Summer 2006 Volume 4, No. 3
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Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph Proclaiming Jesus through Education and Christian Formation
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FROM OUR CONGREGATIONAL LEADER Sister Michele Morek, OSU
In this issue
Dear Friends, One of my favorite events in early summer is the fall of winged seeds from the maple trees. They provide hours of fun for kids of all ages as they “helicopter” down — this kid likes to kick bunches of them off a high bridge over Panther Creek, so I can watch them for a long way down as they spin and twinkle in the sun! I realize they are not meant solely for my entertainment. Maple trees have worked for millions of years to develop just the right package to ensure that their DNA gets passed down to another generation of maple trees, and another, and another…and that some of the seeds of a new generation can fall just exactly where they can thrive. Ursuline Sisters have been carrying Saint Angela Merici’s “spiritual DNA,” or charism, around the world since 1535. In the United States, we have taken root in so many kinds of soil, from the prairie loam of North Dakota to the silty clay of Louisiana, from the east coast to the west, in every place we have gone to plant the good news of God’s kingdom. In this issue you will enjoy reading about the seedlings that sprouted and the seeds still being sown in Missouri — gifts from Maple Mount that show the people of the “Show Me” state the love God has for them. You’ll also read about a special lady who came to us many years ago as a special blessing all the way from Poland. Enjoy the stories, and enjoy all the blessings of summer!
Rare and Impossible Things .......... 3 Glennonville and Ursulines celebrate a long history together A Warm, Welcoming Presence ...... 6 Sister Mary Sheila is the face of the Church in south central Missouri “Honey” Celebrates 56 Years at Mount Saint Joseph ................. 10 The Stelmachs are loyal friends of the Ursuline community Giving and Receiving .....................11 Charitable gift annuities bless the giver and the receiver Soli Deo Gloria .............................. 12 We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God
Sister Michele Morek, OSU Congregational Leader, Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph Ursulines Alive is published by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Maple Mount, Kentucky. Three Issues — Spring, Summer, and Fall — will appear during 2006. Editor: Sister Ruth Gehres, OSU Photography and production assistance: Jerry Birge, Jennifer Kaminski Mission Advancement Staff:
Sister Suzanne Sims, Director of Mission Advancement Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan, Director of Mission Effectiveness Sister Pam Mueller, Director of Vocation Ministry Jerry P. Birge, Director of Marketing and Communications Marian Bennett, Sister Marietta Wethington, Co-directors of Ursuline Partnerships Sister Ruth Gehres, Associate Director of Communications Melanie Sears, Administrative Assistant Jennifer Kaminski, Graphic Designer/Administrative Assistant
We welcome your response to Ursulines Alive. You may contact us at: Ursulines Alive, c/o Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount KY. Phone: (270) 229-4103. Fax: (270) 229-4953. E-mail: ualive@maplemount.org. Web site: www.ursulinesmsj.org.
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PHOTO: In her hometown of Glennonville, Missouri, Janet Weidenbenner Kuper has served the children of St. Teresa School for 23 years, first as a teacher, the past nine as principal. The descendant of Glennonville pioneers on both sides of her family, Janet is the great-great-niece of Glennonville founder Father Frederick Peters. She began her Ursuline education as a first-grader at St. Teresa and is a 1979 graduate of Brescia College (now University), a sponsored institution of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. She also holds a masters degree in theology from Loyola University, New Orleans. “I love to teach religion!” she says. Janet and her husband, Steven, have three sons and one daughter. She credits the Ursulines — and the spirit of Saint Angela Merici — with inspiring St. Teresa students “to be adventurous, to reach out beyond themselves.” Janet, who is an Ursuline Associate, is certainly carrying on this tradition! The Glennonville story begins on page 3.
