AUGUST 2021
VOL. XXVI, NO. 1
www.ursulinesmsj.org
associates.msj@maplemount.org
Associates and Sisters Day focus is importance of laity By Dan Heckel, OSUA
U
rsuline Associate Phyllis Troutman, with a big smile on her face as she walked through the door of the gymnasium in Maple Mount, summed up the overriding feeling of the 2021 Associates and Sisters Day – “This is home.” It was homecoming day on June 26 for many Associates who had not been to Maple Mount since the last Associates and Sisters Day was held in June 2019. Reacclimating to the post-Covid-19 world has been difficult, but the hugs that have always come freely on this special day were prevalent again. It was a shorter day than in the past, but evaluations showed that most of the more than 50 people in attendance preferred that. When the uncertainty of the pandemic gave way to reopening the Mount on June 11, Associates and Sisters Day became the first public event at the Mount since the early spring of
Sister Larraine Lauter, left, began her keynote presentation by joining with Sister Nancy Liddy to sing “Love is the Boat for the Journey,” by Ian Callanan.
2020. Several Associates in Kansas and others watched via Zoom. After a welcome from Sister Amelia Stenger, congregational leader, and the opening prayer by Sister Betsy Moyer, the morning discussion was led by Sister Larraine Lauter, executive director of Water With Blessings. She offered some eyeopening information with her talk, “Reclaiming Our Identity: Contemplatives in an Active World.” “We live in a society that has become so keenly attuned to division that conflict seems to be our chief characteristic. The cries of suffering people bear in upon us, louder and louder ... and whatever we try to do in response seems like a drop in a leaking bucket. A great pandemic has swept over us, and we are still struggling to find our footing together, now that we are beginning to emerge from its battering waves. “Our faith tells us that Christ is as real, as present as we are in these realities … that Christ is present because we are present. In Christ, we find our hope; in Christ in one
More than 50 Ursuline Sisters and Associates gathered in the gym for Associates & Sisters Day on June 26, while others watched on Zoom.
another, we find courage, strength, wisdom for the day. We can be sure of this: that Christ does not abandon us.” Sister Larraine reminded those present that lay people have long played an important role in the Catholic Church – much longer than since Vatican II. We may think that until Saint Angela came along, the only known form of religious or consecrated life was strictly enclosed monasticism, but this isn’t true, she said. Historians are finding evidence of multiple forms of communal, spirited life in the Gospel, including many that look like what we call apostolic religious life today. They were complemented by a great number of lay movements. Following the violence toward reformers of the Church, it was lay people – the “merely baptized” – who sought to restore the Church to embody the Gospel of Jesus, Sister Larraine said.
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Associate Update
August 2021
From the Associate Office...
It was so wonderful to see so many Associates and Sisters attending the long-awaited celebration of Associates and Sisters Day. It has been a long time since we have been able to come together, spend time with each other or even give a hug. It was truly a wonderful day! Sister Larraine Lauter and Sister Nancy Liddy started the day with a beautiful song called “Love is the Boat for the Journey” by Ian Callanan. This was followed by Sister Larraine’s talk about “Reclaiming Our Identity: Contemplatives in an Active World.” Her talk was so empowering, it encouraged me to read the book presented by Sister Marie-Bénédicte Rio, OSU, called “The Scribe and the Witnesses.” It consists of writings by Gabriel Cozzano, Saint Angela Merici’s secretary and chancellor of her Company. Sister Larraine said it was available online, so I was able to find the PDF and download it onto my computer. If anyone is interested in having a copy sent to them, please send me an email and I will forward it to you. We closed our program with the commitment ceremony bringing two new candidates into our midst. They are Maryann Joyce and Mary Alice Wethington. We are so grateful that many were able to finally join in the celebration of the two of them becoming Ursuline Associates of Mount Saint Joseph. I think of all of you often and keep you in prayer. Many Blessings! Doreen Abbott, OSUA Coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships
ASSOCIATE UPDATE is published four times a year for the Associates of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356-9998 Phone: 270-229-2006 • Fax: 270-229-4953 ursulinesmsj.org • Email associates.msj@maplemount.org Coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships: Doreen Abbott, OSUA Director of Mission Advancement/Communications: Dan Heckel, OSUA Communications Specialist/Graphic Design: Jennifer Kaminski, OSUA Director of Development: Carol Braden-Clarke Mission Advancement Assistant: Sister Mary McDermott, OSU
ASSOCIATE MISSION STATEMENT We, the Associates of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus through the actions of our everyday lives. We commit ourselves to living the charism of Saint Angela Merici in union with and in support of the Ursuline community of Mount Saint Joseph.
