Ursulines
Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph Proclaiming Jesus through Education and Christian Formation Summer 2018 Issue No. 46
ursulinesmsj.org
INSIDE:
Celebrating 10 years with our Kansas Sisters Sister Stephany’s Vows 2018 Jubilarians
MSJ Farm Sustains the Sisters
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From our Congregational Leader Dear Friends, This issue of Ursulines Alive will bring you information about some really good things that have been happening in our community. We certainly wish to congratulate Sister Stephany Nelson on her profession as an Ursuline Sister. We are so happy to have her as a part of our community. We also hope that all of you will come to our Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount. This is a first for us, but we hope it will become as great a part of your September outings as our picnic once was. We will still be having our raffle so don’t hesitate to get your tickets to win $10,000. As you come to the Mount you can see the many peaceful areas we have around the campus. If you have stayed with us or visited for even a short time, you have seen the buildings we have. The ages of the buildings range from 1874 to 2002. During the coming year, we will study the buildings to see what we need to do to make sure they are helping us continue our mission. We will work with a company from Wisconsin that specializes in evaluating buildings of religious communities. Community Living Solutions is well known to religious communities all over the United States. We are blessed to have them assist us in the study of our buildings. This is the first part of a study that will help us do strategic planning for the community. We want to make sure that we are good stewards of the wonderful things God has given us. We ask your prayers as we continue this work. God bless all of you during this summer season.
Sister Amelia Stenger, OSU, Congregational Leader
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK...
Mid-July means a robust harvest of sweet corn from the Maple Mount farm needs to be shucked, cut and cleaned so it can be enjoyed by the Ursuline Sisters and staff. That takes an abundance of help, some of which was on hand July 16. Top left, Ursuline Associate Martha House, left, shucks corn with Sister Marie Bosco Wathen. Bottom left, Associate Tina Wolken, right, signed up for the “second shift” with Sister Angela Fitzpatrick. Associate Ron Bornander came to help the next day.
Are YOU interested in volunteering? Contact Marian Bennett: 270-229-2006 marian.bennett@maplemount.org Note: Volunteer projects vary. Some volunteer training is required. 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, OSUA Communications Specialist/Graphic Design..................... Jennifer Kaminski, OSUA MISSION ADVANCEMENT STAFF: Director of Development.................................................. Betsy Jo Mullins Communications and Development Specialist................. Maggie Matsko Coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships............................... Marian Bennett, OSUA Mission Advancement Assistant....................................... Sister Marcella Schrant Mission Advancement Assistant....................................... Sister Mary McDermott Contributing Writer........................................................... Sister Ruth Gehres Contributing Writer........................................................... Sister Marietta Wethington 2
COVER: Beef cattle seek some shade along the Maple Mount farm entrance road on the east side of campus. LEFT circle: Sister Grace Swift removes stems from grapes she picked on Aug. 12, 2015, so they can be used in grape jelly. She tends the grape vines. RIGHT circle: Sister Marcella Schrant holds a bowl of blackberries that were frozen from 2014 as she prepares to make blackberry jam in 2015.
INDEX Conference and Retreat Center........ 13-15 Eastbridge Arts Festival@The Mount..... 16 Farm........................................................ 3-5 Jubilarians............................................. 8-10 Kansas Merger’s 10th year..................... 6-7 Obituaries................................................ 11 Pilgrims on the Journey.......................... 12 Powerhouse of Prayer............................... 5 Sister Spotlight.......................................... 7 Sister Stephany’s Vows/Vocations........... 10 Soli deo Gloria......................................... 15
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 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
Farm still providing for Ursuline Sisters after 135 Years By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph staff
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Postulant Jane (Sister Ann Catherine) Greenwell and novices Sister Lawrence Marie (Lois) Lindle and Sister Thomas Catherine (Rosemary) Keough carry milk cans from the dairy circa 1957-59. RIGHT: Sister Joseph Cecelia Muller gathers vegetables she helped grow in the community garden in 1984.
Sister Ann Patrice Cecil went outside her Motherhouse building one muggy July morning and the odor in the air reminded her of home. “I could smell the pollen from the corn tassels. As soon as I went outside, I knew that smell,” she said. Now 60 years since she left her family farm to become an Ursuline Sister, the presence of the Mount Saint Joseph farm welcomes Sister Ann Patrice each day. Visitors to Maple Mount may enjoy the poetic peacefulness of the farmland that wraps its arms around the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, but the farm serves multiple purposes. Since the first gift of farmland 135 years ago, the farm has provided sustenance to the sisters and their employees far more economically than having to buy all their food. The farm also allows the sisters to practice what they preach -- being good stewards of the land and sharing their blessings with others. “When we have more than we can use, we share it with shelters and others in the area,” said Sister Amelia Stenger, congregational leader. “It is amazing what a package of 100 tomato seeds that costs only a few dollars can produce. It is important that we share what we have. God has been so good to us by allowing us to live on this wonderful farm.” Not as apparent today is that the farm provided the confidence for the newly created Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph to become their own community in 1912, separating from the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville.
History____________________________ On Jan. 15, 1883, Henry and Catherine Bloemer paid $6,000 to James E. and Catherine Smith for their 257acre Daviess County, Ky., farm. The property was next door to the convent and school that was home to the Bloemers’ daughter, Ursuline Sister Augustine Bloemer. Henry Bloemer then donated the land to the Ursuline Sisters. The Bloemers immigrated from Germany to Louisville, where in 1864 their 15-year-old daughter joined the Ursuline Sisters. In 1874, the Ursuline Sisters came to Daviess County to open Saint Joseph Academy, but by 1878, the distant mission was already on its third local superior. That year, Sister Augustine, just 29 years old, became academic directress at the Academy. Three years later she became local superior and is forever known as Mother Augustine. Her parents, no doubt missing their daughter, moved from Louisville in the spring of 1884 to a residence on the Academy farm, where they were constant benefactors. “Mr. Bloemer went about with his carpentry tools, keeping every building and gate and fence in perfect repair, pruning the vines and the trees for about eight years, when he returned to Louisville,” according to “A Souvenir of Mount St. Joseph’s Ursuline Academy,” published in 1907. Henry
Skilled farm worker Bryan Dant picks tomatoes from the Mount garden on a hot July 6.
Continued on page 4
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Students from West Louisville Elementary School which is located near Mount Saint Joseph visit with the farm pigs in 2012.
FARM
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Bloemer died in 1895, and Catherine Bloemer moved back to Maple Mount in 1898, where she paid to build the home she lived in until dying later that year. That home is now the Guest House. The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph became their own community in 1912, six years after Mother Augustine’s death. Separating from an established religious community was fraught with peril in those days due to a lack of security. “Chosen Arrows,” a historical narrative of the Ursulines of Louisville written in 1957, acknowledges the role the farm played in the separation. “The spirit of independence was encouraged by the fact that the convent at Mount Saint Joseph had house and land which could easily be transferred by the will of the donor from the Motherhouse to the individual convent, and thus prepare the way for financial security.”
