Ursulines
Spring 2020
Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph
Issue No. 51
ursulinesmsj.org
Proclaiming Jesus through Education and Christian Formation
Sister Jacinta
Sister Suzanne
Ursuline Sisters Helping Refugees at the Border and in the U.S. Quilt Club winners
Musical CD turns 20
Mount on the Road
11 Jubilarians
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From Our Congregational Leader Dear Friends of the Sisters, There is a saying by Thomas à Kempis in the “Imitation of Christ” that says: “Blessed are those ears which hear the secret whisperings of Jesus and give no heed to the deceitful whisperings of this world and blessed are the good plain ears which heed not outward speech but what God speaks and teaches inwardly in the soul.” During the days of Lent as we prepare for Easter, these words give us much to ponder. Jesus is in the whisperings all around us. It is in the quiet that God speaks to us. God is teaching us as we listen to the needs of the world, the immigrants needing asylum, those who are involved with the coronavirus and the cries of the poor. The major question that each one of us needs to answer as we prepare for Easter is, “How am I listening?” “How do I put into practice what Jesus is saying to me in my listening?” “How do I serve those around me as I listen?” The time spent on thinking about our answers to these questions will prepare us to rejoice when our time of Easter Resurrection comes. Let us pray for each other, for good health, for blessings on our friends and families and for our world which sometimes does not hear the whisperings of Jesus. God bless each of you. Happy Easter.
Sister Amelia Stenger, OSU, Congregational Leader Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph
COVER PHOTOS: TOP: Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph Jacinta Powers takes the temperature of a child in Matamoros, Mexico in February outside the Global Response Management mobile clinic.
BOTTOM: Ursuline Sister Suzanne Sims congratulates Soe Reh, left, after he answered a question correctly about baptism during the RCIA class on Feb. 27 at St. Pius Catholic Church in Owensboro, Ky. There are nine Burmese children who came to St. Pius in June 2019 and are preparing for the Easter sacraments.
INDEX Helping Refugees.................................... 3-6 Powerhouse of Prayer.................................7 Sister Spotlight............................................7 Act, Move, Believe CD............................. 8-9 Conference and Retreat Center......... 10-11 Quilt Club............................................. 12-13 Donor Spotlight................................... 14-15 Obituaries..................................................15 Soli Deo Gloria...........................................15 Jubilarians..................................................16 World Day of Prayer for Vocations..........16 We’re praying for everyone during this pandemic that has affected our world. We have made temporary adjustments to visitation and programs at Mount Saint Joseph. Follow our website and social media to keep informed.
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 CORE VALUES • Prayer • Service • Empowerment • Justice • Contemplative Presence ... In the spirit of Saint Angela Merici
CONTACT US Did you know the Ursuline Sisters founded Brescia College (now University) 70 years ago? Ursulines Alive is published by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Maple Mount, Ky. Three issues are published each calendar year.
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EDITORS: Director of Mission Advancement/Communications...... Dan Heckel, OSUA Communications Specialist/Graphic Design.................... Jennifer Kaminski, OSUA MISSION ADVANCEMENT STAFF: Communications and Development Specialist............... Maggie Hatfield Director of Development................................................ Carol Braden-Clarke Coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships............................. Doreen Abbott, OSUA Mission Advancement Assistant..................................... Sister Mary McDermott Mission Advancement Assistant..................................... Sister Marcella Schrant Contributing Writer......................................................... Sister Ruth Gehres Contributing Writer......................................................... Sister Marietta Wethington
Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph 8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, Kentucky 42356 270-229-4103 Fax: 270-229-4953 info.msj@maplemount.org www.ursulinesmsj.org
• Facebook: facebook.com/ursulinesmsj • Instagram: Ursuline Sisters of MSJ • Twitter: twitter.com/ursulinesmsj • YouTube: UrsulineSistersMSJ
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By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph Staff
And if, according to times and circumstances, the need arises to make new rules or do something differently, do it prudently and with good advice. And let your principal recourse be to gather at the feet of Jesus Christ … he will enlighten and teach you what you have to do. –SAINT ANGELA MERICI, Last Legacy
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hen Ursuline Sister Jacinta Powers looks in the faces of the refugees she’s serving at the Mexican border, she knows she’s fulfilling what Saint Angela Merici meant in her Last Legacy. “There are multiple needs today and working here with my skills as a nurse among the refugees is certainly responding to a need that is present,” Sister Jacinta said. Sister Jacinta has been serving refugees awaiting asylum hearings at the border since mid-January, and Ursuline leadership agreed she could serve there until July. She is among three Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph whose ministry includes serving refugees, and who see Saint Angela directing them. “Before she started her company, Angela was a lay Franciscan who helped with whatever the needs were,” said Sister Jane Falke, who has spent the last 10 years serving as a receptionist for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. The office in Kansas City is an immigration legal office and refugee resettlement center. “I think Angela realized she could create an organization that would be accepted for her time to meet the needs of society,” Sister Jane said. Sister Suzanne Sims has served as director of faith formation at St. Pius Catholic Church in
Owensboro, Ky., since December 2016. One of her roles is working with the children in the burgeoning Burmese community. “Angela worked with young women on the streets. These children are from the poorest families in this city,” Sister Suzanne said. “Their parents were persecuted for their religion. Most of these children were born in refugee camps in Thailand. Their parents were probably there for six to 10 years. They teach me what poverty and simplicity means.”
Children play with bubbles brought by a Canadian volunteer in Matamoros, Mexico, on Jan. 24.
Serving those with no one to serve them
Sister Jacinta said the witness of life from the people she works with is a daily gift. “Whether it be those who come to the clinic for medical needs, those who work as interpreters, or those I pass in the camp, they are always the first to smile, greet and shine forth the goodness of God,” Sister Jacinta said. “Doctors, nurses, medics, paramedics, translators, etc., from all over the United States have come to work for short periods of time to serve in the clinic and let the refugees know that they are not forgotten.” Sister Jacinta was serving as a nurse at the Motherhouse in 2019 when a Dec. 11-21 immersion experience called “Bridges at the
A child plays on a makeshift swing in March at her temporary home in a tent city in Matamoros, Mexico.