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 VISION As Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, we will: • Commit ourselves to simplicity, hospitality, justice and service; • Reverence the values of our founding rural heritage; • Live and minister contemplatively as women of hope; • Witness gospel values through the charism of Saint Angela Merici; • Bind ourselves to one another in charity, celebrating and respecting the uniqueness of each person; • Invite and mentor new members; • Respond to the signs of the times and the needs of the Church and the world through collaborative relationships; and • Stand in prophetic witness to the world by living in right relationships with the earth and the human family to effect justice through systemic change.
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Rare and Impossible Things Glennonville and Ursulines celebrate a long history together by Sister Rebecca White, OSU
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elebrating the kickoff of the centennial year of Glennonville, Missouri, and St. Teresa Parish, an enthusiastic group of Ursuline Sisters and others who had taught or grown up in Glennonville gathered last November 6 for an added celebration — the dedication of the new St. Teresa School. The Most Rev. John Leibrecht, bishop of the SpringfieldCape Girardeau Diocese, presided at the Mass and school dedication, assisted by St. Teresa pastor Father Glenn Eftink and Deacon Fred Hirtz. In his homily, the bishop noted that it is rare for a parish to celebrate its 100th anniversary by dedicating a new Catholic school building. Upon hearing these words I thought, “Rare and almost impossible things have been going on here for a long time.” If you’re one of those people who simply must locate Glennonville on a state map, don’t strain your eyes for the town’s name. Instead, notice how the lower right-hand corner of Missouri sort of dips down into Arkansas, creating an area that resembles the heel of a boot. from Poplar Bluff, This area is dubbed 21 miles away. Our “The Bootheel.” telephone exchange Glennonville, in was in Qulin, seven Dunklin County, is miles away. Our at the upper leftwater was piped in hand corner of the from Malden, 12 Bootheel. miles away. With a population of When we were approximately 300, fourth graders, my this farming best friend and I community has a flat Ursuline Sisters present for the November 6 celebration at Glennonville gather for a decided to co-author landscape, with few photo with Bishop John Leibrecht. From left, Sister Rebecca White, a native of a book about Father trees to obscure the Glennonville; Sister Joan Mary Riedley, teacher at St. Teresa School, 1977-86; Sister Rita Scott, teacher, 1974-82; Sister Carol Shively, principal, 1987-96; Sister Amelia Frederick Peters, view. Of note among Stenger, a Glennonville native; Sister Mary Eileen Howard, teacher, 1973-74. who had founded the trees that do this colony and stand in parish. We walked to the cemetery, conscientiously copied Glennonville are the two largest sassafrases in Missouri, the historical information from his grave marker, and got no growing on St. Teresa Parish property. (Every town needs its further with our book idea. Because he played a major role in claim to fame, right?) When I was growing up in St. Teresa’s 100-year history, Father Peters’ name will be Glennonville, the center of town consisted of a church, mentioned frequently in this reflection. However, this is elementary school, and cemetery (all Catholic), plus one NOT a continuation of my fourth-grade book. tavern and about 20 homes. Just south of town-central were the Knights of Columbus Hall and Hirtz’s general store. The According to Sister Teresa Thomas’ book, The Eye, Arm, outlying parts of Glennonville included what we would now Spine of the Wilderness, my hometown got its start when the consider small farms and large families. Almost all of the Colonization Realty Company, headed by Archbishop John families were of German heritage. J. Glennon of St. Louis, purchased a tract of land in the Bootheel for the purpose of Catholic colonization. In 1905, In my day, St. Teresa Parish and School met most of the the archbishop appointed Father Frederick Peters to found a Catholics’ religious and social needs, but we depended on colony on this tract of land. (In 1908, the archbishop sent nearby towns for almost everything else. Because our post Father Vecent Tesselaar to found a Dutch Catholic colony office had long since closed its doors, our mailing address was Campbell, a town 10 miles away. Our daily newspaper came continued on page 4 3
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Rare and Impossible Things continued from page 3
and parish on a portion of the original acreage. The colony he named Wilhelmina — in honor of the reigning queen of the Netherlands — and the parish, Sacred Heart. Father Peters and two friends from St. Louis, Edward Bihr and James Hogan, rode horses from Malden to the place where the priest had been sent. Father Peters describes what they saw that wet, cold day, November 5, 1905: “There were four small box shanties through which the wind played at will, the rain dashed without much hindrance, and the sun cast shadows upon the floor. There was the old sawmill almost without a covering, and the heavy machinery had sunk through the rotted logs into mother earth.”
