISLAUS
MERIDEN, CT INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 300 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
The start of Regina High School is an example of the excellent reputation of the SSJTOSFs’ teaching ability. When five parishes in the Detroit area agreed to pool their resources to fund the construction and implementation of a high school for the area around Harper Woods, Michigan, Msgr. Deady specifically requested the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF to staff the school. Having seen the superior quality of the work of Sister Bernadette Nowakowski, who was at that time the School Supervisor for Catholic Schools in the Detroit area, he requested that she be the founding principal of the new high school. The individual provinces of the congregation were being served by their respective supervisors, but the General Chapter of 1948 sought greater congregational unity in the teaching ministry. It requested that the school supervisors from the provinces form an organization toward that end. Sister Mary Dionysia assumed much of the responsibility, although this was the suggestion of Mother Virginia Bialozynski. The School Board flourished during the tenure of Mother Mary Dionysia and served to stimulate excellence in teaching through inter-provincial sharing.
“...THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
Over the years, the school supervisors made a major impact on teaching quality across the United States, in the schools staffed by the SSJ-TOSFs, in the parochial schools and in the public schools. They were in key positions, teaching the teachers and overseeing the learning in educational institutions at every grade level. They pioneered the idea that there is a difference between knowing specific subject matter and knowing how to teach specific subject matter.They authored teachers’ manuals, textbooks and workbooks. They provided in-service training for teachers. They visited classrooms, observing the quality of what was happening at each grade level. As early as 1959, they participated in a TV series on principles of good teaching. They moved into positions of influence even in the public schools to continue the tradition of educational excellence. They experimented with departmental teaching, open classrooms, phonics, new math, SRA reading programs, creative writing, meaningful religion and critical thinking. The learners were the beneficiaries.
KNOWING SPECIFIC SUBJECT M AT T E R AND KNOWING H OW TO TEACH SPECIFIC SUBJECT M AT T E R .”
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The role of the school supervisor evolved in the same way as the parochial school system. It flourished in the first half of the 20th century as a service to the teacher in terms of techniques and methods. “Clinic schools” provided focal points of innovation for teachers to observe and be observed. Educational research took shape in teaching laboratories. The emphasis was on the teaching-learning process. In the second half of the 20th century, the role of school supervisor moved more to an administrative one. The title of “supervisor” is giving way to “consultant” and “superintendent.” Supervisors are now responsible for personnel management, choosing textbooks for the school system, negotiating contracts, oversight of construction, fiscal responsibility, and the design and implementation of policy. The supervisors are responsible for public relations, the administration of federal grant programs, and legislative issues. They work with advisory boards, implement hot lunch programs and assure attention to integration/minority issues. More often than not, they assist the school principals instead of working directly with the teachers. The configuration of the private and public school systems require a different role for the school supervisors, but one that is no less critical. It still requires strong women of faith who are committed to excellence and the quest for quality.
1915
SSJ-TOSF School Supervisors
Y E A R S TA F F E D
Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio
Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois
Archdiocese of Milwaukee,Wisconsin
1929-31 Sister Mary Dionysia Plucinski 1932-53 Sister Mary Carmeline Charo 1953-61 Sister Mary Carmelita Kus 1961-86 Sister Mary Marcella Kucia 1982-present Sister Lucia Bucholtz
1927-32 Sister Mary Scholastica Revers 1932-36 Sister Mary Adelgunde Bury 1936-62 Sister Mary Fidelia Gorcowski 1943-62 Sister Mary Madeleine Adamczyk 1962-83 Sister Mary Violanta Leggins 1962-83 Sister Mary Relinette Pochron
1945-66 Sister Jane Frances Koszarek 1976-82 Sister Elizabeth Koszarek
Ohio - Michigan Connecticut
1986-95 Sister Dolores Sever
Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan 1948-53 Sister Bernadette Nowakowski 1953-62 Sister Mary Modesta Zoltek 1961-63 Sister Mary Martin Shendel
Diocese of La Crosse,Wisconsin 1953-54 Sister Mary Egidia Murawski 1954-57 Sister Mary Remigia Kropko 1960-61 Sister Mary Lutgarde Mischke 1960-71 Sister Lucentia Klonecki
1964-67 Sister Mary Berchmans Majchrowski
Diocese of Green Bay,Wisconsin 1936-44 Sister Mary Lutgarde Mischke 1944-48 Sister Mary Scholastica Revers 1948-54 Sister Mary Angelica Wiater 1956-66 Sister Mary Olympia (Bernice Ann) Stronczek 1966-69 Sister Irene Koszarek
Reading Supervisor Archdiocese of Hartford 1978-87 Sister Maria Goretti Kondziolka
Chapter 1 Supervisor Greenwood Public Schools
ST. STANISLAUS
ARCADIA, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 110 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1987
ST. STANISLAUS
RACINE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 166 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1970
ALL SAINTS
FLINT, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1957
1916
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. THOMAS, APOSTLE Superintendent of Schools, School District #16, Prospect/Beacon Falls School Department, Connecticut 1994 to the present Dr. Helene Skrzyniarz, SSJ-TOSF
To these women of faith,
thank you
DETROIT, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 220 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
1918
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. BRONISLAWA
PLOVER, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1936
1920
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. PAUL
MILWAUKEE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 41 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1980
Even after 100 years, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis are still making significant marks on the educational scene. The past traced a path of solid teacher preparation, innovative teaching techniques, contributions to Catholic and public education and publications that have stood the test of time.
There is no break in the SSJ-TOSF performance. Evidence of their solid professionalism can still be seen
not
only
in
parochial
schools, but also in textbook publication, Montessori schools, Head Start programs, special education, teacher preparation, technology in education, religious education, alternative schools, school supervision, day care, ESL, and children at risk. Wherever there is an educational challenge, the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF are there to respond with effective teaching methods and meaningful techno23
spring 2001
logical adaptation.
Art, Academics & Authorship Sister Constance Szymandera was featured in The Times, Crown Point, Indiana, as the “Head of the Class.” And well, she should be. She teaches primary grades and brings a unique combination of superior teaching techniques and an artistic flair. She utilizes the Shurley method of teaching English which incorporates jingles and poetry to emphasize particular lessons, and focuses on math and science. She developed a series of learning kits called “Incentives for Learning” which included a spelling, reading and phonics learning program called SP-Read; Money Counts through which students learn coin value, and Big Time, a game board for drill and practice in telling time. This complements a two-set program which she produced exclusively for the primary grade levels called Sound Foundations
which was produced at the same time as Moving Up in Numbers, and Moving Up in Time. She has consistently been successful in getting her students’ work published; most recently, her first grade students had their work, art and poetry published in the local newspaper, three weeks running. As Sister Constance says, “I always had a love for learning and I love to see the children achieve, being the best they can be.”
1922
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The Digital Divide: Religion & Technology
“There is a real divide between religious educators and the digital children of today,” said Sister Caroline Cerveny, director of educational learning technology for William H. Sadlier Inc., and publisher of catechetical and educational texts and programs.“They’ve been left in the dust, and teachers can no longer ignore it.” That was the challenge Sister Caroline made during her sessions on catechesis in a digital world for the University of Dayton’s programs in pastoral communication and ministry, and for the New Frontiers for Catholic Schools program, designed for teachers and administrators. She continued, “Religious educators see faith
and religion as a personal relationship with God, which is true and important, but the message has been communicated in a variety of ways over the years and now they simply have one more tool to communicate the message. It’s still about telling the story of Jesus.” In February 2001, Sister Caroline presented two sessions at the 29th Annual East Coast Conference for Religious Education in Washington, DC. One session was “HTTP//WWW.CATECHESISLEARN” which focused on practical tips for engaging the learner with tools of technology in religious education and adult faith formation. The other session was entitled “Web Smart Ministry: Making It Work” which explored ways to utilize the web and other tech tools in ministry. Sister Caroline estimates that over 300 religious educators have sought her programs over the past year.
