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NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS
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Meet some remarkable women, who through their ministry to the dying, teach us all how to live.
The Sisters, Servants of Mary
Photography by Elaina Generally
VOL. 30, NO. 7 SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
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SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
Contents 2 Archbishop Naumann recognizes the Sisters, Servants as tremendous gifts to the archdiocese Superior’s courage and new technology permit The Leaven to tell the Sisters’ story in a new way
3 Father Phil Kendall counts among his life’s blessings, his years as Sisters, Servants chaplain
4 Patients find Sisters light the way through their darkest hour, leading them on a clear path to God
5 People insist the Sisters bring as much comfort to family members as they do to their loved ones
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Fans of the Sisters come in all denominations; they just like how helping the Sisters makes them feel
7 Three days behind cloistered walls leaves photographer touched by the rare privilege
14 Although most take their time, some know in an instant they want to become a Servant of Mary
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Patients and caregivers alike rest easier with Sisters, Servants of Mary close at hand
16 Mother Carmela Sanz — counselor and confidant to the Sisters she leads — knows just where to go for help
Appointments Reverend Monsignor Gary Applegate, formerly pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park, will reside at the Church of the Nativity in Leawood and assist the pastor of Church of the Nativity with sacramental ministry and continue to serve as Judicial Vicar, director of the Permanent Diaconate Office, and Archdiocesan Master of Ceremonies. Father Gerardo Arano-Ponce, formerly the pastor of St. Philip Neri Parish in Osawatomie, Sacred Heart Parish in Mound City, and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in La Cygne, will serve as pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park. Father Anthony Kiplagat of the Diocese of Eldoret in Kenya, continuing to pursue studies at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, will assist the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park with sacramental ministry. Father Richard McDonald, formerly part-time Parochial Vicar (associate pastor) at St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park, to serve as part-time Parochial Vicar at Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa and continue part time as a member of the Archdiocesan Tribunal Staff. Father Reginald Saldanha, on loan from the Diocese of Wabag, Papua New Guinea and formerly serving as the Parochial Vicar (associate pastor) at Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa, will serve as pastor of St. Philip Neri Parish in Osawatomie, Sacred Heart Parish in Mound City and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in La Cygne. These appointments are effective Oct. 8.
+ Joseph F. Naumann Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
‘Women of courage’ ■ Archbishop Naumann recognizes the Sisters, Servants as tremendous gifts to the archdiocese
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his past Saturday, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass at the chapel of the Servants of Mary Ministers to the Sick (Sisters, Servants of Mary) on the occasion of the profession of perpetual vows by Sister Lucero Garcia. Today’s Leaven spotlights this remarkable community whose provincial motherhouse for the United States and Mexico is located on 18th Street, next to Bishop Ward High School, in Kansas City, Kan. Since coming to the Archdiocese four years ago, I have met many individuals who are profoundly grateful to the Sisters, Servants of Mary for the assistance provided to them at a very challenging and difficult moment in the life of their family. The Sisters, Servants of Mary are women of remarkable courage. They devote their lives to sharing the suffering of those with a family member who is seriously ill. There is a natural fear of suffering and of those who are suffering. Most of us feel uncomfortable around someone who is seriously ill and approaching
ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN
death. We feel awkward because we do not know what to say to a person in such a circumstance. We feel frightened because the condition of the sick person reminds us of our own vulnerability and the inevitability that some day we, too, must face death. The Sisters, Servants of Mary overcome the natural instinct to avoid exposing ourselves to the suffering of others. They enter in where others fear to tread. The presence of these remarkable women of faith and mercy helps to transform what are, humanly speaking, times of great sadness for a family into an experience of deepened faith, renewed hope and amazing grace. In the Gospel, all of the apostles, except St. John, deserted Jesus at the time of his passion and death. It was only the women — Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the wife of Clopas (Jn 19:25), as well as other women who were disciples (Mk 15:40) — who remained with Jesus during his suffering, seeking by their presence to do everything they could to
comfort and encourage him. This is precisely what the Sisters, Servants of Mary do today. They refuse to allow the sick and their families to endure their suffering alone. These heroic women choose also to be near Jesus on the cross who is uniquely present in the person who is seriously ill. The Sisters, Servants of Mary allow the risen Lord to use them to bring his love, his peace, his hope and his joy to those who are sharing in the cross. The Sisters, Servants of Mary are a tremendous blessing to the people of the Archdiocese. They deserve the support of our prayers, as well as our financial donations. The church needs more Sisters, Servants of Mary who are willing to be heralds of the Gospel of Life and angels of God’s mercy to individuals and families at moments of trial and difficulty. I encourage young women in the Archdiocese, who desire the abundant life Jesus promised to those who are willing to follow him, even to Calvary, and who want to make a real difference in the lives of others, to explore the possibility of becoming a Sister Servant of Mary. Jesus desires to have more heroic women who have the courage to be with him on Calvary and to allow him to use them to be instruments of his grace, changing our world one life and one family at a time.
‘Siren call of the Sisters’ ■ Superior’s courage and new technology permit The Leaven to tell the Sisters’ story in a new way BY ANITA McSORLEY
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CK natives like Father Mark and myself can hardly remember a time when we didn’t know of the Sisters, Servants of Mary. The Sisters’ summer social represented the beginning of summer vacation to Father Mark as a boy, and his own vocation was influenced by the Sisters’ care of his grandmother. I, on the other hand, heard the siren call of the Sisters as a teenager at Bishop Ward. For those of you not familiar with the area, the Sisters’ convent lies immediately north of the high school. So sometimes, on a warm day, students walking to their rides would be startled by sudden peals of laughter emanating from the other side of the high convent walls. It was the Sisters, Servants of Mary playing volleyball. Behind their convent walls. Where we could not see. How intriguing/annoying was that? I’ve been fascinated by the Sisters ever since. So when Mary Sullivan contacted me this spring about a story on the Sisters’ upcoming gala, I hoped and prayed that this story could be different
— that this time, the local superior would recognize the benefit of a story on the Sisters told from the inside. For readers unfamiliar with the Sisters, I should say right now that this was the tricky bit. The Sisters are intensely private and notoriously modest. All attempts at promoting them in a big way in the past have come to naught. (Folks who work solely for the glory of God are a media outlet’s dream; we, on the other hand, are their nightmare.) Moreover, the Sisters are semicloistered. That means that if Mother Carmela Sanz permitted my photographer Elaina Generally inside her convent’s walls, Elaina could not only photograph things that had never been photographed before, she could actually photograph things that had never even been seen before by an outsider. How cool was that? Fortunately, Mary recognized a fellow dreamer when she saw one, and used her considerable influence to talk Mother Carmela into making an incredibly brave decision: To let The Leaven in. But Mary had a dream of her own. As you’ll read in later pages, the Sisters charge no fees for their nursing — they depend entirely on the generosity of others. But the fundraisers that Mary and the Sisters’ many other supporters had been organizing for years have grown insufficient to sustain the Sisters’ operations each year. More worrisome still is the fact that a large number of the Sisters’ supporters are joining an aging population and
For gala tickets, call (913) 897-5429 or (913) 339-6825. To make a donation to the Sisters, Servants of Mary, go to: www.servingfromtheheart.com.
may not be in a position to continue their level of support indefinitely. In short, the Sisters, Servants of Mary needed help, and Mary and her committee of gala-planners were trying to ride to their rescue. Toward that end, each and every one of the 23, said Mary, contributed an essential piece to what is bound to be an historic event. The theme, “Serving from the Heart,” she continued, is as true of her committee members as it is of the Sisters. But touching the hearts of a new generation of potential supporters is a tall order. So The Leaven staff decided to try something new as well: We would tell the story of the Sisters, Servants of Mary in a different way. That’s why, in addition to this special issue featuring Elaina’s world-class photography, you will find on our Web site — www.theleaven.com — a threeminute video on the work of the Sisters, Servants of Mary. If you like the video, all we ask is that you forward the link to your friends. If, on the other hand, you like the way the Sisters make you feel about being Catholic — well, you’ll know what to do. Anita McSorley is the managing editor of The Leaven.
SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
‘What did you do right?’ ■ Father Phil Kendall counts among his life’s blessings, his years as Sisters, Servants chaplain By JOE BOLLIG
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t was the kind of thing that could have turned very ugly, very fast. Instead, it became a witness to the power of love. Some years ago, one of the Sisters, Servants of Mary was shopping for food at a grocery story on Minnesota Avenue, in the then-gritty urban core of Kansas City, Kan. Suddenly, three masked men, guns drawn, burst through the doors. The trio forced the checkers to empty their tills and began to rob the customers. But when one of the gunmen spotted the nun, he waved off his partners in crime. “Don’t touch the Sister,” he said. “They helped my mother.” The gunman’s act speaks volumes about the special respect in which the Sisters, Servants of Mary are held in their community, for their selfless service to the sick and dying. The immense reservoir of goodwill for the Sisters, Servants of Mary began to grow almost as soon as members of the order arrived here in 1917 to establish a convent. The establishment of a new order of nursing nuns couldn’t have come at a better time for the community. Between the United States’ entry into World War I and the flu pandemic a year later, there was more than enough work to go around. The Sisters pioneered what is today called hospice care. They went to the homes of the sick, offering nursing care and the love of God without cost. The times and medical technologies have changed since the order was established in 1851 in Spain, but the Sisters have remained true to their mission. Few people know the Sisters, Servants of Mary better than Father Philip E. Kendall, CSV, who served as their chaplain for many years. Father Phil was first invited to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas in 1972, to head up the archdiocesan tribunal office. Later, when the order that had previously provided chaplains for the Sisters left Kansas City, Kan., he was asked to become the Sisters’ chaplain and teacher. “My provincial came down for a visitation,” recalled Father Phil, “and he said, ‘What did you do right to get this blessing of God? “‘These nuns are going to save your soul against your will!’” He might have been the Sisters’ teacher and chaplain, he said, but in many ways it was they who taught him by their total reliance on the will of God. When he himself fell ill in the late 1970s, the Sisters took care of him, and he found out firsthand why the Sisters were so beloved. “The Sisters are so generous, polite and holy,” said Father Phil. “Their ho-
Patients of the Sisters receive not only spiritual comfort, says former chaplain Father Phil Kendall, but top-notch nursing care. Above, Sister Leticia Soto cleans the tracheotomy opening of patient Mark Culler, and at left, Sister Yesenia Perea changes the dressing of John McDonald.
liness is not just something you talk about. It is generosity; it is love, and very visible love. “They are just the sweetest people you can imagine,” he continued, “and they go out of their way to help one in sickness. That’s why people love them.” The Sisters’ generosity and absolute trust in God gives them the courage to do their very challenging work. “They have been in homes that you and I wouldn’t dare stay overnight,” said Father Phil. “[The Sisters] just
don’t talk the talk — they walk the walk. They are real, and that’s pretty hard to find in this world.” If you were to drive past their provincial house on 18th Street, he added, you would likely see very little activity, except when the Sisters are coming and going to care for their patients. “They are devoted to their community life and mission,” he said. “Anything outside of that, literally, they have very little interest in.
“Not that they’re out of touch, but it just isn’t where their heart is. Their heart is caring for their patients. “And they take their nursing studies very, very seriously.” With their vows of obedience, structured community life, and oldschool habits, one might assume that the community is some kind of throwback to the pre-Vatican II era. Nothing can be further from the truth, said Father Phil. Many of the Sisters are very welleducated. They’re trained in the latest in nursing, he said, and they’re current on what’s happening in the world. The Sisters are very much individuals, but committed to their community. They have, he said, “an obedience of understanding.” “It’s the happiest [religious] house in the whole city,” said Father Phil. “They laugh and scream, and you should see them when they start playing their banjos and guitars! Sister Marycruz [Garcia] can play that guitar — she could be on the stage, she plays so well.” “They’re happy,” he continued. “Theirs is a family happiness. There’s very little I’ve ever seen in [terms of] ambition. I’ve been impressed by every [one of them] I’ve met.” Why would a young woman want to become a member of this order? What’s in it for them? “Sacrifice,” said Father Phil simply. “There’s nothing in it for them — just love of God and love of neighbor. They really believe that! “That’s what’s so hard for people to understand — that’s their life.”
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SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
‘Like the stars in the night’
SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
Angels in our midst
■ Patients find Sisters light the way through their darkest hour, leading them on a clear path to God BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD
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ntonia Sestrich describes herself as “just an ordinary person, a housewife and a mother.” And she wonders why people always want to ask her questions. “Because you’re 103 years old,” explains her grandson, Mike Sestrich, who is also her caregiver. “They think you have a lot of wisdom.” She scoffs at that idea, but was willing to grant The Leaven what she refused The Kansas City Star: the opportunity to talk with her. But she’s only doing it as a favor, she insists, to the Sisters, Servants of Mary.
The beginning of a beautiful friendship Mrs. Sestrich was born in Croatia. She came to America with her family at the age of three and joined St. John the Baptist Parish in Kansas City, Kan. She’s been a loyal parishioner there for 100 years. Next to her Catholic faith and her family, one of the most gratifying constants in Mrs. Sestrich’s long life has been her relationship with the Sisters, Servants of Mary. “I love them so much,” she said. “They’re good and they work hard. A lot of times I’m kind of sad, and they come to my door and say, ‘Oh, Mrs. Sestrich,’ then everything changes to good. You can’t find anything better than they are.” “She loves us a lot,” admitted Mother Carmela Sanz. “When a Sister arrives, Antonia usually greets her with, ‘Hi, my tootsie-wootsie’ or ‘Hello, honey bunny.’ She is so dear to us.” When asked how she came to know the Sisters, Mrs. Sestrich doesn’t elaborate. “They helped me when I needed help,” she said simply. In 1953, her grandson explained, his grandfather developed Parkinson’s disease. Within 10 years, he was bedridden. “He had a lot of problems,” he said. “I guess one day the doctor wanted my grandmother to give him an enema. She had never done anything like that before and didn’t know where to turn. Somebody suggested calling the Sisters, Servants of Mary.” “I called on the telephone to them and Sister Cristela [MacKinnon] is the one that answered,” recalled Mrs. Sestrich. “She said, ‘I’ll come right down and we’ll both take care of him.’” From that day forward, the Sisters, Servants of Mary helped her
care for her husband until his death in 1965. During that time, a deep friendship developed between Mrs. Sestrich and Sister Cristela — a friendship that withstood an 18-year separation when Sister Cristela lived in Rome. “When she came back,” recalled Mrs. Sestrich, “we just hugged each other for about an hour.”