Father Frederick F. Peters, founder of the Catholic colony of Glennonville. (Photo courtesy of archivist Audrey P. Newcomer of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.)
This had once been the thriving sawmill town of Paragon and the location of the Moss-Tie Company, but only three or four families still lived in the area, along the banks of the St. Francis River. How is it, I wonder, that no one noticed the impossibility of building a farming colony in this swampy, cut-over woodland? Father Peters thought it could be done, so he rode to the highest, driest spot he could find and declared it the center of the new colony. He named the town Glennonville, in honor of Archbishop Glennon, and the new parish St. Teresa, in honor of Cotton-picking was a backbreaking task for the Missouri his mother. Soon, the three men pulled the old saw out of the bootheel farmers.The cotton sacks — which could hold more than 100 pounds — hung to the ground from the pickers’ ground and began cutting timber for the homes of future shoulders. Gunny sacks were used by the children, some as pioneers. In the first two years, they sawed more than a million young as 4 or 5. (Photo courtesy of Darrall Hirtz.) feet of lumber. Father Peters established and managed three factories for the production of axe handles, barrel staves, and barrelheads. Temporary settlers worked in the factories but moved elsewhere as the work slowed and came to a stop. In 1906, Father Peters began contacting Catholics who he thought had the stamina and spirit of true pioneers. With a deep desire to farm their own land, Joseph Stolle, J. H. Kerpereine, George Siebert, Jerry McLaughlin, George Peters, and Benjamin H. Fortman responded by bringing their families to this colony. They, in turn, invited other Catholics to join this project.
continued on page 5
From a former Ursuline teacher at Glennonville . . . At St. Teresa Parish in Glennonville, I sensed a real spirit of goodness and true Christian community. The children were interested in education, and there were no problems that required me to discipline them. Once, after we had celebrated Mass in our classroom, someone asked an 8-year-old, “How was the Mass.” He said, “Wonderful! Jesus came.” At another time during the year I was there, two of the children — twin boys — experienced the sadness of their grandfather’s death. The principal came to our classroom door and called me and the two grandsons into the hall to tell us what had happened. The boys stayed in the hall, waiting for a family member to take them home. When I went back to the classroom, I told the other children about the death of Grandpa Weidenbenner. We said a prayer together, and then we resumed our normal classroom activities. A few minutes later, one of the third-grade boys came to my desk and asked, “Sister, may I go out into the hall and try to comfort the twins?” So many things that happened there touched my heart. I felt at home and very welcome. Sister Francis Louise Johnson, teacher at Glennonville, 1973
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Soured by swamp water, Glennonville’s soil had to be drained, left to air, and mixed with plenty of manure before it could be farmed. Despite the pioneers’ intense labor, crop returns were poor, a situation made worse by one flood after the other. When crops were lean, the pioneers survived on the nuts, berries, and wild meat. Among the wild animals in the woods were thousands of cattle, owned by people who lived far away. These large animals were as wild as any wolf or bobcat and could be just as dangerous.
St. Teresa parishioners built this convent (above) for the first Ursuline Sisters in Glennonville. In the 1980s, it was razed and a new one built. The photo at right shows early Ursuline teachers at St. Teresa School. Sister Mary Clement Greenwell is in the center. The others are possibly Sisters Charles Asa Williams and Nympha Smith. All served in the 1930s. (Convent photo courtesy of Laura Lampe and Lorraine Heiser, Malden Delta News Citizen).