ST. STANISLAUS
LORAIN, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 115 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1981
ST. STANISLAUS
SEYMOUR, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 105 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1967
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ST. BARBARA
MILWAUKEE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 210 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1983
ST. HEDWIG
AKRON, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 130 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1976
Creative Consolidating It isn’t easy consolidating three schools into one. Changing enrollments and shifting needs call for some very creative response. Sister Lois Levandowski rose to the occasion when three schools in the Green Bay Diocese pooled their resources to form St. Thomas More School. The first hurdle was emotional. Each constituent had a history with the institution to which they belonged in the past, so
drawing all the students and parents together in a loving community required the positive approach of someone like Sister Lois. She was willing to spend the critical time with the students to make it happen. Today, as a middle school teacher, she sees 97 students every day, grades 5 through 8. The day begins with a Grade 5 homeroom followed by math class. Then it’s math and social studies with Grade 6, followed by religion classes in Grade 7 and 8. She also teaches a Consumer Education class three times a week. Her enthusiasm is contagious and the living spirit of Mother Felicia is very much alive, even as she cheers the basketball team or plans a school liturgy. The Green Bay Diocese is very fortunate to have an educator like Sister Lois who knows how to give a “fitting response” to a new situation.
Phonics is the Best Sister Marcella Kucia always knew what made for good readers. But this past year, a National Reading Panel, appointed by the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, announced its findings after reviewing more than 100,000 research studies completed since 1966 and holding filed hearings in five cities. Phonics - as opposed to “whole language” - is the best approach to reading. USA Today featured Sister Marcella in an article this past summer which emphasized that very point. In the early 1950s, Sister Marcella worked with Bishop Clarence Elwell, then Bishop of the Cleveland Diocese,
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to develop “Plaid Phonics,” a series of books which taught children phonemic awareness, phonics skills and guided oral reading. The use of Plaid Phonics spread rapidly to other Catholic schools. The series was updated in 1997 and “Now, more public and private schools use the material than Catholic schools,” says Christine McArtor of the Modern Curriculum Press. More than forty years after Plaid Phonics was born, Sister Marcella is experiencing the thrill of endorsement as she travels around the country to check on how educators use the program - and to make sure that the children are still having fun.
Learning Life at BLC The Cupertino Home, a community-integrated living arrangement which is an extension of the Bartlett Learning Center (BLC), was accredited this past year by the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission for a period of three years. This represents the highest level of accreditation, and it is the second consecutive accreditation given to BLC, Bartlett, Illinois. Bartlett Learning Center was started by Sister Rita Marie Malachinski in 1968 as a school for children who are mentally disabled. Sisters Colette Wilczynski and Barbara Ann Derdzinski are part of the school’s current staff of 80, with an enrollment of 130 children. Samuela BovelliEmrich, administrator of BLC/Cupertino
Home, affirms that “children learn in different ways. Therefore, BLC takes a multi-modality approach, that is, teaching the children by utilizing two or more of the senses.” Graduates of the Bartlett Learning Center, if they so choose, go on to live at Cupertino Home where they learn vocational, job and life skills. The staff assists each of the seven residents with a “habilitation plan” by which they master skills that are personalized to their needs. The Bartlett Learning Center is one of the sponsored institutions of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF.
Greenwood Says Farewell Sister Dolores Sever came to Greenwood, Mississippi in 1963 to do missionary work at St. Francis Catholic Church. That was the beginning of more than 35 years of involvement in education in the Greenwood community. Sister Dolores was featured in the Greenwood Commonwealth newspaper for her many accomplishments in education. She began with the STAR program, providing adult education through systematic training and development, working with young people interested in finishing high school, and teaching children in the Headstart program. In 1967, she began teaching in the public school system and continued that
work for another 30 years. Even when Sister Dolores “retired,” she worked with dyslexic children using the Texas-Scottish Rite program. She established this program in two locations in Mississippi for children in grades two to five. It is no wonder that she received the Outstanding Woman Educator award from Delta Kappa Gamma and was nominated for Teacher of the Year. Greenwood will miss her, but people in Ohio are smiling. She continues to teach full-time at St. Adalbert parish in Berea, Ohio.
Poets in the Making Sister Barbara Wanat is an award-winning teacher. This Junior High teacher of English at Holy Cross School in New Britain, Connecticut received a Language Arts Grant from Creative Communications Inc. for the work she submitted from her students in a contest sponsored by the company. Twenty-five samples of creative poetry were evaluated by Creative Communications and they verified that “the quality of your students’ writing stands out among the best.” The poetry of 15 students has been selected to be published in an upcoming anthology, A Celebration of Young
Poets. The company further stated that “the work of your students represents an enormous amount of hard work and dedication from your teachers and students. With excellent teachers come excellent writers. Holy Cross School has ‘raised the bar’ on writing standards, and will be recognized in a book for receiving a Poetic Achievement Award.” Sister Barbara will use the grant to enhance the Language Arts Program, motivate the students to be good writers, and increase the quality of writing at Holy Cross.
AutoCad Drafting Program AutoCad Drafting and the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF? Definitely. Just look at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights, Ohio. When the school went co-ed in 1973, Sister Lucine Mikes wanted to offer a program that would appeal to all the students. Through her efforts, the school now has a large room equipped with 17 state-of-the-art computers with software that allows the students to design and blueprint structures.They can then move to a new view in which walls are extruded and a “camera” allows the students to “walk” through the rooms, and design, decorate and arrange the elements. The Drafting classes, 1, 2, and 3, prepare students for careers in engineering, drafting, interior design, architecture and related areas. Enrollment has skyrocketed and Sister Lucine can count at least seven former students who are now certified architects, and a number who have graduated in Engineering.
A Senior Lecturer in South Africa Sister Madge Karecki, Ph.D. was promoted to Senior Lecturer in the Department of Missiology at the University of South Africa (UNISA). In addition, Sister Madge was named to the Academic Board of St. Augustine’s College, the first tertiary educational institution in South Africa. She will be a visiting lecturer there during the coming year. Sister Madge brings solid scholarship to these positions. For over thirty years, she has been involved as an educator at the Franciscan Institute in Jeppestown, South Africa, to further the Franciscan way of life through scholarship. Just before the end of the year 2000, Sister Madge completed work on a study guide which will be published under the title Intercultural Christian Communication, the second
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one in less than a year’s time. The first one, Patterns of Mission Praxis, is a best-seller. At present, she is doing research for a third study guide, Dynamics of Interreligious Encounter, which will be designed for teaching on the Internet. Since Sister Madge’s reputation as an educator has spread far and wide, she was asked to present a paper at the South African Association for Research and Development in Higher Education in 2001. In October 2000, Sister Madge traveled to Rome to participate in the International Missiological Congress and attended the first meeting of the International Association of Catholic Missiologists. She will be in Rome again in April 2001, where she will present a general session address entitled “The Incarnation:A Franciscan Perspective,” one of three general addresses throughout the six-day conference of the International Franciscan Conference,Third Order Regular.
