Ursulines Alive Summer 2009

Ursulines Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

Summer 2009

Freeing and Nurturing Women and Children

Vol. 8, No. 2

www.ursulinesmsj.org

Sisters Win Athena Award 2009 Jubilarians Paola Ursulines Arrive

Ursulines minister to those in need in Louisville

U r s u l i n e s

A L I V E

In this issue

From our Congregational Leader Dear Friends, As a former biology teacher, I tend to think in organic terms, and the image that kept coming to me as I contemplated this issue of Ursulines Alive was “roots.”

I don’t imagine there are many of us over a certain age who did not see the TV mini-series Roots. I remember only one tiny part of the series, the scene in which the heroic slave introduces his newborn son to the universe by holding him up to the stars—connecting him to his African ancestry, to his living family, and to all members of his bloodline who would come to live Sister Michele under those same stars.

This issue connects us, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, as well as our new sisters from Kansas, to our first American home in Louisville. (The Paola Ursulines broke off from the Louisville Ursulines at about the same time the Maple Mount group did.) We are connected to Louisville by historical timelines like our own “origin story” and by the many ministries in which we have served there throughout the years. We are connected through many sisters who call Louisville their hometown, and through many associates and alumni in the Archdiocese of Louisville.

And new roots may be sinking into the soil there, as our sisters and volunteers continue to be drawn by opportunities for direct service to the poor. Ideas are sprouting for new ways our associates and alumni can become involved. Being “close to the ground,” we don’t always see the fruit of the Ursuline tree, but our former students who experienced the charism of Saint Angela through us continue to be blessings for their families, churches, and civic communities.

We thank God for the strength we have been given in the past, for the love that guides us in the present, and for the courage with which we will face the future. May today and tomorrow hold many blessings for you and your loved ones!

Michele Morek, OSU, Congregational Leader Cover: You’ll know when you’ve found the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory when you see the world’s largest baseball bat, standing 120 feet tall and weighing 68,000 pounds. The plant still makes wood bats for today’s major league baseball players.

Ursulines Serve in Louisville . ............ 3 The Ursuline history of service in Louisville goes back to their roots 2009 Jubilarians.................................. 5 Paola Sisters Arrive............................. 8 Associates and Sisters Day................. 8 New Administrative Specialist........... 9 Obituaries......................................... 10 New Feature: Not Really Retired . .. 10 Sisters Win Athena Award............... 11 Soli Deo Gloria ................................ 12 We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God

Our Mission We, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, sustained by prayer and vowed life in community, proclaim Jesus through education and Christian formation in the spirit of our founder, Saint Angela Merici.

Our PURPOSE Freeing and Nurturing Women and Children

Cover photo by James Moses. Courtesy of Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Some of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph ministering in Louisville, Ky., include, pictured top left, Sister Kathleen Kaelin, a spiritual guide for the Center for Sacred Psychology; Sister Joan Riedley, parish/ music minister at Mary Queen of Peace; top right, Sister Larraine Lauter with Hispanic children from Church of the Epiphany, and Sister Michele Ann Intravia, filling a bag of food for the needy at Sister Visitor Center.

Ursulines Alive is published by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Maple Mount, Ky. Three issues are published each calendar year.

EDITORS: Director of Mission Advancement/Communications.........Dan Heckel

Communications Specialist/Graphic Design.......................Jennifer Kaminski MISSION ADVANCEMENT STAFF:

Director of Development....................................................Debra Noble

Director of Mission Effectiveness.......................................Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan

Director of Spiritual Formation..........................................Sister Marietta Wethington

Director of Ursuline Partnerships.......................................Marian Bennett, OSUA

Administrative Specialist/Web Development....................Tiffany Orth 2

OUR CORE VALUES • • • • •

Prayer Service Empowerment Justice Contemplative Presence ...in the Spirit of Angela

Contact Us Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph 8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, Kentucky 42356 270-229-4103 Fax: 270-229-4953 info@maplemount.org www.ursulinesmsj.org

S u m m e r 2009

Ursulines continue century of service to Kentucky’s largest city

By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph Staff

U

rsuline Sister Maureen O’Neill was in her sixth year as principal of St. Joseph School in Mayfield, Ky., when her father’s failing health prompted her to return home to Louisville in 1991.

Her father died in 1992, but Sister Maureen spent 15 years teaching at Blessed Sacrament School/St. Nicholas Academy in Louisville, before beginning her current ministry as a caseworker at the Sister Visitor Center, serving food, distributing clothing, and meeting other needs of the poor in Kentucky’s largest city.

