Mission . . .
Global Intercultural Transforming
United States Area Leadership Team
Mary Lou Sullivan, SUSC & Kathleen Corrigan, SUSC
Dear Friends,
In the 1990's I worked with a wonderful gentleman named Richard Thomas, a retired ballet dancer and gifted poet. He wrote a poem entitled "This is who I am - This is what I do." The poem was filled with adjectives and expressions both funny and poignant that spoke of a grace filled life. The poem’s catchy title has stayed with me all these years and has even spilled over to my family who often uses it in various conversations.
The cover of this issue of Response took me back to that poem. The cover shows the Holy Union Cross, the visible sign of the sister's consecration, surrounded by the words: Mission: Global, lntercultural, Transforming. As Holy Union Sisters, this is who we are; this is what we do. And you, our generous readers are our partners on this journey.
We hope the articles you read will give you a broader picture of the Holy Union charism touching lives around the globe. S. Carol Regan’s uplifting article tells of our shared history and continued relationship with the sisters in Tanzania, the youngest Area of the congregation. Then join us in seeing the, more than coincidental, workings of God in our connection to another congregation Area, Cameroon. One of the highlights of last year was the visitation of our Superior General, S. Caroline Njah (Cameroon) and General Councilor, S. Annemarie Egan (Anglo-Hibernian) in December. It was an intercultural whirlwind visit filled with joy for us all.
In ending we give tribute to 3 Holy Union Sisters from the US Area who died this past year, S. Una Davey, S. Adrienne De Champlain and S. Marie Pauline Collette. These special women of God helped to transform so many lives through their various ministries, and always with compassion, understanding and love. I pray that, we too, may share these same gifts with all those we meet, because as Holy Union ...
''This is who we are - This is what we do"
In Union
Kathleen Corrigan, SUSC
Mary Lou Sullivan, SUSC
Director's Letter
Kenneth Gustin Director of Mission Advancement and Communications
Dear Friends,
As the Christmas season moves towards its conclusion and we enter a new year, I’d like to thank S. Rita Theresa Goulet who recently sent along a reflection from Joseph Krans, Executive Director of Genesis Spiritual Life & Conference Center in Westfield, MA. The full reflection is printed on the back cover of this issue, and I believe it speaks to this issue of Response’s theme of “Mission”. He has graciously given us permission to use it here.
The message of this reflection has stayed with me since I first read it, as it seems to hold some very deep truths about the search for meaning. A search which has been considered and pondered by great thinkers, artists, even scientists, all seeking to answer the question, “Why am I here?” Perhaps another way to ask that is, “What is my Mission?”
I invite you to spend some time reflecting on the words printed on the back cover of this issue. Perhaps you are like me, and have lived many decades with an uneasy sense of “where am I headed?” And questioning what you need to be doing. You feel a bit like you are on a long journey with little certainty on direction or even destination.
As my years with the Sisters pass, it has become clear to me that they have a deep trust in God’s plan, goodness, and love for each of us. And this reflection seems to gesture towards what I have seen in them and have struggled to articulate. I have learned so much and yet the more I learn the more I realize how very little I know.
Every single one of us has a Mission. It is unique to us. We may never understand fully what that Mission is. But we can be sure that we have a role to play, and are well about playing it. It will serve a purpose. It will impact others in yet unimagined and unpredictable ways, and yet it provides a piece of a magnificent puzzle which would be incomplete without us. The stories in this issue bear witness to that truth.
Wishing you all a New Year filled with blessings, growth, and wonder.
Kenneth Gustin Director of Mission Advancement and Communications
Intercultural Ties
HOLY UNION IN TANZANIA
The Jubilee Year marking the 50th anniversary of our congregation’s presence and mission in Tanzania ended June 24, 2024. At such a time, we naturally look back to the beginnings we are celebrating. By 1973, the year the first Holy Union Sister was missioned to Tanzania, the renewal and adaptation of religious life begun at the Second Vatican Council, was well underway. Thanks to a deepened understanding of their vow of obedience, women religious were exercising personal agency in new ways. And that is reflected in our congregation’s beginnings in Tanzania.
