Sharing & Caring Fall 2016

Sharing & Caring Volume 27 Number 2 • Fall 2016 Sisters of the Precious Blood • Dayton, Ohio • www.preciousbloodsistersdayton.org

Touches of

Mercy

From the President’s Desk

Justice with mercy

"M

ercy binds up the wounds that justice inflicts” is one of the most striking statements about mercy that I’ve come across in the reading I’ve done during this Jubilee Year. In looking for the source, I came across several references to similar statements from Pope Francis. It is no secret that mercy is a consistent theme in the words of our Holy Father who explores the virtue from many different angles and for many different purposes.

The reason these words strike me so forcefully is that they respond to the conundrum often encountered by people who want either to impose justice with no regard to the effects on the individuals or their rehabilitation, or disregard justice and its consequences in order to continue “helping” someone to the point of codependency. While pondering this it seemed that parents are often models of this balance of mercy of justice as they teach their children. A child cautioned “not to put your hand on the stove when it is hot,” “pull the dog’s tail,” or “walk barefoot on the driveway,” seems to want to do it anyway. Then the inevitable happens and a crying child comes to mother or father who patches up the burn, or the nip or the cut, all the while consoling and drying the child’s tears. No good parent would look at a hurt child and say, “Told you so!” and walk away.

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St. Thomas Aquinas comments that “mercy does not abolish justice, but fulfills it and exceeds it … justice without mercy is cruelty; mercy without justice is the mother of disintegration; therefore, both must be bound together.” St. John Paul II reminds us that mercy is capable of restoring our humanity to ourselves and is in “a certain sense … the most perfect incarnation of justice.”

The Scriptures are very clear that sin exists, that the consequences of sin exist, and that we human beings are in need of forgiveness.

Scriptures are also very clear that God is a merciful God and that Jesus shed his blood to the last drop for the forgiveness of our sins and our redemption. To use an analogy (and remember, analogies always limp or are inadequate when pushed too far), sinning might be compared to having a broken leg because we ignored a "Don’t Walk" sign and were hit by a car. Justice would be the pain and suffering (consequences) caused by our noncompliance. Mercy would be the actions of those who set and bandage the leg, care for us and help rehabilitate us so we are able to walk again.

Because someone was merciful does not take away the pain or the subsequent work we must do to walk again, but in light of the merciful actions we hopefully learned our lesson.

In order to be “merciful like

the Father,” this Jubilee Year’s theme, we must acknowledge that we have too often touched the “hot stove.” We need healing and forgiveness for not listening. We need mercy to bind up our wounds so we can begin anew, knowing the consequences. Unless we recognize that we need and have received mercy, and know its texture, its scent, its touch, we may be clueless about how to extend it to others. There is no dearth of the need for mercy in our world and in our lives.

We pray that we have been so touched by the Jubilee Year of Mercy that we find opportunities to extend mercy, the very love of God, wherever we find the consequences of justice that leave people ready for change. 

Sister Joyce Lehman President, Sisters of the Precious Blood

W

hen I was a newspaper reporter covering crime and justice in Cincinnati, I often wrote about criminal trials.

The sentencing phase, for me, was always the most interesting because I often saw justice served with mercy. Judges, not wanting to see a person’s life thrown away, would show appropriate leniency to defendants who had made a mistake. Victims, though hurting, would occasionally forgive their perpetrators. I always found such instances refreshing because that’s what we're called to do.

We say it in the Lord’s Prayer as we plead “… forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” When we stumble, God continues to love and forgive us and wants us to do the same for others.

In Misericordiae Voltus, Pope Francis encourages each of us to experience mercy and share this grace with others.

“May the message of mercy reach everyone and may no one be indifferent to the call to experience mercy,” the pope

Established in 1989, Sharing & Caring is published quarterly by the Sisters of the Precious Blood, Dayton, Ohio, to communicate news of the congregation, Precious Blood Spirituality, and to promote the sisters’ mission.