These few examples show that the original ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis has taken on a different look. But essentially, it still remains the same. “What will happen to the children?” calls out the best in every educational frontier.
Peacemaker of the Year:
Sister Marygrace Puchacz Sister Marygrace Puchacz, SSJ-TOSF, received the national Franciscan Federation’s Peacemaker of the Year Award for the year 2000 at the thirty-fifth annual Franciscan Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There are certain people who just know how to say “yes” to the Giver of Life. Sister Marygrace is one of them. It’s not just that she is founder and executive director of two non-profit corporations which serve the needs of the developmentally disabled in the East Bay area of San Francisco, employing a staff of 50 to serve 1,600 clients in the greater San Francisco Bay area. No, it’s how she does it that makes her the peacemaker. The Franciscan Federation summarized it well when they quoted the reason for the 2000 Peacemaker Award nomination:
“…WE REMIND O U R S E LV E S T H AT O U R AW E S O M E M I S S I O N I S TO ASSIST THOSE
“(Sister Marygrace is) a truly quiet person but one who finds her voice, her courage and skills as advocate when she is addressing the needs of those who have no power and no voice to ask for themselves. Her years of devoted service have been a challenge to all persons around her to pledge themselves to caring for their neighbors in a way, similar to the constant example she sets.” And in Sister Marygrace’s words, “At the East Bay Services to the Developmentally Disabled we remind ourselves that our awesome mission is to assist those we serve to get in touch with their own goodness, their unlimited potential and their sacredness as a person, and then to express it in their own unique and individual way.”
W E S E RV E TO G E T I N TO U C H WITH THEIR OW N G O O D N E S S , THEIR UNLIMITED P OT E N T I A L AND THEIR
Her “yes” started in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was born and raised. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from St. John’s College, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, and one of her first assignments was in an all-black school in Mississippi where crosses were often burned on the front lawn of the convent. She taught fifth and sixth grade during the day, taught mentally handicapped children in the afternoon and in the evening, taught adults to read so they could go out and vote.
SACREDNESS
She said “yes” to the Bishop of Cleveland when she was one of two SSJ-TOSFs who responded to his request to establish a school for the developmentally disabled. Seven years later, after having successfully established St. Emeric’s school, she completed her Masters degree in special education from San Francisco State University.
UNIQUE AND
AS A PERSON, A N D T H E N TO EXPRESS IT IN T H E I R OW N
INDIVIDUAL W A Y. ” SISTER MARYGRACE PUCHACZ
Sister Marygrace continued to say “yes” to the unfolding of life in the Blue Goose camps of the migrant workers in Contra Costa County where, through Catholic Charities, she and Sister Fidelia Kobak launched the first Head Start program in the state of California which served all ages, from infants on up.
SHE MEETS EACH GIFT OF THE
In 1974, she continued to say “yes” to the developmentally disabled and their families, visiting homes and seeing firsthand the crying needs that were not being met. She marshaled the resources to found the East Bay Services to the Developmentally Disabled. East Bay Services programs of direct outreach include: Concord House and four satellite homes for independence training, C.O.R.E. - Creative Out Reach Environment, Evergreen Training Center, Evergreen Senior Center, Open Door Employment Program, and an Independent Living Skills Program. The Namaste Program is a training program for care givers. It addresses wellness and well-being approaches in service to persons with developmental disabilities. These training sessions are conducted throughout the state of California to raise the level of service to the developmentally disabled and to create places of beauty, peace and reverence. The Respite Inn provides emergency services for adults with developmental disabilities. Guests can stay for 1-21 days so that persons who ordinarily care for them can be refreshed and renewed. Marygrace is also founder and director of Concord Residential Club, a HUD apartment complex for persons with developmental disabilities. Yes! Concord I is a program for “at risk” youth and gang members. It provides training and placement, and operates in partnership with the Police Department, City, Probation Department, and the Chamber of Commerce. Yes! Concord II provides training and placement for adults of varied ethnic diversities, particularly Hispanic.
GIVER OF LIFE WITH A SIMPLE, “ H O W M AY I S E RV E ? ”
Over the years, Sister Marygrace said “yes” to service as a member of the East Bay County Housing Committee, member of the President’s Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, Chair of the George Miller Center Task Force,Vice President of the Polish Arts &Culture Foundation of the Bay Area, Chair of the Human Rights Status of Women of the Soroptimist International of the Americas and a member of the State Department of Disabilities Residential Task Force. Currently, Sister Marygrace is a member of the Tosco Oil Refinery Advisory Board, Past President and member of the Board of Directors of Respite Inn, member of the City of Concord Cinco de Mayo Committee and the Fourth of July Parade Committee, and for the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, she is the director of the national Conciliation Services Board and is a member of the SSJ-TOSF Personnel Board. When asked how she keeps up the pace, what “powers” her, Sister Marygrace says, “To make a fitting response to the needs of the situation, be flexible, be creative, be innovative.” She meets each gift of the Giver of Life with a simple, “How may I serve?”
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New Executive Director of the Franciscan Federation
Sister Sharon Dillon “The mission of the Third Order Regular Franciscan Federation is to promote exploration and study of the Franciscan Evangelical life and its implications for these times and this society. The Federation provides national and regional opportunities to collaborate, gather and celebrate so that the brothers and sisters can better live the Third Order Regular call to conversion, contemplation, poverty and humility.” This is the mission statement of the organization to which Sister Sharon Dillon has been hired as Executive Director. She will begin a two-month transition period into that position beginning July 9, 2001, and assume full responsibility as Executive Director as of September 1, 2001. It was her “poet’s soul” along with “creative practicality” that led her along this Franciscan path. These are the traits that Sister Sharon highlighted in the “Reflective Response Paper” that was part of the application process. Those who know her agree. She has the ability to look at things with reverent awe, as though she were looking at them for the first time. And this vision reveals Divine possibilities in every situation. The poet’s soul was already at work even before Sister Sharon entered the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, even at an early age, tended to be an advocate for the marginalized. She entered the SSJ-TOSFs when she was twenty-five years old. Prior to her novitiate, she chose to visit Assisi, Italy, birthplace of St. Francis. She felt a kinship with the spirit of “God’s troubadour” like none other. She fell in love with everything Franciscan. Sister Sharon was powered by Francis’ troubadour soul even as she began her career as a special education teacher at St. Bavo Elementary School, South Bend, Indiana. After three years, she became Recreation and Leisure Service Coordinator at Logan Center in South Bend, Indiana, a facility for developmentally disabled children. At this time she recognized the need for refreshing the caregivers of special children and adults, and, with Sister Gretchen Clark, co-founded Chiara Home, Inc. which provides temporary housing for developmentally disabled persons while the care-givers are away. She served as Executive Administrator of Chiara Home for five years, and is currently on the
SHE HAS
Board of Directors. Most recently, she was Continuity of Care Coordinator at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana in the Spiritual Care and Social Services Department.