Sustenance_______________________ The farm produces grain, livestock, fruits and vegetables which are enjoyed by sisters and staff.
Sister Amelia Stenger shows students from St. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Hopkinsville, Ky., how the sisters grow their food in their garden in 2011. 4
“Our farm is a gift that continues to give,” Sister Amelia said. “When the Bloemers gave the community the first 200 acres, they didn’t realize how much that gift would sustain the sisters over the years. The land has shared its abundance with the sisters and if we are good stewards of this good piece of earth, it will serve for many more years to come.” The farm typically has about 100 head of cattle at any time, said Mark Blandford, farm manager. Once a month, Mike Stelmach, who operates the slaughterhouse, will select the biggest cow to slaughter to be served in the dining room. Cows eat grass and have calves, an inexpensive process of providing meat for the Motherhouse, Blandford said. They are all range-fed cattle, with no antibiotics. The farm staff sells 30-40 cows when they reach 500 pounds. Dairy cows were prevalent on the farm for more than 100 years, but after Mount Saint Joseph Academy closed in 1983, the dairy operation eventually ceased being cost effective. The late Sister Ann Victoria Wasylina served at the dairy for 29 years, making legendary butter and cottage cheese well into the 1980s. The Mount farm has about 100 acres of pasture land and enough hay fields to produce 600 bales of hay for the winter. The excess is often sold to area farmers, Blandford said. The farm is also home to five to 10 pigs at a time, with one slaughtered each month for meat. The gardens on campus produce romaine lettuce, radishes, green onions, cabbage, beets, green peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet corn and yellow squash. Last winter the farm staff began growing lettuce and spinach in the greenhouse, Blandford said. “The pioneer sisters raised a lot of their own food in the garden,” Sister Ann Patrice said. “There’s something exciting about planting a seed and watching it grow and sprout and produce. You learn to rely on God’s providence. It takes a lot of faith to be a farmer.” The incredible volume of food grown in the garden is served to the sisters and staff each day in the kitchen, which greatly reduces the food the kitchen must buy. “The food bill goes down substantially in the summer months,” said Melody Payne, food service manager. The view of the southern The gardens also produce (Background photo: Some of the blackberries, blueberries, apples
soybeans grown at the Mount farm
and grapes. Sister Grace Swift and Sister Marcella Schrant use these fruits to make jams and jellies that are enjoyed by the sisters, and sometimes sold, such as at the upcoming Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount on Sept. 8-9. The farm staff planted 180 acres of corn and 300 acres of soybeans this year, Blandford said. The staff rotates the crops each year because it improves the soil and reduces the possibility of disease. A hay barn and silo for cattle on the west side of campus.
Preserving the Land______________ Being good stewards of God’s creation has long been
a hallmark of the Ursuline Sisters. They make sure their farm staff utilizes eco-friendly practices to reduce soil erosion and protect nearby creeks. “We’re taking care of the land for the next generation,” Sister Ann Patrice said. “We’re leaving the land better than we found it. That’s what my dad taught all of us, take care of the land.” Here are some of the efforts the farm staff makes to protect the land, Blandford said. No-till planting. The Mount farm has been using no-till planting for at least 20 years. No-till planting does not disturb the ground like conventional tilling, which can cause soil erosion. Crop residue, like corn stalks, is left lying on the ground, which helps to keep the ground from washing away in the winter. The planting equipment in the spring clears away the previous year’s debris and plants seed in the same location without tilling. Grassy buffer zones planted to prevent pollution of creeks. A six to seven-foot grass buffer exists between the crops and the creeks to reduce run-off and erosion. Grass terraces for soil conservation. Some of the pasture fields have terraces because they are on hills. These are mainly ditches with grass at the bottom, that send water to the creek rather than have it run across the field. Cow and pig manure used to fertilize the fields. Where the cows feed on the hay during the winter, the manure is gathered, then fields from St. Ursula Hall. spread over the fields.
180 acres of corn and 300 acres of m in 2018 shown south of campus.)
–By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph Staff
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Powerhouse of Prayer
Sister Mary Angela is always open to prayer This feature highlights the efforts of those Ursuline Sisters who minister in the “Powerhouse of Prayer” and lift up those who ask for prayers throughout the year.
During the 12 years she spent ministering in New Mexico, Sister Mary Angela Matthews enjoyed praying outside among all the beautiful scenery. “Even driving in the car was special,” she said. Now as a member of the Sister Mary Angela enjoys Powerhouse of Prayer at the bird feeder outside her window in Saint Joseph Maple Mount, Sister Mary Villa. Angela loves to pray from her comfortable chair in Saint Joseph Villa, where she can look at her bird feeder outside her window. “We need to thank God for all of creation and all of his creatures,” she said. “The birds can give us great joy. After several cloudy days, we thank God for a sunny day. We thank him for a good soaking rain for the crops, trees and grass. At night, a beautiful moon gives us joy. In the morning, a sunrise stirs our souls. We thank God for our families and friends.” It’s in the mornings that Sister Mary Angela enjoys praying the most. “My mind is clearer then, and I don’t get interrupted as much,” she said. A native of Hardinsburg, Ky., Sister Mary Angela is in her 68th year as an Ursuline Sister. Prayer has been an essential companion on her life as a sister. “When we are depressed, a prayer can refresh us. We don’t have to feel like praying,” she said. “The place doesn’t matter. Some of our best prayers are when we are walking around or driving a car. Saint Teresa of Avila talks about reading a good book and using that to get into prayer. Lectio Divina can be used with scripture. When we read a few phrases, and something strikes us, we stop and meditate on it.” One of the best preparations for prayer is to keep one’s mind and heart at peace, Sister Mary Angela said. “Good relationships are very important for this. It is hard to pray when one is upset with others,” she said. “Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to pray.” For those who say they can’t find the time to pray, Sister Mary Angela has the answer. “If you put prayer first on your agenda, you’ll get it done. If you wait until there’s time, you’ll never get it done,” she said. “We always have time for the things that are important to us.” Friends can write to Sister Mary Angela at 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356.n 5
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Ten years after merger, former Paola sisters continue to bring life to Mount Sister Marie William Blyth had been an Ursuline Sister of Paola, Kan., for 58 years in July 2008, with most of those years spent ministering in Kansas. That month in Maple Mount, Ky., the chapter delegates of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph voted unanimously to approve a merger with the Ursulines of Paola. “At the beginning, I couldn’t fathom being part of another established community,” Sister Marie William said. “We Sister Dee Long, left, and Sister Helen Smith visit during realized we had the same Community Days in 2017. background and the same goal. Once we were here, we found we were home.” That is a similar feeling among the former Ursulines of Paola – a sense of welcome and acceptance from their bluegrass sisters. And for longtime Ursulines of Mount Saint Joseph, they recognize what a blessing the Kansas sisters have been. “When we got here, Sister Angela Fitzgerald carries everyone made us feel Kansas with her wherever she so welcome,” said Sister goes. Emerentia Wiesner. “It wasn’t long until we found out there were things we could do to help. I’m happy to be here.” The official canonical merger occurred with approval from Rome, which was celebrated on Oct. 21, 2008, the Feast of Saint Ursula. For Sister Sister Marcella Schrant, left, Michele Morek, who was and Sister Susanne Bauer visit congregational leader of during Community Days in Mount Saint Joseph during 2016. the merger, 10 years went by quick. “In a way it seems longer, just because I can’t imagine life without them,” Sister Michele said. “They and the Belleville sisters (who merged in 2005) just seemed to fit Sister Emerentia Wiesner visits with a student who sang into our community so during a choir performance in well, and they are each as 6
the Rainbow Room.