All editorial content and photographs in Sharing & Caring are copyrighted. For reprint permission, please contact the editor.

writes. “I direct this invitation to conversion even more fervently to those whose behavior distances them from the grace of God.” Living mercifully can be challenging, particularly when we have been wronged. Our pain is real. Forgiveness can be difficult, even though we are all brothers and sisters. In those instances we turn to God for strength and the courage to overcome.

All of this was in the back of my mind as I visited with Precious Blood Sisters talking about how they have been merciful in the course of their ministries. Our Sisters have spent their lives in prayer and service to others. By feeding the hungry, educating the ignorant, sheltering the homeless, comforting the sorrowful, Precious Blood Sisters have been carrying out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy for more than 180 years.

You will meet some of these dear Sisters in this issue. We hope you enjoy their stories of faith and mercy.

On Sept. 14 the Sisters of the Precious Blood welcomed

Editor’s Notes

Living mercifully

Sisters LaKesha Church and Mumbi Kigutha into the novitiate. A few days later, an event promoting peace was held at Salem Heights. Finally, the Sisters came together last July for Spirit Days and to recognize their Sisters who are celebrating milestone jubilees in 2016.

As always, thanks for reading Sharing & Caring. If you have any questions about this magazine or want to share a story idea, please reach out to me at deck@cppsadmin.org or (937) 274-2707. 

Dave Eck Director of Communications

CPPS Mission Statement Urged by the redeeming love of Jesus the Christ and rooted in Eucharistic prayer, we Sisters of the Precious Blood proclaim God’s love by being a life-giving, reconciling presence in our fractured world.

Address communications to: Office of Communications Sisters of the Precious Blood 4000 Denlinger Road Dayton, OH 45426

Editor Dave Eck, Director of Communications

Progressive Printers, Inc., Dayton, Ohio

Layout and Design Michelle Bodine, Media Specialist

Phone: (937) 274-2707 E-mail: deck@cppsadmin.org Printing

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Vocations

LaKesha Church and Mumbi Kigutha enter the Sisters of the Precious Blood

T

he prophet Jeremiah tells us God has a plan for each human being, providing a hopeful future for each person. When we call, God is there, providing the resources we need to live our lives.

The dance of God calling us and our response to that call was the message Sister Joyce Lehman brought to the Sisters of the Precious Blood on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross as they welcomed Sisters LaKesha Church and Mumbi Kigutha to the novitiate during a 40-minute Rite of Initiation into Religious Life on Sept. 14 at Salem Heights in Dayton.

Precious Blood Sisters and the assistant novice direc-

tor from the Sisters of Notre Dame in Covington, Ky. attended the celebration.

The novitiate incorporates a canonical year in which Sisters LaKesha and Mumbi will come to a deeper appreciation of God in their lives. They will have the opportunity to better acquaint themselves with religious life and the women they are choosing and the history of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. They will live in the congregation’s novitiate community and participate in all aspects of community life.

The second year, the apostolic year, will be spent in ministry.

“The years in the novitiate help you let go of the dance that you have danced before and learn the dance that God

'Tonight you formally enter the circle dance of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Know that our love, our support and our encouragement are with you.'

— Sister Joyce Lehman

may be calling you to now.

It is a time of continued and deepened discernment,” said Sister Joyce, president of the Sisters of the Precious Blood.

“Tonight you formally enter the circle dance of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Know that our love, our support and our encouragement are with you.”

As novices they wear the congregational insignia and hold the title “Sister.” Though not professed, they will live poverty, chastity and obedience in community as they further discern their call to religious life.

Sister LaKesha is from Loraine, Ohio, and Sister Mumbi is a native of Kenya.

Sisters Mary Lou Schmersal, Judy Niday and Nadine Kaschalk spoke on behalf of Sister LaKesha. They exFrom left, Sisters Mumbi Kigutha, LaKesha Church and Joyce Lehman sing during the Rite of Entrance into the plained that she was Novitiate.

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Vocations

comfortable with the Sisters of the Precious Blood from the day she first met them. She combines her ministry and community with fidelity to prayer, and that her choices are driven by her prayer life.