THE ABILITY T O L O O K AT THINGS WITH REVERENT AW E , A S THOUGH SHE WERE L O O K I N G AT THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Sister Sharon has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education, a certification in Special Education and Physical Education, and a certification in Social Restoration. She completed the Franciscan Internship in Spiritual Direction, offering Franciscan retreats and spiritual direction. She was a 1996 Special Education Ambassador, representing the United States to the Czech Republic and Russia, Citizens Ambassador program. She received the 1997 Educational Award for service to individuals with developmental disabilities from the City of South Bend Human Rights Commission, and the 1997 European Charity Award for Chiara Home’s mission of service to individuals with special needs from the Military Catholic Commission of Women. In her role as Executive Director of the Franciscan Federation, Sister Sharon will direct, coordinate and oversee the ongoing administration and programs of the Federation, including its national office and staff in Washington, DC. She will assist the National Board in setting the goals and budget of the organization. She will network with all existing Franciscan conferences and groups, both nationally and internationally. The Federation’s communications including the newsletter, regular correspondence with the members, and the web site come under her responsibilities as well. In all of these activities, her greatest charge is to exhibit and encourage the incarnational spirituality expressed in the “poet’s souls” of Saints Francis and Clare.
thank you…
Dear Editor, First of all, I would like to add my words of praise to the many
The Editorial Staff extends a heartfelt thank you to Sisters
favorable comments I have heard about
Shawn Lee and Catherine Britton for the work they did on
the
last
issue
of
Gathering Place. I would also like to make one correction to the paragraph about me on p.30.
the previous issues of Gathering Place. Of particular note
Except for the two years when I “filled in” as college/career coun-
is the splendid layout, writing and production of the last
selor at Lourdes High School, I have never officially been a guidance counselor. My major fields
issue concentrating on “100 years of Healthcare.” For your
are philosophy and mathematics, and I’ve been a mathematics
creativity and expertise, and for setting the standards of quality for Gathering Place, we are all grateful. 31
spring 2001
teacher for most of my teaching years. Thanks for the correction. Sister Jane Zawadzki
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis Receive the
2001 Mater Dei Award On March 24, 2001, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis received the distinguished Mater Dei Award from St. Joseph College Seminary at Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois. The ceremony began with liturgy at 11:30 AM in the Chapel of Jesus the Priest, St. Joseph Seminary, followed by brunch during which the award, a bronzed statue of the Madonna and Child, was presented to Sister Jeanne Conzemius, central board member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF. The concept of the Mater Dei Award began ten years ago with the need to highlight women role models who made significant contributions to the service of God’s people. While the initial concept was directed to the seminarians of St. Joseph College, it rapidly became clear that these women role models are significant to the universal Church and the honor goes beyond a single diocese or archdiocese.
Photo by David Kamba
This is the tenth annual Mater Dei Award which is given annually to a woman or group of women “who respond generously to service in the Lord and His Church, just as Mary, the Mother of God did when she offered her great ‘fiat’ to the Lord at the Annunciation.” (Criteria) The bronze award statue, depicting Mary and the Christ Child, was designed by Rev.Anthony Brankin of St.Thomas More Parish, Chicago, Illinois. Rev. James Presta, Rector and President of St. Joseph College Seminary was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, and had the honor of having his former teachers and principal present at the ceremony. Sisters from across the country gathered for this honor, aware that the entire congregation was being recognized as being “women who have devoted their lives in dedicated and loyal service to the Church and offer inspiration to all God’s people by their deep faith and loyal service.” (Criteria for the Mater Dei Award). The award cited the contributions that the SSJ-TOSFs have made to the Church over the last 100 years by serving God’s people with joy and perseverance. Father Presta stated, “The Seminary would be most pleased if you would accept this award as a tribute to the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF as you celebrate your 100th anniversary as a religious congregation ... this would be a fitting way to highlight your Jubilee Celebration and thank you for your generous service to the Church these past one hundred years.” The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (SSJ-TOSF), serve in diverse ministries (education, parish work, health care, diocesan positions and community services) in 109 cities in 14 states and 4 locations off the mainland. The award acknowledges the SSJ-TOSFs continuing service to the church since the congregation’s founding 100 years ago.
“ WO M E N W H O H AV E D E VOT E D T H E I R L I V E S I N D E D I C AT E D A N D L O YA L S E RV I C E TO T H E C H U R C H A N D O F F E R I N S P I R AT I O N TO A L L G O D ’ S P E O P L E B Y T H E I R D E E P FA I T H A N D L OYA L S E R V I C E .” — C R I T E R I A F O R M AT E R D E I AWA R D
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1925
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. STANISLAUS
STEVENS POINT, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 326 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1984
HOLY CROSS
ELYRIA, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 140 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1973
ST. JOSEPH
Sister Karen Fitzpatrick
Graduates Cum Laude Sister Karen Fitzpatrick was awarded a Certificate in Gerontology as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, cum laude, from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana, in the summer of 2000. The studies prepared her for the work that she has always longed to do. “The older age group has always fascinated me,” Sister Karen said, “and the combination of Gerontology with Theology prepared me to work with our residents in a more complete way.” Sister Karen currently works at Covenant Village of Northbrook in Northbrook, IL, a continuing care facility which provides for the well elderly through nursing care, in charge of admissions into the skilled nursing and shelter care area. “Since I am the first person with whom either the potential resident or the family members come in contact, I deal with people who are at a great stress point in their lives,” says Sister Karen. “I find myself doing a lot of pastoral work by offering people time and a listening ear for their anxieties and fears. My own faith values move me to put the needs of people first. The values of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, which permeates my life also permeates the work that I do. The congregation places great value on relating to the needy as people worthy of respect and hospitality. I try to receive each person as Christ.”
DENVER, CO INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 118 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
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BLESSED SACRAMENT MILWAUKEE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 80 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1933
ST. IGNATIUS
MILWAUKEE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 159 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
ST. BARTHOLOMEW
DETROIT, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 100 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
ST. HEDWIG
LAKEWOOD, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 120 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1968
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Y E A R S TA F F E D
ASCENSION
Sometimes life unfolds in unexpected and beautiful ways. Just a few years ago, Karen was working at the Veterans Administration Medical Center with all the independence of a professional woman. Something shifted. As Sister Karen puts it, “I came to realize at that point that I wanted ... needed ... to belong to something, Someone.” The degree, the certificate, and her commitment to religious life all converged in the last few years to redirect Sister Karen’s life. For all three, congratulations.
BASE LINE, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 142 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
ST. FIDELIS
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 478 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1984
ST. JOHN CANTIUS
“ M Y OW N FA I T H VA L U E S M OV E M E T O P U T T H E N E E D S O F P E O P L E F I R S T. T H E VA L U E S O F T H E S I S T E R S O F S T. J O S E P H , T O S F , W H I C H P E R M E A T E M Y L I F E A L S O P E R M E AT E T H E W O R K T H AT I D O .” SISTER KAREN FITZPATRICK
SOBIESKI, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: — YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1940
1929
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ST. BARBARA
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 339 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
SS. PETER & PAUL
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 76 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
ST. ROMAN
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 696 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1980
1930
Senior Housing Project Moves forward with
Sister Helen Jaczkowski
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. STANISLAUS
BRISTOL, CT INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 284 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1980
1931
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ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
DEARBORN, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 90 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1996
Sister Mary Helen Jaczkowski is one member of a Development Team responsible for the renovation of the old Harvard Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio, into 50 units of affordable housing for seniors. Sister Helen has served on the team for over five years, pursuing the funding necessary for achieving the objectives of the project. Marie Kittredge of the Slavic Village Development which spearheads the project, says of Sister Helen, “She has such a profound sense of community and neighborhood that her very presence reminds us all of the higher goals of the project.” “We toured several reconstructed buildings to get an idea of what could be done with the Harvard School building to serve the senior citizens in the Cleveland area,” Sister Helen said. “The Harvard School is a very old building, but it has some historical significance for the city. Funding for the project was a major concern.” The Neighborhood News states that the project received funding through the state’s Housing Credit program, in conjunction with the City of Cleveland Housing Trust Funds and bank financing. The combination of these sources makes up the $6 million price tag for the project. National Church Residences will be the owners and operators of the senior housing units. They are a non-profit corporation based in Columbus, Ohio, which owns and operates over 10,000 units of affordable housing for seniors, nationwide. The renovated building will have many amenities for the residents including two elevators, a security system, spacious one- and twobedroom apartments with appliances, air conditioning, and a garden. Completion of the project is due in the Fall of 2001.