New Associates Maryann Joyce, second from left, and Mary Alice Wethington, second from right, are joined by their contact people, Associate Marian Bennett at left and Sister Sharon Sullivan, on June 26 at Mount Saint Joseph.
Welcome, New Associates!
We welcomed two new associates on Associates and Sisters Day 2021 at Mount Saint Joseph: Maryann Joyce was born in Cranston, R.I., into a nontraditional Irish/Italian Catholic family. Growing up, she loved stories and walks in the woods on a large reservoir called Johnson’s Pond. During her high school years, she had an awakening experience of God that shaped her life and healed her. Maryann attended Providence College, where she met her husband, Michael. They moved to Indiana in 1992, where they deepened their faith and raised their two boys, Thomas and Brian, and their daughter Elena in Christ’s love. She began to serve in nonprofit management and, as she grew spiritually, she trained to become a spiritual director for the Diocese of Evansville, where she worked for five years. In 2012, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent treatment. The mental and emotional suffering led her on a deeper journey of surrender and trust in God and led her to the openness and clarity to serve as assistant director of the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center beginning in 2018. Maryann became the director of the Retreat Center in January 2020. She feels it is a great privilege to work in ministry with the Ursuline Sisters, creating programs and offering a sacred space for a spiritual retreat. Her children are grown and have moved away from home, but she and her husband have been blessed with three grandchildren who live in Indiana. She looks forward to life’s new joys and challenges ahead. Her contact person is Associate Marian Bennett.
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LAITY
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“Just about the time Angela arrives in Brescia, there and in other cities, layfolk begin to organize themselves into spiritual companies, according to various spiritual movements, including The Company of Divine Love. These people of faith meet frequently for spiritual conversation. They are keenly interested in the witness and ways of the early Church. They study Scripture. They seek to deepen their prayer, an expression of their longing for personal relationship with Christ … The fruit of their prayer drives them out into the city streets in service to those most devastated by the violence of the day. “In Brescia, Saint Angela is taken into their circle, an association that may have lasted 20 years or more,” Sister Larraine said. “We can surmise, knowing her depth of spiritual gift, that she plays a leading, inspirational role, yet let us not forget that she is a laywoman among laity. Let’s just stop and think on this for a moment. Angela is a laywoman, a third order Franciscan, which was a lay form at the time … certainly not associated with the monastic convents. She is living in the world, she is a laywoman among layfolk, who recognize and are drawn to her great depth of spirituality. She is single-hearted, dedicated to Christ whom she claims as spouse. The institutional Church does not
Associates Phyllis Troutman, left, and Betty Boren are all smiles as they arrive in the gym. “This is home,” Phyllis said.
Hugs were allowed for the first time in more than a year. Here Associates Marian Bennett, left, and Joanne Mason greet one another.
recognize her as a religious… but the layfolk around her, the ‘merely baptized,’ recognize her as a radically authentic Christian leader for their times.” She spoke of what we know of Angela from Gabriel Cozzano, her devoted secretary who wrote three documents shortly after her death. Sister Larraine described him as “the first associate” in both his love and support of Angela, but also of a contemplative life lived in the active world. “Angela Merici, having a keen appreciation of togetherness, drew women and men together into a company, a spiritual band of familyhood, for the sake of one common identity: that of contemplatives in the active world,” Sister Larraine said. “Throughout nearly 450 years, the band has persisted and remained faithful to this common identity, even though it has been pressured into a variety of forms that were not as Angela envisioned. The flame of contemplative identity has never gone out, as witnessed by a long line of Ursuline women and the people who have loved and supported them. “Ursuline identity, until the past few decades, has been understood only as belonging to vowed women religious, but now we see God has been doing something new. Now we look back across just a few decades of associate membership to realize that Ursuline identity does not exclusively belong to the Sisters. How do we know this? We see it in your lives. We recognize
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it in your enduring bonds with us. We see it in your hunger for prayer, your desire for life lived present to the Presence of God.” Sister Larraine began her talk with a song performed by her and Sister Nancy Liddy, “Love is the Boat for the Journey,” by Ian Callanan. She referenced it at the end, noting that Angela named her company for Saint Ursula, who legend says loaded her followers on a boat to sail into the unknown. “We cannot begin to know where we are going in the rough seas of these times,” Sister Larraine said. “The signs often indicate stormy weather and unexpected destinations. But Angela gave us Left to right, Associates Susie Westerfield and Martha Little and Sister Rose Jean Powers enjoy talking to one another.