As if the pioneers didn’t have enough to contend with, they also faced many illnesses, with chills and malaria being, perhaps, the most life threatening of all. Fighting this mosquito-borne illness meant enduring daylong trips to and from Campbell to purchase quinine. As a child, I thought that the descendents of the mosquitoes that bit the pioneers were especially stout and ferocious. Frequently bitten while working in the cotton fields, we kids laughed at the only mosquito joke we knew: “One mosquito said to another, ‘Shall we dine here or carry the kid to our place?’” I think it likely that, for the pioneers, mosquitoes were no laughing matter. Having studied medicine and law before entering the seminary, Father Peters became not only pastor and confessor to the colonists, but also their doctor and spokesperson. On occasion, or so I’ve heard, he became their matchmaker; after all, many of the colonists were related to each other. Father Peters became a well-spoken and persuasive advocate at the local, county, state, and national levels. He assisted the colonists with petitioning the county court to dig a system of ditches to drain all of “SWAMP-east Missouri.” These ditches, dug by steam shovel over a 20-year period, combined to make one of the best drainage systems in the world. Unfortunately, this project proved ineffective for draining the bottomlands. As a member of the Harbors and Rivers Commission in Washington, D. C., Father Peters, along with others, began urging the government to make an artificial lake by constructing a dam on the St. Francis River. Wappapello Dam, built 15 miles northeast of Poplar Bluff in 1940, holds back the waters of Wappapello Lake, now one of Missouri’s most popular tourist attractions.
Sister Isabel Beavin, who served in Glennonville from 1936-40, stands before the two-room middle school with her sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. This building, which burned in 1948, was quickly replaced. Among these students are three of today’s Ursuline associates: Ada Bader (first row, first at left), Laura Lampe (first row, third from right), and Margaret Stenger (third row, sixth from left). Irene Eberhard (top row, third from left) was an Ursuline sister from 1943-75. (Photo, taken in 1938, courtesy of Darrall Hirtz.)
Some people voiced concern that the lake could get too high for good fishing: What would happen then? When I was a child, we learned exactly what would happen: dam locks were opened, and we took a very unusual motorboat ride across one of our soybean fields. Farmers throughout the Bootheel watched as their nearly-ready-toharvest crops sank under several feet of water. continued on page 9
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A Warm, Welcoming Presence Sister Mary Sheila is the face of the Church in south central Missouri by Tom Walmsley
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he Current River slides gently beneath the U.S. highway 60 bridge at Van Buren, a tiny river town of 843 souls located in south central Missouri. The spring-fed river and the steep hills carpeted with thick stands of oak, hickory, cedar and pine form the picturesque heart of the Ozarks National Scenic Waterways. The largest of In the Ozarks, where people as well as parishes are many springs, Big Spring, pouring 276 million miles apart, Sister Sheila is often the face of the gallons of water a day into the Current River, is Catholic Church. She travels the backroads to visit located just four miles from Van Buren. shut-ins. She comforts and helps those who seek her counsel and assistance. On weekends, In this area, a land of big trees and a Big especially, she gets around! She’s the Spring, where Catholics comprise less than welcoming smile at the 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. 3% of the population, the presence of the Masses at St. Catherine of Siena and Catholic Church can be found in the Our Lady of Sorrows in Piedmont and person of Sister Mary Sheila Higdon, Williamsville respectively. Sunday OSU. In years past, she was either teacher morning she’s greeting those coming or principal in towns in Missouri, to the 8 a.m. Mass in Van Buren and Kentucky, and Nebraska. Now living in then does the same again at 11 in Van Buren, she has fallen in love with her Piedmont, 40 minutes away on a hilly, work as pastoral associate at St. George winding Ozarks by-way. mission parish, a Catholic community of 50 families, swollen during the summer by the She serves as church decorator, liturgical hundreds of canoeists that flock to the Current coordinator and bible study leader. In the River to float and enjoy one of the most wider community she actively participates in beautiful streams in the country. Both resident the senior nutrition center outreach program and visitor find a warm, welcoming presence in and also serves as the secretary of the the person of Sister Sheila. ministerial alliance. Especially dear to her heart continued on page 7
Alice Newton (left) and Betty Webster “are two delightful ladies who are always willing to help in any way that is needed,” says Sister Mary Sheila (right). “I depend on them a lot!” Here they are preparing for last year’s Seder Meal at St. George parish hall in Van Buren. An annual event, the Seder Meal alternates between St. George and St. Catherine in Piedmont. “This is usually held during Holy Week to help everyone present understand the Passover better...even though we are not Jewish,” Sister Mary Sheila noted. After the ritual meal, all who are gathered enjoy a potluck supper.