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spring 2001
1932
Y E A R S TA F F E D
HOLY FAMILY
GARY, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 148 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1976
ST. JOSEPH
SUFFIELD, CT INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 85 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1946
75 Years of SSJ-TOSF Presence St. Bartholomew, Detroit, Michigan by Sister Albina Sadowski In the 1920s, a large number of Polish Catholics primarily from Poland were moving into the northeastern part of Detroit, Michigan, looking for a Polish language church. Their voices were heard and in April of 1925, Bishop Michael Gallagher appointed Father Simon Kilar to establish a parish church. Land for the church, located on Goddard Street, was donated by John and Frank Sosnowski, in memory of their father “Bartholomew” (This is how the church was named). Initially, ten families made up the parish. Father Joseph Folta re-activated the parish and a church-school complex was built. Father Folta engaged the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose motherhouse was at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He had been associated with these Sisters while at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church in Detroit, Michigan. The school opened in 1926 with 100 students of various ages in a one-room school. Sister Mary Aurelia was the first principal and Sister Mary Hugolin was the teacher and organist. In the 30s and 40s, the number of families had grown to hundreds. The people realized that a larger school was a necessity to accommodate their children. In 1950, a new school building was opened at the present location, Wexford and Outer Drive. Classes were conducted on the main floor and the Sisters’ quarters were on the second floor. Available spaces such as the choir room and the gymnasium were divided into four classrooms. There were two sections of each grade from first to eighth and each section had an enrollment of approximately 65 to 75 pupils per class. The number of Sisters increased to 26, and one lay teacher (Rita Utych) was hired. Enrollment in the 50s rose to 1,076 pupils. It became necessary to conduct A.M. and P.M. (4-day) classes. In 1955, a spacious convent was built and the temporary convent in the school was then opened for classrooms. This decreased the number of students, per class, to 50-55 pupils.
1933
Y E A R S TA F F E D
SACRED HEART
CHEYENNE WELLS, CO INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 45 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
1934
Y E A R S TA F F E D
HOLY FAMILY
FORT COLLINS, CO INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 80 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1970
ST. JOSAPHAT
LOUP CITY, NE INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 138 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1969
1937
Y E A R S TA F F E D
SS. PETER & PAUL
DULUTH, MN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 131 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1968
ST. MARY
PAW PAW, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 20 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1939
1944
Y E A R S TA F F E D
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
CANTON, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 454 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1979
1945
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. MARY
KALAMAZOO, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 62 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1998
ST. LIBORY
ST. LIBORY, NE INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 46 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1969
1946
Y E A R S TA F F E D
TRANSFIGURATION
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 152 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1989
1947
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. ADALBERT
SUPERIOR, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 87 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1965 OF
OUR LADY GUADALUPE
INDIANA HARBOR, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 147 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1965
1949
Y E A R S TA F F E D
SACRED HEART
DODGE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 52 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1976
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
MILAN, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 140 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1970
ST. SIMEON
BELLWOOD, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 88 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1981
37
spring 2001
A decade later, in 1960, a second school building was opened, connected by a breeze-way to the first building. Six classrooms were added on to make it 26 classrooms in all. There was a standstill throughout the sixties with a stable enrollment of over 1,050 pupils. Soon after, the pendulum began to swing backwards slowly, decreasing the enrollment to 1,000 and the number of sisters to 17 while the number of lay teachers rose to twelve. A number of ethnic families began to move into the neighborhood who sought admission to St. Bartholomew School. These children were accepted, changing the identity of the parish and school to a more inclusive community. A number of Hispanic and African-American students were enrolled, Catholic and non-Catholic. Entering into the ’80s, the size of the student body began dropping slowly, first to about 750 and then to 500. The number of sisters dropped to nine and lay teachers remained at twelve. In the late ’80s, students numbered 490, of which 135 were African Americans. Eventually, the number of children of parishioners numbered 150 and other students increased to 143. This was an on-going situation throughout the late ’80s and into the ’90s. Some classrooms were closed and enrollment dropped to just over 250 students. Today, the enrollment is 100% African-American, of which seven (7) are Catholic. Throughout these years, the school has gone through many changes. The faculty consists of eight full-time teachers, three part-time teachers, one lay secretary, and one religious principal.All of this could not have been accomplished without the perseverence of the previous principals: Sister M. Aurella, Sister M. Danuta, Sister M. Paul, Sister M. Adjutoria, Sister M. Lucretia, Sister M. Laura and Sister M. Eunice. May I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the sisters, lay teachers, and parents for their cooperation in the spiritual and academic education of the students who have attended and are attending St. Bartholomew School.Thanks for the 75 years of service!
1950
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. HEDWIG THORP CATHOLIC SCHOOL
THORP, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 187 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
The Value of a Few Words by Judy Bulat We often wonder what value our efforts have, or what might result from putting forth a special effort. Sr. Mary Stephen Grzelinski has been one of the fortunate few who has not only seen the results of her efforts, but continues to watch the dollars and cents grow. Like so many in attendance at a performance of the play, Late Night Catechism, nearly two years ago, Sister Mary Stephen roared when the actress, who was portraying a nun conducting a basic catechism class for adults, questioned the late arrivals at the performance regarding the legitimacy of their excuses for being late. A $1.00 “fine” was then collected from each of the late arrivals. As she departed the theater at the end of the performance, Sr. Mary Stephen overheard the actress tell some of the audience that the “fines” collected were donated to the retirement fund of a designated congregation of sisters. This information put Sr. Mary Stephen into action. She introduced herself to the actress and inquired about getting the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF designated as a recipient of future contributions.
CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD
LINCOLN PARK, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 297 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1985
ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA
SOUTH BEND, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 62 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
1951
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
GREENWOOD, MS INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 30 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1996
1952
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. JOHN BOSCO
HAMMOND, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 195 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
1954
Y E A R S TA F F E D
Last September, nearly a year and a half after her conversation, Sr. Mary Stephen received a call from Ms.Vicki Quade, the playwright of Late Night Catechism. Ms. Quade informed her that the SSJ-TOSFs would be the beneficiary of collections taken up during a six-week production to be held in Aurora, Illinois. Although grateful with anticipation that our retirement fund would receive an additional contribution, Sr. Mary Stephen never realized how this contribution would grow. The six-week engagement of the play was extended to six months. Through January 2001, nearly $12,000 has been collected. In addition, after a visit by the playwright and actress to the retired sisters at Immaculata Congregational Home, these sisters were recipients of a full production of the play as part of their Christmas party this past December. There’s more. Ms. Quade has offered additional performances of the play as part of the Centennial Event/Chapter festivities of the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF in July 2001. In light of the congregation’s 100th Anniversary, Ms. Quade will present Late Night Catechism as benefits for Lourdes High School and Immaculata Congregational Home. . All of this has been made possible because of these few words: “I’m Sr. Mary Stephen, and I’d like to have our retirement fund added to your list.”