She ministers there with four other Ursuline Sisters who were once teachers, including Sister Grace Simpson, who arrived at Sister Visitor in 1984 for a different reason.

“I knew Louisville, it was my niche,” she said. Although she was born about a half hour away in Bardstown, Sister Grace spent the first nine years of her teaching ministry in Louisville, first at St. Columba School in 1959, then St. Ignatius in 1963, before spending six more years as principal at St. Columba beginning in 1976.

Ursulines of Mount Saint Joseph have always been known for their hospitality and for working with the poor, although it was the rural poor, Sister Grace said. “We’ve been willing to go where the Spirit calls.”

She felt the Holy Spirit was calling her to work with the poor in Louisville. “I have found it extremely rewarding,” she said. “I learn so much more from (the poor) than they do from me.”

Family and familiarity are two of the main reasons Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph continue to minister in Louisville. Outside of Daviess County, Ky., home of the Ursuline Motherhouse, there are more sisters ministering in Louisville – 13 – than anyplace else.

“It gives me more energy to work here because this is where I came from,” said Sister Darlene Denton, who grew up in the southwestern Louisville area of Shively and ministers there at Mary Queen of Peace Parish. “I’ve been here, I know the changes

Top to bottom: The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph commemorated their 1874 flatboat journey from Louisville (shown here) to Owensboro in 2004.

The Saint Angela Home, or 1731 Edenside Dr., Louisville, was home to Ursulines from 1911 when they taught at St. James Parish until the house was sold in 2007. Below, Sister Susan Mary Mudd, left, and Sister Alfreda Malone share memories at the Edenside goodbye celebration on Jan. 27, 2007.

Sisters Michele Ann Intravia, Clara Johnson, Maureen O’Neill, Ursuline Associate Susan Scott, and Sister Emma Anne Munsterman meet in Louisville in June 2007 for an Ursuline community “Good to Great” presentation.

Sister Joan Riedley visits Norma Barsch, a member of St. Matthias Parish, at a Louisville nursing home. She has visited her for 15 years.

they’ve gone through.”

Although there are other religious orders in Louisville – including the Ursulines of Louisville – the sisters from Maple Mount have made an impact for more than 100 years that is still being felt today.

“I think the sisters have a wonderful ability to adapt to changing times and needs,” said Susan Scott, an Ursuline Associate who lives in Louisville. “Many years ago, there was an enormous need for teachers who were willing to go to communities where a good education was essential. The sisters have accomplished that mission and have now moved on to new missions with the poor and those in need,” Scott said. “Each of the sisters has a unique gift and they are allowed to use those in a beneficial way.”

Departure and return

The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph got their start in 1874, when Fr. Paul Joseph Volk asked the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville to send teachers for the new school in rural St. Joseph. Many of the graduates of Mount Saint Joseph Academy wanted to join the Ursuline Sisters, but did not want to enter the Continued on page 4

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novitiate in Louisville, where the sisters spoke primarily German. In 1895, an English-speaking novitiate was begun at Maple Mount, and in 1912, the sisters became an independent community.

“When we separated from Louisville, there was some sort of agreement to not teach in the city schools for so many years,” said Sister Michele Morek, current congregational leader. “We took these places on the outskirts of town. Later, they became suburban parishes.”

The sisters from Maple Mount were already teaching in Louisville when the official split occurred. All of western Kentucky was in the Louisville Diocese, and did not become part of the newly created Diocese of Owensboro until 1937.

According to “Born to Lead,” a history of the early years of Mount Saint Joseph, with the organization of several new parishes in Louisville by 1906, Bishop George William McCloskey asked Mother Aloysius Willett, the local superior, to send teachers from Maple Mount. Six Ursulines opened St. James (September 1906) and St. Columba (January 1907). By 1907, seven more Ursulines were teaching at St. Edward in Jeffersontown, and St. Paul.

In 1910, the sisters in Louisville moved into a home on Edenside Avenue, which the community purchased in 1911 and named “Saint Angela Home.” Aside from being a residence, it also became a place to take care of the business and medical needs of the sisters. The Ursulines maintained a presence there until the property was sold in 2007.

Throughout the 20th century, Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph taught in 19 Louisville schools, as well as in parish ministry, outreach to the elderly, health care, Hispanic ministry, counseling, and work with the poor.

Fr. Roy Dentinger served with Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph as a parish priest at St. James and St. Bernard in Louisville, and in adjoining 4

TOP TO BOTTOM: Sister Barbara Jean Head greets Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz after Mass when the Louisville Ursulines celebrated 150 years in 2008.

Sister Mary Jovita Milner began teaching in 1942 and has served in Louisville since 1976.

