Development Director News

“Dianna brought courage, compassion and beauty into our lives every day. Her long struggle to survive the effects of torture taught us painful lessons about the horrific, long-term impact of violence, but also about resilience and hope. Her commitment to human rights and social justice encouraged countless survivors of torture and inspired her vast circle Sister Dianna, front right, stands with other women in Guatemala in 1988,. of friends and followers. God is mercy, she taught us in her last days.” Another member of the Assisi Community, Franciscan Father Joe Nangle, celebrated her funeral Mass in Maple Mount. He noted the qualities Sister Dianna brought to her ministries – interest in the individual, gentleness and persuasion over force. Sister Dianna accepts a Human Rights

“Our greatest gift … will be a conversion Hero award from the in our own minds and hearts to a Gospel Program for Torture way of life, a nonviolent way of life. Not only Victims in Los Angeles for ourselves, but for our communities, our in 2012. ministries, our neighborhoods, our country and our world. Because these are the places where Dianna Ortiz will be forever remembered. As our Latino sisters and brothers proclaim when one of their beloved passes from this world, we also say today, Sister Dianna Ortiz, Order of Saint Ursula, presenté.”

Her wake service on Feb. 28 and her funeral on March 1 were streamed live on Facebook, with more than 3,000 people watching each online. Both services remain on the Ursuline Facebook page, and her funeral video is part of her obituary on the Ursuline website.

Sister Dianna was raised in Grants, N.M., where she attended public schools. From the age of 6 she was interested in becoming a sister, and when she and her parents began searching for a religious community, she was introduced to Sister Elizabeth Ann Ray, an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph who was principal of St. Teresa School in Grants. (Sister Elizabeth Ann, pictured at left with Sister Dianna in 2007, died in 2008).

“The Ursulines appealed to me because of their simplicity, their commitment to education and to children,” Sister Dianna said in a 2006 article for the Ursuline website.

She transferred to Mount Saint Joseph Academy for her senior year of high school and became a postulant with the Ursuline Sisters following graduation in 1977. She officially entered the community the following year, making this her 43rd year as a Sister. She graduated from Brescia College (now University) in 1983.

Survivors include the members of her religious community; her mother Amby Ortiz of Grants; sisters Barbara Murrietta of Grants and Michelle Salazar of San Mateo, N.M.; brothers Ronald Ortiz, Pilar Ortiz Jr., John Ortiz and Joshua Ortiz, all of Grants; nieces and nephews. Sister Dianna was buried in the convent cemetery.n

We live in the age of technology, which has been a lifesaver during this pandemic. It is technology that has kept people employed – allowing people to work at home, children to attend school and people to remain connected.

For all the good technology offers there is also the other side – robocalls, scams, hacking – that leave people rightly skeptical and cautious about answering phone calls or emails from an unfamiliar number or name. I admit that I haven’t answered calls or emails from numbers or people I don’t recognize.

Much of my role as director of Development is making connections and getting to know our supporters. Prior to the pandemic, I had the opportunity to meet in person with our supporters and hear about their history with the Ursuline Sisters. The visits were very enjoyable and fascinating – learning each person’s history with the Ursuline Sisters and the impact the Sisters have had on people’s lives and the communities where they have served.

My hope in 2021 is that as we begin to get this virus under control, that we can make in-person visits with our supporters and have events again. But for now, we are relying on making phone calls and sending emails to stay in contact with people.

Unfortunately, with the negative side of technology, people don’t answer calls from numbers they don’t recognize. If you get a call from a 270-area code in Owensboro, consider answering the call. We care about you and how you are doing. I think we are all growing tired of the isolation. Talking to someone new might just be the lift we both need to brighten our day. We are grateful for your support. Carol Braden-Clarke,

Director of Development, Ursuline Sisters