This child wheels his way through the temporary camp with dreams of being a truck driver on his mind.
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Sister Jacinta Powers, center, takes an axillary temperature on a child outside the Global Response Management mobile clinic in March.
Refugees
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Border” – organized by Ursuline Sister of Youngstown (Ohio) Norma Raupple – convinced her where she wanted to minister next. In July 2019, the Trump administration moved to end asylum protections for most Central American migrants. Asylum seekers who first pass through another country are ineligible for asylum at the U.S. southern border. Exceptions to the rule are those people seeking asylum because they were trafficked or if they can prove they sought protection in another country but were denied. The refugees must wait on the Mexican side of the border for their asylum hearings, which can take months. Sister Jacinta is volunteering with Global Response Management to serve some of the 2,500 people living in the tent city in Matamoros, Mexico. “There is a need here, my community has allowed me to be educated as a nurse, and my heart and soul wish to serve the ones who have no one to serve them,” she said. “Plus, I know that some of the strength that goes into the ministry is not mine alone. We Ursuline Sisters support each other in our daily ministry by prayer. If 4
the sisters were not praying for this ministry, it would be impossible to go each day.” The refugees she works with bear little resemblance to the stereotypes often used to describe them in political circles. “Some say they should go back home,” Sister Jacinta said. “Some say, ‘Go somewhere else.’ Is it fear on the part of the folks who do not want them? I can guarantee, the refugees in the camp I minister in are not people to be afraid of living next door. They would be your best neighbors.” In a Feb. 24 article in the Justice for Immigrants blog from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Sister Jacinta detailed some of the horrific stories the refugees tell. “The Central American migrants tell stories of gang violence and of how much power the gangs have in the neighborhoods and countryside. A woman shared her story of having to flee with just the clothes on her back because gang members threatened to kill her and burn down her store,” she said. “Babies have been kidnapped for adoption. Boys are kidnapped by the gangs to serve as new members. Someone shared the
Sister Jacinta, seated at right in the green shirt, gathers information as one of her fellow volunteers prepares to vaccinate a child with a flu shot.
story of younger children being kidnapped in order to have their organs harvested. In this case, children playing and running are targeted because they appear to be the healthiest. It has become clear to me that families fleeing for their safety, particularly for the kids, are the purest demonstration of parental love. … Americans shouldn’t be allowing this to happen to other human beings.” The people she works with in the camp are unified in their support for the refugees, Sister Jacinta said. “In my daily ministry I am surrounded by the strong passions of people who believe the refugees who are seeking safety for themselves and their families should be allowed to have the chance in our country to live, contribute, exercise the right to practice their faith and raise their precious children the same way all of us have been allowed to do for generations.” Sister Jacinta often comments on the faith of the people, and how the children in the camp seem joyful as they face such uncertainty. “These are the people Jesus referred to when He called us to ‘feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter, heal the sick …,” she said. “It is not a matter of ‘these’ or ‘them,’ it is a matter of doing what we can wherever God plants us.” Fewer than 1 percent of the refugees in camp will make it through the asylum process, Sister Jacinta said. “Most of them will be put on planes early in the morning and sent to one of three Central American countries. They will not have agreed to this, but are shackled after their final denial trial, kept overnight with others who have been denied, loaded onto a plane in the early hours of the morning and disappear from our borders,” she said. “It is uncertain what happens
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to them. Some are reported as murdered, some are never heard from again, and a few are held in detention centers in those countries.” A March 2, 2020, article in Global Sisters Report said more than 1,000 women religious have volunteered at the border since late 2018, along with many lay people. Aside from those who are attending to medical needs, Sister Jacinta lists some of the many different gifts being shared with the refugees: • Lawyers, psychologists and specialist physicians who assist in preparing the 19-page document needed for asylum-seeker court cases • Teams of people bringing food each day • A special group that provides tents and blankets, etc. • Teams who help to provide sanitation, reducing many diseases associated with poor hygienic conditions • Educators for the children • Religious leaders who gather with people to pray “What would happen if you removed all the support systems that meet these needs of life?” Sister Jacinta asked. “Life disappears and God remembers.”
Commissioner for Refugees and get resettled in America through groups like Catholic Charities, Sister Jane said. While that number is decreasing, the people who come across the border undocumented – migrants – are increasingly becoming a larger portion of the workload at Catholic Charities. Regardless of their background, Sister Jane is the person they meet when they come through the door. Though she often doesn’t speak their language, she loves being welcoming and helpful to whomever she meets. She wishes Americans who get caught up in the rhetoric about immigrants could meet the people she knows. “I want them to know they need the services. With a little help, they can be productive citizens,” Sister Jane said. “They have a lot to offer this country. They have potential. With a little help they can do a lot.” Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback disallowed any Syrian refugees from entering the state in 2016. “The Syrian families we saw were such lovely people, but there are no more Syrians,” Sister Jane said. There is always a buzz around the Catholic Charities office, and Sister Jane is often preparing for
With a little help, they can do a lot
In the 10 years that Sister Jane has served at Catholic Charities, the number of refugees coming through the office increased – and now has decreased. “In our highest year, we resettled 365 refugees,” she said. “This year it’s 120. That’s all politics.” These refugees come from such places as the Congo, Burma and Bhutan. They go through the United Nations High
Sister Jane Falke talks with a regular client from the Congo who visits Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas on March 6. Sister Jane works the front desk and offers hospitality and guidance to migrants and refugees.