Sister Larraine Lauter designed a glass table and fountain for the Louisville Ursuline Motherhouse prayer chapel in the Brescia building.

Sister Grace Simpson gives out school supplies to a grateful family at Sister Visitor Center.

Sister Kathleen Kaelin, left, talks to her friend Patsy Beauchamp at the Center for Sacred Psychology.

Hardin County.

“They were always excellent teachers, and had a reputation for bringing religion into all curricula,” Fr. Dentinger said. “They were very good at sacramental preparation. I can’t recall any child not being prepared well.” He called the sisters very “adaptable” and “hospitable,” never complaining about what at times were unfavorable conditions. “The archdiocese has been blessed by their service.”

Carving a niche

As long as the sisters ministering in Louisville are interested in staying, the Ursulines will have a presence there, Sister Michele said. Any bad blood with the Ursulines of Louisville died out long ago, she said.

“We’re very good friends with the Louisville Ursulines,” she said.

“We call them our ‘city cousins.’”

Several of the sisters ministering in Louisville are doing something other than what brought them there.

“The opening at the Sister Visitor Center was good timing for me, I was ready for a change and had done some volunteering there,” Sister Maureen said. She enjoys getting to work with other Ursulines, similar to how they ministered in groups as parish teachers.

“Since we don’t have those schools any longer it is good that we still have a presence in Louisville and can minister here in different ways,” Sister Maureen said. “When a donor or new volunteer finds out that we are MSJ Ursulines,

they have stories about the sisters who taught them at St. Bartholomew, St. Columba, St Denis, St. Edward, St. Margaret Mary, or Mother of Good Council. Sometimes we had the same teachers and we can update them on where they are now.

“It’s good to keep our presence here with the associates and friends we have made over the years in the archdiocese,” Sister Maureen said. “None of us is in the school system now, but we are having an impact in many more parishes than before.”

Caring for an ailing parent brought four other sisters home to Louisville, just as it did Sister Maureen. Sister Kathleen Kaelin, a private therapist, returned in 1994; Sister Larraine Lauter, a minister for social responsibility at the Church of the Epiphany, returned in 2006; and Sister Joan Riedley, who returned in 1986 and is a parish minister at Mary Queen of Peace. Sister Vivian Bowles returned in 2007, and continues to care for her mother.

Sister Joan’s office is in the former St. Denis Parish, next door to where she grew up. Due to the merger of four churches, she is now at the same parish as Sister Darlene, which benefits the people served.

“People from this end of town have a tendency to not trust outsiders,” Sister Darlene said. “Neither Joanie nor I are outsiders.”

Sister Darlene is embarking on a new ministry of creating an adult day care in her parish, and plans to incorporate Ursuline Sisters and Associates.

“Fifteen years ago, people at the parish wanted to do adult day care, but they couldn’t afford to run it,” Sister Darlene said. The merger of churches offers the space and resources to finally get the plan moving.

Sister Darlene is the chairwoman of Shively Area Ministries, and is heading a committee to gather information about how to get the adult day care started.

She believes it’s possible to be open in 2010, because there will not be any medical care involved.

One of the Ursuline Associates involved in the planning is Suzanne Reiss, a native Louisvillian whose great aunt was the late Ursuline Sister Bartholene Warren.

“The sisters are doing tremendous work,” Reiss said. “I was recently part of a group that visited Sister Visitor. The sisters and people who work there were so busy and the need was so great that they did not even have time to speak with us until the doors were closed,” she said. “I saw this same level of commitment at the Shively Area Ministries.

If it weren’t for my relationship with the Associates, I would not have been aware of this monumental effort that is occurring daily all over the Louisville area.”

Scott said the impact of the ministries the sisters participate in now is much more subtle and will take longer to see lasting results. But, the current ministries make it easier for associates to work with them, she said.

“Our associate group in Louisville recently donated items to Sister Visitor as part of the Sisters and Associates Day of Caring. Some of the associates work weekly at Sister Visitor and others donate on a regular basis,” Scott said. “We all need to continue to be aware of what is going on in our community and how we can make the lives

These are the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph currently ministering in Louisville: Sister Visitor Center:

Ministry to the poor • • • • •

Sister Grace Simpson, caseworker Sister Margaret Marie Greenwell, receptionist Sister Clara Johnson, secretary/ bookkeeper Sister Margaret Marie Sister Michele Ann Greenwell Intravia, caseworker Sister Maureen O’Neill, caseworker