HOLY ROSARY
OWEN, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 99 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1985
ST. MARY
STANLEY, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 118 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1968
ST. ANTHONY
BELLEVILLE, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 289 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
CORPUS CHRISTI
CLEVELAND, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 350 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1997
ST. MONICA
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 341 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1994
OUR LADY OF FATIMA
Vicki Quade
Sr. Mary Stephen Grzelinski
Tina Thuerwachter
OAK PARK, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 410 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
Snippets A New Processional Cross for St. Joseph Congregational Home On Sunday, January 7, 2001, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Sisters at St. Joseph Congregational Home were gifted with a new processional cross from the Newman University Parish. The members of the parish community were recognizing the centennial of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. It also symbolized their gratitude for hosting their parish community in the congregational home. The cross was crafted by George Hagale, a retired art professor at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. The design was inspired by the image on the Easter candle for this year. Reflecting on the SSJ-TOSF Centennial, Father Tom Lindner, pastor of Newman University Parish said, “As the community approaches this milestone, and as we hear an Epiphany gospel in which visitors come bearing gifts, Newman is presenting the Sisters of St. Joseph with a gift - a new processional cross ...We hope it will enhance their worship, as well as our own, and help guide them into a second century of faithful witness to Jesus and His gospel, which are symbolized by the power and glory of the cross.”
The Call to Action National Conference The national conference of the Call to Action was held in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, November 3-5, 2000. Sisters Rose Grabowski, Maria Kurrie, Margaret Hoffelder, Marjorie White,Therese Duclos and Linda Szocik attended along with associates Carol and Bill Dillon. The keynote speaker on the first day was Sister Helen Prejean who spoke of “Dead Man Walking:The Journey.” At that session, Ray Bourgeois, M.M., and Alison Snow received the Leadership Award for spearheading the national movement to close the School of the Americas (SOA). On Saturday, Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, spoke on “Friends of God, and Prophets: Toward an Inclusive Community,” which was the theme of the conference. The sisters were moved and inspired. “The worship, the music, the liturgical dance, the spirit... all were wonderful and uplifting!”
Fort Benning, Georgia On November 17-19, 2000, Sisters Dorothy Pagosa, Barbara Anne Gluck and Louise Szerpicki participated in a gathering of thousands of people at Fort Benning, Georgia, in the cause of peace and justice. In the words of Sr. Louise,“It was an honor and an inspiration to be among this group of thousands that called upon God in prayer, and called upon our fellow Americans and our political powers to see more clearly and care more deeply for all humankind, by voicing and supporting the need to close the U.S.Army’s School of the Americas (SOA).” Editor’s Note: The School of the Americas has been renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC) as of December 15, 2000. The name change does not change the mission and operation of the school which still turns a blind eye to human rights.
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spring 2001
Sister Generose Musial was born in 1901, the same year as the founding of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. She was invested in the SSJ-TOSFs when she was twenty years old. 2001 is the year of celebration of her 100th Birthday and her 80th Jubilee in religious life. Cunegunda Musial was born in Galicia, Poland, on February 28, 1901, the first of eight children. When she was six years old, her parents, John and Anna, moved the family to St. Salomea Parish in Chicago, Illinois. She and her brothers and sisters, Steve, Stanley, Angeline, Walter, Julia, Frank and Edward attended St. Salomea school. She graduated from St. Salomea and then attended Fenger High School until she completed the tenth grade. She never missed a party, and stood up to five weddings before she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, where she was invested on August 3, 1921. She began a professional path in education with her assignment to St. Francis school in Detroit, Michigan. After three years of teaching, she went to Stevens Point to complete her novitiate. Then it was back to the classroom at St. Adalbert’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and St. Mary of Perpetual Help in Chicago, Illinois. It was during this time that she completed her bachelor’s and her master’s degree
in Education at De Paul University. She was also certified in drivers’ education and training. She is remembered by many of her students as the one who ushered them into this new “licensed” phase of life. She was principal of Lourdes High School for six years, and principal of St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, Indiana. Sister Generose went on for additional course work in hospital administration and accounting, before she went to Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, to assume the responsibilities of Administrator of St. Joseph Hospital. From 1957 to 1962, she was a Provincial Councillor and Procurator for the Immaculate Conception Province, Chicago, Illinois. She was teacher, superior and principal at St. Mary of Perpetual Help for ten years. In 1973, Sister Generose retired. But retirement is relative when it comes to someone with a zest for life. She assumed the management of the Altar Bread Department in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, until 1988, when she moved to Bartlett, Illinois. If you find an easy smile, quick wit, baseball enthusiasm (after all, she shares the name of “Stan the Man” Musial, of St. Louis Cardinals fame), solid virtue, and perseverance all in the same place, it’s Sister Generose. Happy Birthday and Joyous Jubilee!
Partners in Construction Clare Hall, part of the Marymount Congregational Home in Garfield Heights, Ohio, was rededicated as a certified and licensed nursing home on October 21, 2000. It will be managed for the Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF, by the Marymount Health Care Systems under a unique operating lease that allows the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF to retain the title to Clare Hall and gives the Marymount Health Care Systems the flexibility to manage the facility as a first-class nursing and health care facility. Thomas J. Trudell, President and CEO of Marymount Hospital, addressed the gathering of the “Guests of Honor,” that is, the sister-residents of Clare Hall, also sisters from the Cleveland area, staff, friends and benefactors. He recalled that “A little over a year ago, in the spring of 1999, the vision for an intergenerational campus was born. It was seen by the leadership of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, and the Marymount Health Care Systems, as a ‘Fitting Response.’ Tonight we gather to celebrate the first part of that vision, the conversion of Clare Hall infirmary into a certified and licensed nursing home.” Mr. Trudell called the Sisters, especially those who were relocated during the remodeling of Clare Hall, “Partners in Construction.” Rev.Ted Marszal, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul parish, then led the group in the blessing and rededication of Clare Hall. At the nurses station, he blessed water which was then used to bless the people who had gathered in the hallways, then blessed the rooms of the new facility. In the chapel, the assembly caught the spirit of the dedication from the reading taken from the book Francis of Assisi:The Saint: “... Let the length of the race and the immensity of the labor not deter you, for you will have a great reward. Run in love to the race that is set before you. Run with the patience which is especially necessary for you, that, while you are doing God’s will, you may receive what is promised. For God is able to bring to completion with joy what you have begun with his grace beyond your powers, because He is faithful to His promises.”
