Donor Spotlight

Carl and Mary Buchman pushed their three children in strollers down the long driveway that led to the Ursuline Sisters of Paola convent. Their kids learned to ride their bikes there as well.

Carl knew what that was like as a child. He grew up just two blocks from the motherhouse gates in Paola, Kan., tossing snowballs there in the winter. When he and Mary went looking for a home in Paola in 1969, they bought one just a few blocks from the convent.

“It was wonderful having the Sisters for neighbors,” Mary said. “We got acquainted with Sister Pat Lynch, Sister Kathleen Condry and Sister Kathleen Dueber. We had lots of fun times. They’d come to our home on Friday nights and get home late. It was wonderful to have them as friends.”

Decreasing numbers of Sisters led to the Ursulines of Paola merging with the Ursulines of Mount Saint Joseph in 2008. Many of the Sisters moved to Kentucky the following year. But the Buchmans have remained faithful supporters of the Ursuline Sisters every year since.

“It was a sad thing when they left, but we totally understood,” Carl said. “We have nothing but fond memories. We’re just supporting the Sisters. They need help and we’re glad to do what we can.”

Carl’s parents moved to their home near the Paola convent in 1928 – 33 years after the Ursuline Sisters arrived there. His father started Buchman Seed and Feed, and the Ursulines – who operated a farm at the time – were among his customers, Carl said.

“I had Ursuline Sisters all through grade school at St. Patrick,” Carl said. The school was later renamed for the church, Holy Trinity. He would have to flip a coin to name his favorite teachers, he said, with the choice between Sister Bertrand Hochstatter and Sister Rita Redmond, who at that time went by Sister Mary DeLourdes.

“Sister Bertrand was such a nice lady, she used to play baseball with the boys,” Mary said. “We were always close to Sister Bertrand.”

When Carl served Mass for the Sisters, he was always invited to stay for breakfast with the girls attending Ursuline Academy.

“It took us 30-45 minutes to get back to school,” he said. “We loved every minute of it.”

Mary grew up in Kansas City, Mo., but her grandparents lived near the convent in Paola. Mary transferred to Bishop Miege High School in Shawnee Mission, Kan., for her senior year, where she was taught by the Ursulines. Sister Kathleen Dueber was two years behind her in school.

“The Sisters have always been a part of our lives,” Mary said. The Buchmans have a son and two daughters, and two grandchildren, who all live nearby. The Sisters had an influence on their children as well.

“Our kids all took piano lessons from Sister Eugene Reynolds. They all played the organ at church for the school Masses,” Mary said.

Carl had back surgery in 1971, and for eight to 12 weeks, could not use steps. The family began attending Mass at the convent, where Carl could use the elevator. When they couldn’t find a seat at their parish for Midnight Mass one Christmas Eve, the family began a tradition of Midnight Mass with the Ursulines.

It was the Sisters close to their age – the two Sister Kathleens and Sister Pat – to whom the Buchmans were closest. When Mary and Carl traveled to Mexico City for a Lions Club convention, the three Sisters watched the Buchman children for the week.

“That probably confirmed their vocations,” Mary said with a laugh.

Carl worked at his family’s grain business until 1971, when he started doing electrical contracting work. Mary stayed home to raise the children until her youngest was in kindergarten, when she began working part time in a gift shop. In the late 1970s the couple bought a laundromat. In 1987, they sold the laundromat and bought a mini-storage building. A few years later they bought a larger storage building, a business that Mary managed. They are both retired now and their daughter is running the storage business.

Carl calls the Ursulines “faithful friends,” and Mary said she and her husband will continue to support the Sisters as long as they can.

“We still have a connection and we certainly feel the desire to support the Sisters,” Mary said. “They’re special friends.”

Have the Ursuline Sisters influenced your life? If you would like to learn more about ways you can support the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, contact Carol Braden-Clarke, director of Development, at 270-229-2008, or carol.braden-clarke@maplemount.org.l

Carl and Mary Buchman