The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph offer a cheer of welcome to the Ursuline Sisters of Paola on July 17, 2008, following a unanimous vote to merge the two communities.
precious to me as any sister ‘born in Kentucky’ -- or New Mexico, Nebraska or Missouri. They have blessed us just by being themselves, and by modeling for us graciously what a radical ‘letting go’ looks like.” Some sisters remained in active ministry in Kansas, while others moved to Maple Mount beginning in 2009. Sister Michele has a unique vantage point, because since early 2017, she has served in Kansas City for the Global Sisters Report and lives near the sisters remaining in Kansas. “I always considered myself lucky to have led the transition because I got to know each of them early on in the process, perhaps better than I would have known them had I been ‘out on a mission’ at the time,” Sister Michele said. “Now that the shoe is on the other foot, and I am the ‘new sister,’ I still feel good about saying I am an Ursuline, because I get lots of credit and affection lavished on me in Kansas as I bathe in their reflected glory.” Sister Rebecca White is a longtime Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline who has ministered with several Kansas sisters in the community archives. “The one thing that stands out most boldly to me is that they have given the rest of us an example of how to love one another,” Sister Rebecca said. “I will be forever grateful that they have shown us how to love each other in community.” Hospitality is an Ursuline trademark, so it’s little wonder that the welcome and acceptance they received is the first reaction of the Paola sisters. “We’ve been blessed by the openness, receptivity and complete acceptance by the whole community,” Sister Marie William said. “It seems like the way they received us, we’d known them forever. They took us right in.” “I think the greatest blessing has been the embrace of the community in welcoming us,” Sister Pat Lynch said. “I still remember the picture of all the ‘Maple Mount
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Sisters’ waving their arms in the air as they affirmed the merger. It is a blessing to be more closely united with other Ursulines (including those from Belleville), and to share life in community and ministry.” Like Sister Pat, Sister Helen Smith was on the Paola leadership when the decision was made to merge. She has felt blessed by her Kentucky sisters. “I have felt warmth, kindness, inspiration and compassion living in my new community,” Sister Helen said. “After living through the reality of the struggles, sadness and acceptance of the decisions that we needed to make in Paola, it has been so great to be buoyed by the energy, ideas and enthusiasm for continued service among God’s people that our community members exemplify. They have helped me to renew my spirit.” Sister Grace Swift thought the decision to merge was a wise idea. She said the sisters have learned to fit in. “I spent 32 years in Louisiana (as a professor at Loyola University). I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve had to fit in,” she said. “You do the best you can to fit in. I’ve felt very welcomed here.” She found her home tending to the grape vines on campus. “I like Kentucky, I think it’s beautiful,” Sister Grace said. “I enjoy being around more sisters. There are more chances for conversation and prayer with more people. I like being in a large group.” Sister Angela Fitzpatrick said the opportunity to make new friends with the Mount Saint Joseph sisters has been the most rewarding part of the merger. “I love, appreciate and cherish being an MSJ Ursuline and all that we as a community stand for, commit ourselves to and give witness to,” she said. While the move was difficult for many sisters, the 13 former Paola sisters remaining say taking Saint Angela Merici’s advice to “gather at the feet of Jesus” during times of change is still effective. “I was reading recently that we need to pray for trust,” said Sister Marcella Schrant, who moved to the Mount in 2014. “Saint Angela promised to help us forever.”
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Sister Pat said some days she is more aware of needing to trust in God for the future, and other days she leans into God in the present. “But when I am with the community in prayer, it helps to be Sister Celine Leeker chats with gathered together, uniting a choir member in 2017. our voices and trusting in our God,” she said. Sister Helen said it’s important to look to the future with eyes open to make the best decisions, find the most creative solutions and always seek God’s will for the Ursuline Sister Marie William Blyth Sisters, “individually, but shares a laugh with Nick Botkins, a choir camp director most assuredly bound from St. Louis. together supporting one another.” “I look forward with a happy heart because God is in charge and with all the wisdom among us, I can’t help but believe that the Spirit is at work in our midst to accomplish God’s plan and His job for us,” Sister Helen said. “We need to piece together the information and ideas Sister Jane Falke holds an that we have and need to immigrant child in her office share, and I think God in Kansas City, Kan. will surprise us with the outcomes.”n Sister Pat Lynch, left, is joined in her excitement by Sister Monica Seaton as she appears to win at bingo during the Mount Crafts and Raffle in 2017.