Historically, it was the congregation’s leadership who initiated our movement into new countries, but in 1973, an English sister was asked directly by Capuchin Friars to join their seminary faculty in Maua, Tanzania; with the blessing of the congregation’s and her province’s leadership, she did. And in 1979, Eleanor McNally became the first American Holy Union Sister there. Both women initiated their service in Tanzania and engaged in ministries that matched their interests and reflected their skills; the congregation blessed their new endeavors.
The anniversary year reminded us of these beginnings. While only two American Holy Union Sisters served directly in Tanzania, our ties there are enduring and still unfolding. It was the Maryknoll Sisters who sent S. Eleanor McNally to Tanzania, through their program for Sisters whose congregations are not explicitly mission-sending. Assigned to the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam, Eleanor’s primary ministry was development work: she founded and led for many years the archdiocese’s Caritas office, analogous to our Catholic Charities. During those years, she mentored a Tanzanian layman, Christian Shembilu, to succeed her. As part of his training, Christian studied in Canada, using break time to
visit Eleanor’s family and the Holy Union Sisters in the Fall River area; those ties continue to this day. Christian has retired and now Gladys Oning’o, Director of Programs at Caritas-Dar, has forged new ties with Holy Union in the US and in Tanzania.
S. Mary Lou Simcoe chose to go to Tanzania to teach in a government school there after realizing that her students at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River would always have access to good education, while that was not always the case in Tanzania, especially for girls. For four years, she taught English at a government school, Jangwani Secondary School, which enrolled several hundred girls. Assigned by the headmistress Gillian Tegissa, whom Mary Lou remembers as a skilled and wise administrator, to the first-year students, she moved with them up to their fourth year when they were to graduate. A point of pride: One of Mary Lou’s students won first prize in Dar’s essay content for fourth year students, an honor that usually went to a student at a private International School serving the children of diplomats and expatriates. At Jangwani, Mary Lou taught Muslim as well as Christian students, worked alongside nearly fifty Tanzanian teachers committed to providing their students with the best education possible, and learned that parents in Tanzania have the same hopes and aspirations for their children as do American parents.
The US Area’s engagement with our congregation’s Tanzanian Area is now more short term and indirect. In the summer of 2024, for example, Sisters Carol Regan and Alice Michael spent several weeks in Tanzania. Carol offered presentations to our sisters on the Congregation’s beginnings, early history, and spirituality (cf. Response, July 2024).
S. Alice Michael, who has been in multicultural ministries since her first assignment to the present day, had long wanted to visit Tanzania, to live with our sisters and experience their ministries.
The delegation to the 2023 Collegial Assembly: Sisters Dostea, Annette, Alice, Jessca, and Antonia
Local village residents wait in line to be seen at our clinic
Christian Shembilu, who was mentored by S. Eleanor McNally, and S. Carol Regan, with S. Agatha Tarimon
S. Mary Catherine Burns meets with Gladys Oning’o
A memorial to our Holy Union missionary pioneers in Tanzania, including S. Eleanor NcNally, SUSC from the USA
S. Mary Lou Simcoe meets with Gladys Oning'o
Transformational Encounters
OUR GENERAL COUNCIL VISITS THE U.S.
The visit of Sisters Caroline Njah and Annemarie Egan of the Holy Union General Council to the US Area (…and wise women came from afar).
From December 1st to 10th, 2024, we had the privilege of hosting S. Caroline Njah, Superior General, and S. Annemarie Egan, General Councilor and Link person for the US Area for their first visit to the Holy Union Area in the United States following their election at the Collegial Assembly of 2023. Periodic visits from members of the General Council serve to actively maintain the unity and fidelity to our charism and mission as an international Holy Union community.