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Sister Jane works closely with Jesus Loaiza, a legal assistant at Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.
the walk-in traffic or scheduling meetings for the immigration lawyer and case workers. “We call her our gatekeeper,” said Jesus Loaiza, a legal assistant at Catholic Charities. “She’s absolutely amazing. She’s literally the backbone of the whole agency. It’s chaos if she has a day off.” Loaiza helps people attain their legal path to citizenship and get their green card. The office handles more than 1,000 cases a year. “We’ve had people from every continent except Antarctica,” Loaiza said. “A lot of people we have to turn away. The political environment has been tough to deal with. I deal with people who are really antsy.” He began working in the office in January 2019, so does not remember the years of high refugee resettlement in Kansas City. “Under the last year of President Obama, there were 180,000 cases of refugee resettlement nationally,” he said. “Under this administration, the last year was 18,000.” Loaiza is an example of someone who has accomplished much after getting some help. He was born in Mexico and came to Kansas City as an infant, the Continued on page 6
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son of a single mother. He was undocumented much of his life. As a sophomore in high school in 2012, he became one of the first applicants for Obama’s Deferred Access for Childhood Arrivals – DACA. He graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Affairs and International Spanish for the Professions. “I renew a work permit every two years, I pay my taxes,” he said. President Trump attempted to end DACA in 2017, which would result in the “Dreamers” being deported. The Supreme Court is expected to rule this spring on DACA’s future. Loaiza was one of the people who testified before the Supreme Court as a “face of DACA.” “It’s always been my dream to go to law school, but I need to worry about my status right now,” he said. Sister Jane said working with so many people whose lives are uncertain has been a blessing. “I’ve gotten a lot more accepting of whatever is happening,” she said. “My eyes have been opened.”
I see them smile. I can smile.
Nine Burmese children ranging from 8 to 15 years old sit in a circle on a bright red rug at St. Pius Catholic Church in Owensboro. Their shoes are off and their legs are folded, both staples of Burmese religious tradition. It’s the night after Ash Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2020, and Sister Suzanne holds up a series of flash cards with words pertaining to Lent – penance, sacrifice, temptation, fasting, abstinence. “They came from Thailand last June,” Sister Suzanne said. “All nine speak Karenni, no English. We’ve 6
gone very primary with them.” Karenni is one of five dialects spoken by Burmese families in Owensboro. Some may speak a little of the Burmese language, Sister Suzanne said. She does not speak any of their languages, and this night relies on her two interpreters to communicate; Marianna Meh, an 18-yearold senior at Owensboro High School, and Nu Meh, a student at Owensboro Community and Technical College. “We have to guess what they need at times, but there is always a spirit of gratitude,” Sister Suzanne said. “I see them smile. I can smile.” Sister Suzanne has had a varied ministry career in her 53 years as a sister – college professor and president, grade school principal, elected leadership and director of Mission Advancement for the Ursuline Sisters. A desire to serve the poor has stayed with her throughout. It was the impetus to accept the role as director of faith formation at St. Pius. The parish has 150 Burmese members from 55 families. Sister Suzanne visits some of the families in their homes each week during the school year, especially those who need help in registering for
Sister Suzanne Sims, right, talks to the Burmese children in RCIA class on Feb. 27 at St. Pius Catholic Church in Owensboro, Ky. Nine children, ages 8 to 15, are scheduled to receive the sacraments at Easter. At left is catechist Martha Hagan, pointing out where Lent is on the liturgical calendar.
Owensboro Catholic Schools. “I registered 11 kids last year, this year it’s going to be 22,” she said. Family and relationships are extremely important to the Burmese people. They are very welcoming, and Sister Suzanne learned early on that a quick visit was not acceptable. That’s taught her more about her relationships as well. “We’ve all spent a lot more time just being with them,” she said. “I’ve done mission trips, but that’s a week and you’re gone. My spirituality in trusting God is deeper.” She read an article that said this politically divisive culture has left us in a “post-truth” era. She believes anything she can do to point the Burmese toward the truth and to God is worthwhile. “The Church says we need to reach out more,” Sister Suzanne said. “I struggle to understand what they’re saying, but who cares? They’re human beings.”u
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Powerhouse of Prayer
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– By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph Staff
Sister Teresa Riley always says her prayers ... This feature highlights the efforts of those Ursuline Sisters who minister in the “Powerhouse of Prayer,” who lift up all those who ask for prayers throughout the year.
Kentucky. f bedtime arrives for Ursuline Sister “I tried to have a certain time to pray, Teresa Riley and she hasn’t said her usually in the evening,” she said. She likes to prayers, something reminds her that she pray in her room now, where there are fewer still has something important to do. distractions. She also enjoys praying with the “I think that comes from my childhood,” sisters at the Mount. Sister Teresa said. “My mom and dad taught “I’m reminded when I pray with other me to pray. There were 10 children in our sisters that they have needs too,” she said. family, and we prayed together every night. “I think there is strength in praying with That was very important to our family. If we others. wanted to play cards or dominoes, my mom “I think there is strength “In the parishes where I worked, the in praying with others,” or dad would remind us to take care of our Sister Teresa said. people seemed to appreciate that I was there prayers before we got into other things.” “There are no good sitting in the front pew, letting them know excuses not to pray.” Sister Teresa has been an Ursuline Sister I’m a woman of prayer and that prayer is for 65 years. After a lifetime of ministries – important to me.” teacher, college administrative staff, serving in parishes One of her favorite prayers remains one that her and visiting the sick – Sister Teresa now lives in Maple parents taught her – “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you Mount and is active in the Powerhouse of Prayer. She my heart and soul. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I rest in said prayer has sustained her all of her life. peace with you.’ “I don’t feel like my day is complete if I haven’t done For those who say their life is too busy and chaotic to my praying,” she said. find time to pray, Sister Teresa has a simple response. When she became a sister in 1955, the community’s “We need to re-examine our life and see what we’re prayers reinforced what she’d been taught from doing that is more important than prayer,” she said. “We childhood, Sister Teresa said. “Fortunately, I’ve been able have to continue to make prayer a priority. Don’t make to continue to make prayer a part of my life.” excuses, because there are no good excuses not to pray.” At the Mount, she prays with the sisters in the Friends can write to Sister Teresa at 8001 Cummings morning and evening. During the last 18 years of her public ministries, she lived on her own in far western Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356.