A friend in need Ten years ago, Mrs. Sestrich began to experience her own serious health issues. When she was discharged from the hospital after breaking a hip, she wanted to return to her own home. Her son and grandson felt they could care for her, if they could have a little female assistance. “We called the Sisters and they were kind enough to come and help us,” said her son. “Once each week, a Sister bathes her and helps her with personal grooming — things a guy just can’t handle.” But they bring the caregivers more than help; they bring them hope. “The house glows when they come in,” said her grandson. “They’re like the stars in the night. It’s just that remarkable. They inspire us. They show us the way the good Lord wants us to be.” “And they’re very much for Mary,” interjected Mrs. Sestrich. “They’re greatly devoted to the Blessed Virgin,” her son agreed and went on to say that the Sisters remind him of how his own devotion to Mary developed when he was in the service during World War II. “On two occasions, I saw a Catholic church destroyed — walls down to the ground; rocks, timber, stone lying all over,” he recalled. “And right in the middle of each church was a statue of the Blessed
Mother on a pedestal. “I remember thinking, ‘How could this happen? This whole building is gone and here Blessed Mother is standing, not a scratch on her. It was significant, symbolic. I think the Sisters are like that.” “Yes,” his son said, “we’re all in this turmoil all the time and I think we lose track of where the center is. The Sisters have found that center and when they’re around you, you just sense it. There’s an inner calmness. “They come from varied backgrounds; some from very volatile political environments in Central America. But they come here and they’re able to shed the complexities of life, live simply, and see a clear path to God.”
Real people However calm the Sisters are, however, continued Sestrich, they’re far from dull. He recalls the time when one of the Sisters was eager to try out his motorcycle, and when another showed an interest in tae kwon do. “My dad and I are both black belts,” he explained. “One time a [martial arts] book was on the chair when Sister came in. She started looking at it with a certain degree of interest, which kind of surprised us. “Come to find out, she had taken tae kwon do before she became a
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“The house glows when they come in. It’s just that remarkable. They inspire us. They show us the way the good Lord wants us to be.” — Mike Sestrich
▲ Nursing Sisters like Sister Leticia Soto, above, start their shift at 8 p.m. Although patients are not charged for their services, they are asked to provide transportation for the Sister.
nun and she was one step from a black belt. “When something like that happens, you realize that these are real people with real lives.”
A favor returned The Sestrichs also have found the nuns, who have helped so many, occasionally in need of help themselves — like when they’re faced with a driving test. “At one time, several of the Sisters were getting their driver’s license and were having a difficult time mastering the parallel parking,” recalled the younger Sestrich. “I told them to come on over and we’ll practice for 20 minutes. “That’s all it took.” “Then one day, one of the Sisters came over and parallel parked in front of the house,” added his father. “And Mike stood out on the front porch and applauded her.” So the Sestrichs are always delighted to see the Sisters — not only as nurses, but “because they are such interesting people to be around.” It was Mrs. Sestrich, however, summoning all the authority of her 103 years, who offered the family’s final word on the Sisters, Servants of Mary. “You just write,” she instructed the reporter, “what great people they are, how wonderful they are, how they work, how lovely they smile. “You can just put down all the best of everything and you aren’t going to be wrong.”
■ People insist the Sisters bring as much comfort to family members as they do to their loved ones BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD
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eath is the ultimate crisis — and sometimes not only for the one who’s dying. But it can also be a time of joy and grace. Cindy Creal knows. Twelve years ago, her 23-year-old daughter Katie was dying of an inoperable brain tumor. It was made more difficult by the fact that in Katie’s last months she was paralyzed and aphasic. Creal and her husband Tom were determined to keep their daughter at home, so they contacted the Sisters, Servants of Mary, who agreed to help. All the Sisters asked was that transportation be provided. Friends from Church of the Nativity Parish in Leawood, where the Creals lived at the time, helped. “She was on a lot of medication at that time and so she never slept,” said Cindy Creal, now a member of Ascension Parish in Overland Park. “She was awake all the time, needing constant care.” That care was provided, in part, by the Sisters, Servants of Mary. But it was more than nursing care, said Creal, that she will always be grateful to the Sisters for. “Our daughter was really remark-
able,” she continued. “She became very faith-filled in the end, and I think the Sisters were part of that experience.” One parishioner who helped with the car pool was Marta Buser. Years later, she would have her own encounter with the Sisters. “Last November, we lost a niece to lymphoma,” she said. “Mother Carmela came to visit our family at the hospital to lend her comfort and support. The next evening, Sister Adriana came to care for her until her death a few days later. “It was a beautiful experience to have them with us and to be touched by their love.” Initially, her niece’s husband resisted their help. “Quite honestly, he didn’t want [the Sisters] to come because he wanted a family member with her all the time,” said Buser. But the Sisters came quietly and humbly, to extend — not replace — the family’s love. “They were really remarkable — just by their demeanor, their unassuming kindness and the comfort they brought,” she said. “He let them stay with her. It was just very remarkable to see them in action.” Mary Anne Noonan, of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, recalls when the Sisters assessed her mother, who was suffering from cancer. “Mother [Superior] came out with one of the Sisters,” she said. “My mom was really weak and not doing very well. But when she saw those two nuns, she sat right up — just like back in grade-school days.”
The Sisters decided they could help, especially because Noonan was a sole caregiver. “We would sit on the bed together and laugh, and the nuns would brush my mom’s hair,” Noonan recalled. “They would clean her bed and clean her for the night and listen to her and rub her arm. “They really made her feel so loved. And then when Mom would go off to sleep, the Sisters would pray. “And in the night, if she woke up, they were right there.” Prayer is an important facet of the Sisters’ health ministry. Paul Barrett, from St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, has been on the receiving end of those prayers many times. The Sisters were present for the death of Barnett’s grandfather, his mother and, just over a year ago, his father. “My father was a pretty religious man and obviously close to the Sisters all of his life,” he said. “They would lead us in prayer, and you could sense a relief from him. It helped his passing to be much easier. Certainly a sense of peace came over all of us.” The Sisters, in their dual role as both health providers and spiritual guides, can be as great a benefit to the family as they are to the patient. “In addition to the nursing care, there was such a spiritual presence they brought to our household,” said Creal. “It was just as important as the nursing care they gave. “At the time, our two youngest sons were just entering high school. It was a great comfort to all of us to have [the Sisters] here, and for those boys to see such faith and such humility.”
▲ Not only do the Sisters provide solace to their patients, they comfort their families as well. Above, the wife of a patient prepares to receive the Eucharist from a Sister.
And they’re very good at their job. “It was a Sunday night in this cold February when my mom died,” said Noonan. “I had never witnessed death before. I didn’t really know how to walk someone through this. “And by God’s grace, the nun was with me. She and I prayed over my mom and she kind of helped me that night. “It was very sweet; Sister was there to guide me, and yet she wasn’t intrusive at all. She let me have that experience with my mom.” Barrett shared a similar story about the Sisters bringing the final chapter of his father’s life to a close. “They helped us embrace that he is in a much better place,” he said. “He’s where we all want to be someday, with our maker in heaven.” “I hope they’ll be there when my day comes,” he added. For the Sisters, Servants of Mary, the greatest gift is not in what they do for the patient or for the patient’s family, but in the joy they experience in performing this holy service — of delivering God’s children back to him. “It’s just unbelievable the joy they have,” said Creal. “And you say, ‘Thank you,’ and they say, ‘Oh, no, thank you for allowing us.’ “And they believe that. They really see the experience as a gift.”
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SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
On a mission from God
Joy in the midst of silence
■ Fans of the Sisters come in all denominations; they just like how helping the Sisters makes them feel
■ Three days behind cloistered walls leaves photographer touched by the rare privilege
BY JOE BOLLIG
BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD
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▲ Relatives of the patients who are cared for by the Sisters often become the nuns’ supporters, providing them rides and other services. Drivers arriving to transport a Sister to her night duty are met by a greeter, who leads the nursing Sister and the driver in a Hail Mary before seeing them out. At left, a patient’s daughter joins Sister SylvenaAjong Tetuh (middle) and Sister Yesenia Perea in prayer.