Sister Spotlight: Sister Melissa Tipmore Meet Sister Melissa from Owensboro, Ky. – A teacher for 28 years Z Favorite Place to Visit: Branson City, Mo. “I have been there four or five times. The shows at
“Music City” are all very family-oriented. Daniel McDonnell is my favorite artist to watch there.” Z Early Bird or Night Owl? She’s a morning person. “Mornings seem so fresh and full of wonder. I have much more energy, peace and patience in the mornings.” Z Favorite Holiday: Christmas. “I love not only the day itself, but also the special things and events that come with it, such as the Advent season, Christmas movies, gift giving, Christmas music and Christmas Mass.” Z Favorite Author: Beverly Lewis. “I got the opportunity to meet Beverly Lewis at a book signing and it was a wonderful experience.” Z First Job: Brabandt’s Supermarket. “I had to work there because my other siblings did. My beginning salary was 50 cents an hour.” 7
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Meet our 2018 Jubilarians! Fifteen Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are celebrating jubilees of religious life. One sister went to heaven during her jubilee year – Sister Mary Sheila Higdon (70th jubilee). 75 years Sister Naomi Aull, a native of Knottsville, Ky., (formerly Sister Mary Benigna) taught at Sacred Heart, Farmington, N.M. (194548), Blessed Mother, Owensboro, (1948-52), St. John, Plattsmouth, Neb. (1952-53), St. Teresa, Glennonville, Mo. (1953-54), Holy Trinity, Fredericksburg, Ky. (195457), St. Charles, Lebanon (1957-58), St. Thomas More, Paducah (195861) and Holy Cross, Loretto (196162). In Louisville, she taught at St. Margaret Mary (1962-69), Mother of Good Counsel (1970-71), St. Ignatius (1971) and St. Leonard (1972-77). For 25 years in Louisville, beginning in 1977, she served in outreach ministry to the poor at St. Boniface Parish and then at St. Martin of Tours’ Schuhmann Social Service Center. While at St. Martin, she helped low-income elderly residents at the Hillebrand House fill out paperwork. She retired in 2002 and helped distribute mail and was a volunteer caregiver at Saint Joseph Villa. Today she is in the Powerhouse of Prayer. Sister Emma Cecilia Busam is from Owensboro. For 38 years she was a teacher in Kentucky schools, including St. Joseph, Central City (1945-46), St. William, Knottsville (1946-51), St. Charles, Bardwell 8
(1958-60), Blessed Mother, Owensboro (1960-61), Sts. Joseph and Paul, Owensboro (1961-66) and St. Anthony, Axtel (1966-70). She taught art at Owensboro Catholic High School (1971-82), Mount Saint Joseph Academy (1982-83), and part time at Brescia College (1960-66, 1970-82). She also taught adult education part time for Owensboro Public Schools (197183). She began serving as an archivist in 1983, first for the Ursuline community and then for the Diocese of Owensboro. She was certified by the Academy of Certified Archivists in 1989, is a founding member of the Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious and a member of the Society of American Archivists. When she retired from the diocese in 2011, Bishop William Medley renamed it the “Sister Emma Cecilia Busam Archives.” She assisted in archives at Mount Saint Joseph for several years. Today she is a member of the Powerhouse of Prayer. Sister Marie Bosco Wathen is from Finley, Ky. She taught at St. Catherine, New Haven (1945-53), Seven Holy Founders, Affton, Mo. (1953-59, 1970-73, principal 1973-74), St. Bartholomew, Buechel, (1959-60), Mother of Good Counsel, Louisville (1960-66) and Immaculate, Owensboro (1966-70). She was a professor of education at Brescia College (now University) from 1974-1997 and institutional research assistant from 1997-2005. Also during that time, she was co-director of the Ursuline Associate
The 2018 jubilarians united for a celebration on July 14 in the Motherhouse Chapel. Left to right, FRONT: 75-year jubilarians Sister Marie Bosco Wathen, Sister Emma Cecilia Busam, Sister Naomi Aull. BACK: Sister Clarita Browning (70th); Sister Amelia Stenger (50th); Sister Luisa Bickett (70th): Sister Claudia Hayden (50th); Sister Grace Swift (70th); Sister Ann Patrice Cecil (60th); Sister Nancy Liddy (25th); Sister Rose Karen Johnson (60th); Sister Vivian Bowles (60th); and Sister Carol Shively (40th). Unable to attend: Sister Mary Elizabeth Krampe (60th) and Sister Dianna Ortiz (40th).
program for seven years. In 2004, she was presented with a 30-year Brescia Service Award. She retired in 2005. From 2011-2014, she assisted in the Mount Saint Joseph archives. She became a resident of Saint Joseph Villa in 2012, where she visited and helped the sisters until 2017. She now helps when she’s able. 70 years Sister Louis Marie “Luisa” Bickett is from Roseville, Ky. Her family moved to Daviess County when she was 5. She was an educator for 24 years. She was a teacher at Sacred Heart in Farmington, N.M. (1950-61), St. Edward in Jeffersontown (1961-62), Colegio San Ignacio in Santiago, Chile (1965-71) and Colegio Padre Hurtado in Chillan, Chile (197274). She was principal and teacher at St. Joseph, San Fidel, N.M. (196263), Sacred Heart in Farmington, N.M. (1963-65) and St. Elizabeth, Curdsville (1965). She was a pastoral minister at Poblacion Vicente Perez Rosales in Chillan (1975-83). She served in pastoral outreach at Holy Redeemer Church in Beaver Dam (1984-87), and in outreach to mostly Hispanic populations in the Horse Branch area (1987-2013). Since 2013 she has been a quilter for the Ursuline Quilt Club and is active in the Powerhouse of Prayer. Sister Clarita Browning is a native of Calvary, Ky. A teacher for 39 years in Kentucky, Sister Clarita taught at Sts. Joseph and Paul, Owensboro (1950-51), St. Thomas More, Paducah (1951-55), St. Margaret Mary, Lyndon (1955-59),
St. Christopher, Radcliff (1959-65) and Immaculate, Owensboro (196566). She was a professor of education at Brescia College, Owensboro (1967-89). She was associate director of the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center (1989-90). She was a pastoral associate and director of religious education in Kentucky at Immaculate Parish, Owensboro (1990-96), St. Mary of the Woods Parish, Whitesville (1996-2000) and St. John the Baptist Parish, Fordsville (2000-2002). From 2002-2009, she was co-director of pastoral care at Saint Joseph Villa at the Mount Saint Joseph Motherhouse. She is retired at the Motherhouse and active in the Powerhouse of Prayer. Sister Grace Swift, a native of Bartlesville, Okla., was an Ursuline Sister of Paola, Kan., prior to their merger with Mount Saint Joseph in 2008. She was a teacher in Kansas at St. Patrick, Paola (1949), Holy Name, Kansas City (1950-55), Holy Angels, Garnett (1955-57) and Bishop Miege High School, Shawnee Mission (1958-62, 1965). She taught one year at Bishop McGinnis High School, Oklahoma City, Okla. (1957-58). She served as a history professor at Loyola University in New Orleans from 1966-98. During her time at Loyola she wrote four books and more than 30 articles, and received a Fulbright Fellowship to do research in Russia in 1993. She was elected to the Ursuline Council (1998-2002) and served at the Paola motherhouse until 2009, when she moved to Maple Mount. She now cares for grapevines and blackberries at the Motherhouse. 60 years Sister Vivian Marie Bowles is from Jeffersontown, Ky. All her ministry has been in Kentucky. She taught at St. Pius Tenth (1960-64) and Immaculate (1971-73), Owensboro; St. Joseph, Leitchfield (1964-66) and St. Thomas More, Paducah (1966-71). Her tenure at Brescia University in Owensboro