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spring 2001
1955
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. FLORIAN
An Intergenerational Campus Everybody had fun. On January 15, 2001, the children from Marymount Child Care Center engaged in an art project together with the sisters from Clare Hall and Marymount Congregational Home. The participants were a good match. The retired sisters, who spent many years teaching children, renewed their early years of teaching experience. The children benefitted by their interacting with older adults. In a mobile society, children often miss the special bond between grandparents and other older adults, which patiently nurtures each child’s giftedness. The joining in January of the sisters and the children produced more than an object d’art. The hand drawings reached out across the generation gap. Sister Delphine Zientek said,“I felt great joy being with the children; it reminded me of my many years of teaching. It was good to know that I could help a child again.” And Sister Beata Jasina noted,“It was a nice experience for the children and the sisters. It helped fill in the generation gap. They need attention; we need attention. It was a rejuvenating experience.” Sister Eleanore Wiencek observed, “I enjoyed seeing the children and all their smiling faces. I am certainly going to participate when the children return again. It was very enjoyable.” The children visited the sisters at Marymount Congregational Home once again at the end of January 2001. It was clear that all the participants were having a wonderful time. The entire Marymount campus is modeling an intergenerational campus with the hospital, the congregational home, the retirement home, the high school and the day care center, all occupying the same campus. Interaction between and among the components is a mutually enriching exchange.
HATLEY, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 182 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1968
HOLY CROSS
NEW BRITAIN, CT INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 296 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP
ORD, NE INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 69 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1985
1956
Y E A R S TA F F E D
BLESSED SACRAMENT
MILWAUKEE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 1,027 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1992
HOLY ROSARY
GARY, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 109 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1975
ST. JUDE
SOUTH BEND, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 130 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
ST. PATRICK
WALKERTON, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 135 YEAR RELINQUISHED: —
1957
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. JOSEPH
ADDISON, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 375 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1983
QUEEN
OF THE UNIVERSE
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 375 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1992
1959
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. MATTHEW
WAUSAU, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 77 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
Introducing Sister Jean Sonsalla The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis have a new Director of their Vocation/Formation Commission. Sister Jean Sonsalla oversees the programs by which young women are integrated into the congregation. The process begins with Sister Jean and members of the Commission answering inquiries, placing ads, and producing print information. Young women are also invited to participate in “Come and See” weekends where they can take a closer look at community life. Once young women express their desire to pursue membership in the congregation, Sister Jean refers them to the Vocation/Formation Commission who implements the programs by which the Pre-candidates, Candidates, Novices and Temporary Professed are nurtured in the Franciscan way of life. For the last six years, Sister Jean has been on the seven-member Commission whose purpose is to foster vocations, ministry and formation. The Commission experience is an advantage as she assumes the position of Directorship. “I am excited about the young women who are seeking admission to the congregation,” says Sister Jean.“They have such enthusiasm and hope for the future. Their sense of commitment is unparalleled. This says so much about the next generation of Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF.” At this time, the SSJ-TOSFs have four Pre-candidates, three Candidates and four Sisters in Temporary Vows. The SSJ-TOSFs are the fourth largest congregation of women with membership in the national Franciscan Federation TOR.
Development Office Moves to Chicago On August 1, 2000, the staff members of the Development Office of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, met in Lourdes Convent, Chicago, Illinois, where the offices were relocated from Garfield Heights, Ohio. The members of the Development Office staff are: • Sister Denise Seymour is the Director of Development. She is responsible for promoting the mission and ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, through fund-raising. • Bob Webb oversees Planned Giving and manages the systems which support the development effort. He maintains the donor database and coordinates the financial aspects of accountability. • Sister Jane Zawadzki is the Grant Writer. Her position strengthens the development effort by seeking grants for specific projects to enhance the work of the congregation. • Reneta Webb, the Director of Public Relations, provides contact with the public. Her avenues of contact include Gathering Place, the SSJ-TOSF web site, print materials, and exposure in the media. To prepare for their development work, the staff members attended the National Catholic Development Conference in September 2000 to network with development personnel from other religious organizations. They came back with more than professional enrichment.Through Sr. Jane’s fortunate win, the staff won participation in a Development Fund Audit conducted by the Eddie Bauer Group, Inc. The audit was completed in January 2001, and helped to focus the team members on coordinated priorities and goals in the new year. The ease of setting goals for the future rests primarily on the solid foundation of the past. Sally Smith worked in the Development Office in Garfield Heights, Ohio for over four years. The last year and a half she was acting Director of Development. She maintained the records and produced the reports that now serve as the starting point for the current priorities and goals. To Sally, we owe a debt of gratitude. With Sally’s initial guidance, the team launched the activities in the new office. It didn’t take long to find that the four staff members were an excellent “fit.” As Sister Denise says, “If anyone wants to know what ‘team’ is, come and visit our office!”
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Vocation/Formation Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother ... Sister! Living life is writing a story: plots and subplots, unexpected twists and turns, people entering our lives at just the appropriate moment, God working miracles. This is the story of Sister Barbara Anne Gluck and Sister Laura Hrindak, two Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF, who recently pronounced their first vows.
Sister Barbara Anne Gluck July 30, 2000 was a joyful day for the members of the SSJ-TOSF community. Sister Barbara Anne Gluck pronounced her first vows with these words:
I H AV E R E S P O N D E D TO
“In the spring of 1997, I became acquainted with the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. Over these past three years, I have come to know many sisters, living with them and experiencing their ministries. I see and feel community, the genuine love and care our sisters have for one another, living out the Gospel, being Christ to others, ‘For where one is, we all are!’”
M OT H E R H O O D,
“The words ‘Fitting Response’ are very meaningful for me. Mary gave her response in the Magnificat. ‘Be it done to me according to your word.’ I have responded to the Gospel. I have responded to motherhood, family and homemaking. Now I wish to continue responding to the Gospel by professing my first vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis.”
CONTINUE
F A M I LY A N D HOMEMAKING. N OW I W I S H TO
RESPONDING TO T H E G O S P E L BY PROFESSING
Sister Barbara Anne was raised in Chicago and left for Texas with her family when she was 14. She married in 1966 and is the mother of five daughters, Patricia, Debbie (now deceased), Cheryl, Rebecca and Elizabeth. She is blessed with two grandsons,William and Jacob. Her husband passed away and life evolved to the fitting moment. Sister Barbara Anne found her home with the SSJ-TOSFs.
M Y F I R S T VOW S
Sister Laura Hrindak
OBEDIENCE IN
Another life story noted a significant milestone on October 8, 2000, when Sister Laura Hrindak pronounced her first vows in the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. She grew up with her family in Gary, Indiana, and was taught by the SSJ-TOSFs at Holy Rosary grade school. After attending Bishop Noll High School, Hammond, Indiana, she entered the SSJ-TOSFs for a brief period but discerned that God was calling her in a different direction. The chapter of Sr. Laura’s life story entitled “wife” brought with it joys and sorrows. She is the mother of three sons, Michael, John and Bob and grandmother to Maggie. The joy of life was mixed with the sorrow of losing a spouse. Being a widow generated the “now what?” questions. As God would have it, Sr. Laura met a Sister of St. Joseph, TOSF, who opened her arms to her as “sister.” In November 1999, Laura returned to the congregation.
THE SISTERS
When Sr. Laura professed her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, she said, “Thank you for taking me back! I am overwhelmed with the holy simplicity and joyfulness of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF. It is with a grateful heart that I pronounce these vows in the presence of God, my family and my sisters.”
O F P O V E R T Y, CHASTITY AND
O F S T. J O S E P H OF THE THIRD ORDER OF S T. F R A N C I S . SR. BARBARA ANNE GLUCK
1961
Vocation/Formation
Y E A R S TA F F E D
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
IRON MOUNTAIN, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 303 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1971
OUR LADY SNOWS
OF THE
CHICAGO, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 363 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1984
The Future in New Franciscan Faces “We want to be the ones who will carry on the Franciscan tradition that was begun in the blessed beginnings of this congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF.” That’s the way the Candidates and Pre-candidates of the congregation explained why they discerned their future to be with the SSJ-TOSFs.