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We love the Sisters. They give you a feeling of honesty and serenity. These are truly holy women.” — John Bartolac, parishioner at Holy Trinity, Lenexa
of them are relatives of the people the Sisters have cared for. Others are members of the Sisters’ Men’s Support Group, the Women’s Guild, and, most recently, the “Serving from the Heart” gala committee. Still others are the children — even the grandchildren — of early supporters of the Sisters — people for whom caring for the Sisters has become part of their family’s identity. Much of the support for the Sisters is expressed in little ways: Friends bring them vegetables, provide them rides, bake them pies, and surprise them with Christmas gifts. But the primary financial support of the order comes from private donations and yearly fundraisers: a spaghetti dinner in February, a pancake breakfast in October, and a sum-
mer social and a golf tournament in June. This year a new event will be added, a benefit gala that will be larger by far than any fundraiser held in the past. Called “Serving from the Heart,” the gala will be held Oct. 4 at the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park and will include cocktails, dinner, a silent auction, and a live auction. The decision to launch such a huge event, explained gala chairperson Mary Sullivan, was a leap of faith. But in her mind — and those of her committee members — it was one that was absolutely necessary. “My family loves carrying on the tradition of the spaghetti dinner,” said Sullivan, who is a member of Church of the Nativity in Leawood. “It is a lot of hard work, but the job we receive in return is priceless. “But we needed to look for another, larger, function to complement the events that are already in place. “We just had to have a greater reach.” A successful gala, however, which organizers hope will become an annual event, could ensure the Sisters the kind of dependable financial support they need to continue their ministry in the community into the future.
Serving from the Heart co-chair John Bartolac, for one, was delighted for the opportunity to make a difference for the Sisters. “We love the Sisters,” said the Holy Trinity, Lenexa, parishioner. “If you’ve ever met the Sisters, you’d just know. They give you a feeling of honesty and serenity. These are truly holy women. It makes me feel good to do something to help them.” It is not only Catholics who find themselves among the Sisters’ biggest fans. Evangeline Thompson is Greek Orthodox, and her husband Frank is Episcopalian. The Leawood couple learned about the Sisters through a friend whose wife was dying. They began to support the Sisters when Mary Sullivan and her sister Denise Janes asked them to sponsor a hole for a golf tournament. But when Frank, who owns a car dealership, learned that another dealership was charging the Sisters to service their cars, he would have none of that. Now Frank not only services their cars for free, but he has also helped with a project to improve the heating system at the provincial house. Neither Frank nor Evangeline finds their support of an order of Catholic nuns unusual. “There’s something about them, being in their presence,” said Evangeline. “You just feel different — I don’t know what it is. “It’s like they marry the Lord. And it’s amazing.”
he’d built her career on blackand-white. Last spring, she just took it to another level. It was in late April that Leaven freelancer Elaina Generally accepted an assignment to spend several days and nights documenting the life and work of the Sisters, Servants of Mary. A better combination was hard to imagine: a photographer who specialized in black-and-white, recording images of women who wear nothing but. Elaina had no doubt she’d bring back from the assignment some fabulous images. She just didn’t realize she’d leave a little bit of herself behind. Life behind convent walls, Elaina quickly discovered, played to her strengths. There was dramatic lighting in some areas and high contrast in others. Add to that the stark simplicity of the Sisters’ lifestyle and their limited wardrobe — Sisters can choose to wear either black or white unless they’re nursing, when they always wear white — and it makes for a whole host of images that seem to belong to another place, another time. Before she entered their monastery, Elaina knew only the history and philosophy of the order and that the Sisters were semi-cloistered and silent. While she didn’t expect convent life to be dreary or drab, she did expect the silence to be oppressive. Instead, she found it was suffused with a level of energy that surprised her. “Joyous is the word I would use to describe it,” she said. “The Sisters were just full of joy — and it was lovely.” In the midst of that joy, said Elaina, she discovered a simple serenity that removed her for a time from the distractions of the outside world. “In the quiet times, when I wasn’t shooting, I felt the spiritual effect of everyone’s intentions there,” she said. “One afternoon I just got to sit for an hour and a half,” she added. “I was so content. It was very meditative, peaceful and calming.” When she left each evening, she said, it felt as though she were taking a piece of serenity with her. Photographing the Sisters in their chapel, at prayer, was a special challenge. The Sisters pray several times a day, and each time Elaina was reluctant to intrude on a moment that seemed so reverent, so special. “When I first got there, I was trying to be quiet. But they had these squeaky wooden floors and I could hear the click of my camera in their quiet little chapel,” she said. “I was worried they were going to
▲ Sister Milagros Santiago uses an oldfashioned washboard to clean the hem of one of the white habits worn by a nursing Sister. ▲
avid “Vic” Seeman was cruising down I-435 on his way back to his office when he experienced one of those weird sensations that defy rational explanation. A powerful, insistent thought came from out of nowhere and just grabbed him: Go to your sister’s house. Do it NOW, not later. Sure, he needed to pick up something at his sister’s house. But he didn’t have to do it on a workday. Nevertheless, he took the K-10 exit west, toward Lawrence. As he drove, the city yielded to the countryside. “All of a sudden on the [eastbound lane] of the highway, I saw this white habit blowing in the wind,” recalled Seeman. “I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, that’s a Sister, Servant of Mary!’” Seeman had known the Sisters all his life. As a boy, he had tagged along behind an uncle who delivered vegetables to the Sisters. As an adult, he had helped with many of their fundraisers. So Seeman found the nearest exit and raced to the Sister’s location. Sure enough, it was one of the Sisters, standing by her disabled car. “As I pulled up, I could tell that she was afraid — like she didn’t want to look at me, because she was so scared,” said Seeman. “Then, when she realized it was me, she said, ‘Oh, thank God — the Blessed Mother sent you!’” When other people have breakdowns, they call AAA. But the stranded Sister had called the provincial house in Kansas City, Kan. In turn, Mother Carmela had gathered the Sisters in the chapel to put in a call to God. Then, in the privacy of her own room, she asked God to send Sister Mercedes a guardian angel. Within minutes, Seeman arrived on the scene. Coincidence? Try telling that to the Sisters. They have an unshakable faith in the knowledge that God will provide. And why shouldn’t they? He always has — from rescuing Sisters from the roof of their Hurricane Katrina-flooded convent in New Orleans, to putting bread on the table of their convent in downtown KCK. The Sisters, Servants of Mary is a nursing order. Their mission is to provide loving care to the sick and the dying, and to their families as well. They’ll help anyone (providing a Sister is available, of course), regardless of race, religion, social status or income. And they charge no fee for their services. For support, they rely on the providence of God — which has expressed itself repeatedly through their benefactors, volunteers and friends. Many
▲
6
Sister Silvia Enriquez prays the rosary in the chapel choir loft.
get annoyed with me because it’s so reverent,” she said, “but then I’d see one of them pat the side of her pew, silently inviting me, ‘Come sit here and get a better shot.’” Those Sisters not engaged in the ministry of nursing, recalled Elaina, spent the daylight hours together. Despite their silence, it was clear that the bond between them was strong, with the many young nuns caring for their elders, and being mentored in return. She felt privileged, Elaina said, to be allowed to photograph one Sister receiving the sacrament of the sick, and was moved by both the quiet dignity of the scene and the tender care proffered by the other Sisters. Elaina was given free range of the convent and chose to chronicle even the most mundane things — from the young novices at their nursing class lessons, to others at their embroidery work, to every facet of the housekeeping and cooking. And, like every visitor that has ever darkened the Sisters’ door, Elaina came away from the experience very, very full. “They like to feed you,” she exclaimed. “Every meal is like, ‘Have more of this! Do you want more dessert?’” Even the Sisters who spend every waking hour together, however, maintain their individuality, said the photographer. “I think some people expect a nun to fit certain parameters of a personality type, but they were like any group of people,” she explained. “When I took pictures, some of them were shy,
some outgoing, and some would giggle and duck away.” Elaina’s favorite experience with the Sisters was observing their free time, when they are allowed to socialize. “I didn’t get there when it started,” she said with a laugh, “but I could hear it down the hallway. They were laughing and telling stories. “Watching them at game time was hilarious. They played Rummikub.”