began in 1973 and included roles as professor of psychology, counseling center director, and president from 1995-2007, during which the college became accredited as a university. She was elected to serve on the Leadership Council for the Ursuline Sisters (1992-96). After spending three years in family ministry, she was director of the St. Mary School System in Paducah (2010-11). She was a member of the Owensboro Diocesan Marriage Tribunal (19832008) and other diocesan committees. Since 2012, she has been director of faith formation at St. Alphonsus Parish, St. Joseph. Sister Ann Patrice Cecil is from Owensboro. She was a teacher at St. Denis in Louisville (1960-67), Lourdes Elementary in Nebraska City, Neb. (1967-74) Sts. Joseph and Paul, Owensboro (1974-78) and Cathedral, Owensboro (1978-82). She was secretary to the Mount Saint Joseph Leadership Council for 21 years. She was secretary and bookkeeper at the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center (1989-91), and serials librarian and receptionist at Brescia College, Owensboro (1992-96). Since 2013 she has been the postmaster at the Maple Mount Community Post Office. Sister Rose Karen Johnson is a native of St. Lawrence, Ky. She was a teacher at St. Bartholomew, Louisville (1960-66), St. Joseph, Leitchfield (1966-69), Sacred Heart, Poplar Bluff, Mo. (1985-86) and St. Brigid, Vine Grove (1986-89). She was teacher and principal at Mary Carrico, Knottsville (1969-70, 1971-81), St. Peter of Alcantara, Stanley (1981-82), and St. Mary Magdalene, Sorgho (1983-85). She was principal of Precious Blood, Owensboro (1982-83). She was a parish minister at St. Michael Parish, Georgetown, Ind. (1989-91). From 1992-95, Sister Rose Karen was assistant local superior and director of transportation for the Ursulines. She ministered as a pastoral associate and healing touch therapist at St. Joseph Catholic Center, Greenville
(1995-2015). She is retired and active in the Powerhouse of Prayer. Sister Mary Elizabeth Krampe turned 100 on June 21! She is from Owensboro. She sought a smaller community and became an Ursuline Sister of Belleville, Ill., from 1958 until that community merged with the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph in 2005. All her ministry was in community service at the convent in Belleville, including sewing, needlework and making afghans and quilts. She is retired at the Motherhouse and active in the Powerhouse of Prayer. 50 years Sister Claudia Hayden is from Beech Grove, Ky., and has served in the nursing field for over 40 years. At the Mount Saint Joseph Infirmary (now called Saint Joseph Villa), she started as a nursing assistant in 1976 and ministered as a registered nurse intermittently for 20 years. She was a staff nurse at Lourdes Hospital, Paducah (1984-85) and an oncology staff nurse at Norton Hospital, Louisville (1989-90). She served as a dialysis staff nurse at Owensboro Mercy Health System (1993-2000) and at the Dialysis Center of Owensboro (2000-05). Prior to entering nursing, Sister Claudia taught at St. Peter of Alcantara, Stanley (1971-73) and St. Angela Merici School, Florissant, Mo. (1973-76). Today, she assists in Saint Joseph Villa and takes care of her nephew. Sister Amelia Stenger is a native of Glennonville, Mo., and has ministered solely in Kentucky. She was a teacher at Precious Blood, Owensboro (1971-74), and principal/teacher at Immaculate Conception, Earlington (1975-77), Continued on page 10
Jubilarian congratulations may be sent to: Mount Saint Joseph 8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, KY 42356 9
Jubilees
From page 9
Christ the King, Madisonville (1977-82) and St. Joseph, Bowling Green (1982-84). She served as superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Owensboro (1984-91) and the Archdiocese of Louisville (1991-97). She was director of the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center, Maple Mount (1997-2010). Sister Amelia was director of development for her Ursuline community from 2010 until she was elected congregational leader in 2016, a position she will hold until 2022. 40 years Sister Dianna Ortiz is a native of Grants, N.M. She taught at Immaculate Conception, Hawesville, Ky. (1983-85) and Blessed Mother, Owensboro (1985-87) before doing mission work with Mayan children in Guatemala. She was a grassroots organizer for the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission in Washington D.C. (1994-2000). In 1998, she founded the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC) International in
Washington, D.C., to advocate for the abolition of torture and to support its victims. Her book, “The Blindfold’s Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth” (written with Patricia Davis), about her experience of abduction and torture in Guatemala, was published in 2002. In 2010 she joined Pax Christi USA in Washington, D.C., as interim director and then deputy director. She has been ministering with the Education for Justice Project at Center of Concern, Washington, D.C., since 2012. Sister Dianna has given numerous presentations in the U.S. and abroad and has provided testimony before Congress on issues related to human rights and torture. She is the recipient of many awards and recognitions. Carol Shively, is from Lebanon, Ky. In Kentucky, she taught at St. Pius Tenth, Owensboro (1985-87); St. Romuald, Hardinsburg (198283) and St. Paul, Leitchfield (198385). In Missouri, she was principal and teacher at St. Teresa, Glennonville (1987-90); principal of Immaculate Conception, New Madrid (1990-94) and principal of Sacred Heart, Poplar Bluff (1994-
96). From 1996-99, she was superintendent in the Office of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. Since 1999, she has been superintendent in the Office of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Shreveport, La., where she presides over four elementary schools and two high schools (Loyola College Prep, Shreveport, and St. Frederick, Monroe). She has been an educator for 36 years. 25 years Nancy Liddy is a native of Coral Gables, Fla., and Brooklyn, N.Y. She served in the Diocese of Owensboro from 1994 to 2004 and the Diocese of Belleville, Ill., from 2005 to 2014. Her ministry has been dedicated to faith formation through the liturgical life of the parish. Other ministries have included development and grant writer for the Ursuline Sisters and Brescia University. Sister Nancy currently ministers at the Seminary Scholar Shop at St. Meinrad, Ind., and is a member of “Brothers and Sisters,” an a capella singing quartet, which serves at the St. Meinrad Archabbey Church.