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Sister Spotlight: Sister Sara Marie Gomez Meet Sister Sara Marie – Lover of Mexican Food and Master of Algebra Z One Place She Would Like to Visit: Chaco Canyon. “It is located only 40 miles from Aztec, N.M., and it is the first Native American dwelling that was discovered.” Z Person That She Admired Most: Sister Ambrose Martin. “Sister Ambrose was my mentor at Sacred Heart Waterflow, and she had a real love for learning.” Z Best Gift She Has Ever Received: The Gift of Life from her parents. “My parents did everything they could to make sure we had a great childhood and it really showed.” Z Favorite Subject in School: Algebra. “Since I couldn’t understand geometry, I quickly learned to love algebra!” Z Favorite Flower: Daisy. “I really love daisies because they are a simple flower and they remind me of people coming together.” –By Maggie Hatfield, Mount Saint Joseph Staff Have you ever considered becoming an Ursuline Associate? You would be welcome! Contact the Coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships Doreen Abbott: 270-229-2006 • associates.msj@maplemount.og 7
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ome days when Ursuline Sister Mary Henning is walking through a building at Maple Mount, she’ll hear the music from the “Act, Move, Believe” CD wafting through the air. It was 20 years ago this year that Sister Mary directed 37 Ursuline Sisters and Associate Mary Danhauer in the “Cantata in Community,” which was eventually recorded as the “Act, Move, Believe” CD, a celebration of Saint Angela Merici’s words set to music. “It was wonderful for the community,” Sister Mary said. “We were younger, our voices were beautiful. We still use some of the music. The sisters do the harmonies naturally.” Music has been a hallmark of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph since their inception. In 1999, Mike Bogdan came to Daviess County as the part-time director of the Office of Music for the Diocese of Owensboro, and also worked part time in Maple Mount as composer in residence. “The Ursulines paid for my room and board at the St. Alphonsus rectory,” Bogdan said. “We wanted to come up with a project for the sisters.” In 2000, Bogdan had the idea to create original music based on Saint Angela’s words. A working group was formed and met with Bogdan weekly. “They came up with favorite texts from their Ursuline tradition, mostly from Angela Merici,” he said. “Each one chose a favorite text and composed a melody. I wrote the harmonization and vocal parts. We wove them together.” The work group included Sister Elaine Burke, Sister Ruth Gehres, Sister Marie Julie Fecher, Sister Nancy Liddy, and the late Sisters DeChantal Whelan, Mary Eileen Howard, Marita Greenwell and Mary Victor Rogers, Bogdan said. “I was living in Ferdinand, Ind., but I drove here for it every week,” Sister Ruth said. “Mike was the idea guy. It was really exciting. Mike has a way of getting you excited.” “Be Bound, One to Another” is Sister Ruth’s favorite Saint Angela quote, and she wrote the melody for that hymn, one that is still used often 8
by the Ursuline Sisters, Sister Mary said. The title track “Act, Move, Believe” was written by Sister Elaine, who composed the melody while exercising in the Mount’s former swimming pool. “I’d go back to my room and put down the notes. The next day I’d work on the next section,” Sister Sister Mary Henning, left, Sister Elaine Elaine said. “I Burke, center, and Sister Ruth Gehres chose ‘Act, Move, gather in the Motherhouse Chapel. Sister Believe’ because I Elaine and Sister Ruth wrote original music for the “Act, Move, Believe” DC, thought it would and Sister Mary directed the choir. be uplifting and alive. The words struck me that way.” Sister Mary Eileen wrote the melodies for “Have Hope and Firm Faith in God” and “Together Pray,” with Saint Angela’s text adapted by Sister DeChantal. Sister Marita wrote the melody for “The Action of the Holy Spirit,” and Sister Mary Victor wrote the melody for the closing hymn, “The Canticle of Mary.” Those four sisters are among the eight who have gone to heaven since the recording. When they performed “Cantata in Community” during Community Days in 2000, the sisters enjoyed it so much they decided to record a CD, Bogdan said. “It was fun, it evolved over time.” “We had some extra space on the CD, so the sisters were interested in preserving some of the music from their formation,” Bogdan said. He also brought in some male singers from Brescia University. The CD was recorded in the Motherhouse Chapel, which has natural acoustics. A grant from the Disciples Response Fund and an
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anonymous donor supported the project. Among the traditional hymns added to the CD were “Saint Angela,” written in 1974 by Ursuline Sister Charlene Logsdon. She was a longtime music teacher who composed the hymn to honor the 100th anniversary of the sisters’ arrival in Maple Mount. “Sister Charlene was in the generation before us,” Sister Ruth said. “These older sisters were part of our education. We got our start at the Academy. Music was part of the life of this place.” “O Gloriosa Virginum” is another hymn that was recorded. It was sung when the sisters took the habit, Sister Ruth said. “Salve Pater” is a three-part song in honor of Saint Joseph,
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and the traditional “Magnificat” is sung at every funeral and many other special occasions. Sister Elaine and Sister Ruth said they remembered the first meeting of the working group in the Madonna Room at the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. “I remember it seemed overwhelming at the time,” Sister Elaine said. “It was worth every minute. I looked forward to it every time we got together.” Aside from gathering with the sisters – several of whom came in from their missions to be a part of the recording – Sister Ruth said Bogdan brought in excellent instrumentalists who played the violin, oboe and horn. “Getting to know these people who were topnotch musicians was great,” she said. Following his year at the Mount, Bogdan worked part-time at St. Anthony Parish in Browns Valley for two years before accepting a full-time position with the diocese, where he continues to serve. “It doesn’t seem like it was 20 years ago. It was fun to work on,” he said. “I learned a lot about the Ursulines’ musical traditions.”l
CD choir, Row 1: Sisters Mary Henning, Catherine Barber, Vickie Cravens*, Jane Miriam Hancock*, Marie Julie Fecher, Eva Boone, Cheryl Clemons, Elaine Burke, Suzanne Sims, Pam Mueller, Joyce Marie Cecil, Mary Victor Rogers*. Row 2: Associate Mary Danhauer; Sisters Mary Diane Taylor, Clarence Marie Luckett, Rose Jean Powers, Clarita Browning, Judith Nell Riney, Marie Michael Hayden*, Alicia Coomes, Jacinta Powers, Catherine Marie Lauterwasser, Mary Angela Matthews, Marie Joseph Coomes, Rebecca White. Row 3: Sisters Patricia Rhoten, Rose Marita O’Bryan*, Sharon Sullivan, Mary Eileen Howard*, Philomena Cox*, Michele Morek, Marie Goretti Browning, Larraine Lauter, Betsy Moyer, Ruth Gehres, Susan Mary Mudd, Barbara Jean Head, Amelia Stenger, Marita Greenwell*. *Deceased
BELOW: Sister Mary Henning directs the choir and Mike Bogdan checks sheet music with an oboe player as they were recording the Ursuline Sisters’ CD in 2000.