▲ Only the nursing Sisters are required to wear white, but each habit is handmade by the Sister who wears it, and each Sister owns only two.
On two separate evenings, Elaina was permitted by both the Sisters and their patients to accompany different Sisters on their home visits. She was Story continues on the next page
7
Prayer, work and social time overlap as the Sisters spend their recreation time making rosaries, playing games, or just visiting. ▼ Sister Alicia Restrepo displays her poker face as she ponders her play in a game of Rummikub with Sister Laura Munoz (foreground) and Sister Margarita Rico, left.
▲ Sister Angeles Aizpurua, who died on June 14, is visited by Mother Alfonsa Bellido (center), Sister Doreen-Leiteng Ngoran (seated), and Sister Adriana Olivares. ▲
amazed at how effortlessly they were able to bring the joy and serenity of the convent into the patients’ homes. “People were so happy to see the nuns,” she said. “There was no oppressive sadness in any of the homes I went to. The nuns aren’t coming in and doing enjoyable things, but it was a positive experience to witness.” The photographer was particularly moved when the Sisters brought Communion to their patients. “That was lovely to see,” she said. “It didn’t matter where it was. It could be in the middle of a kitchen — and it was a lovely, reverent, shared experience.” By the conclusion of the shoot, Elaina found herself profoundly impressed with the fortitude and strength of the Sisters she photographed and treasuring the short time she’d spent in their cloistered world. Not once, however, did she consider dispensing with her own wedding plans to follow in their footsteps. “I think to be able to subjugate yourself to the level of commitment they have and take care of the people the way they do takes a really strong person,” she said. “I think these women truly feel called. “I would speak to them and they would say, ‘I knew when I was 18. I just knew.’” It was not that their way of life seemed dreary or lonely, the photographer added quickly. “They are very much each other’s family,” she said, “and that was really beautiful to witness. “But I need a different scenario of family.” When the Sisters discovered that Elaina was getting married, many of them asked for the date so they could send extra prayers her way. “That was just really sweet,” she said. “It felt good to know that these women — who are filled with so much love — were going to be sending me good thoughts on that special day.”
▲
Continued from previouis page
While some Sisters go outside the convent each day to provide nursing care or attend classes, others have responsibilities that keep them inside the provincial house. At left, three Sisters prepare to serve the midday meal to the community.
▲ Sister Yesenia Perea sorts a week’s worth of medications for a patient. ▲
Sister Sylvena-Ajong Tetuh uses the community room table to lay out the new habit she plans to sew for herself.
▲ The Sisters make many of their own clothes and clean them as well. Sister Fátima Guerrero is shown here ironing a habit in the laundry room.
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12
SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
EMPLOYMENT Director of volunteer programs - For the Society of the Precious Blood. The Missionaries of the Precious Blood, based in Kansas City, seeks a qualified director of its initial volunteer program, to be sponsored by the province. The Precious Blood is an international community which furthers the work of reconciliation, lay ministry, and the mission of the Precious Blood through parishes, retreats, education/teaching and emphasis on the word of God. Our ministry encompasses 20 countries worldwide. The director is responsible for the recruitment, training and placement of volunteers, with the assistance of an advisory board. Qualifications include: energy and experience with volunteer programs; being a practicing Catholic in good standing; some flexibility for travel; an interest in social justice; and a willingness to work with young people. Salary and benefits are commensurate with other directors. For information or an application, contact Father Jim Urbanic, CPPS, at (816) 781-4344; send an e-mail to him at: JimUrbanic@aol.com; or write to: P.O. Box 339, Liberty, MO 64069. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 20. Parish administrator - This position reports directly to and works in close partnership with the pastor, fulfilling administrative responsibilities in finance, facilities and personnel. The candidate must be a person of the utmost integrity, ideally an active Roman Catholic, willing to support the mission, vision and values of the parish. This person will assume responsibility for all parish operations and work collaboratively with key parish organizations. The candidate should be highly motivated, with strong leadership and organizational skills, expertise in financial and personnel matters, and excellent oral and written communications skills. Management and supervisory experience is mandatory. Experience with capital campaigns and knowledge of nonprofit administrations are a plus. A college degree or comparable work experience is desirable. Send resume, salary requirements, and cover letter, prior to Sept. 22, to: Mater Dei Parish Search Committee, 1114 S.W. 10th St., Topeka, KS 66604. Preschool teachers - The Goddard School, located in northwest Olathe, is looking for qualified lead, assistant, and substitute teachers. Full- and part-time positions are available. Candidates should be prepared to plan and facilitate lessons and communicate effectively with children, families, co-workers and administrators. Lead teachers must have an early childhood education degree, a CDA, or a degree in a related field with an emphasis in early childhood education. Prior experience in a child-care setting is preferred. Send resume via e-mail to: goddardolathe2@ everestkc.net, or fax to (913) 768-4414. Owners are members of Ascension Parish. Work at home - No selling, no inventory, no risk!!! For details, visit the Web site at: www.AtHomeFullTime.com. Financial representative - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial representative in the Kansas City Metro and Topeka areas. This position is ideal for a determined, high-energy, high-expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual desiring to serve others, yet earn a betterthan-average income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families and will provide excellent benefits and training. For more information or an interview, contact John A. Mahon, 307 Dakota, Holton, KS 66436; or call (785) 364-5450. Carpet cleaning technician - Full time, starting at $10/hr.; possible $40K per year. Retirement and health insurance plan. No experience required. Johnson County area. For details or to apply, call (913) 438-7767.
SERVICES Bankruptcy - When debt becomes overwhelming, seek professional help. Experienced, compassionate Catholic attorney Teresa Kidd. For a confidential, no obligation consultation, call (913) 422-0610; or send an e-mail to: tkidd@kc.rr.com.
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THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
Preserve your memories by telling your life story! I can type your memoirs from handwritten or recorded notes. Also provide secretarial services. Call All About Words at (913) 438-5922. Computer services - In-home computer repair by senior with 20-plus years experience. Senior discount. Call (816) 769-8020. Granite, Cambria and Silestone countertops - See our new showroom at 5820 Barton, in the heart of beautiful downtown Shawnee. Call The Top Shop, Inc., at (816) 898-8685 or (913) 962-5058. Mountain Movers Inc. - Big or small, we move it all. Insured movers specializing in antiques. Call Dennis Higgins, owner, at (913) 285-3399. Piano tuning - Touch-up and full chromatic piano tuning for residential and business clients in the KC metro area. Call Bob at (816) 510-3125. Computer basics for seniors - Low cost computer training for Mac or PC. Learn computer basics in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace, and on your computer. Call Becky at (913) 492-1544. www.allaccountskc.com. What is an endowment? An endowment is an account whose principal cannot be spent, only the interest income. Over time, the amount paid out far exceeds the initial gift. To see if your parish has an endowment, visit the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas’ Web site at: www.cfnek.org. If you would like to donate or start a new fund, call the Catholic Foundation at (913) 647-0365. Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation to the elderly and disabled in home, assisted living and nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 3412500 and speak with Andrea, Sara or Gary. Need help caring for Mom or Dad? We provide in-home support with a variety of personal care and household functions to keep seniors safe and active at home. For as little as $50 per week, we can provide extra support for your loved ones, or help you get a “night off” from your daily caregiving responsibilities. Call Benefits of Home - Senior Care at (913) 422-1591.