The Joy of Vocations
Profession of First Vows and Come and See Weekend Congratulations to Sister Stephany Nelson who professed first vows on Sunday, July 8! We continue to pray for Sister Stephany as she enters into this five-year period of living the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and instruction in the Ursuline Way of Life with the guidance of Sister Karla Kaelin, Director of Temporary Professed. Sister Stephany felt a calling, then reached out to someone she trusted for guidance. That began her path to joining the Ursuline Sisters. The Center Sister Stephany Nelson reads her vows for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) released an annual report on as Congregational Leader Sister Amelia The Entrance Class of 2017 that shows the importance of personal contact Stenger listens at right. with religious life. For members of the Entrance Class of 2017, most men (49 percent) first became acquainted through their religious institution where members serve. Most women entering religious life (39 percent) first became acquainted through the recommendation of a friend or advisor. On Oct. 12-14, 2018, we, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, are hosting a “Come and See Weekend” for single, Catholic women between the ages of 18 and 40. Help us promote our “Come and See Weekend” by inviting women and letting them know there is no commitment and no strings attached for this weekend. It is a time to come away from our busy lives and be with the Sisters in prayer and fellowship in our Ursuline Way of Life as we listen for God’s call. –Sister Monica Seaton, Director of Vocations Ministry 10
S u m m e r
2 0 1 8
In the joy of eternal life SISTER PAULETTA MCCARTY, 96, died April 7 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 77th year of religious life. She was a native of Curdsville, Ky. Sister Pauletta always had a smile on her face, and retained friendships with former students all their lives. Among the Ursuline Sisters, she was the oldest living graduate of Mount Saint Joseph Academy, graduating n 1939. An educator for 36 years, she taught in Kentucky, Nebraska and Missouri. She also served as minister to nursing homes in Owensboro and as parish minister in Greenville, Ky. At the Motherhouse she was assistant local superior and director of transportation (1976-81), sacristan (1992-98) and daily annalist (200510). Survivors include a sister, Rose Mary Pease, Evansville, Ind., and two brothers, Celestine Joseph McCarty of Owensboro, and Francis Xavier McCarty of Calhoun; nieces and nephews, and the members of her religious community. The funeral Mass was April 10 at Mount Saint Joseph, with burial in the Motherhouse Cemetery. SISTER MARTINA ROCKERS, 92, died June 5 in Olathe, Kan., in her 76th year of religious life. She was a native of Garnett, Kan. Sister Martina was an Ursuline Sister of Paola until the merger of that community with Mount Saint Joseph in 2008. She was a joyful servant whose work ethic was legendary. Sister Martina was a teacher for 67 years in Kansas. She was the heart and soul of Bishop Miege High School in Shawnee Mission, Kan., teaching and serving there the school’s entire 60 years. The school’s courtyard is named in her honor. A science award for the Kansas City area bears her name and she was honored by the National Catholic Educational Association in 2008. If school was out, she often accompanied students on a mission trip to help others. Survivors include her siblings Hilda Lankard of Garnett, and Agnes Lickteig and Martin Rockers, both of Greeley, Kan.; nieces and nephews and the members of her religious community. The funeral Mass was June 11, with burial in the Paola Ursuline Cemetery. Gifts in memory of Sister Martina may take the form of donations to the Ursuline Sisters (see below) or the Sister Martina Rockers Scholarship Fund at Bishop Miege, 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Shawnee Mission, KS 66205. SISTER MARIE MICHAEL HAYDEN, 85, died June 13 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 63rd year of religious life. She was a native of Owensboro, Ky. Sister Marie Michael loved to share the joy of Mass and her Catholic faith with all those she met. She was happiest when working side by side with people in her parish. After seven years as a teacher, she began serving in religious education and parish ministries for 50 years. She was assistant director of religious education for the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb. (1964-79), and director of religious education for the Diocese of Owensboro (1979-87). She served in parish work in Missouri and Kentucky before retiring to the Motherhouse in 2014. She spent her final years being active in the Powerhouse of Prayer. Survivors include her siblings John Paschal Hayden, Huber Heights, Ohio; the Rev. Michael Hayden, San Pedro, Calif.; Dr. David Lee Hayden, White Plains, Md.; Rose Marie Cassidy, Eugene, Ore., and Rachel Hayden, Owensboro; nieces and nephews and the members of her religious community. The funeral Mass was June 18, with burial in the convent cemetery.
Memorials to an Ursuline Sister may take the form of donations to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356. Left to right, Sister Barbara Jean Head, Sister Judith Nell Riney, Sister Amelia Stenger and Sister Julia Head went with several others on an Ursuline-led pilgrimage to Italy April 9-19. Here, they are visiting the church where Saint Angela Merici is buried in Brescia. A well-known painting hangs on the wall.
License #0290
We still have a small number of tickets for the current Ursuline Sisters’ Quilt Club year! You can get multiple chances to win a quilt for only $20. The drawings continue until March 2019, and then a new 12-month Quilt Club year begins.
270-229-2009 maggie.matsko@maplemount.org 11
Sister Joseph Angela Boone, seated, second to right, had guests on May 4: Tiffany (Huong) Tran-Carper (floral dress)and Courtney (Lan) Tran (top row, fourth from left) and her daughters, Sierra and Kaylin. They were joined by Sister Ruth Gehres, top left, and a few Vietnamese Sisters who were staying at the Mount. Tiffany
and Courtney were members of a Vietnamese refugee family who lived at the Mount in a house and then a trailer from 1975 to 1988. (They moved to Florida during that time but didn’t like it and came back.) Mr. Tran worked on the grounds, and others in the family worked here, too. Tiffany worked in the Diet Kitchen. They went to St. Alphonsus School and West Louisville School. Tiffany attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy for three years, till it closed in 1983. She graduated from Owensboro Catholic High. Sister Catherine Marie Lauterwasser was principal of the Academy at that time. (They had a little visit with her, too.) Sister Joseph Angela was treasurer back then and had a lot to do with helping this family with their needs. Tiffany and Courtney said, “She was like another mother to us.” They’ve kept up with her all these years. When Tiffany and Courtney became American citizens, they were asked whether they wanted to adopt American names. Since both had professional careers in mind, they thought this was a good idea. They still use their Vietnamese names with those who wish. Both live in California. -Photo & caption provided by Sister Ruth Gehres
Pilgrims on the Journey... This feature offers a sister the chance to share the inspiration of a person, group or event she encounters in her ministry that illustrates Christ’s presence. This example comes from Sister Marilyn Mueth, who serves as a K-8 resource teacher at St. James Catholic School in Millstadt, Ill.
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at and Mark Hogrebe became a part of my life in 1991, when in my first year as a teacher at St. James School, I had their oldest son, Paul, in the second-grade class. As the years progressed, I taught all four of their children: Paul, Luke, Nathaniel and Philip. As our friendship continued, our discussions became more focused on spiritual readings. Pat told Pat and Mark Hogrebe me about her reflection on such classics as Teresa of Avila and Thérèse of Lisieux. Later, Mark became a discussion leader of Scripture classes at St. James. Such luxuries have become part of the past because of Pat’s work as executive director of the Belleville Council of St. Vincent de Paul in East St. Louis, Ill. Despite their extremely busy lives with St. Vincent de Paul, Pat still works in St. James parish by overseeing the basket stand for the summer festival and semi-annual bingos. She also works St. Vincent de Paul fundraisers at the St. James. Pat oversees the St. Vincent de Paul outreach ministry, which includes such activities as supervising a nine-month renovation of the Cosgrove Soup Kitchen, which serves 250 people per week. The soup Sister Marilyn kitchen is the only facility in the East St. Louis area that offers free noon meal six days a week, 52 weeks a year. The soup kitchen also tries to lessen spiritual poverty by addressing these needs with prayer services held by local pastors several times a week. Pat also coordinates with St. Elizabeth Hospital to have blood pressures taken and other volunteers to help with taxes, etc., at the soup kitchen. Coordinating the Cosgrove Soup Bus is another responsibility. It delivers to an average of 80 people per night and serves more than 17,000 hot meals each year. This school bus has been renovated with small kitchenettes, running water, and heating and air conditioning that goes out into the neighborhoods to feed the hungry! During the summer heat, it provides a “cooling off ” time for those who do not have air conditioning. A third component of this outreach is the thrift shop, which has been providing low-cost clothing, household goods, and other merchandise to more than 3,000 low-income people at very minimal cost. Pat supervises 40-50 volunteers to staff these outreach programs. She represents the Vincentian spirituality to the volunteers with three breakfasts per year, and retreat evenings or Saturday sessions of one hour in the parishes. She can have as many as 20 to 100 people at these. Mark, who works as an education researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, takes care of all technology and the St. Vincent de Paul website. He is also the only photographer they have. Besides this, he oversees such mundane work as painting and assembling clothes racks for the clothing store. Their four sons are all back in the area and help with every fundraiser, annual walk, holiday dinners, and many other activities, serving as bartenders, providing music, setup, and organizational details. The Hogrebe parents are exemplary models of what Christian living is like in the 21st century. They have shown their sons how to be model workers in their careers of choice and in the Christian belief that we are to help and share with those who are not as fortunate. I am grateful to have known them as an educator and continue to cross paths with them now. (Note: For an extended version of this article, visit www.ursulinesmsj.org.)