“Through the years, music, prayer, scripture, worship have been important elements as she has come to know Jesus,” Sister Mary Lou said. “Now she asks to take yet another step in faith into the mystery of God in her life.”

Sisters Donna Liette and Della Meyer spoke to Sister Mumbi’s readiness to enter the Congregation. They shared her love of Precious Blood spirituality, her appreciation of the Eucharist and her support of those in need.

“Whether in Dayton, Chicago or Kenya, Sister Mumbi’s heart is with the marginalized, those who are far off, outside the gates, and those who feel they are unworthy of redemption and God’s love,” Sister Donna said. “She wants to become her best self so as to be a better minister in her future walk as a Sister of the Precious Blood and to learn to live this spirituality to the fullest.”

Sisters LaKesha and Mumbi join Sister Bela Mis in the novitiate. Sister Bela entered the community last January.  Story and photos by Dave Eck Top, Sister Joyce Lehman, president of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, speaks during the Rite of Initiation into the Novitiate for Sisters LaKesha Church and Mumbi Kigutha; Sister Mary Lou Schmersal photo. Middle, from left, Sisters Mumbi and LaKesha pray during the ceremony and Sister Joyce offers them a blessing. Bottom, Sisters LaKesha and Mumbi with initial formation director Sister Joyce Langhals.

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Vocations

A reflection [Ed note: Sister Joyce Lehman shared this reflection at the Rite of Entrance to Novitiate for Sisters LaKesha Church and Mumbi Kigutha on Sept. 14.]

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he readings tonight speak to that precious, delicate and elegant dance that plays out in the act of call and response, of God leading the dance in first choosing us and then our response in choosing God. God alone knows the ultimate purpose for which we have been created. It is as though when God created us, God dreamed a dream, a dream of the very best person that we could be.

And then God gave us all the gifts we would need to live God’s dream into reality. Part of our life’s journey then is identifying those gifts and using them when and where needed. Thereby we become the dream God wills and we find our home in God. As the

prophet Jeremiah says: You will seek me… and find me when you seek me wholeheartedly. I will let you find me….”

Thus we dance that particular dance that God calls us to.

There are all kinds of dances: the polka, the waltz, the jig, the danza de venados, the cueca. In dancing the dance that is our lives, we sense at different times that God is leading us in the dance, and at other times we think we are doing the leading as we try to take control. Even then, God is just allowing us to think we are choosing the dance, leading the steps, and we soon learn to our chagrin who is the Dance Master.

In religious life this dance we are doing with God becomes a circle dance, as we dance with each other as well. Each one has her place and we are all together. Although we each have a uniqueness that is cherished, when we commit to this circle

Sister Bela Mis carries the cross during the ceremony welcoming Sisters LaKesha Church and Mumbi Kigutha into the novitiate. Dave Eck photo.

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dance, we occasionally need to alter our steps or adjust our personal tempo so that our movements connect, coincide, unite. Learning the dance is a process of total involvement.

We watch how those who have gone before us dance, and we learn how to incorporate our steps into that communal dance. When we miss a step, our Sisters help us get back in place. When in our exuberance or our confusion we spin outside the circle, our Sister’s arms reach out to us, inviting us back in. If we choose to dance only to our own rhythm or alone, the circle is impoverished by our absence and we recognize once again that it is God who leads and God’s plans are not always ours.

LaKesha and Mumbi, as you begin the novitiate journey you join this particular circle dance, the dance of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. During your canonical year you will have the opportunity to delve deep within yourself where God sits companionably with your true self, among the gifts God has prepared for you. You will come to know yourself in new and important ways, to recognize gifts you may not have known you possess, to be at peace in both silence and activity. Your novitiate is also the opportunity to make the acquaintance of the women whom you are choosing to companion and to have as your life-long dance partners, and who are choosing you.

