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Ursuline mission keeps speaking to Richard Blond
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any supporters of the Ursuline Sisters met them as children in their classroom, and the influence of the Sisters remained with them the rest of their lives. Richard Blond didn’t know an Ursuline Sister until he was an adult. It is the Sisters’ mission that convinced him to become a supporter, first the Ursulines in Paola, Kan., and since the merger of the communities in 2008, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. “The fact that they work directly with the people in their communities is what speaks to me,” Blond said. “They are teachers at all levels of education, they counsel unwed mothers in crisis, they coordinate community events, they provide hospice care, they are gardeners, horticulturists, farmers, they care for their aging Sisters, you name it they do it. They are almost totally self-sufficient, which is truly amazing to me in this day and age. I even met one Sister who was a masseuse, how incredible is that! They truly do God’s will in everything they do.” Blond was first introduced to the Ursuline Sisters of Paola through his parish priest at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park, Kan. “One Sunday during his sermon he mentioned that the Ursuline Sisters’ convent in Paola was in need of air conditioning and asked the parishioners if they could help with a donation. Knowing how hot it can get in Kansas in the summer months I gladly donated to the cause,” Blond said. “A couple of days later I received a phone call from Sister Kathleen Condry, who was the congregational leader at the time. She thanked me for the donation and invited me to come and see the campus in Paola.
I gladly accepted and was warmly welcomed and given a great tour of the property. “Sister Kathleen and I stayed in contact with each other right up until her passing (in 2016). God rest and have mercy on her soul. I also met several Sisters who explained to me their role in the congregation,” Blond said. “I was overwhelmed by the diversity of the skill sets of the Sisters and by their overall mission in the community and throughout the world. They truly do God’s will every single day. I made up my mind right then and there that I was going to support their mission as long as I was financially able to do so. I’ve been blessed to support them ever since.” Blond worked for Chrysler Corp., near Ann Arbor, Mich., for more than eight years, then moved to the Kansas City, Mo., area and worked for Hallmark Cards for 31 years. He was an industrial engineer, a program strategist, a graphic arts area manager over several departments, the general manager of the Graphic Arts Division (second shift) and a project manager. The last three years of his career he spent converting Hallmark’s World Headquarters in Kansas City and a couple of their manufacturing plants into a “zero waste to landfill facility.” After the merger of Paola and Mount Saint Joseph, Blond began sending his donations to Maple Mount, and shortly thereafter he met Sister Amelia Stenger, who was then director of Development, and now congregational leader. “Needless to say, I experienced the same commitment to God’s will in Sister Amelia that I experienced with Sister Kathleen and knew I would continue to support the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph,” he said. “A few years later I
visited the campus in Maple Mount and was given a wonderful tour by Sister Amelia and met several of the Sisters there. It was a great visit and reinforced my commitment to support the Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph as long as I am able. I consider it a real blessing from God. Sister Kathleen and Sister Amelia will always have a very special place in my heart.” Although there are only a handful of Ursuline Sisters still serving in Kansas, their legacy remains in the many schools they established, the Lakemary Center for people with developmental difficulties, the various group adult homes they established, the community center and the senior citizen center they established, Blond said. “Their legacy also remains in the thousands of people they educated and helped during their many years in Kansas,” he said. “These will never be forgotten. This is truly God’s will in action.” A dinner planned in Kansas this year to honor the Ursuline Sisters had to be postponed until 2021 due to Covid-19. Blond has been a regular attendee at previous events in Kansas, including a Kentucky Derby banquet a few years back. “It was great to see Sister Amelia and other Sisters again and visit with other attendees who support the Ursuline Sisters,” he said. “We had a terrific meal, and I also had a mint julep for the very first time. A very memorable occasion. And based on the size of the group that attended, it was easy to see that a lot of people feel the same way about the Ursuline Sisters as I do. May God bless the Ursuline Sisters forever.” If you would like to know how you can help support the Ursuline Sisters, contact Carol BradenClarke: 270-229-2008, or carol. braden-clarke@maplemount.org.n 15