what we need: one another. Love is the boat for the journey. We can count on this; if we stay faithful to Angela’s vision, as did Gabriel Cozzano, we will find the way forward together.” The afternoon of Associates and Sisters Day featured trivia about 17 Sisters celebrating jubilees this year and in 2020, followed by remembering those Sisters and Associates who went to heaven in the past two years. The day ended on a highlight, with the commitments of new Associates Mary Alice Wethington and Maryann Joyce. We hope Associate groups will feel comfortable coming together again soon as in the past. The first ongoing formation session for the next year should be out in August. The theme is inspired by Sister Larraine’s talk: to claim our identity as Ursuline Associates.n
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The Women’s Retreat is always popular with Associates, including, from left, Debbie Lanham, Marian Bennett, Donna Favors and Karen Wells. The retreat, led by Sister Cheryl Clemons, was held May 22 at Lourdes Parish Hall in Owensboro and focused on Julian of Norwich. RIGHT: Associate (and employee) Debbie Dugger, top right, was on site when farm animals visited Saint Joseph Villa on May 27.
Birges glad they met Saint Angela, the Ursulines
erry and Mag Birge are one of our married Associate teams. While they resided in Owensboro, Jerry came to work at Mount Saint Joseph as the director of Communications and Marketing. At that time Jerry had a daily program on the local cable TV system called “Around Owensboro.” Sister Amelia Stenger, then director of the Conference and Retreat Center, was a frequent guest on the show. It was during one of her appearances that she told him he might be interested in a job opening at the Mount. Jerry submitted his resume, went through a couple of interviews, was hired, and became part of the Mission Advancement team in 2003. Jerry says that the new, direct connection to Mount Saint Joseph gave him a pleasant, direct connection to the Ursuline Sisters, one that also introduced him to Saint Angela Merici and the Ursuline Associates. After learning more about Saint Angela – who quickly became one of Jerry’s favorite saints – he was invited to join the Ursuline Associates and he didn’t hesitate to accept. Jerry had watched the Associates in action on a number of occasions and was impressed with their hard work and dedication to the Mount. Jerry found himself looking forward to every event that brought Associates onto the Maple Mount campus and sincerely enjoyed working with them. They were a dedicated group and he felt they taught him a great deal about Saint Angela and the Ursuline Sisters. There was no challenge they couldn’t answer and it was obvious to him that their hard work was always a labor of love. Jerry says he has been blessed throughout his life in many ways: blessed with having a loving wife, very special children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and the opportunity to expand his spiritual life working with the Ursuline Sisters and being a part of the Ursuline Associates. Margaret “Mag” Birge, Jerry’s wife, became an
Ursuline Associate at the same time he did, in 2008. A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Mag met Jerry when they were both freshmen at Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State University) in her hometown. They married in 1958 and raised a family of seven children together. Jerry’s career in the media took them through several moves, and in 1989 they arrived in Owensboro for what would become a 25year stay. When Jerry began Associates Mag and Jerry working for the Ursuline Birge saw some of the sights Sisters, Mag was also in Paris, France, in 2019. introduced to the Sisters at the Mount and the rich history of the Ursulines, both locally and worldwide. After having had previous close relationships with several other religious communities through her own schooling and her long career in health care, Mag welcomed the opportunity to learn about the uniqueness of the Ursulines and also welcomed an invitation to become an Associate. She believes that her membership has provided her with many opportunities to grow her spirituality. The couple now lives in Jasper, Ind. On a long-awaited visit to Paris in 2019, Jerry and Mag had an experience that was deeply meaningful for both of them. While visiting the famous church of Sacre Coeur they came upon a chapel dedicated to Saint Angela Merici. The story of the founding of the Ursulines was told there in beautiful stained glass windows. They both agree that the moment had such special significance for them due to their long and close association with the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.n
Time to be Associates in Action again!