Parish ministry • • • • •

Sister Darlene Denton, pastoral associate, Mary Queen of Peace Sister Joan Riedley, parish minister, Mary Queen of Peace Sister Larraine Lauter, parish minister, Church of the Ephiphany Sisters Amanda Sister Mary Jovita Rose Mahoney Milner, religious presence, St. Bartholomew

Other ministries • •

• •

Sister Kathleen Kaelin, therapist at Center for Sacred Psychology Sister Emma Ann Munsterman, reflexology practitioner, licensed massage therapist, and certified hypnotherapist, Wholistic Center for St. Mary’s Healthcare Sister Amanda Rose Mahoney, outreach to the elderly Sister Vivian Bowles, family ministry

of those who live here better … physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. That is why it is so important to encourage the sisters in their ministries. I think the possibilities for the sisters and associates are limited only by imagination and we all have plenty of that.”

Scott said she believes the sisters need more than just daily support. “I think it is important to remember the sisters through monetary donations, through support of the picnic (which Louisville associates do by sponsoring the Mystery Booth), and by making the community of sisters beneficiaries in our wills,” she said. n

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Ursuline Sisters celebrate Jubilees of religious profession

Sister Judith Osthoff 60 years

Sister Rita Redmond 60 years

Sister Helen Hermreck 70 years

Sister M. Clarentia Hutchins 70 years

Sister Miriam Medley 70 years

60th - Diamond

Sister M. deChantal Whelan 75 years

UR Sister Celine Leeker 60 years

Some o second the Ma discuss

50th - Gold

Sister Jean Madeline Peake 75 years

70th - Platinum

75th - Diamond 60th - Diamond

2009 JUBILARIANS

Twelve Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph who are celebrating jubilees this year have dedicated 630 years of service to God’s people. Motherhouse jubilarians were honored April 18, and all others will be honored during community days in July.

Sister Helen Ann Stuart 60 years

Sister Rosalin Thieneman 60 years

Sister Cecelia Joseph Olinger 50 years

Sister Clara Reid 50 years

Girls fr Left: Representatives from the 17 women religious Maple congregations that make up UNANIMA met at their group’s headquarters in New York City in March.

Sister Suzanne Sims, front row, fourth from left, attended as a substitute for the Ursuline Sisters.

Below: Sister Cheryl Clemons leads a “Women in the Bible” Women’s Retreat Feb. 27-March 1 at Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center.

WOMEN’S RETREAT

UNANIMA MEETING QUILTER FRIENDS

TALENT SHOW Sister Marie Montgomery and Sister Margaret Joseph Aull look at quilts in the gym during a mid-March retreat for the Quilter Friends of Mount Saint Joseph Retreat Center.

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Several sisters put on a talent show in the dining room March 19 on the Feast of Saint Joseph. The fun included skits, dancing, “opera singing,” and a reading by Sister Mary Louise Knott, shown at right.

S u m m e r

RSULINE WAY OF LIFE

of the sisters met with Faustine Wabwire, d from left, and another young lady during arch 20-22 Ursuline Way of Life weekend to s becoming a woman religious.

FARM VISIT

rom Girls, Inc., had a laugh while visiting the Mount farm on April 28.

PAOLA FAREWELL

Top: Sisters Vickie Cravens and Mildred Katzer visited at a farewell for the Paola Ursulines in Roeland Park, Kan., May 3.

ABOVE: Class of 1939: Audrey Pierce Durbin and Sister Pauletta McCarty at the May 18 alumnae reunion.

Louisiana Catholic Schools raise money to replant trees at Maple Mount

After the outpouring of support from the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the schools that make up the Shreveport, La., Sister Carol Shively, left, superintendent Catholic School System felt a deep for Shreveport, La., Catholic Schools, hands commitment to the sisters. checks to Debra Noble, development “The prayers and donations really director for the Ursuline Sisters. Students in Sister Carol’s school district raised $3,301 to touched their hearts,” said Ursuline plant trees at Mount Saint Joseph after the Sister Carol Shively, superintendent Jan. 27 ice storm damaged trees on campus. of the school system.

After the students, teachers, and principals in Louisiana saw pictures of the devastating ice storm of Jan. 27, 2009 that resulted in the damage of many trees at Maple Mount, the principals asked Sister Carol what they could do to help. Six of the seven schools in Shreveport and Monroe, pre-K through high school, decided for their Lenten project to raise money to replant trees at Maple Mount, or to help with clean up.

“The parents and kids got excited, they felt they were making a difference,” Sister Carol said. “There’s a great presence of the Spirit here.”

With the goal of raising $250 per tree, the schools raised $3,301. Sister Carol delivered the checks to Development Director Debra Noble in April.