1962
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. PIUS X
LA CROSSE, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 348 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1972
1963
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. JOHN EVANGELIST STREAMWOOD, IL INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 235 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1984
ST. JOSEPH
PINOLE, CA INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 116 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1985
SACRED HEART
CASHTON, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 43 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1996
1964
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. PASCAL BAYLON
Donna Marie Wilhelm
Donna Marie Wilhelm, Lisa Alexander and Jo Ann Poplar are Candidates, and each is spending time entering more deeply into the spirit and ministry of the congregation. Donna Marie is working at Cleveland Central Catholic High School as a teacher of Religion and as Pastoral Minister. Lisa Alexander is living with Sisters Marcia Lambert and Laura Hrindak at Two Rivers, Wisconsin. She has a gifted singing voice and will be singing her commitment “Here I am, Lord” for her Rite of Candidacy. Jo Ann Poplar is an ER Nurse and living with Sister Barbara Anne Gluck in Garfield Heights, Ohio. She is adept at videotaping and is working on an oral history of the congregation.
Anita Haller, Karla Magruder, Kimberly Mulhearn and Shannon Fox are Pre-candidates. Anita Haller is a librarian, and while she enjoys a successful professional life in Cincinnati, Ohio, she is looking for a deeper meaning to her life. Karla Magruder is completing her commitment to the Navy in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and plans on becoming a Candidate in 2002. Kimberly Mulhearn became acquainted with the SSJ-TOSFs while at Lourdes High School, Chicago, Illinois. She participated in the Appalachian Exchange and discovered the beauty of service to God’s people. Shannon Fox works for Citicorp, a division of Americorp, in Dover, New Hampshire. She currently reaches out in ministry by working with a drug rehabilitation program. We join hands with you, and prayerfully support you as you continue your discerning process!
TAYLOR, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 160 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1972
Shannon Fox
Karla Magruder
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS KNOX, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 90 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1983
ST. GERMAINE
ST. CLAIRE SHORES, MI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 164 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1983
ST. PAUL
GENESEE DEPOT, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 135 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1972 Anita Haller
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spring 2001
Kim Mulhearn
Jo Ann Poplar
For more information: www.ssj-tosf.org
Lisa Alexander
Centennial Celebration
1965
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. BRIDGET
Area Celebrations July 1, 2001 is the Anniversary date of the founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. To commemorate this event, the congregation will be celebrating with family, friends, alums and all those who share the SSJ-TOSF Franciscan spirit. The schedule of the celebrations across the country is as follows:
RIVER FALLS, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 292 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1984
RESURRECTION
GREEN BAY, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 314 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1975
1966
Y E A R S TA F F E D
ST. JOSEPH
July 28, 2001
Former General Motherhouse - South Bend, IN
August 11, 2001
St. Joseph Church - Rice Lake,Wl
STEVENS POINT, WI INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 288 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1988
1967
Y E A R S TA F F E D
August 19, 2001
St. Joseph Congregational Home - Stevens Point,Wl
September 22, 2001
St. Joseph Congregational Home - Stevens Point,Wl
September 23, 2001
St. Barbara Church - Chicago, IL
ST. JOACHIM
HAYWARD, CA INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 322 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1986
1971
Y E A R S TA F F E D
October 6, 2001
St. Barnabas Church - Alameda, CA
October 7, 2001
SS. Peter and Paul Church - Garfield Heights, OH
October 21, 2001
Lourdes High School - Chicago, IL
ST. JUDE
WARRENVILLE HEIGHTS, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 275 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1985
1979
Y E A R S TA F F E D
October 27, 2001
Regina High School - Harper Woods, MI
March 23, 2002
Holy Cross Church - New Britain, CT
May 5, 2002
St. Michael Cemetery - Palatine, IL
ST. MARY
LORAIN, OH INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 229 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1992
1980
Y E A R S TA F F E D
May 19, 2002
Resurrection Cemetery - Justice, IL
June 30, 2002
lmmaculata Congregational Home - Bartlett, IL
June 30, 2002
Marymount Congregational Home - Garfield Heights, OH
July 1, 2002
St. Joseph Congregational Home - Stevens Point,Wl
ST. JOSEPH
KENTLAND, IN INITIAL ENROLLMENT: 70 YEAR RELINQUISHED: 1995
47
spring 2001
Sister Assumpta Pogorzelski Born into this life: March 27, 1917 Born to eternal life: July 22, 2000
Sister Benilda Sipka (Krzepka) Born into this life: April 1, 1910 Born to eternal life: Sept. 2, 2000
Sister Ann Marie Waszak Born into this life: March 26, 1905 Born to eternal life: July 23, 2000
Sister Stephanie Koniski Born into this life: March 13, 1922 Born to eternal life: Sept. 13, 2000
Sister Mary Rogers Janiga Born into this life: Sept. 23, 1903 Born to eternal life: July 26, 2000
Sister Mary Rita Nugent Born into this life: August 14, 1938 Born to eternal life: Oct. 4, 2000
Sister Bonfilia Brys Born into this life: Jan. 3, 1899 Born to eternal life: Aug. 15, 2000
Sister Annuncia Suchla Born into this life: April 7, 1911 Born to eternal life: Nov. 2, 2000
Sister Magdalene Przywara Born into this life: Dec. 24, 1935 Born to eternal life: Sept. 2, 2000
Associate Ethel Tillinghast Born into this life: Oct. 6, 1917 Born to eternal life: Nov. 7, 2000
Sister Frances Ann Zuba Born into this life: Aug. 20, 1903 Born to eternal life: Dec. 19, 2000
Sister Roselite Pomis Born into this life: March 13, 1914 Born to eternal life: Feb. 6, 2001
Sister Antonine Gwozdzinski Born into this life: June 12, 1909 Born to eternal life: Dec. 22, 2000
Sister Alvina Jaracz Born into this life: Oct. 21, 1903 Born to eternal life: Feb. 14, 2001
Sister Humiliana Wyrostek Born into this life: Feb. 28, 1907 Born to eternal life: Jan. 2, 2001
Sister Elenata Hejna Born into this life: May 12, 1911 Born to eternal life: March 1, 2001
Sister Agnella Banczak Born into this life: Feb. 7, 1913 Born to eternal life: Jan. 18, 2001
Sister Anne Marie Dulak Born into this life: July 10, 1909 Born to eternal life: March 29, 2001
We are Lourdes High School
We are Lourdes, a Catholic secondary learning community for young women. Sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph,Third Order of St. Francis, we strive to give witness to the gospel message of love and compassion and justice. We promote holistic development of each student through a challenging academic and co-curricular
program in a safe and nurturing environment. We prepare our students with the life-long learning skills of effective communication, critical thinking, responsible decision making and problem solving. We are dedicated to forming young women with the self-esteem and self-discipline needed to live non-violently and creatively in a culturally diverse world.
Lourdes High School 4034 West 56th Street Chicago, Illinois 60629-4499 773.581.2555 Email: Lourdian@mcs.com NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID CHICAGO, IL PERMIT #5504
Sisters of St. Joseph,TOSF Development Office P.O. Box 388129 Chicago, Illinois 60638-8129 www.ssj-tosf.org
Address Service Requested