Although the time was short, S. Caroline and S. Annemarie were able to visit each Sister in her own surroundings, taking time to reflect together and see how each one is a presence of ‘holy union’ living the mission in her own unique situation. They also gathered with groups in prayer and reflection, offering insights on Pope Francis’ new encyclical:” Delixit Nos”- On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus. This is of special interest to us since the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are significant in our spirituality from the time of our foundation as a Congregation by Father Debrabant.
The timing of the visit also presented the opportunity to meet with some of our Associates at their December meeting at St. Jude’s Church in Taunton, MA. Several Associates gathered from the Taunton, Fall River, Brockton, Pawtucket and Lincoln, RI to hear S. Alice Arsenault share her Holy Union Story and another of S.Paula’s monthly reflections on our Collegial Assembly Vision Statement as well as the special occasion to meet Sisters Caroline and Annemarie.
There was one particular memory that touched us in a special way. The first visit was to the Jewish Home in Fall River, where our Sisters spent an extended time with S. Marie Pauline Collette whose health was rapidly declining. Their prayerful presence, symbolic of the whole Congregation, and tender caring gestures evoked a beautiful smile of deep peace which remained with her until her entrance into eternal life with God the next day.
This time of visitation was a precious and mutually enriching gift for us, a time to treasure ever more deeply our call to Holy Union.
Sisters Caroline and Annmarie visit with S. Marie Pauline Collette
Sisters Caroline and Annmarie with our nurses Pam Alexander and Heidi Caron-Guay
S. Annemarie visits S. Jane Newcomb at Mary Immaculate Residence
Sisters Annmarie, Mary Lou, Kathee, and Caroline have lunch with Rhoda Walker, our Office Manager, in our Fall River office
S. Annemarie chats with S. Bridie McGettigan during her visit at River Falls
Sisters Caroline and Annmarie meet with the resident Sisters of River Falls (formerly Prosper in Fall River)
(l to r) Sisters Mary Lou Sullivan, Alice Arsenault, Caroline Njah, Annmarie Egan, Paula Coelho, Tess Horvath, Pat Heath, and Mary Catherine Burns in the chapel of our Taunton house
Sisters Caroline Njah and Kathleen Corrigan
S. Caroline and S. Annmarie visit S. Laurette DeChamplain at Clifton Nursing Home
A Global Shift in Mission
In a transformative shift, priests from African nations are today being missioned back to the U.S. to help us weather the storm of priest shortages – One in particular has a special Holy Union connection.
During the 1800’s, several of our European Holy Union Sisters came as missionaries to the U.S. In the 1960’s, in that same missionary spirit, S. Jane Newcomb answered the call and volunteered to go to Cameroon, Africa. Little did she know when she met little Joseph Lukong in Kumbo that he would one day answer the call to priesthood, and then the call of his bishop to be missioned to Maine to share the Good News of the Gospel here in S. Jane’s home country! The mission goes on!
When S. Jane first arrived in Cameroon, one of the many blessings received was to be assigned to St. Augustine College (Secondary Level) in Kumbo, high on the mount called Mbom Mbim. There she found that our community of five Sisters had originated an outreach that employed three men, their salaries assuring an education for their young families. Since all the Sisters were engaged in full-time teaching, one of the men was hired as a
cook, one for the upkeep of the common rooms of the inside and outside of the house, and one to do the house laundry.
Pa Boniface, the oldest of the three men, and the father of several children, took on the laundry responsibilities. Quite often his children would come to their house for one reason or another. Of course, S. Jane eventually got to meet them all, and among them was little 5-year-old Joseph. In a recent discussion, S. Jane recalled, “I remembered him as a quiet, rather shy, very polite little boy. Now as I observe “Fr. Joe” it is very easy to identify those same qualities, though a now grown-up ‘little Joe’!”
S. Jane says, “Several years later, being assigned to another post, I lost track of Joseph, until the news reached me that he was going to the seminary to become a priest. It came to me as no surprise!”