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Celebrations are an important part of life for Sister Mary Sheila and the people with whom she serves. At left, Elaine Rynders and her daughter Angela, who were moving to Decatur, enjoy a farewell potluck party at Van Buren. “This was a great loss to us, Sister Mary Sheila said. “Angela — a gifted musician — was our only keyboardist for Sunday liturgy, and her sister Anna was a cantor.” A single woman and a physician’s assistant, Elaine adopted her daughters when they were 3 and 4 years old. At right, Maurice Brown celebrates his 80th birthday at his son’s house in Winona, 20 miles west of Van Buren, where the Browns now live. Maurice and his wife, Rosemary, “are among the older members of the parish . . . always involved in all activities, supporting all my ministry,” Sister Mary Sheila reports. continued from page 6
are the RCIA classes, not only in Van Buren but in Piedmont and Williamsville, the three parishes that serve three of the poorest counties in south central Missouri. Sister Sheila, a spry 75-year-old, has a heart as big as the country she inhabits. Though she sometimes misses not being able to live with members of her religious community, she finds comfort in the generosity and goodness of the people whom she serves. “To them (the Ozarks residents), taking time for family life is important,” she muses. “They possess a relaxed calmness that comes from living in such a beautiful part of the country.” More than she might realize, she reflects that same calmness and that same outpouring of spirit reflected by the daily outpouring of Big Spring. Catholic Extension supporters help make her presence — and the Church’s — possible in this picturesque region.
About the author: Tom Walmsley is director of development and properties for the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri, with an office in the Catholic Center in Springfield. Tom also took the welcoming photo of Sister Mary Sheila on page 6. His story was the November “Hidden Heroes” feature on the web page of the Catholic Church Extension Society, which “exists to sustain and extend the Catholic Faith in poor and remote mission areas of the United States where diocesan resources are insufficient” (Mission Statement). As a mission diocese, SpringfieldCape Girardeau receives an Extension grant “to assist the poorer, more isolated parishes with the expenses associated with persons such as Sister Sheila,” Tom writes. “Without those funds, the presence of the Catholic Church would be diminished in large areas of our diocese.”
“There are some unique challenges in our situation. We have three churches, divided by a fair number of miles, and each of the communities has an identity and character of its own. Yet we are all part of the larger Church in this part of southeast Missouri. The miles between us sometimes make it difficult to do things together, and keep in touch. This is the challenge of the Church as a whole. We are one People in Christ, diverse and separated by space, yet we are called to be ‘One Body, One Spirit in Christ.’” Sister Mary Sheila Higdon, OSU 7
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“HONEY” CELEBRATES 56 YEARS AT MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH In the summer of 1950, Stanislaus and Genevieve Stelmach arrived at Mount Saint Joseph with their son Thaddeus — a tow-headed toddler. The Stelmachs, from Tarnow, Poland, came to make a new life in the United States. And they came to work for the Ursuline community. Stanislaus served more than 40 years on the Maple Mount farm as a dairyman and butcher. Genevieve — who soon became known to the sisters as “Honey” — proved to be a fine cook and a superb baker whose breakfast rolls were and are legendary. The Stelmachs were also good parents . . . to Thaddeus, born in Poland, and to three more sons — John, Joseph, and Michael. The boys grew up at the Mount and, with their parents, were members of St. Alphonsus Church, just down the hill from the motherhouse, where Genevieve still goes to church. Stanislaus, who continued to work part time into the1990s, died in November 2001. Genevieve still lives and works at the Mount, where she is close to her sons and their families. Thaddeus (Todd) is a staff accountant with Alexander & Company; John is a supervisor at Specialty Food Group, Inc./ Field Packing Co; Joe is a self-employed craftsman; all live in Owensboro. Mike, who is following in his father’s footprints as butcher for the Maple Mount farm, lives just east of the campus. His wife, Charlotte, and their son, Andrew, also work for the Ursuline Sisters. Genevieve is proud of her seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Genevieve still works 35 hours a week, arriving in the kitchen before sunrise to bake her famous buns and cinnamon rolls, and to greet the sisters and their guests as they arrive for breakfast. Food Service Manager Kathy Hancock describes Genevieve as faithful and hardworking. “She always wants to do her very best for the sisters,” Kathy says. All of the sisters, and many of their guests, know “Honey” as a loyal , generous, and loving friend of the Ursuline community.