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or 12 years, we’ve featured an Ursuline Associate in these pages who shows us “what one Associate can do.” It’s a great way to showcase all the ways our individual Associates make a difference in their communities. Now that we’re coming out of Covid-19, when so much of our ability to serve with other people was limited, it seems the perfect time to embrace what our Associates can do together. We hope that our Associate groups will begin meeting again – in-person if possible, but we also know that Zoom should continue to be an option. Whatever issues that kept you from gathering with Associates prior to the pandemic hopefully seem miniscule at this point. Everyone is ready to get out of their homes and be part of something larger. What a perfect time This is the time to look outward together to see where to re-embrace your commitment as an we can spread the Ursuline charism and make a difference Ursuline Associate. In that commitment, which in the lives of others. we renew each year during Associates and Sisters Day, you promised “to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus through the actions of my everyday life. While continuing to live the vocation to which you called me, I will embrace the Ursuline Sisters’ charism and share in their mission, ministries, goals, ideals and challenges.” This is the time to shake off the cobwebs that we lived with for more than a year and look outward together to see where we can spread the Ursuline charism. It’s a unique time to re-energize for the journey and make a difference in the lives of others. This is our challenge for 2021-22: how can we be “Associates in Action?” Where is our opportunity to be “doers of the word, rather than just hearers?” In the coming months, Doreen Abbott, coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships, and Carol Braden-Clarke, director of Development, plan to visit with the Associate groups to talk about the Ursuline mission and learn where you believe the ministry in your communities is needed. Let’s encourage each other to step forward and be bold with our Gospel living. It’s always a good reminder to share what the book of James says about faith and works in Chapter 2, verses 14-17: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” We know the spirit of the Ursuline Associates is alive and well. Help us to “proclaim the Gospel of Jesus through the
NEW ASSOCIATES
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Mary Alice Wethington grew up as an only child in a farming community in Daviess County with a mother who was a convert to Catholicism and a dad who was a devout Catholic. She attended Catholic schools and spent many Sundays at Mount Saint Joseph visiting her great aunts – Ursuline Sisters Richard, Robertus and Augustus Wethington. She was taught by Ursuline Sisters her first eight grades at St. Anthony School and later attended Brescia University and was again taught by the Sisters. She graduated from Brescia in 1982. Mary Alice married at the age of 20 and has two daughters, who are a great joy to her, and three grandchildren. She worked for many years in the medical field and decided to return to Brescia University in 1999 in the Development office. In 2002, she began working as an office assistant in the School of Education, when the department chairwoman was Sister Sharon Sullivan. Sister Sharon served as Mary Alice’s contact person for the Associates. In her retirement, Mary Alice enjoys a book club and playing cards. Mary Alice attends Bible Study to fulfill her spiritual needs, and fulfills her need to help others by preparing bereavement meals, helping with Backpack Ministry, Stephen Ministry, and volunteering at the Heartford House, a residential facility with Hospice of Western Kentucky.n
Ursuline Associates and Sisters gathered at the home of Janice Arth in Olathe, Kan., to watch Associates and Sisters Day via Zoom. We look forward to having them visit Maple Mount when possible. Pictured here, back row, left to right, Robert Knudson and Associate Nanette Foley; seated left to right are Associate Pam Knudson, Associate Carol O’Keefe, Associate Joanne Thompson, Sister Angela Fitzpatrick, Associate Janice Arth, and Associates Rita and Jim Wilkus. Sister Michele Morek took the photo.
actions of (your) everyday life” and be a model to others of what is possible when we seek to serve others, as Saint Angela taught us.n
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Trivia and Quilt Bingo are back! Sept. 11-12 I am a firm believer that out of a bad situation, there is always something good that happens. As I think about everything that happened over this past year, this is the good I experienced. The Mount Raffle is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and we typically sold tickets in person. Last year it was not possible with the pandemic, so we adjusted and sold tickets online. We were able to sell more and to make new connections with people all over the country. You can purchase raffle tickets online or by mail at this link: ursulinesmsj.org/ mountraffle. The drawing will be on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. at the conclusion of Escape to the Mount. The Grand Prize is $10,000 and a new prize of $5,000 will be awarded. Tickets are still $5. We had our first Quilt Bingo in 2019. We had very positive feedback and people were looking forward to playing again in 2020, but it was not possible to safely have the event. We did an online Quilt Auction instead. We had bidding wars for some of the quilts, and there was a different kind of excitement with the bidding. When people called in to bid, they shared stories of why they wanted a particular quilt or how Sisters had impacted their lives. Their stories were a reminder of what a lasting difference one person can make in someone’s life. The Quilt Auction was a success last year, so we offered it again this year. The Quilt Auction lasts until Aug. 6, so if you receive this in time, you still may get a bid in. Please go to our website to see the quilts and auction details.