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A Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph
Give Peace, Quiet and Prayer a Chance
Let go and let God... Dear Friends of the Retreat Center, I wish to reflect with you on “changing times.” We live in the daily. By being open to changing times, we can be guided. “Here I am, Jesus! I am ready for whatever you have in store for me this day.” Often this is my morning prayer. Every day, decisions are to be made. Do I open myself to the gift of the day? Do I choose to just exist? Or do I choose to change? Do I choose to let the harsh words of others damage me? Or do I put them in God’s hands and pray, “Forgive them Lord, they don’t know what they are saying.” Transitions cause me to look at life differently. I may never burn my plow as did Elisha, but I may be asked to leave things behind. It is my belief that daily I am asked to let go of things, to leave things behind. It’s a new day, with new opportunities, with new possibilities. Many years ago, I recall reading the book “With Open Hands” by Henri Nouwen. In the reading he suggests that nightly we need to stand with open hands before our God and pray, ‘Lord, take from my hands anything and everything that needs to go — that I need to let go.” He then states that the hard part is saying, “Put into my hands, into my life, what needs to be there.” Transition, am I ready for it? Daily do I realize that there is a letting go, a giving up? What will be asked of me this day? Lord of change, God of transitions, what do you have in store for me this day? Blessings in these changing times,
Sister Mary Matthias Ward, OSU
Executive Director, Mount Saint Joseph Conference & Retreat Center
Retreat for Married Couples
Falling in Love, Staying in Love and Finding God in it All
October 26-28
Couples will reflect on their marriage journey. The cost is $360 per couple. There is a 10% discount if paid by Sept. 26.
270-229-0200 mary.ward@maplemount.org
Sister Martha Keller
Community Days brings most of the Ursuline Sisters home. From left, Sisters Michele Morek, Barbara Jean Head, Helena Fischer and George Mary Hagan enjoy time together during the July 11-14 event. RIGHT: Sisters Margaret Ann Aull, Rosanne Spalding and Mary Timothy Bland.
Associate Kathi Skidd, left, of Owensboro, talks with her guest Linda Farley, of Owensboro, and Sisters Cecelia Joseph Olinger and Ruth Gehres on Associates and Sisters Day. Kathi recieved her associate pin in a ceremony that afternoon. RIGHT: Associates Brenda Busick, left, of Greenville, Ky., and Mary Hartz of Owensboro look over the table of free books. More than 100 gathered at the Center on June 23 for the annual event.
Pope Francis and Prayer Weekend Retreat presented by Father Joe Mertz
November 16-18
The cost is $180 (includes meals and accommodations). Commuters can attend for $130. There is a 10% discount if paid by Oct. 16. Call 270-229-0200
mary.ward@maplemount.org
Evening with an Ursuline Dinner/Presentations Tues., Sept. 4: Sister Pam Mueller– “Hospitality” Tues., Oct. 2: Sister Jacinta Powers and Sister Monica Seaton– “Entertaining Angels: Living the Works of Mercy in our Everyday Lives” Tues., Nov. 6: Sister Ruth Gehres– “The Touch of Beauty, The Touch of God” Tues., Dec. 4: Sister Ann McGrew– “Advent and the O Antiphons” 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Fee is $20. Please register: 270229-0200, mary.ward@maplemount.org 13
U r s u l i n e s
A L I V E
–By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph staff
Gennesaret Retreat offers welcome, Holy Spirit “After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.” – Mark, 6:53-56
Photo by Corey Bruns, Seminarian
LEFT (in box): Ursuline Associate Joan Perry assists one of the guests during the April 2017 Gennesaret Retreat at Mount Saint Joseph. Joan was on the hospitality team. ABOVE RIGHT: Left to right, Sister Michele Ann Intravia, Sharon Baldini and Carol Gilley gather at a Spiritual Renewal Weekend June 2 at the Abbey of Our Lord of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky. The three are veterans of Gennesaret Retreats in Louisville and have made at least one at the Mount. RIGHT: Amy Payne, left, listens to Mary Ann Dalton at the June 2nd Weekend at Gethsemani. Payne is the leader of Gennesaret Retreats at Maple Mount. Dalton works with the retreats in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
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nne Hubbard couldn’t walk or use her arms as she recovered from a severe illness. She was walking with a cane in 2016 when her fellow parishioner, Moggie Riney, suggested she consider attending the Gennesaret Retreat at the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. “Like every guest, I was a little apprehensive about spending three days away, with people I didn’t know,” Hubbard said. “As soon as you arrive, they take your suitcases for you and wait on you hand and foot. There are gift baskets in your room. I relaxed very quickly.” A Gennesaret Retreat is for chronically ill people with life-threatening conditions, who are unable to seek spiritual strength in local churches or retreat centers due to their conditions. The retreat is held twice a year in the spring and fall at the Center. It’s an offshoot of the retreat held since 2001 in the Archdiocese of Louisville at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky. The name comes from the town along the Sea of Galilee mentioned in Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus healed the sick. “I had a wonderful retreat, I got so much out of it,” Hubbard said. “I formed a wonderful relationship with (Ursuline) Sister Betsy (Moyer), she was my nurse.” Hubbard was so moved by the experience, she volunteered as a hospitality worker at the next three retreats. “I formed a bond with a lady I worked with, who is now in a nursing home,” Hubbard said. “We keep in touch. I wish word would get out about how easy it is and how welcoming it is for a guest. And it’s free.” Amy Payne wants to get the word out as well. She and her husband Tom, both Ursuline Associates, began the Gennesaret Retreat at Maple Mount and will hold their sixth retreat Sept. 28-30. The results have energized them, but it remains a struggle to find enough team members and to raise enough money from donations so that the guests come free of charge. Each guest is assigned a nurse and a hospitality
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person. Medical professionals have hectic schedules, so working the retreat weekend is challenging for them, Payne said. “One benefit of working this retreat is, you don’t have to attend a lot of meetings,” Payne said. “Once you’ve committed, we ask you to pray for the retreat and join us the Friday morning that the retreat begins.” Father Paul Scaglione began Gennesaret Retreats in his native New Jersey 30 years ago. A 1968 graduate of Brescia College in Owensboro, Ky., he transferred to the Archdiocese of Louisville in 1999, serving first at St. Aloysius Parish in Pewee Valley. Carol Gilley was a parishioner there, and when Father Scaglione found out she was a nurse, he began asking her and another parishioner about starting Gennesaret Retreats in Kentucky. The two women went to New Jersey to witness a retreat. “We were hooked. We decided we could do it,” Gilley said. Since the retreat’s inception in 2001, she has served as the medical team coordinator. Once guests apply, a medical team member visits all of them to see if they are physically and mentally capable to attend, Gilley said. “You just need the cognitive ability to understand the message,” she said. “I love it. I love taking care of people. I’ve been a critical care nurse for 40 years,” Gilley said. “When you volunteer, you get more than the person receiving care.” Ursuline Sister Michele Ann Intravia, who ministers in Louisville, has been the hospitality coordinator for Gennesaret since 2011. She knew Father Scaglione wanted the program to extend to another diocese and thought the Mount Retreat Center was a good match. She knew her close friend Amy Payne would be a good choice to lead it. The presence of the Holy Spirit has been evident during each retreat, Payne said. The goal is at least eight guests, but no more than 12 at the Mount, but as they