PICNIC 2006
Above: Stanislaus and Genevieve Stelmach in the early 1950s with their son, Thaddeus, about 4, and baby Johnny in Genevieve’s arms. The photo was taken on the day of Johnny’s baptism.
36th Annual Benefit for the Retired Sisters
Sunday, September 10, with serving from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. CDT Barbecue
Burgoo
Raffles Carryouts
LICENSE #0290
Fruit Wheel Games
Bingo
Silent Auction Fun for Kids
Cake Wheel
Prizes
Free parking
GRAND PRIZE: $2,500 CASH, AND NINE OTHER GREAT PRIZES! TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM ANY URSULINE SISTER.
Special Picnic Raffle: FRUIT OF THE MONTH subscription for one year — a monthly selection of luscious fruit delivered to your door for 12 months by PAUL’S FRUIT MARKET of Louisville. Only 800 tickets will be sold for this prize!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT JERRY BIRGE: 270-229-2007, OR JBIRGE@MAPLEMOUNT.ORG
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Rare and Impossible Things continued from page 5
For weeks, the stench of rotting beans filled our nostrils and made us gag. Father Peters did not live to see — or smell — this, but I wonder what his plan would have been for prevention of future floods. Besides flood control, Father Peters worked with county government to bring about the construction of 30 miles of roadway, for which he did the surveying. He was vice-president of the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, which helped bring electricity to a large part of southern Missouri, including Glennonville. To help colonists, badly hurt by the depression, he established St. Teresa Credit Union, chartered by the state in 1933. In 1905, the pastor offered Glennonville’s first Mass in what had been the Moss-Tie Company’s commissary, with a congregation of two — his friends, Bihr and Hogan. The This Catholic elementary school and parish hall, dedicated in 1954, is where number of parishioners increased so Sister Rebecca went to school (1964-72) and attended many parish socials. The rapidly that, before long, some of the playground equipment was added many years later. This school served the Catholic children of Glennonville and surrounding communities until May 2005. men were standing outside the building to attend Mass, watching through the windows. The parish completed its first permanent church in 1908. I went to Mass in this church building until I was 5 years old, but the only church I remember is the one still in use, dedicated in 1962. Our parish, which once had 400+ members, had an unusually large number of persons who entered religious congregations or became priests. My dad has called Glennonville “the religious center of the diocese.” We Ursulines have six living members who grew up in Glennonville, plus two from nearby Wilhelmina. Nineteen women joined the Sisters of St. Mary of the Third Order of St. Francis (now the Sisters of St. Francis); two became Sisters of Notre Dame, and two entered the Sisters of the Precious Blood; one went to the Sisters of the Society of the Divine Word, one to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and another to the Sisters of Mercy (now, the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas). One of the parish’s men became a Redemptorist priest, two served as diocesan priests, and another is preparing for diocesan priesthood. The children’s education took high priority from the earliest pioneer days. A one-room schoolhouse, once used by the children of Paragon,became the school for the children of Glennonville. Over the next 30 years, new school buildings were constructed to meet students’ needs. Because the school was public, Catholics had to arrive early to attend Mass and catechism class before the few other students joined them for “secular” classes. Lay people and, at one point Father Peters, taught in the schools. continued on page 10