She said, “Other assignments kept me from keeping up on the “goings on” in Joseph’s life until I was able to track him down at his second assignment, a parish in the village of Meluf. What a huge joy and blessing that was after so many years.”
As the surprises of life would have it, and out of the clear blue sky, S. Jane received the news that Fr. Joe Lukong was “on loan” from his diocese in Kumbo to the diocese of Portland, ME. A correspondence soon connected them once again, and after several tries to meet, it finally happened in September,
Fr. Joseph Lukong’s visit with S. Terri Theroux
2024. During his two-day visit to Mary Immaculate Residence in Lawrence, MA, several of our Sisters who were missioned to Cameroon starting back in the 1960’s including Sisters Roberta DesJardins, Therese Theroux, Joan Guertin and Marilyn Gignac, joined S. Jane in nonstop reminiscing and the sharing of so many stories. How blessed they were to have him celebrate the Eucharist right there in their apartment with the other Sisters. “Who could ever have imagined that a little boy that was part of our “extended family” in Cameroon would, fifty years later, be a priest, and more surprising, be missioned to a parish within driving distance from where I would be living!”
With Fr. Joe’s assignment of four years which is renewable, we will surely have occasion to meet again, and to marvel at the gifts God creates for us in life, especially the lasting bonds that can generate such blessed surprises.
Fr. Joe shared, “As a boy, I was drawn to the Sisters’ love, care, and concern for those they served in my home country. I wanted to emulate their lives. My admiration of their work eventually led me to the priesthood. I entered seminary and was ordained in 2002, and now providence has brought me back among the Sisters who so influenced me. What a blessing!”
S. Joan Guertin said, “Meeting Fr. Joe and hearing his vocation story made me think of the power
of simple evangelization. When I was in Bare Cameroon after the Sunday liturgy the children would come to the convent for cookies and milk, a very simple act of evangelization. Pope Francis has referred to evangelization as ‘bearing witness each day to the love that watches over us and lifts us up.’ We never know what fruits these simple acts will bear.”
We are so grateful that those we served in Africa decades ago, have now come here to our country to serve the needs of our church during these difficult times. Today, Fr. Joe is just one of fourteen priests from Cameroon who are now assigned to the Portland Diocese, and other diocese are relying on priests from countries like Uganda, Nigeria, and other African nations.
S. Marilyn Gignac said, “What struck me during our conversations was hearing that he has fallen in love with this area of our country. He loves the parishioners and it seems to be reciprocal. He must be very pastoral as a woman he addressed as ‘Mammy’ (I thought that he was speaking to his dear mother back home) called him to be sure that he had not gone back to Cameroon. We’re all blessed he is here!”
Fr. Joe’s journey reminds us our actions, words, and works can be transformative in ways we often can not predict, rippling outward across time and nations, and cascading in ways both large and small.
Sisters Jane, Marilyn and Fr. Joe visit "Sahell", an African resturant in Lowell
In Loving Memory
Since our last issue of Response, the following Sisters have gone home to God. May their souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed rest in Peace.
S. UNA DAVEY, SUSC August 16, 1940 – July 26, 2024
Sister Una entered the Holy Union Sisters on September 8, 1959, and pronounced her final vows on August 22, 1968. She attended the College of the Sacred Hearts and earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the College of New Rochelle School of New Resources. A life-long learner, S. Una continued her education and professional and spiritual development through participation in many courses and workshops. As a young religious, S. Una taught in parish schools staffed by her religious community in Baltimore, MD and Astoria, NY. In 1972, she turned to social service ministries first as an Ombudsperson and Patient Advocate at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. For 27 years she served the poor families of Monticello, KY. S. Una's deep care and commitment to the poor and marginalized characterized her varied ministries. This care was grounded in a strong faith that is evident in the funeral liturgy which she lovingly prepared. We can rejoice that "she has fallen into the embrace of God" as Elizabeth Johnson describes death.
S. ADRIENNE DECHAMPLAIN, SUSC May 13, 1922 – November 6, 2024
After eighty-five years as a Holy Union Sister, S. Adrienne, the oldest Holy Union Sister in the United States, died November 6, 2024, at Marian Manor, Taunton at the age of one-hundred and two. We believe she was the only Sister in the US to celebrate her 85th Jubilee. S. Adrienne graduated from St. Mary’s High School, Taunton. She earned a B.S. in Education from Stonehill College, an M.A. in Sacred Sciences from Providence College and a PhD. in Religious Studies from the University of Ottawa. Before beginning doctoral studies, S. Adrienne took courses in Judaism and participated in archeological research in Israel. For over thirty years, she taught elementary grades in parish school staffed by her religious community in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. S. Adrienne was an accomplished violinist and was a lead violinist in the Holy Union Sisters’ Orchestra. In addition to her teaching, she gave violin lessons to children in the schools where she taught. S. Adrienne moved from the classroom to religious education and served as Director of Religious Education in parishes and schools throughout the northeast. In her retirement, she devoted time to writing about Sacred Scripture. She welcomed opportunities to share her knowledge and love of Scripture with parish and adult education groups. She also provided spiritual support to Third Order Franciscans in New Bedford and Taunton.
S. MARIE PAULINE COLLETTE, SUSC
October 23, 1925 – December 4, 2024
Sister Marie Pauline was educated by the Holy Union Sisters at St. Jean the Baptist Academy in Pawtucket. She attended the Sacred Heart School of Education and earned a B.S. in Education from Fordham University and an M.A. in French from Rivier College. S. Marie Pauline joined the Holy Union Sisters on September 3, 1946, and professed her final vows on August 22, 1955. At the time of her death, she had been a Holy Union Sister for seventy-eight years. Early in her religious life, S. Marie Pauline taught in parish schools staffed by her community in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. She served as principal at Immaculate Conception School, Astoria, New York. She taught at the former Bishop Cassidy High School in Taunton and moved to administrative duties at high schools in New York. For several years she was the administrative assistant and secretary at Cathedral High School in New York City. During this time, she resided at Immaculate Conception Convent, Astoria and was active in parish ministry, serving as Eucharistic Minister, visitor to homebound parishioners, and volunteer in the parish homeless shelter. May we be consoled that at the end of her long and faithful life, S. Marie Pauline is ready to respond to Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel: “Well done, good and faithful servant, come and share in my happiness.”
Intercultural Ties
HOLY UNION IN TANZANIA (continued
from page 4)
No sooner had Carol left Tanzania than Alice arrived for a month. An experienced and dedicated catechist, Alice brough with her two fifty-pound suitcases filled with catechetical materials … and prizes for Bingo games too! She describes our Tanzanian sisters as happy and vibrant women, attentive to new needs and emerging ministries, working with great optimism and enthusiasm. She was especially touched by the work done at Matumaini Center for handicapped children. In all, her month in Tanzania was a blessed experience for Alice, an experience she often finds herself reliving.
The Sisters of the US Area still support the development work begun by Eleanor McNally through its Mother Helena Fund. Established in 2003 to assist underfunded ministries, the Fund has awarded grants to Caritas-Dar since 2019 and more recently established a partnership with it. Because applications for partnership grants must come from a Holy Union Sister, Mary Lou Simcoe works with Gladys Oning’o, Program Director at Caritas-Dar, to gather the necessary materials, including a project budget, and submits the grant request (and later, the required annual accountability report) to the Mother Helena Grant Committee. In 2023, Gladys Oning’o visited another Holy Union connection in Massachusetts and had the opportunity to meet personally with Sisters Mary Catherine Burns, chair of the Mother Helena Committee, and Mary Lou to express her thanks. Mary Catherine notes that the grants Caritas has received from the Mother Helena Fund (such as a livestock project which helps some thirty women and their families to improve productivity and share their earnings and success with neighboring families) is well-spent on projects that match the Fund’s focus: to enable women to become economically self-sufficient.