The Mount Saint Joseph Gift Shop has a small number of the Act, Move, Believe CDs and cassette tapes which cost $10 each. 9
Schedule your event at the Retreat Center
270-229-0206 A Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph
‘Mount on the Road’ brings Center gifts to parishes The late Bishop John J. lifelong adult faith formation, McRaith named the Mount and the “12 Keys” help make Saint Joseph Retreat Center aging and spirituality an the Spiritual Life Office of the “ageless soul adventure.” Diocese of Owensboro because of Rick Rhodes, director of its many spiritual resources. adult ministries at St. Stephen, New Center Director Maryann believes “12 Keys” is an Joyce wants to give those important program to offer to resources wings. the senior community. Beginning May 6, 2020, Joyce “I think a lot of older people is taking the “Mount on the have reached a point where they Road” with the first of what she think they’re where they need hopes will be many programs to be with their relationship Rick Rhodes, director of adult ministries at St. taken into parishes in the with Jesus,” Rhodes said. “I Stephen Cathedral, and Maryann Joyce, director Owensboro region. think we need to get out of our of the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat “We know parish staffs are comfort zone and keep seeking Center, stand in the St. Stephen Community Room where “12 Keys to Spiritual Vitality” will begin in small and trying to accomplish that relationship. ‘12 Keys’ is a May (dates subject to change). a lot,” Joyce said. “We are great way to pursue that.” providing a low-cost, grant-funded opportunity to He also believes it’s a good idea to bring programs provide programming in the parish as an alternative to once offered only at the Mount - into the parishes. participants’ traveling to the Retreat Center. We want “Jesus didn’t wait for people to come to him, he went to become more relevant to the Catholic in the pew and to the people,” Rhodes said. “We have to meet people to the diocese as a real spiritual asset.” where they are.” Joyce became director of the Conference and Retreat As a part-time employee at St. Stephen who is Center on Jan. 1 after serving the previous 17 months developing programs for all age groups, Rhodes said as assistant director. She’s hoping “Mount on the Road” another advantage of “12 Keys” is that Joyce is doing will help further develop relationships with the parishes the presentation. and illustrate the quality spiritual programming the “It’s intentional outreach to an underserved segment Center can offer, especially to people who lack the time of our Catholic population,” Joyce said. “I’ve had some or money to come to a retreat. training in spiritual gerontology courses through the “We’re hoping to make connections and get people Johnson Institute. As we age, we face so many changes interested in coming to the Center for a future and losses. The spirituality we had as young adults won’t program,” Joyce said. “We’re experimenting with new get us through that. It calls for a deepening of our faith programs. We’re bringing people here who have never in the God who loves us.” been or haven’t been in 20 years.” Johnson says that aging is not a “thief in the night.” The pilot program for “Mount on the Road” is Instead is one the three master teachers of life, along “The 12 Keys to Spiritual Vitality: Powerful Lessons in with relationships and sickness. Living Agelessly.” It will be presented in seven sessions “He did research on hundreds of people in hospitals,” on Wednesday mornings at the St. Stephen Cathedral Joyce said. “He found that people who had faith Community Room in Owensboro. Each class is from and practiced virtues did better. They were happier, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., from May 6 - June 17 (dates are more peaceful and had better health. I had personal subject to change depending on the status of safety of experience with Dr. Johnson’s program when I had public gatherings). cancer seven years ago. I found the psychological “12 Keys” is based on the research and writings and spiritual insights key to my ability to cope and of Richard Johnson, who coined the term “spiritual even grow emotionally and spiritually through a very gerontology.” His Johnson Institute is focused on challenging time.” 10
After four years of research, Johnson identified these 12 keys as the foundational principles of aging and spirituality: 1. Transform your attitudes about aging 2. Seek love everywhere 3. Delight in connectedness 4. Live in the “Now” 5. Accept your true self 6. Forgive others and self 7. Let go of anger and inner turmoil 8. Give yourself to others 9. Celebrate your faith 10. Discover personal meaning in life 11. Make your feelings work for you 12. Achieve balance in your life.
To make the program affordable, Joyce secured a grant from the Disciples Response Fund through the Diocese of Owensboro. The grant covers the Retreat Center’s costs of providing the program and some resources. Participants are required to pay only $25 for the seven classes, and they will receive the “Ageless in the Lord Profile,” an educational faith assessment tool to look at their attitudes toward aging. Participants do not have to be parishioners at St. Stephen, nor do they have to be Catholic. The target audience is likely 60 and over, or anyone who is dealing with life’s limitations and losses, Joyce said. To register for “The 12 Keys to Spiritual Vitality,” call 270-229-0206; email retreatcenter@maplemount. org, or go online: ursulinesmsj.org/retreat-center.n
From the Center Director ...