2 3 4 9 10 11
Judy Embry Aimee Russelburg Martha Alle Renee Schultz Gene Tritsch Melissa Tuley Anna Mae Kaiser Peggy Clark Jeannette Contreras Brenda Semar 14 DiAnn Jenkins Joanne Mason Donna Szurgot 15 Christa Bennett Laurie Hicks 16 Jackie Sommers 17 Bishop William Medley 18 Kim Clemons Haire Meg Synk Jody Ziegler 19 Nellie Coffman Mike Haughton 20 Serafina Mesnier 21 Priscilla Archunde Francis Steffen 23 Barbara Hasenstab Cathey Seaton 24 Beatriz Dansdill Rosann Whiting 25 Gerry Hasenstab Kelly Roe 27 Sheila Blandford 28 Fr. Freddie Byrd Charlotte Paez 30 Eddie Prunty
1 3 4 5 6 8 9 11 12
Janet Kuper Patty Wernel Jean Gutierrez Betty Girten Jane Denton Genon Putnam Patricia Jamett Margaret Chavez Tom Payne Lena Dees Catherine Gawarecki Kristene Pickert Therese Allen Margaret Brasuel Carol O’Keefe Pat Wilson 13 Mary Ann Schilling 14 Alice Albus Margie Hill 16 Betty Stone 17 Catherine Bockhold Victor Fromm 18 Anna Conn Shirley Hagman 19 Catalina Candia 21 Mariita Rodriguez 22 Margaret Gallegos 23 Lee Jerome 24 Linda Lattus 26 JoAnne Horstmann Mary Justice 28 Keith Putnam 29 Benjamin Head 30 Lisa Guenther 31 Audrey Durbin Mary Lyne Jean Steffen
There will be more opportunities for people to get beautiful quilts. We did have our Escape to the Mount Trivia in 2020 because we could safely practice social distancing. For a few participants, it was their first outing after being isolated for several months. It was great to hear the laughter and witness the fellowship even if it was from a distance. You can participate in the Trivia event on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Blessed Mother Parish Hall in Owensboro from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. There is an
Happy Birthday to our Associates!
1 Ed Cecil Mel Howard 2 Dolores Polson 3 Amanda Nichols Bobby Smyth 4 Will Payne 6 Odelean Hill 7 Joan DeBauge Jeannie Foster Karen Lasher 8 Raquel Sepúlveda 9 Cindy Bornander Lorna Horishny 10 Becky Pedley 12 Delores Turnage 13 Mary Ann Stewart Marilyn Terry 15 Carol Alvey 17 Al Coleman 18 Clarina Henríquez Annette Stokes 21 Rosa González 23 Terri Hubner 24 Donald Adams 28 Randy Shelby Sr. Jeannette Touchet, SEC 30 Shirley Palmer
entry fee of $25 that includes snacks and adult beverages. Get your team together and join us for a fun evening. Join us on Sunday Sept. 12, for Quilt Bingo in the Mount Saint Joseph gym. Doors open at 12:30 and bingo is from 1-4 p.m. There is a $25 entry fee which includes lunch and one free game. Games are $1 for small and mid-size quilt prizes and $2 for large quilt prizes. We hope to see you in September. Carol Braden-Clarke Director of Development
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In Loving Memory... SISTER MARY DIANE TAYLOR, 88, died June 28 in Maple Mount, in her 69th year of religious life. She was a native of Fredericktown, Ky. Her love for art and education made her a beloved and respected teacher for more than 60 years. Sister Mary Diane taught in Kentucky at Owensboro, Paducah and Clementsville, and in Affton, Mo. She helped start the art department at Owensboro Catholic High School (196467) and taught at Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Maple Mount (1967-71). From 1967 until her retirement in 2018, she was an art professor at Brescia College/University in Owensboro and chaired its Division of Fine Arts. In 2016, the Administration building at Brescia was renamed in her honor. Survivors include the members of her religious community; siblings Catherine Clements of Springfield, Judy Thompson of Loretto, Eleanor Rapier and Thomas B. Taylor, both of Bardstown; nieces and nephews. Burial was in the convent cemetery. Donations in memory of Sister Mary Diane may be made to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356. KATHY JO KIPER, 67, of LaGrange, Ky., died June 25 at her residence. She became an Ursuline Associate in 2002, with Sister Martha Keller as her contact Sister. She was a native of Hardinsburg, Ky., and a devoted member of St. Romuald Catholic Church. She earned an associate degree in Religion from Brescia University, Owensboro. Kathy was a former medical records clerk for Dr. James Sills. She was an avid UK Wildcat fan and traveled to many SEC and NCAA tournament games. She also had a love for the University of Louisville Lady Cardinals and was a season ticket holder. She enjoyed traveling with family and friends and playing bingo and bunco. She is survived by her brother, Keith Kiper and his wife Carolyn of LaGrange, and nieces and nephews.