prepared for the second retreat, only two guests were signed up, Payne said. “Father Paul says ‘pray, pray, pray and then get out of the way,’” Payne said. “I told Sister Mary Matthias (Ward, the Center director) maybe we should cancel. But one of the two people who signed up was desperate for us to do this,” Payne said. “We decided we needed to pray more before we canceled it. A week later, we had a full house and two people on the waiting list. There always seems to be an obstacle and God takes care of it.” The woman who was adamant to have the retreat was Ursuline Associate Sharon Speaks. “She died of cancer before the next retreat happened,” Payne said. “At the funeral, her daughters told us she spoke often about how the retreat was a real blessing to her.” Father Scaglione served as the priest at the first Mount retreat, and several of the veterans of the Gethsemani retreats have worked a retreat at Mount Saint Joseph. Sharon Baldini is a nurse from Pewee Valley who has worked retreats for seven years and attended one of the Mount retreats in 2017. She said the Mount retreat is more relaxed than the Gethsemani retreats. “Once you have done a weekend, when you go home, you are spiritually and emotionally rejuvenated,” Baldini said. Sam Davison, of Smithfield, Ky., is one of the “nuts and bolts guys” at the Gethsemani retreats, men who fix anything that breaks, move a bed, set up tables and chairs, anything that needs doing. He said it was rewarding starting the retreat at the Mount. “All the people who make the retreat get a sense of accomplishment,” Davison said. “We’d all like to do good all the time, but we don’t,” he said. “When I work a retreat, it’s my Christmas.” Three Ursulines who are nurses have worked the retreat -- Sisters Jacinta Powers, Alicia Coomes and Betsy Moyer, Payne said. Ursuline Associates Father Ed Bradley and Monsignor Bernard Powers have served also, as well as Father Tony Jones and some deacons. “We’re always on the lookout for priests, that’s a big commitment for them,” Payne said. The retreat has received a grant from the Horn Foundation and some other generous donors, but funding sources are always needed, Payne said. “Most people will come because someone has reached out to them to ask if they have considered this retreat,” Payne said. “Both the ill person and their caregiver can lose their identity during a long illness, so they need help with that.” If you would like to volunteer for a Gennesaret team, come as a guest or donate, contact Amy Payne: 270-316-0403. The next retreat is Sept. 28-30.
Soli Deo Gloria
We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God
The following Ursuline Sisters are pursuing new ministries in the coming year. • Sister Alicia Coomes will become director of Local Community Life at the Motherhouse, beginning in October. She has been serving as pastoral associate at three parishes in western Kentucky since 2010. • Sister Marie Joseph Coomes will become assistant to the director of Local Community Life in October. She has served as a housekeeper and support to her community at 514 St. Ann St. in Owensboro since 2013. • Sister Karla Kaelin is director of Temporary Professed. She will work with Sister Stephany Nelson, who took her temporary vows on July 8. Sister Karla will continue her ministry as director of Religious Education at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Louisville. • Sister Rosemary Keough will serve as an information receptionist at the Motherhouse. She will conclude her Hispanic Ministry in September, after 18 years of service at Centro Latino in Owensboro. • Sister Emma Anne Munsterman will offer holistic health services to sisters at the Motherhouse beginning in September. From 1998-2016, she offered therapeutic massage, reflexology, craniosacral therapy and other noninvasive therapy in Louisville. • Sister Rose Jean Powers will become the sacristan for the Motherhouse Chapel, an information receptionist and Liturgy Committee member beginning in October. She has served as director of Local Community Life at the Motherhouse since 2016. • Sister Laurita Spalding retired after 50 years of full-time classroom teaching, most recently at Holy Name School in Henderson, Ky. She will continue as a resource teacher at Holy Name this school year. • Sister Mary Diane Taylor retired as a professor of art at Brescia University after 51 years. She will serve as an art resource in Owensboro, taking on art projects as requested. • Sister Fran Wilhelm retired as director of Centro Latino Hispanic ministry after 25 years. She will now minister to sisters in Saint Joseph Villa at the Motherhouse. 15
8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, KY 42356-9999 270-229-4103 www.ursulinesmsj.org info.msj@maplemount.org
Arts & Crafts for sale! Food vendors! Music!
Saturday, Sept. 8– 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9– 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free Admission! Please join us!
Grand Raffle Prizes: $10,000 • $3,500 • $1,000 • $500 • $250 • $100 • Handmade Quilt 270-973-1810 eastbridge-at-themount@maplemount.org eastbridge-at-themount.com •
Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount will be on the beautiful grounds of Mount Saint Joseph in Maple Mount, Ky. Join us Saturday, September 8, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 pm, rain or shine. The former East Bridge Arts Festival was loved and well supported by the community for seven years in downtown Owensboro, just as friends, family and the community supported the Ursuline Sisters with the Mount Picnic for 46 years. So, it’s a no-brainer … Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount is going to be double the love, double the support and double the fun! The Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount will showcase the work of juried artists from the region in a variety of mediums, including ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, painting, sculpture and more. In addition to the incredible artwork available for purchase, the Ursuline Sisters’ Festival booth will feature the sisters’ beautiful quilts and delicious jams and jellies. Great food, live music and kid-friendly activities will also be available for visitors to enjoy. The drawing for the winners of the Mount Raffle
to benefit the retired Ursuline Sisters will be during the Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 9. The cash prizes are $10,000, $3,500, $1,000, $500, $250 and $100. A handmade quilt worth at least $1,000 will also go to one lucky winner.
New this year is the option to purchase raffle tickets online! Interested? Go to ursulinesmsj.org/mountraffle and purchase your tickets today. They continue to be $5 each.
We are looking for sponsors for this event. If you’re interested in associating your name with the Ursuline Sisters’ Eastbridge Arts Festival @ The Mount and supporting the arts in the community, please contact Betsy Mullins, director of Development, betsy.mullins@maplemount.org.
Join sponsors like Greenwell-Chisholm and Independence Bank and become a sponsor! For more information about the festival, visit our Festival website, www.eastbridge-at-themount.com. There you can find sponsorship information, artist and food vendor applications, and more. –Betsy Jo F. Mullins, Director of Development Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph