U r s u l i n e s
A L I V E
From Our Congregational Leader Sister Michele Morek, OSU
In this issue
Dear Friends, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were life-changing experiences, even for those of us who live far from the Gulf Coast. The two events have underscored for me the connectedness of all things – ecologically, economically, sociologically…. They made me think about the power of networks: communication networks, computer networks, human networks. As soon as the New Orleans disaster struck, Ursuline sisters from all over the world were contacting the leader of the New Orleans Ursuline community, offering resources and shelter. As our Sister Carol organized her mission to open the Catholic schools of Shreveport to survivors’ children, we watched it develop from an idea to reality on our computer screens. With one keyboard stroke, I notified all the leaders of Ursuline communities in the United States that Carol needed financial help hiring teachers. Sister Carol needs backpacks? Voila! Backpacks begin pouring in from schools and corporations and private groups all over the country (and still are coming). Sister Larraine and her traveling crew need shelter for the night? Contacts in Kentucky and Arkansas reach out to network with Catholic parishes and religious communities in Louisiana. Wow — do we really appreciate the power we have? This power to network is one of the great gifts we humans have to offer the world. Too bad we wait for a disaster to mobilize it! With so many good and generous people in the world, surely we could harness that power and really make a dent in the problems of hunger, war, and poverty.
Act, Move, Believe ......................... 3 In the spirit of Angela Merici, Ursulines reach out to hurricane survivors Soli Deo Gloria ................................ 7 We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God Ursuline Partners in the Teaching Mission of Jesus ............................... 8 Your generous spirit compels us to thank God — and you In the Joy of Eternal Life Our sisters go before us in faith ..... 14 Joining the Network of Compassion ... 15 Ursulines and co-workers respond to the needs of God’s people Coming Together ... Reaching Out .... 16 Photos from our ministry to hurricane survivors
Thank you for being part of our network…we love and appreciate you, and ask God’s blessings on you and your loved ones. Sister Michele Morek, OSU Congregational Leader, Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph OUR MISSION Ursulines Alive is published by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Maple Mount, Kentucky. Two Issues __ Spring and Fall __ will appear during the year 2005. Editor: Sister Ruth Gehres, OSU Photography and production assistance: Jerry Birge, Kelly May, Melanie Sears, 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 and Sister Marietta Wethington, Co-Directors of Ursuline Partnerships Sister Ruth Gehres, Associate Director of Communications Melanie Sears, Kelly May, Administrative Assistants Jennifer Kaminski, Administrative Assistant/Graphic Designer
We welcome your response to Ursulines Alive. Contact us at: Ursulines Alive, c/o Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount KY 42356. Phone: (270) 229-4103. Fax: (270) 229-4953. E-mail: rgehres@maplemount.org. Web site: www.ursulinesmsj.org. Cover photo: Nigel Cardriche is one of more than 500 new students in the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana. Superintendent Sister Carol Shively, OSU, shown here with Nigel, opened the schools to all children displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This issue of Ursulines Alive focuses on Sister Carol’s ministry, on the medical mission organized by Sister Larraine Lauter to assist the people of south Louisiana, and on the many collaborative efforts of Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph to respond to the needs of God’s people in the midst of disaster. 2
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.