The schools gave the following amount: � St. Joseph, $1,460, in honor of their school. � St. John Berchmans, $500, one tree honoring their school, and one

honoring their teacher, Ursuline Sister Pat Rhoten. � Loyola College Prep, $500 in honor of their school. � St. Frederick (Monroe), $341 in honor of their school. � Jesus the Good Shepherd (Monroe), $300 in honor of their school � Our Lady of Fatima (Monroe), $200 in honor of their school.

2009-2010 Quilt Club memberships now available The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are busy making beautiful quilts.

A new quilt is raffled each month.

You can get 12 chances to win a quilt with our “Quilt Club” annual memberships for only $20 each!

Buy one for yourself and one for a friend!

Sister Eva Boone

License No. 0290

ALUMNAE REUNION

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To purchase your Quilt Club membership(s) for only $20 each, contact Tiffany Orth at 270-229-4103, ext. 278 Annual Quilt Club drawings begin Oct. 1, 2009. Order your tickets today!

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Paola Sisters Arrive!

Dear Friends, I have been writing letters like this for years. So...why was this one different? Why did my stomach start to ache whenever I tried to write this “farewell Paola/hello rest of the Ursuline supporters” letter for Ursulines Alive? After all, it is just a letter. Nothing to agonize over!

As I sat down to write, our sisters were packing their clothes, our real estate agent Sister Kathleen was escorting a group through the convent (please let them buy it, Lord), the last issue of our Signs of the Times had just left for the printer, our employees were boxing up the files, and my heart felt like it would surely burst.

Then Fern called. She was looking forward to her 91st birthday. She regrets having to sell the house but loves living now with her daughter and son-in-law who are so good to her.

She spoke to me about how grateful she is to be alive, about her wonderful children and special people she has known.

She told me that she is delighted with the new flowers she is planting, she feels blessed to be able to take walks, and she finds joy in each day. Fern put life back into perspective for me. Thanks, Fern.

The Ursulines from Paola, also, feel grateful and delighted and blessed. We are grateful to our families and friends, Clockwise from top: Greeters lined the street as two cars arrived from Paola, Kan., May 15. Sister Celine coworkers and benefactors for loving us and supporting us Leeker (in blue) is given a welcome hug from Sister in Kansas through good times and bad since 1895. We are grateful to be Maple Mount Ursulines now, and we delight in Dorothy Helbling. Sister Emerentia Weisner smiles as she exits the car. Sister Grace Swift, left, is led to her our new sisters who have welcomed us so warmly. We look room in Paul Volk Hall by her “angel,” Sister Renee forward to getting to know their friends – each one of YOU Monaghan. Sister Emma Cecilia Busam holds a sign.

– and introducing you all to ours. Together may we find joy in The five Paola Sisters who arrived were Sisters Celine, the gift of each day. Oh, how good is the Lord!

Emerentia, Grace, Judith Osthoff, and Kathleen Dueber.

Soli Deo gloria, They will reside in Paul Volk Hall. They joined Sister 1 Sister Kathleen Condry, OSU, Superior of former Paola Ursulines

Helen Hermreck who moved here Jan. 7. Six more Paola Ursulines will move to Maple Mount in June, while 11 will remain in ministry in the Paola area.

Associates and Sisters Day will celebrate the future

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The culmination of the 25th anniversary year for the Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline Associates will be celebrated at Associates and Sisters Day on June 27, with noted author Mary-Cabrini Durkin as the keynote speaker. Mary-Cabrini lives in Cincinnati and belongs to the Company of Saint Ursula in the United States. A writer, editor, and civic activist, she is the author of “Angela Mary-Cabrini Merici’s Journey of the Heart.”

Durkin The first Ursuline Associates joined in 1983, and last year at Associates and Sisters Day, the past to the present was celebrated. This year’s day will focus on “celebrating the future.” Mary-Cabrini’s talk will concentrate on four areas: k Angela as a Throne of God, Glowing with God k Angela as a Cultivator of Relationships k Jesus and Angela: Love Flowing Outward

k

k Celebrating the Future An Ursuline Associate is someone who wants to be affiliated with the mission and the spirit of the Ursuline community; who wants to share in the community’s goals, ideals, and challenges; and who wishes to carry gospel living, as exemplified in the life of Saint Angela Merici, into his or her daily life. Associates share prayer, celebration, and hospitality with the Ursuline community, while living their own lifestyles and spreading the spirit of Saint Angela in their workplace and environment.

Registration on June 27 begins at 8:30 a.m., with the opening prayer at 9 a.m., and the program beginning at 9:30. Associates and Sisters Day wraps up at 4 p.m. with liturgy and the commitment ceremony for both new associates, and those making a lifetime commitment.

Those interested in attending, or who want to learn more about becoming an associate, are urged to visit the Mount Saint Joseph Web site, www.ursulinesmsj.org/associates.

S u m m e r

Below: Sister Michele Morek, congregational leader, accepted the Athena award on behalf of current sisters, and all those who came before them since Saint Angela Merici founded the Company of Saint Ursula in 1535.

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Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan, center, former congregational leader, holds the Athena award while standing among other Ursuline Sisters at the March 12 Athena Awards banquet in Owensboro, Ky.

Ursulines Honored with Athena Award

T

he Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph were honored March 12 with the coveted Athena Award in Owensboro, Ky., an honor that recognizes people who assist women in attaining their full potential.

Before a full house at Owensboro’s RiverPark Center, the Ursuline Sisters became the first group to win the award in the 11 years it’s been bestowed in Owensboro.

The award began in Lansing, Mich., in 1980, with three criteria for recipients: “They must have demonstrated excellence in their business or profession, have devoted time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and most especially, Athena recipients have generously assisted women in attaining their fullest potential.”

The Athena Foundation, now known as Athena International, has expanded across the U.S. and into Canada, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, and India.

The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce and Girls Incorporated sponsor the local Athena award.

Susanne Harris, a member of the Girls Incorporated board, nominated the Ursuline Sisters after watching a DVD on the sisters’ ministries.

Sue Napper, chairwoman of the local Athena Award Committee, was unsure about the sisters’ chances when they were nominated, but after learning more about the Ursuline mission, ministries, and their commitment to “Freeing and nurturing women and children,” she thought they were a perfect fit for the honor. A selection committee chooses the winner and sends it to an awards committee.

The back of the award quotes Plato, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.”

Kirk Kirkpatrick, the master of ceremonies for the event, said the Ursulines have devoted their lives to helping others “with an unheralded passion and dedication. Inspired by the words of ‘Act, Move, Believe, Strive, and Hope,’ each day they have devoted themselves to the mission of freeing and nurturing women. They have

sought to bring about change in our society through social justice, education and church ministry. Approachable and energetic, they seek to reach out to the voiceless; to enhance the world through peace and harmony; and address the needs of the whole person – body, mind and spirit. They have truly changed lives and opened doors.”

Attendees at the luncheon learned of the sisters’ crucial role in education, including the creation of Brescia University, and of their efforts in fighting for human dignity rights and an end to government-sponsored torture.

“Their focus on the needs of women is demonstrated in the special retreats and programs they offer especially for women,” Kirkpatrick said. “Their collaborative effort with a Chicago psychiatrist established the Contemporary Woman Program at Brescia, one of the first programs in the country to address the special needs of women.

“They have worked with the poor and homeless, giving them shelter, nourishment and the hope of tomorrow,” Kirkpatrick said. “Our honoree has reached out to Hispanic women in the Owensboro area to help them to become self-sufficient. Their work has also taken them to South America where they have worked with hundreds of women teaching them marketable skills and helping them find outlets for their craft projects…. They have served as mentors for women in (many) fields. Hand in hand they have unselfishly paved the way for so many.”

Sisters Ann McGrew, Annalita Lancaster, Barbara Jean Head, Cheryl Clemons, Helena Fischer, Joseph Angela Boone, Mary Diane Taylor, Michele Morek, Pam Mueller, Rose Jean Powers, Rose Marita O’Bryan, and Sharon Sullivan attended the luncheon. n

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Ursulines start new e-zine Stay up-to-date on Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline news and events with The Pilgrimage, our NEW monthly e-newsletter! The first Pilgrimage was e-mailed in April. If you are not receiving it and would like to, send your name and e-mail address to info@maplemount.org

In the Joy of Eternal Life Sister M. Cordelia Spalding, 90, died April 5 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 73rd year of religious life.

She was a native of Holy Cross, Ky. An educator for 47 years, she was principal and teacher at St. Thomas More School, Paducah, 1952-57. She also taught in Louisville and Marion Sister Cordelia County.

From 1957-60, she was director Spalding of novices at Mount Saint Joseph.

A gifted seamstress, she was a quilter for her community and director of the Ursuline Quilt of the Month Club from 1988 until her retirement in 2002.

She loved to garden and cook, and travel to visit her family.

Survivors include two sisters, Betty Bowling and Lucy Simpson, and one brother, Leo Spalding, all of Bardstown; nieces and nephews, and the members of her religious community.

Sister Theresa Margaret Hite, 94, died May 4 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 74th year of religious life.

A native of Owensboro, Ky., Sister Theresa Margaret had a great love for small children, and was a very prayerful person, with a devotion to the apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje. She was very artistic, Sister Theresa making beautiful thank you scrolls Margaret Hite for the sisters.

She ministered at several convents, and was an educator for 47 years, teaching in the Archdiocese of Louisville, the Diocese of Owensboro, Nebraska, and Missouri. She retired to Mount Saint Joseph in 1994.

Survivors include nieces and nephews, and the members of her religious community.

Gifts in memory of our deceased sisters may take the form of donations to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356.

Memories can be sent to info@maplemount.org for posting on our Web site under “Memories With Faithful Friends.”

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Not Really Retired...

A new feature that will be in every issue!

Sister Frances Miriam always full of energy

Sister Frances Miriam Spalding was living by herself in 2003 doing outreach ministry in Benton, Ky., when she decided to come home to Maple Mount while she still had energy to help her Ursuline Sisters.

It’s hard to imagine Sister Frances Miriam ever being short on energy.

“I like to help people out,” she said, and she gets plenty of opportunity at the Sister Francis Miriam’s daily Motherhouse. She delivers mail to the sisters, and delivers routine includes delivering mail to the sisters. the morning newspaper around campus. She provides hospitality at Mass, and once a month she brings communion to the sick at Owensboro Medical Health System.

When she returned in 2003, she was in charge of activities for the retired sisters before retiring in 2007.

“I wanted to be part of the Powerhouse of Prayer,” she said. She prays the rosary daily, and prays before the Blessed Sacrament on Fridays. She enjoys praying with the prayer intentions people submit, and she has a strong devotion to Saint Thérèse, the “Little Flower.”

Sister Frances Miriam is a native of Bardstown, Ky., and joined the Ursuline Sisters in 1940. Her remaining sibling, Catherine Dodson, lives in Evansville, Ind. Her sister Mollie joined the Ursuline Sisters in 1938 as Sister Marie Spalding, but died in 1943 at age 26. Sister Frances Miriam visits her grave often.

Sister Frances Miriam was a teacher or principal from 1942-1981 at 10 different schools in Kentucky and Missouri. She recalls fondly a year she had at Seven Holy Founders School in the St. Louis suburbs, when she taught 67 sixth-graders. When she told one student that he would have a new teacher when he moved onto seventh grade, the boy responded, “Oh shoot, we have to train a new teacher,” she said.

After leaving teaching, she spent four years as director of transportation at the Mount, then the next 11 years in parish ministry in Marion, Ky. “I loved teaching, and I loved parish ministry,” she said.

“Visiting the sick, teaching RCIA, I loved it all.”

She’s usually wearing her trademark white tennis shoes and a St. Louis Cardinal emblem on her collar.

“My heart sinks when the Cardinals lose,” she said.

Sister Frances Miriam is always overjoyed to hear from people. Friends can write to her at 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356. n

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How your donations are used The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph share their passion to serve the Lord in four categories of ministry.

Your dollars support these missions: 1. Social outreach and justice advocacy. Ursuline Sisters work daily with the poor, the elderly, the ill, and the powerless, offering them hope and opportunity. Your dollars support children infected or affected by HIV at the Hope House Day Care Center in Memphis, Tenn.; work with the poor or elderly in Louisville, Owensboro, Ky., Memphis, Belleville, Ill., and Kansas; and Hispanic ministries in Louisville, the Owensboro area, and Casa Ursulina in Chillan, Chile.

2. Body, Mind, and Spirit. Ursuline Sisters continue to take a lifetime of spirituality and experiences and apply them to the needs of the changing world in which we live. Sisters serve as counselors in Kentucky and Minnesota, and as healers in Louisville and the Motherhouse. They serve the needs of college students and those requiring hospice in Kentucky and Kansas, and act as retreat directors, quilters, and a religious presence in communities throughout Kentucky. Sisters in retirement maintain a vigilant Powerhouse of Prayer.

3. Ecclesial or church ministry. Sisters offer their many gifts of spirituality as parish ministers, directors of religious education, or music ministers at 13 churches in seven Kentucky counties, as well as serving as chancellor of the Owensboro Diocese. They also minister in churches in Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Kansas, and act as spiritual directors.

4. Education. Ursuline Sisters began as teachers, and their excellence in the classroom and in administration is still being felt today. Sisters are leaders in eight schools in five Kentucky counties, including several at Brescia University. Sisters are also in the classroom in New Mexico, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri, and a sister serves as the superintendent of Catholic schools in Louisiana.

Each person who supports the Ursuline Sisters helps to continue these ministries. We are all pilgrims on a journey.