Have we forgotten solitude? “The desire for solitude is the first sign of prayer.” –Henri Nouwen Is your life full of noise and distractions and people – like mine? Do you often get to the end of a busy day, and just conk out in bed before you have had time to reflect and thank God? In this crazy, fast-paced world of 2020, taking time for quiet at all, never mind solitude with God, is totally countercultural. We have to work even harder and with more intention to take time for silence. If you feel a real desire for solitude, Henri Nouwen says that this is God’s grace prompting you to take the time you need in prayer and silence. He encourages us to make a commitment to this time, even putting it on our calendar. Nouwen even says that it’s impossible to have a spiritual life without giving God a time and a place. As limited human beings, we need to create this space to hear the word of God who lives deeply within us. As a lay woman – who works full time and has a husband and grown kids and grandkids – I understand the challenges of creating that time and honoring that commitment to God. Last fall, I found myself so busy with taking care of demands of life, my spirit felt irritated and hungry for peace in God’s presence. I looked at my routine, my sleep, self-care and leisure time, and recommitted time and place to God by getting up 45 minutes earlier every morning. God blessed me and started filling that hunger as soon as I sat long enough to open my heart, to speak and to listen. We often avoid this solitude for many good reasons: In the silence our inner turmoil and feelings that we want to ignore emerge out of the darkness – this is
Collages and candles are set up at the Jan. 25 “Vision 2020: Welcoming the New Year through the Eyes of SoulCollage” retreat.
difficult, but it is the way God heals and purifies us. There is often the temptation to think we are wasting our time, “we aren’t doing anything useful.” If we let go of this “doer” cultural thinking and let God be God in us, we find a great peace in just Being. Even if you can just tolerate five to 10 minutes, that’s good – start there. We need to take a regular time – daily, monthly, yearly – to remove all the distractions and attractions in our life to be available to God. The Retreat Center is the perfect place for this space for grace. This beautiful, sacred space is the ideal setting to step outside our busy lives and give our God some time and space. Like a dear friend who has been ignored, the Holy One woos us into some quality time. Many retreatants have found such peace and inspiration walking our grounds and listening to God in all the goodness of the earth. Others enjoy quiet reading or speaking to a spiritual director. Perhaps you don’t know that you are welcome to reserve a private retreat here any time during the week, or you may come and walk the beautiful grounds during the day. That is a real treat this time of year! So come for an hour, a day, a weekend or a week. Hope to see you here soon. If you would like to respond to my words of challenge and invitation, you may email me at maryann.joyce@maplemount.org.
–Maryann Joyce, Retreat Center Director
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Quilt Club winners have a special bond with Ursuline Sisters
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Rodney and Charlotte Ford display the quilt they won in the July 2019 Quilt Club drawing.
hen Rodney and Charlotte Ford won a quilt in the July 2019 Mount Saint Joseph Quilt Club raffle, they couldn’t wait to take it home. “You can’t imagine how excited we were,” Rodney Ford said. “I was told they would mail it to us, and I said, ‘Oh no, I will drive down there and get it.’ It’s only a twohour drive.” The Brandenburg, Ky., couple have the quilt in their bedroom on a quilt rack. “We were so excited. We’ve been in the Quilt Club forever,” Charlotte Ford said. Charlotte Ford’s oldest sister attended Mount Joseph Academy for a couple of years, and it was always a thrill for Charlotte to visit the Mount when she was 9 or 10, she said. “I’ve always had a special connection to the (sisters),” she said. “When I got married, I got my husband to come to the Mount, and he fell in love with them too. We try to support any type of event they have.” The Fords’ reaction to winning a quilt is typical of the 12 winners each year who take home a handmade quilt. Many ticket holders have a special connection to the Ursuline Sisters. Rebecca Houston, of Gardner, Kan., was recovering from a stroke 12
in June 2019 when she received a call from Carol Braden-Clarke, director of Development for the Ursuline Sisters, telling her that she had won. “I was trying to explain to her how excited I was, but I couldn’t get the words out,” Houston said. Houston lives on a farm in Gardner, which is not far from Paola, Kan., where she first met the Ursuline Sisters. “My dad and I used to take 10, 12, maybe 20 dozen eggs to the sisters so they would have good eggs to eat,” Houston said. The late Sister Kathleen Condry came to Gardner many years ago to do a Bible study, and Houston became a dear friend. “When Sister Kathleen was the leader in Paola, we went to Ursuline (convent) to have lunch with the sisters one day,” Houston said, choking back tears as she told the story. “We loved her. She gave us a tour and had lunch and we met all the Ursulines. It was the best day ever.” When the Ursuline Sisters of Paola merged with Mount Saint Joseph in 2008, Houston joined the Quilt Club to continue her support. “We run a dairy farm; people come here every day to buy milk. I keep the quilt in the box so I can take it out and show it to everyone
who comes by,” Houston said. “My husband said, ‘you’re going to wear that out just by showing it to people.’” Her husband offered to build her a quilt rack so she could hang it on the wall, but Houston refused. She wants to keep showing it to people who visit the farm. “I spread the word about the Ursuline Sisters,” she said. Braden-Clarke loves to call the Quilt Club winners on the first Friday of every month. “When I tell them we are calling them to verify their address so we can send them the quilt, they are thrilled,” she said. “I have heard comments such as, ‘You made my day,’ or ‘I’ve been buying tickets for years and have never won. This is so exciting.’” Her most touching moment came in October 2019, when Raymond Kress was drawn as the winner. Kress had recently died, so Braden-Clarke called his sister, Mary Metzmeier, who is also a member of the Quilt Club, to ask if she would like the quilt in his memory. “She started crying and said how much the Ursuline Sisters meant to her and how thrilled she was that we thought to give it to his family,” Braden-Clarke said. Metzmeier, who lives in Jeffersonville, Ind., said she and her brother were taught by the Ursuline
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Sisters growing up in Louisville. “We were both students and graduates of St. Columba Grade School,” she said. “We kept up with the sisters. We both sent donations and we both bought tickets for the Quilt Club. It’s been more than 20 years.” Metzmeier graduated from St. Columba in 1947. She can still quickly list all of her Ursuline teachers, even though they have all gone to heaven. “I lived across the street from the school, so I got to know the sisters really well,” she said. “When Carol called and asked if I wanted the quilt, I said, ‘Oh heavens yes.’ It’s just beautiful, I love it. I have it on a bed in the guest room.”