Gladys was in the States to visit Kathryn (Kathy) Crosson, another link between the Holy Union Sisters and Tanzania. Kathy graduated from Holy Name School and the Academy of the Sacred Hearts, both in Fall River, MA, where she was taught by Holy Union Sisters, among them Mary Lou Simcoe and Carol Regan. A safari to Tanzania led her to found Mission for Humanity (MfH) in 2004 and for twenty years, she has organized and led annual service trips to Tanzania, where MfH collaborates with Caritas-Dar, a connection originally established through Eleanor McNally. These trips have provided medical and/or dental care to some 27,000 Tanzanians, provided textbooks for village schools, built solar powered wells, built or renovated clinics and classrooms … and the list goes on. Check their website (missionsforhumanity.org) for more information and wonderful pictures and videos.
Sisters Alice Michael with Sisters Modesta, Assunta, and Scholastica of our Nazareth Community in Tanzania
While the Year of Jubilee honoring our congregation’s presence and mission in Tanzania has ended, another significant anniversary for our congregation is on the horizon. Begun in Douai, France in 1826, we are approaching our 200th anniversary! We, the US Area, are now planning a bicentennial enrichment program for four of our younger, newer sisters, two each from Tanzania and from Cameroon, from midAugust through October 2025. The two Tanzanians will be the first Holy Union Sisters from their Area to come to the States. We’re eager to welcome them and our sisters from Cameroon. Look for news of this new and exciting project as our story evolves, extending blessings from generation to generation.
Close your eyes for a moment…
One Great Puzzle
And let me tell you a story about a puzzle…
It’s a very big puzzle…
Not a puzzle with thousands of pieces…
But rather a puzzle with billions and billions of pieces…
The God of the universe created this puzzle…
A puzzle of great beauty…
A puzzle of tremendous diversity…
Majestic mountains…lush green valleys…flowing rivers…graceful waterfalls…
Fluffy clouds…singing birds…and fish, animals, and people of every kind…
Beautiful flowers…gardens…sunshine…rain…and rainbows…
A puzzle that reflects, in every piece…
Part of the infinite splendor and magnificence of God…
Each of us is a piece in this glorious puzzle…
We oftentimes find ourselves surrounded by pieces that look like us…
Similar color tones, features, and purpose in being part of the puzzle…
In our world we are taught to do everything to reach our fullest potential…
We make “being the best piece in the whole puzzle” our life’s goal…
Oftentimes we believe that if every other piece could be just like me…
Believe just like me…
And act just like me…
They too would become all they were called to be…
But the puzzle is not about me…
It’s not about you…
The puzzle is about US…
By its very nature the puzzle is about connection…
It’s inclusive of everything…and everyone…
In all their diversity of color…texture…purpose…and beauty…
The goal for each of us is to become part of the whole…
Part of the community…
A community that celebrates our differences…
Honors everything that makes each of us uniquely our own…
Encourages us to fulfill our specific purpose…
Inspires us to play the role the creator intends…
In making the puzzle everything they dream, desire and imagine…
We don’t accomplish this as individuals…
Or even as members of our small communities…
We don’t achieve this by attempting to make every piece just like ourselves…
Or expecting every piece to meet our expectations…
Or fit into our neat little box…
We succeed only by authentically being ourselves…
We don’t accomplish this on our own…
We accomplish this, in connection with the other pieces of the puzzle…
Accompanying one another on the journey…
Entering into relationship with one another…
Giving of ourselves for the sake of the other…
And for the sake of the puzzle…
We are called to be part of the bigger whole…
And we find our truest meaning…
And our deepest selves…
In light of the whole…
Together we strive to achieve the Purpose of the Great Creator…
That we be one…
One entire puzzle of tremendous beauty, diversity, purpose and love…
Amen.
Written by Joseph Krans, Executive Director of Genesis Spiritual Life & Conference Center in Westfield, MA
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