To find out how you can help, contact Development Director Debra Noble at 270-229-2008 or visit ursulinesmsj.org.

New Administrative Specialist Tiffany Orth is the new administrative specialist for the Mission Advancement office of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. Tiffany was previously in the communications department. With the departure of Melanie Sears, Tiffany will coordinate the daily operations of the development office along with Development Director Debra Noble.

Tiffany’s job duties include working with volunteers, administrative support for the annual Mount Saint Tiffany Orth Joseph picnic, purchasing, and coordination of Mission Advancement mailings. She will continue to post articles and photographs to the Ursuline Web site, www.ursulinesmsj.org, to keep it current, and she will be further developing the Web site.

A native of Boonville, Ind., Tiffany earned a degree in corporate communications from Kentucky Wesleyan College, Owensboro. Her office is on the first floor of Saint Angela Hall. She can be reached at 270-229-4103, ext. 278 or by e-mail at torth@maplemount.org.

Have you seen “The Journey Makes Us One,” a new DVD about the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph? If you would like to watch it, contact Debra Noble: 270-229-2008 • dnoble@maplemount.org

39th Annual Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

Picnic and Barbecue Benefit Maple Mount, Ky.

PICNIC Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 Award-winning Barbecue: Chicken, Mutton, Pork

Serving 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Grand Raffle Prize $3,000

Silent Auction Booths - Crafts - Games For the Benefit of Retired Sisters

Volunteers needed!

270-229-4103 ext. 278 License No. 0290

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Remember a loved one in a special way...

The Ursuline Sisters believe that the bonds of friendship and love are not severed by the separation of death. You can honor the memory of a loved one with a contribution to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. As you commemorate the life of a loved one, you support the mission and ministries of the Sisters. The Ursulines will remember you and your loved ones in their prayers.

For more information, contact Debra Noble at 270-229-2008 or dnoble@maplemount.org 11

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID OWENSBORO KY PERMIT NO. 120 8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, Kentucky 42356-9999 270-229-4103 www.ursulinesmsj.org info@maplemount.org

Soli Deo Gloria

We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God Sister Darlene Denton is serving as chairwoman of the board of Shively Area Ministries in Louisville, Ky., and oversaw the selection of its new location. Shively Area Ministries has existed for 21 years and is supported by 30 churches of different faiths in the Shively area. Sister Darlene has served on the board for 10 years, and for the past five, the group has been looking for a new building because it had outgrown its current space. It moved into its new building in November 2008.

“Keeping the mission focused and growing has been Sister Darlene’s vision,” said Roxanna Trivitt, director of Shively Area Ministries. “This move has improved our services 100 percent by making them handicapped accessible and on the bus line. Shively Area Ministries would not be what we are and where we are without her persistence, passion, and partnership. She truly has a heart for the poor and a desire to see women and children cared for and nurtured.”

Shively Area Ministries offers a clothing store, food, counseling, and assistance with rent and utilities to local people who are in need. Sister Darlene is a pastoral associate at Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Shively.

Sister Monica Seaton will make her final vows with the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph on June 28 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Maple Mount.

Sister Monica, 34, a native of Owensboro, entered the postulancy in 2000, and became a novice with the Order of Saint Ursula in January 2002. She made her temporary vows in January 2004. She is a graduate of Brescia University, and since January 2007, she has served as a special education teacher at Daviess County High School in Owensboro. Her mother and her five siblings live in Owensboro.

Sister Joseph Angela Boone was honored as a Distinguished Alumni of Brescia University, the school the Ursuline Sisters started in 1950, at an April 18 ceremony. A 1962 Brescia graduate of mathematics, Sister Joseph Angela was a math professor and Dean of Women at Brescia from 1963-70. She became the first female chancellor in Kentucky (Diocese in Owensboro) in 1989, a role she continues today.

Sister Mary Clement Greenwell celebrated her 101st birthday on April 22 at Maple Mount. Joining her at the celebration (shown at right) was Sister Michele Morek. Born in Curdsville, Sister Mary Clement joined the Ursulines in 1927.

She taught in schools in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Missouri from 1929-78. She then did outreach and tutoring at St. Boniface Retirement Center in Louisville until retiring in 1989.

Sister Mary Bertha Wethington is the oldest member of the community; she became the first Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph to live to 103 on April 24. She was visited by nieces, a great niece, and a great-great nephew, all from Missouri. A native of Clementsville, Sister Mary Bertha was an educator for 59 years, teaching and serving as principal in Kentucky and Missouri. From 1972-78, she was coordinator of Saint Angela Educational Center, Louisville. A gifted seamstress, she made many quilts.

She retired in 2001.