HOME IMPROVEMENT Lawn and landscape work - College student looking for landscaping and mowing work. Four years’ experience. Will do trees, mulching, deck refurbishment and landscape design and install. Johnson County. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230. Bulk mulch for sale - $40 /cubic yd. delivered; $65/cubic yd. delivered and spread; three yard minimum. Will deliver within 20 miles of our address. Call Joe Keehn at (913) 631-7217. FOLEY’S LAWN CARE * Mowing * Leaf Cleanups * * Bed Mulching * * Landscape Maintenance * www.foleyslawncare.com Serving Johnson County, Kansas (913) 825-4353 Custom-kitchen countertops Laminate tops manufactured and installed within 5 days. Competitive prices, dependable work. St. Joseph Parish member. Call The Top Shop, Inc., at (816) 898-8685 or (913) 962-5058. Tim the Handyman - Insured; free estimates. Carpentry: new and repair deck, doors, windows, siding, screens. Plumbing: faucet, garbage disposals, toilets. Electrical: switches, outlets, ceiling fans, light fixtures. Light landscape: fill dirt, trimming, planting, garden tilling and mulching. Serving Johnson County. Call Tim at (913) 859-0471.
Masonry work - Quality, new or repair work. Brick, block, and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second generation bricklayer. Call (913) 829-4336. EL SOL Y LA TIERRA * COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL * LAWN RENOVATION * MOWING * CLEAN-UP AND HAULING * DIRT GRADING/INSTALLATION * LANDSCAPE DESIGN * FREE ESTIMATES HABLAMOS Y ESCRIBIMOS INGLES!! Call Lupe at (816) 252-3376. STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Call for free estimates. Cell: (913) 579-1835; phone: (913) 491-5837; email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity Church, Lenexa. Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates. JoCo and southern KC metro area. Call Pat at (913) 963-9896. Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts! Basement Finishing Kitchens and baths Electrical and Plumbing Licensed and insured (913) 599-7998 Organizing & handyman services Basements, garages, attics and shop spaces organized! Your items sorted, boxed & labeled; areas cleaned when finished! Wall repair, interior painting, tile work, handicap bars and ramps. Great references and insured. For pictures of current projects, view my Web site at: www.swalms.com. Call Tillar Swalm at (913) 375-9115.
REAL ESTATE Beautiful home, great location! 907 W. Red Bridge Rd., 1/2 blk. east of State Line and College Blvd. The most ideal location in KC metro area for private schools! Plus exceptional shopping and excellent health care nearby. This energy-efficient 5 BR, 5-1/2 BA, three-car garage home sits on a huge, beautiful, treed lot and boasts a rec. rm., sun porch, and a brick patio off Trex deck. $460K; lease-to-buy option. For details or a showing, call (913) 839-8015 or (816) 210-7815. Lenexa - 1-1/2-story home on a corner lot; 10237 Hauser. 4 BR, 3 BA, three-car garage, finished bsmt., walk-in attic, sprinkler system, fenced yard, deck and more. So much home for the money! $214,500. Call (913) 599-1327. OP ranch home - 3 BR, 2 BA, combo LV/DR, family rm., eat-in kitchen, beautiful wood floors, full bsmt., 2-car garage, central air, attic fan, gutter shields. Near Catholic church and school in Overland Park. Call (913) 839-8693. Lake home - Beautiful 3 BR, 2 BA, limestone and cedar lakefront home with dock and boat slip at Lake Wabaunsee. Completely remodeled with new addition. $319,000. For information, call (785) 4492702!
South of the Plaza Across from Forests Hill and Calvary Cemeteries 6800 Troost, Kansas City, Mo. • (816) 444-2060 James S. Harrington Member International Order of the Golden Rule
Ski cabin in Winter Park, Colo. – 2 BR, 1 BA, on free ski shuttle route. $110/night. Call (913) 642-3027. For pictures, visit the Web site at: cabin.forcade associates.com.
Wagner’s Mud-Jacking Co.
Ski vacation - Winter Park, Colo. 2 BR, 1BA, sleeps 6. Fully furnished, fireplace, rec. center with pool & hot tub. $125/night; $750/week. Call Joe Frederick at (913) 385-5589.
Specializing in Foundation Repairs Mud-jacking and Waterproofing. Serving Lawrence, Topeka and surrounding areas. Topeka (785) 233-3447 Lawrence (785) 749-1696
Bahamas beachfront condo Enjoy the crystal clear waters, beachfront pool or the beautiful sunrises from our newly remodeled condo that sleeps four. $125/night; $750/week. Local owner will rent to mature adults and families. Visit the Web site at: www.coralbeach1602.com, or send an e-mail to: coralbeach1602@gmail.com.
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Lake of the Ozarks rental - Osage Beach, million-dollar view, fully furnished; 2 BR, 2 BA; sleeps six. No smoking, no pets. For special rates, call Steve or Sheryl Roederer at (913) 244-2022, or take a visual tour at: www.visualtour.com/shownp. asp?T=338261.
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FOR SALE For sale - Four cemetery plots at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, KCK. Lot 74; section 4; graves 3, 4, 6, and 7. May purchase individually or as a group. Offered at considerably lower than current value. Call Pat at (913) 592-4264. For sale - Double mausoleum crypt, including opening and closing, at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, KCK. Location: corridor 2G, space #110. Best offer. Call (239) 992-4594 or send an e-mail to: dvelbert@comcast.net.
MISC. Free homebuyers seminar - Expert panel for information on the home buying and ownership process, including: home warranties, inspections, appraiser updates, and lending changes. Sept. 25 from 6 7:30 p.m. at the Bank of Blue Valley, 7900 College Blvd., Overland Park. RSVP to (913) 451-4186. Five-day auction - Sept. 26, 27, 28 and Oct. 4 and 5. Sisters of St. Francis, Savannah, Mo. Items include: antiques, religious artwork and statues, crucifixes, medical equipment, kitchen items, and lawn and garden items. For a complete sale listing, visit the Web site at: www.youngerauction.com, or contact Renee Schlag, auction coordinator, at (816) 589-3247.
M-F 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Summer Months: Sat. 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
CHILDCARE Home child care - Over 16 yrs. experience. Near 151 St. and Nall/Mission Rd. in Johnson County. Call (913) 6362782.
ROOMMATE Roommate wanted - 100% nonsmoker to share quiet, spacious home near I-29 and 64th St. in the Northland. Washer, dryer, DSL, satellite TV. $400; utilities paid. Call (816) 741-0999.
WANTED TO BUY
Lake house for sale - Beautiful and private Lake Kahola, less than 2 hours from the KC area. Only 10 miles off I-35 at the Emporia exit. This home sleeps 10+ with a 2car garage, plus a private boat ramp and dock. Located at the water’s edge on a quiet cove with great neighbors. Call Cy at (316) 262-0888.
***ANTIQUES WANTED*** Postcards, old photos, military items, trains, coins, watches jewelry, political buttons, signs, old toys and banks, Red Wing crocks, Indian rugs, sterling silverware. Call Chris (913) 642-8269.