The dedication of the new St. Teresa School was a highlight of the Glennonville/St. Teresa Centennial kickoff celebration last November 6. This building symbolizes the people’s determination that their children and grandchildren receive an excellent education and formation in faith in an environment that encourages development and moral character. Students at St. Teresa come from Glennonville, Malden, Campbell, and Qulin. Thirty percent are not Catholic. “We are happy when these children want to come to our school,” says principal Janet Kuper. “We want to share the good news with others.” 9
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Rare and Impossible Things continued from page 9
In 1930, the pastor asked that the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph come to teach. Because Ursulines had been teaching in Wilhelmina since 1921, the Mother Superior thought it would be good to have more in the same vicinity. She consented and sent sisters to teach in Glennonville public schools that very year. Before the sisters’ arrival, using materials and furnishings paid for by the Ursulines, parishioners of St. Teresa’s constructed a convent, a kind of “dream home,” according to some of the women who cleaned and prepared it for the sisters’ arrival. At one time, this convent, built for four, housed as many as 11. In the 1980s, it was razed for the construction of a new convent.
URSULINE VOCATIONS FROM GLENNONVILLE AND WILHELMINA
Sister Mary Catherine Kuper+
Sister Cecelia Joseph Olinger
Sister Michael Marie Friedman
Sister Mary Mercedes Knott
Sister Mary Celine Weidenbenner
Sister Amelia Stenger
Sister Jamesetta Knott
Sister Diane Marie Payne
Sister Rebecca White
Sisters Mary Mercedes and Jamesetta Knott, from Wilhelmina, attended high school in Glennonville. The other seven sisters are Glennonville natives. Sister Mary Catherine Kuper died in 1996, in her 58th year in religious life. Other Glennonville area women who ministered for some time as Ursuline Sisters are Irene Eberhard (dec.), Arnida Teder, Sharon Fieser, and Norene Stenger. Ursuline Associates from the Glennonville area include Ada Bader, Anna Marie Dye, Janet Kuper, Laura Lampe, Margaret Stenger, Mary Teder, Raymond and Barbara Weidenbenner, and Cletus and Lucille Weidenbenner. 10
Ursuline sisters continued to teach in the public schools until 1953, when Protestants and Other Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (POAU) persuaded Missouri’s State Court to make it unlawful for members of religious congregations to teach in public schools in the state. Not wanting to lose Ursuline teachers, St. Teresa parishioners, again, accomplished a nearly impossible task. Between the close of classes in the spring of 1953 and the beginning of classes in the fall, Glennonville Public Schools consolidated with Campbell Schools and closed. Room was made in the Knights of Columbus Hall and in the town hall for the newly established St. Teresa Catholic Elementary School to begin classes. Within a year, the new school and parish hall building was dedicated. In this building, I attended grades 1-8, enjoyed many parish socials, and ate many funeral dinners. In August 2005, classes began in a brand new building, which principal Janet Kuper describes as “a miracle.” Between the Ursulines’ arrival in Glennonville in 1930 and our departure in 1997, 84 sisters taught in the public and parochial schools or served in other ways, according to Mount St. Joseph archivist, Sister Vickie Cravens. Sister Mary Clement Greenwell, who taught in Glennonville from 19301940, and who is 98 years old, remembers that “the people were kind and the convent was lovely.” Janet Weidenbenner Kuper, an Ursuline associate, is principal of St. Teresa School, with 73 students in pre-K through 8th grade. Principal Kuper, taught by our sisters at St. Teresa’s in Glennonville and at Brescia College in Owensboro, has the depth of faith in God and the strong commitment to education that “do us proud.” Those readers who would like to meet the folks in my hometown may attend their annual parish picnic, always the last Saturday in July. Proceeds benefit St. Teresa School. When you get to Dunklin County, take Highway JJ. In less than a mile, you will find yourself in beautiful downtown Glennonville. Sister Rebecca wishes to thank all who helped in gathering information for this story, especially her parents, Ben and Geneva White, who still live in Glennonville.