We Extend Deepest Sympathy To: • Father Anthony Shonis, whose brother-in-law Pete Fronczkiewicz died April 12. • Father Raymond Goetz and Sister Martha Keller, whose cousin Doris Blandford Wright died April 22. • Susie Westerfield, who lost two brothers-in-law; Bill Westerfield, who died April 26 and Rodney Crowe, who died June 30. • Sister Ruth Gehres, whose brother-in-law James Edward Conley died May 5. • Sister Kathleen Kaelin, whose second cousin Pam Byrne died May 12. • Florence and Carrie Wieder, whose brother Jimmy Wieder died May 21. • Sister Barbara Jean Head, whose cousin Larry Raible died May 24. • Sister Marie Bosco Wathen, whose nephew Tom Wathen died May 31. • Sam and Doreen Abbott, who lost three aunts: Harriet Atiyeh died June 7, Yvonne Rock died June 16, and Minnie Rock died June 21. • Sister Alicia Coomes, whose brother Gerald Coomes died June 18. • Sister Cecelia Joseph Olinger, whose sister Ruth Ann Finder died July 6.
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"We shall even spend this very short life of ours in consolation, And our every sorrow and sadness Saint Angela will be turned into joy and gladness, Merici and we shall find the thorny and stony paths blossoming for us." – Prologue to the Rule
Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center to be deconstructed
Acknowledging that all things eventually reach the end of life, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph have decided to deconstruct the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. The Retreat Center has operated since 1983, when it took over the buildings that occupied Mount Saint Joseph Academy, the allfemale high school that opened in 1874 and graduated its last class in 1983. The Diocese of Owensboro did not have a retreat center until the Ursuline Sisters opened one. Since 1989, the Retreat Center has also been the Spiritual Life Office for the diocese. The original bricks are now disintegrating, and the foundation of the building is crumbling, which would be extremely expensive to repair. The fire suppression system and the heating and cooling systems – both installed during the 1996-97 renovation – all need replacing. The Ursuline Sisters recognize that their many supporters expect the Sisters to be good stewards of their donations. As good stewards, the Sisters did not believe it was wise to spend an extensive amount of money to maintain buildings. Please read the complete story on our website: www.ursulinesmsj.org
Dear Associates, Summer is here and we hope that you will enjoy the sunshine and all the blessings of these days. Here at the Mount we had Community Days, when all the Sisters came home, and we had a summer retreat for the Sisters. Thank you for praying for us as we came together to celebrate jubilees and take care of our community needs. It was so good to see many of you at the Associates and Sisters Day in June. Next year maybe we will be able to have a longer time together. We are blessed to have you come to be with us and pray with us. Please continue to take care of yourselves. The new Covid variant is causing much more sickness. We do hope that you have received the vaccine to protect yourself and your family. We continue to minister to many people in seven states and South America. We ask your prayers and support as we continue to serve the people of God. God bless all of you. Sister Amelia Stenger, OSU Congregational Leader
Coming Up... r Yarn Spinner Retreat Days: Aug. 14, Oct. 16, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium • $20 r Mount Saint Joseph Academy Alumnae: Aug. 28-29 Lourdes Parish Hall, Owensboro, and Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium r Escape to the Mount Trivia Game: Saturday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. Blessed Mother Parish Hall, Owensboro • $25 r Escape to the Mount Quilt Bingo: Sunday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium • $25 r Day of Peace and Renewal for Police Officers: Saturday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium • $25 r Fall into Fun Celebration for Cancer Survivors: Monday, Sept. 27 from 11:30-1:30 p.m. Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium • $15 r Forgiving Ourselves, Others and God: Saturday, Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium • $40 r Inner Peace in Divine Love: A Four-Week Ignatian Retreat ONLINE: Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, Nov. 20 at 10:30 a.m. • $40 For more information, call 270-229-4103 You can sign up online for events: www.ursulinesmsj.org