VACATION
ENTERTAINMENT
On the beach - St. Petersburg, Fla. 4-star condo/hotel. May be rented as a 1 BR for $99/night or a 2 BR with kitchen for $225/night. Sleeps 4 - 8. Call Chuck at (913) 710-2597. For details, visit: www.just letgo.com.
Disc jockey - For your wedding, kolos, nightclubs, corporate parties, teenage celebrations, holiday parties, sock-hops, ethnic, birthdays, holiday parties, hiphop/rap, golden oldies. Member of St. Therese Parish, KCMO. Call Zepster’s A to Z Party DJ’s at (816) 741-4777.
There are a lot of good reasons to make Catholic Community Hospice your choice when selecting a hospice. Some are more important than others.
Catholic Community Hospice Because life matters.
913-621-5090 • 785-357-5107 • www.catholiccommunityhospice.com
14
SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
‘Family in a different way’ ■ Although most take their time, some know in an instant they want to become a Servant of Mary BY KARA HANSEN
I
▲ Novices of the religious order study both theology and nursing. Above, Sisters Laura Munoz (left) and Sister Griselda Rodriguez are taught theology by Father John Torrez. ▲
n some ways, it seemed like God was asking Catherine Bussen to do the unthinkable. Though she was interested in joining a religious order and really liked the Sisters, Servants of Mary, the music major had no interest in becoming a nurse. “I never felt called to this order because I didn’t want to be a nurse,” said Sister Catherine, now 32. “So I started visiting different orders.” “I liked the other communities,” she said, “but none of them felt like home. Instead, I kept coming back here any chance I had.” If, as they say, God does not call the equipped — he equips the called — Sister Catherine is a good case in point. With the guidance of her vocation director, Sister Catherine eventually realized God had been calling her to the Sisters, Servants of Mary all along. “Even though I was nervous about doing the nursing work, the work is a lot different than what I pictured it to be,” she said. “Being one-on-one with a patient in their home is very different than being in a more intense hospital setting.” “Plus, if God was calling me to be in this order, I figured he would give me the grace to do so. And he has.” The roads to a religious vocation are as varied as the women who walk them. Some say they grow up with the prospect always in the back of their mind. For others, a vocation comes as a complete surprise — albeit a joyful one. “After I finished high school, I was ready to go to medical school. I wasn’t even thinking about becoming a nun,” said Sister Silvia Enriquez, who grew up in Mexico. But as luck — or the Holy Spirit —would have it, she was introduced to the Sisters, Servants of Mary when she accompanied her older sister on a visit to the convent. Ironically, the one who walked in with an interest in joining the order was not the one who walked out with a vocation. “Once I entered the convent for the first time,” said Sister Silvia, “I didn’t want to leave. I had an experience of such deep peace there, and saw the deep joy of the Sisters. In fact, said Sister Silvia, now 41, “It felt like home.” Sister Silvia did not know much about the Sisters, Servants of Mary’s mission before that weekend. But what she saw in the Sisters really intrigued her, and the nursing work the Sisters did seemed like a good fit with her interest in the medical field. Sister Catherine grew up in a devoutly Catholic family in western
Lunch each day is followed by recreation time in the community room. At left, Sister Cristina Bocanegra spends hers fashioning a knotted-cord rosary.
Kansas, who prayed a daily rosary for vocations. But Sister Catherine did not tell anyone she was considering one herself until she was a student at Benedictine College in Atchison. “I remember thinking about being a nun when I was young, but I didn’t really know any personally,” said Sister Catherine. “In college at Benedictine, I was really happy and enjoyed what I was doing. Yet, I still had this feeling that something was missing —there must be something more.” “More” was to be had with the Sisters, Servants of Mary. But the process is neither an easy nor a quick one. Any young woman interested in joining the order is first encouraged to participate in the sacraments more frequently and to get involved in their home parish’s activities. The order’s vocations director keeps in touch with those who have shown an interest in a vocation, providing support and guidance along the way of the discernment process. “She will work with that woman to help determine if this is God’s call
for her,” explained Mother Carmela Sanz, provincial superior. “It’s important for us to know what they understand about community life — to see if they have a clear vision for entering the convent and the commitment involved.” Once a woman decides to join the Sisters, Servants of Mary, she undergoes a period of formation. The first year, or postulancy, is filled with regular spiritual preparation, including daily Mass, communal and private prayer, and meditation. The new Sister also studies morality, theology, and Scripture. In her second year, a new postulant becomes a novice. In addition to ongoing spiritual formation, a novice also undertakes the apostolate work of the community: nursing. “That first night of nursing really sticks out in my mind as being very scary, but also very beautiful,” said Sister Catherine. “It was my first time of going out at night and alone to visit a patient,” she said, “but it had the beauty of helping a person in need. “I got home thinking I had done something really fulfilling last night.” Two years of novitiate follow the postulancy. First vows are taken at that time and renewed each year for six years. Then a Sister will make her final vows, after a year spent in Spain in preparation. “During that time of preparation,
a Sister does not do any nursing or other work. She only does spiritual exercises to help prepare her for final vows,” said Mother Carmela. At final vows, each Sister receives a ring symbolizing her commitment to the order and to Jesus. Joining the community is a happy time for the women. Yet, it is also a time of major life change and challenging adjustments, leaving friends and family behind for a new life. “Everything was new; it was a time of detachment from the life I left behind and a time to spiritually grow both in my vocation and selfknowledge,” said Sister Catherine. Living in community with such a large number of women can be challenging at first, but prior experience made the adjustment a little easier for Sister Silvia. “I came from a family of 14, so there wasn’t a big change for me in terms of being around so many,” she said. “But it takes time to adjust and really give ourselves to the community. “I think the schedule was the hardest for me at first. Before, I could do what I wanted, when I felt like it. After joining the community, there are set times for meals, prayer, class.” “And it was hard to get up at five in the morning,” added Sister Silvia with a wry smile. The small sacrifices and schedules are worth it, the Sisters say. Through their community life, they form a bond that in some ways surpasses the traditional familial one. “We really depend on one another. We’ve given up our families, but have received so much more,” said Sister Catherine. “Having the same mission and knowing we’re all called by God to be here is beautiful,” she concluded. “It truly is a family in a different way.”
Sister Yesenia Perea works with patient Edward Brielski on a range of motion exercises.