The Quilt Club began in 1988, when the late Sister Cordelia Spalding came home to the Mount and began quilting to support the retirement Sister Cordelia fund of her sisters. Spalding started She led the club the Quilt club. until 2002. A handful of Ursuline Sisters and other friends continue to quilt for the Quilt Club. The cost remains as it has been for years – $20 per ticket, which entitles a person a chance to win once a month for a year. Only 2,000 tickets are sold. The new Quilt Club year began April 3, 2020, but the
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state of Kentucky has temporarily suspended charitable gaming due to the coronavirus. All 12 drawings will still occur once the suspension is lifted. Colleen Lewis, of Hartford, Ky., was thrilled to win her quilt in August 2019. She joined the Quilt Club after working closely with Sister Luisa Bickett for many years when Sister Luisa was ministering to Hispanics in Ohio County. “I thought an awful lot of her. She was so kind to the Hispanic people,” Lewis said. “The quilt is gorgeous, I’m thrilled to own it,” Lewis said. “I have it on a bed I inherited from my great grandfather. It’s in a guest room – I don’t want anyone to mess it up.”v
Join our Quilt Club and you could win a beautiful work of art s a child, I remember seeing quilts at my grandma’s house but never really thought about the work that goes into making one or the story behind it. In high school, I decided to try my hand at quilting. My grandma, who was a great seamstress, gave me scraps of fabric from clothes she made for me and my two sisters. I cut out squares and sewed the pieces together on a sewing machine. I put those pieces in a shoebox where they sat for the next 10 years. Cleaning out a closet I found the shoebox and decided I was never going to finish this project. It was beyond my limited sewing skills and I pitched the shoebox in the trash. The Quilt Club brought back memories of my attempt at quilting and a Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph new appreciation of the work that goes into making a quilt. It is one of my job responsibilities to call the winner of the monthly Quilt Club drawing. People are very appreciative and excited about winning a quilt. I often wonder if that quilt will become a part of their family history or keep someone warm on a cold winter night. More importantly, the Quilt Club proceeds make it possible for our Sisters to care for refugees at the border who are seeking a better life; to educate young people, guide college students at Brescia University, serve in parish ministries and touch the lives of people who need compassion and kindness. Quilt Club ticket sales will resume after the state of Kentucky lifts its temporary suspension of charitable gaming licenses in reaction to the coronavirus. Remember the hands that made the quilt and the difference it will make.
Quilt Club
Carol Braden-Clarke, Director of Development, Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph
The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are continuing a unique fundraiser to support their ministries and spread a little kindness in the world. The Kindness Campaign provides 12 personalized inspirational cards to be sent to the person of the donor’s choice. The deadline is May 1, and the cards will be mailed beginning in June. The Sisters ask for a contribution of $50 per recipient. To request an order form, contact Carol Braden-Clarke at 270-229-2008, carol.braden-clarke@maplemount.org or sign up online: https://ursulinesmsj.org/kindness-campaign/
Bruno Germany from Pixabay
Join our Kindness Campaign!
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The Egger family’s connection to the Ursuline Sisters spans more than 60 years In 1958, Clem Egger became city engineer for Paola, Kan., and he and his wife Mary moved to the small town 44 miles south of Kansas City with their growing family. That year marked the beginning of the Egger family’s relationship with the Ursuline Sisters, which continues today. “Dad and Mom first got to know the Ursuline Sisters through Paola’s parochial elementary school, Holy Trinity School,” said Mary Miller, the oldest of five Egger children, all of whom were taught by Ursulines through the eighth grade. “I was in first grade when we moved to Paola,” Miller said. Her first teacher was Sister Marcella Schrant, who today volunteers with the Mission Advancement office in Maple Mount. “There are nine years between me and my youngest brother, so my parents knew the Ursuline Sisters well by the time we all left Holy Trinity!” The Egger family connection grew with the Ursuline Sisters in multiple ways. “When I was very young, I participated in a Perpetual Vow Ceremony as a flower girl,” Miller said. “My brother Jim was employed as a summer laborer on the convent grounds. My mother took a continuing education class from the Ursuline Sisters at Ursuline Academy in the late 1950s. It was about the science of interpreting handwriting.” Miller and her sister Carol both attended Ursuline Academy, the all-girls high school begun by the Ursulines of Paola. Miller graduated in 1969, but the Academy closed before Carol could graduate. “My mom was friends with many of the Sisters, especially Sister Lawrence Heinzmann, who taught seventh and eighth grade at Holy Trinity,” Miller said. “Two of my brothers, Jim and Dave, were pallbearers at her (2000) funeral.” Clem Egger also knew the Ursuline Sisters professionally through his work as a civil engineer and land surveyor. He surveyed the summer camp land when the property was to be sold, and laid out the plat for Lakemary Center, the Ursuline center for children with disabilities. “After my mother had a stroke in 1971, the Ursuline Sisters welcomed my mom and dad to their Sunday Mass,” Miller said. “There was an elevator on 14
the ground floor, so it was more accessible than Holy Trinity and the sisters weren’t bothered if my mom cried. She was comfortable there, with fewer people and they both felt warmly accepted by the Ursuline congregation. They attended Mass there for many years. Dad was always very grateful for their kindness and Clem Egger acceptance.” Mary Egger died in 1992, and Clem Egger later remarried and moved to Atlanta. He returned to Kansas in 1998 to be closer to family and settled in Gardner, where he was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Legion of Mary, providing spiritual service to patients in nursing facilities as part of his volunteer activities. He took tender care of his beloved tomato garden, loved to travel to visit family, and was a skilled blackjack player. When the Ursuline Sisters of Paola merged with the Ursulines of Mount Saint Joseph in 2008, members of the Egger family continued their support. When Clem Egger died on Nov. 14, 2019, at age 95, his family asked that in lieu of flowers, friends send donations to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. A number of people did just that. It was another way to continue a legacy of support for the Ursuline Sisters. “Naming the Ursuline Sisters was a natural choice for donations due to our long history with them,” Miller said. “We never discussed naming an organization for donations with our dad but all of us agreed it would have pleased our dad very much.” In the last year of his life, Clem Egger enjoyed receiving monthly cards from the Ursuline Sisters as part of the Kindness Campaign. “When I visited him from Austin (Texas), I would find the cards posted in his living room and on his side table,” Miller said. Clem Egger was an accomplished man, working for the U.S Public Health Service and the Environmental Protection Agency for many years. He had his own surveying business, designed public utilities and subdivisions, and even traveled to consult Native American tribes.