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URSULINE SISTERS CHARITABLE ANNUITY PROGRAM Our Charitable Gift Annuities provide:
a guaranteed rate of return for life immediate and future tax benefits the reward of knowing your gift helps to make our mission possible membership in our Saint Angela Heritage Society PLEASE NOTE: These rates were approved by the American Council on Gift Annuities on April 5, 2006, effective July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007. This is not legal advice. Any prospective donor should seek the advice of a qualified estate and/or tax professional to determine the consequences of his/her gift.
For a free, no-obligation proposal, contact Sister Suzanne Sims, OSU, 270-229-2008, or ssims@maplemount.org.
SINGLE LIFE A GE
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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 120 OWENSBORO KY 42301
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Soli Deo Gloria We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God Sister Elaine Burke has been honored for her service as a volunteer at the RiverPark Center, Owensboro’s comprehensive performing arts facility. Sister Elaine was among the top ten volunteers in 2005, giving 220 hours as a greeter and usher at RiverPark presentations. She is associate director of Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center at Maple Mount. Sisters Fran Wilhelm and Ann Patrice Cecil also volunteer at RiverPark. Sister Pam Mueller has been appointed campus minister for Brescia University in Owensboro. Sister Pam, who began this ministry part time in November 2005, will begin to serve full time on July 1. Since 2000, she has been director of vocation ministry for the Ursuline community. Brescia University is a sponsored ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
Sister Suzanne Sims is the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship, awarded on June 1by the Owensboro Noon Rotary Club “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.” A sum of $1000 will be contributed the name of Sister Suzanne/ the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph for Rotary Foundation projects worldwide. A member of the Rotary Board of Directors, Sister Suzanne chairs a committee for a water project initiative in Uganda, a Rotary International project in which the Owensboro club is participating. She also has been active in the Rotary’s Readifest program for at-risk schoolchildren. Sister Suzanne is also chair of the Social Concerns Committee of St. Stephen Cathedral Parish. In this capacity, she was a leader in the establishment of a temporary homeless shelter in Owensboro during the past winter. Sister Suzanne is director of mission advancement for the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
Sister Dianna Ortiz was one of seven Brescia graduates inducted February 24 into the university’s Gallery of Sister Larraine Lauter received the Liberty Bell Award from the Distinguished Alumni. A 1983 graduate in Daviess County Bar Association at its annual Law Day awards elementary education, Sister Dianna serves as ceremony May 3. The award recognizes a person outside the legal executive director of Torture Abolition and field for his or her contributions to promoting a greater Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC), based understanding of the law and the courts in the community. Sister in Washington, D.C. Also named to the gallery Larraine is executive director of La Plaza Immigrant Community was Marge Weaver Slack ’57, a 1953 graduate Center in Owensboro and of its parent organization, Migrant of Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Sister Dianna Immigrant Shelter and Support (MISAS), Inc. is a 1977 Academy graduate. Third-grade students of Sister Clara Reid at St. Charles Borromeo School, Albuquerque, N.M., dramatize the gospel story of the woman at the well (left) in preparation for the Third Sunday of Lent. Sister Clara was a recipient of an Angela’s Ark grant, which enabled 50 students to receive the Good News publication. This weekly publication follows the liturgical year and provides many resources “which lead the children to identify and practice loving actions at home, in their classroom, and with their friends,” Sister Clara explains. The Angela’s Ark grants for Ursuline ministries are funded through donations to the Ursuline Flatboat Adventure in August 2004. Sister Clara has been a teacher at St. Charles since 1989. The children are, from left, Jordan Dickinson, Nicholas Sedillo, Michael Chavez, Robert Benjey, and Kendra Chavez. They completed the fourth grade this year.