‘An enormous comfort’ ■ Patients and caregivers alike rest easier with Sisters, Servants of Mary close at hand BY KARA HANSEN “How long the night seems to one kept awake by pain.” – Bernard-Joseph Saurin
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he minutes count out the same, but for the ill and the dying, the darkest hours can also be the longest. It takes a special kind of nurse to see a suffering soul through the night — the kind embodied by the Sisters, Servants of Mary. “A lot of hospice patients are restless and don’t sleep for very long stretches of time, sometimes just an hour or two,” explained Mike Jurkovich, director of Catholic Community Hospice. “I think having a Sister there at night must be an enormous comfort.” Kathy Serrano, who has been a nurse for 20 years and known of the Sisters even longer, agrees. “If the Sisters are in the home and able to provide some comfort to them — whether that’s meeting their needs with medication or simply praying and talking with them — it really gives the caregiver a chance to get rested and refueled to take care of the patient again the next day,” said Serrano, a parishioner of St. Peter Cathedral in
Kansas City, Kan. Nursing care has always been the Sisters, Servants of Mary’s main apostolate, or undertaking, and the order serves patients all over the Kansas City area. Their mission is the church’s mission, to see Christ in the faces of the ill and dying. "When we go to serve our patients, we go not as ourselves but as a representative of our community — and as a servant of Mary,” said Sister Catherine Bussen. Each nursing Sister is assigned to two patients for approximately one month at a time. During the week, the assigned Sister will spend three nights caring for one patient and another three nights taking care of her second patient. Each evening, the Sisters leave their provincial house at eight in the evening and return at six in the morning. At the end of the month, the Sisters rotate patients. Once the Sisters return from their evening nursing shift, the community gathers for morning prayer at 6:30
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We’re called to be much more than professional nurses. We’re always reminded of Mary at the foot of the cross and want to help ease the suffering of patients and their families, and offer their sufferings up.” – Sister Catherine
a.m., followed by Mass, breakfast, and any errands or chores that need to be done. Those Sisters who have spent the night at their patients’ bedsides then head to bed themselves around 12:30 p.m., waking at 7 p.m. The entire community then enjoys dinner together before the Sisters depart again to their patients’ homes. The Sisters, Servants of Mary provide nursing services to their patients completely free of charge. They only ask that patients arrange to transport the Sister from the provincial house in Kansas City, Kan., to the patient’s home and back. “They offer a great service and local parishes are fortunate to have the Sisters nearby to answer the needs of caregivers and patients,” said Serrano. “Many people in other communities don’t have this luxury.” What each shift brings often depends on the needs of the individual patient. “Some cases require a lot of nursing attention; others we provide more spiritual and emotional support — often in the form of simply listening or praying with a patient if they would like that,” said Sister Catherine. Many times, the Sisters also support the patient’s family as they are coping with their loved one’s impending death. “Many times family members have very different views on end-of-life issues, and there are obviously a lot of different emotions involved,” said Serrano. “The work the Sisters do is very challenging — to both meet the
needs of their patients and the patient’s family members as well.” All the Sisters, Servants of Mary who work as nurses are Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), or Registered Nurses (RNs). Despite their professional nursing credentials, the spiritual care the Sisters bring to their work is at least as important as their nursing care. “We’re called to be much more than professional nurses,” said Sister Catherine. “We’re always reminded of Mary at the foot of the cross and want to help ease the suffering of patients and their families, and offer their sufferings up.” “We can remind our patients and families [that] this suffering is not in vain, but a way of uniting themselves to God,” she continued. Despite their unflagging faith, however, working with the dying is a difficult and draining task. “It’s not always easy,” admitted Sister Catherine. “Yes, we feel the loss and mourn. “But seeing through the eyes of faith, we believe they are going to eternal life, which is far better than this world.” The Sisters, moreover, believe that helping people into that next life is a grace and a privilege. “There is so much to learn from someone who is approaching death,” said Sister Yesenia Perea. “You realize that this world is so temporary. “And that when we die, we take nothing, but only how much we have loved.”
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SISTERS, SERVANTS OF MARY SPECIAL ISSUE
THE LEAVEN • SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
‘Much more than a mother’ ■ Mother Carmela Sanz — counselor and confidant to the Sisters she leads — knows just where to go for help BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD
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▲ As local superior, Mother Carmela Sanz, left, is as responsible for the welfare and happiness of Sister Asuncion Quintero as she is of her young novices. ▲
eing a mother of 35 is a huge undertaking. But with the Blessed Mother as her example, and God as her partner, local provincial Mother Carmela Sanz seems to be managing. Protector, adviser, mentor, caretaker, counselor, confidant and friend — these are the terms the Sisters, Servants of Mary use when asked to describe the role Mother Carmela plays in their lives. Mother Carmela, on the other hand, describes her job as that of a shepherd — “one who takes care of every sheep, guides them, corrects them, teaches them, lifts them up when they are down. She is a servant to her daughters.” And her charges? They are her jewels. “I love them, and they are precious,” she said, “like jewels in a box. I need to treat them with care, with attention and love, with all a person requires to grow.” Mother Carmela has been the local superior of the provincial house in Kansas City, Kan., for eight years now. According to the rules of the order, she will hold her position for only one more year. “They elect us for three years and they can either reelect us or not,” explained Mother Carmela. “After nine years, we have to step out. They let us rest.” Sister Yesenia Perea, who is originally from California, has been a Sister for only seven years. So like all Sisters who are not yet perpetually vowed, she has a weekly conference with Mother Carmela. “We work during the night,” explained the young nurse, “so she makes sure that I get enough sleep. “She asks me how it is at the patient’s house — if there’s something that I can’t handle because of my inexperience.” “She’s like a mother,” Sister Yesenia concluded. “I can talk to her about pretty much anything, whenever I need to.” That’s important, considering that some of these Sisters were born half a world away. Although the families of the Sisters can visit the community at any time, for many it cost prohibitive, and the Sisters are allowed to go home only once every three years. But like any good parent, Mother Carmela’s love expands to meet her children’s needs and welcomes the younger Sisters’ confidences. “They can come and talk to me about whatever is in their heart — whatever is bothering them, their families or their relationships in the
Every Sister who has not yet made her final vows meets with Mother Carmela every week. Sister Leticia Soto, left, professed hers Sept. 13, after The Leaven’s visit.
community,” she said. It is the obligation of the mother superior, she said, “to keep secret whatever the Sister tells her.” But it’s not only Mother Carmela who takes on a familial role. Sister Lucero Garcia , who just pronounced her final vows on Sept. 13, is far from her home in Mexico, but feels close to her new family here in the United States. “I don’t know how to explain it to you,” she said. “But if you would live here, you would notice the Sisters always caring for each other, saying, ‘How are you doing?’ — always sharing all your joys and sorrows, just being there for you, and always ready to give you a hand.” The provincial house in Kansas City is one of the largest, housing 35 Sisters, including six who are still nursing students . “We’re very richly blessed,” said Sister Yesenia, “because we have Sisters from Africa, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Columbia, Puerto Rico, and some of the United States. So it’s kind of like a big family.” When Sister Fabiola Fernández came to this country, she not only left her family back in Spain, but her twin sister as well, who was also a member of the Sisters, Servants of Mary. As a former mother superior herself in New Orleans, Sister Fabiola knows that in terms of Mother Carmela’s many responsibilities, mothering is the easy part. “She’s much more than a mother,” said Sister Fabiola. “Whatever she says, goes. She has a tremendous re-
sponsibility because she has to see that everything goes according to the rules.” “It is a very hard job, ” she said, “and Mother Superior is doing it right.” Sister Cristela MacKinnon, more than 65 years professed, agrees. “[Mother Carmela] is a wonderful superior,” she said. “She is very kind and patient and attends to all our needs.” Any mother superior’s primary responsibility is to help her Sisters achieve sanctity. But of practical importance is her ability to successfully match nursing Sisters with their patients. “When we have a call, if I have a Sister available, I go and assess the patient,” Mother Carmela explained. “It is important for me to know what patient we’re taking care of, their surroundings and family — so I know where I’m going to send the Sister. “Then, when she returns in the morning, we can talk about how her patients are doing and I can relate better, because I have been to the pa-
tient’s home.” Though the community is always in dire need of funds, friends of the Sisters know Mother Carmela would take a vocation over a donation any day. “That’s true,” she said. “Since we work for free, we need money to survive, but we need Sisters. “We were founded to bring Jesus to the patients and to bring the patients to Jesus. That’s our apostolic mission and we want to continue it. So we need a lot of prayers for vocations.” But when push comes to shove, Mother Carmela doesn’t hesitate to take matters into her own hands. When a need arises, she said, “First of all, I turn to God and then I go to the chapel,” she said. There, she finds the One to whom she can always turn. “He is my husband, he is my guide, he is my friend, he is my love,” said Mother Carmela. “So I tell him, these Sisters don’t belong to me personally, they belong to you,” she said. “They’re yours, so you help me to take care of them.”