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In the joy of eternal life SISTER MARY JUDE CECIL, 87, died Dec. 16, 2019, at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 69th year of religious life. She was a native of Owensboro. She was the epitome of Ursuline hospitality. Those in her presence knew they were the most important people in the room, and she was always ready to listen or teach, whichever was needed first. She served 42 years in Paducah, Ky., as a teacher, principal and religious presence. She also taught at her beloved Mount Saint Joseph Academy as well as in New Haven, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. She was a principal in Nebraska City, Neb. Survivors include the members of her religious community; three siblings, Mary Lucy Adams of Owensboro, Jack Cecil of Sarasota, Fla., and Michael David Cecil of Naperville, Ill.; nieces and nephews. The funeral Mass was Dec. 23, 2019, with burial in the convent cemetery. SISTER CLARA REID, 80, died Dec. 29, 2019, in Louisville in her 60th year of religious life. She was a native of Holy Cross, Ky. Sister Clara was always on the move, embracing the latest changes in education through 50 years as a teacher and principal. She remembered all her students and loved to travel. Sister Clara was an educator in Owensboro and Mayfield, Ky., and served 36 years as a teacher or principal in New Mexico. She served as a clerk in the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store in Albuquerque from 2012-14 before she retired. Survivors include the members of her religious community; her siblings Carolyn Maurice Downs, Louisville; Bernadette Bryan, New Haven, Ky.; Marcella Bartley, Stanley Reid and Helman Philip Reid, all of Loretto, Ky; nieces and nephews. The funeral Mass was Jan. 3 at Mount Saint Joseph, with burial in the convent cemetery. SISTER EMERENTIA WIESNER, 96, died Jan. 17 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 78th year of religious life. She was a native of Richmond, Kan. Sister Emerentia was an Ursuline Sister of Paola prior to the merger with Mount Saint Joseph. She was a wonderful seamstress and craft maker, whose gentleness was displayed in all of her creations. She taught at numerous schools in Kansas and Oklahoma. She was a nurse and director of the health care facility in Paola and involved in community service at the Paola motherhouse. Survivors include the members of her religious community; siblings John Wiesner, Garnett, Kan.; Marion Regier, Newton, Kan.; Thelma Cummings, Haysville, Kan.; Florence Lyon, Wellsville, Kan.; Rose Haynes, Lane, Kan.; Velma O’Brien, Bakersfield, Calif.; and Frances DeJarnette, Bedford, Texas; nieces and nephews. The funeral Mass was Jan. 21 at Mount Saint Joseph, with burial in the convent cemetery. Memorials for Ursuline Sisters may take the form of donations to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356. Thank you.
Egger Family
Soli Deo Gloria From page 14
When asked what summed up her father best, Miller quoted his certified nurse assistant who cared for him at his assisted living center during his last year: “He was a man of substance. Loving and appreciating, with a great sense of humor.” The Egger children – Mary, Carol, Jim, Bill and Dave – knew the final way to honor their father was to remember the Ursuline Sisters. If you’d like to learn more about leaving a legacy that includes the Ursuline Sisters, contact Carol Braden-Clarke, director of Development, at 270229-2008, or carol.braden-clarke@maplemount.org.
We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God.
Sister Mary Matthias Ward, who retired as director of the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center on Dec. 31, 2019, is now coordinator of Transportation for the Ursuline Sisters. She takes over from Sister Kathleen Dueber. 15
8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, KY 42356-9999 270-229-4103 www.ursulinesmsj.org info.msj@maplemount.org
Ursuline Sisters celebrating Religious Jubilees in 2020
Sister Marcella Schrant 75 YEARS
“Happy will you be if you are ready and alert to recognize this new and unique destiny of yours.” –Saint Angela Merici, Founder of the Ursuline Order
These 11 Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph have dedicated a total of 695 years of service to God and His people! They will be honored at the Motherhouse during Community Days in July and will be featured in depth in our summer issue.
Sister Marie Goretti Browning 70 YEARS
Sister Elaine Burke 70 YEARS
Sister Marie Carol Cecil 70 YEARS
Sister Amanda Rose Mahoney 70 YEARS
Sister Alfreda Malone 70 YEARS
Sister Mary Angela Matthews 70 YEARS
Sister Anne Michelle Mudd 60 YEARS
Sister Cheryl Clemons 50 YEARS
Sister Pam Mueller 50 YEARS
Sister Michele Ann Intravia 40 YEARS
World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be observed Sunday, May 3, 2020.
This day celebrates vocations to ordained and religious life in all its forms, and we pray that women and men respond to God’s call to this way of life. Join us in praying this prayer from The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) website. Learn more at nrvc.net
PRAYER FOR WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Holy Spirit, stir within us the passion to promote vocations to the consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, diocesan priesthood, and permanent diaconate. Inspire us daily to respond to Your call with boundless compassion, abundant generosity, and radical availability. Help us to remember our own baptismal call to rouse us to invite the next generation to hear and respond to Your call. Inspire parents, families, and lay ecclesial ministers to begin a conversation with young Catholics to consider how they will live lives of holiness and sacred service. Nudge inquirers and motivate discerners to learn more about monastic life, apostolic life, missionaries, cloistered contemplative life, and evangelical Franciscan life. Ignite our Church with the confident humility that there is an urgent need for religious sisters, brothers, deacons, and priests to live in solidarity with those who are poor, neglected and marginalized. Disrupt our comfortable lives and complacent attitudes with new ideas to respond courageously and creativity with a daily ‘YES!’ Amen.