While you are in the Novitiate you will have the time and space and silence to enter that

• The poverty that enables us to see all as gift and to give all as gift, • The chastity that frees us for the God search and enriches our relationships with others, and

• The obedience that pro duces a listening heart in order to recognize together the rhythm of God in those you are committed to, in those you serve and in the wisdom of the Church and the Scriptures.

We commit to the vows in a living community of relationships, a covenant of caring that includes supporting each other, celebrating and grieving with each other, and challenging each other, all so that we might be our best selves and give our best selves to God’s people.

The years in the Novitiate help you let go of the dance that you have danced before and learn the dance that God may be calling you to now.

It is a time of continued and deepened discernment. Luke’s gospel invites us to “take up our cross, every day and follow in my steps: If you would save your life, you will lose it, and if you would lose your life for my sake, you will save it.” To be a disciple, to follow in the footsteps of the Lord, is to dance the dance that Jesus danced, with all its joys, sorrows, hopes and dreams, right to the cross and beyond. If you can learn the rhythm, melody and harmony of our dance and it fits you, then we welcome you with open arms and recognize that your dancing with us will forever change us all – making this circle dance more deeply resemble the dance of eternal life. If, as the next two years progress, this does not fit, then you and we will understand that God is calling you elsewhere, to dance the dance that gives you life, wherever that might be.

Vocations

contemplative place where you will hear and learn and understand that particular rhythm of the Mystery of God, the beat that underlies the dance of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, and you will explore if your own God-given rhythm complements it. As you study our history and Our Way of Life, it will also be the place where the melody of our Precious Blood charism will animate you, and the harmony of our mission to proclaim God’s love by being a life-giving and reconciling presence in our world will bring fullness to your lives.

During your apostolic year you will have the opportunity with us to recognize and serve the lost, the forgotten, the excluded, the searching and bring to them the life-giving, reconciling love of Jesus who shed his Precious Blood for us. You will help them realize the joy of dancing to God’s rhythm in their lives.

As you discover, or rediscover, your place in ministry to God’s people, you will recognize and understand that you will be doing work that anyone else can do. It is not the work, the service, even the ministry that will define you as a religious, rather it is the life-form that you have discerned God calling you to and which, as you embrace it, will embrace you. This life-form is built on our commitment to living

C.PP.S. cross Sister Mary Lou Schmersal photo.

Tonight you formally enter the circle dance of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Know that our love, our support and our encouragement are with you.

Like a catechumen entering the Church, Lakesha’s and Mumbi’s entrance into the novitiate endows them with certain rights and responsibilities of the Sisters of the Precious Blood among which they may use the title Sister and they may wear the official insignia, the cross, of the Congregation.

Using the initials CPPS after their names and wearing the community ring will be granted at the time of first profession of vows.

Blessing of the Cross: Jesus our brother and companion, we thank you for the gift of yourself to us as signified by the total shedding of your blood. On this feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, we ask you to bless these crosses, which will be worn by LaKesha and Mumbi that in their wearing of them they will be blessed. May these crosses be a sign of our devotion to your redeeming love and to each other. We seek this blessing in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen  Fall 2016

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Cover Story

Living the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy [For more than 180 years, Sisters of the Precious Blood have touched people’s lives with acts of mercy.

Whether it’s in the classroom, the kitchen, the hospital, nursing homes or even prisons, our Sisters are dedicated to prayer and service. As the Jubilee Year of Mercy comes to a close, we share a few examples of how they carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy to which we are all called.]

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s a pastoral associate for 21 years Sister Rosemary (M. Jean Therese) Goubeaux had many opportunities to visit ill parishioners who were in the hospital or recovering at home.

Ministering to the sick was a release from office and administrative stress. It also prepared her well for what became a new ministry as a full-time chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton.

Sister Rosemary retired from Good Samaritan last year after 15 years, but she still volunteers there two days a week

ministering to cancer patients at the hospital’s outpatient unit or offering Communion to those in the main facility.

“I enjoy this so much. It’s so enriching,” Sister Rosemary said. “I always try to see each person as the face of Jesus and I trust they can hopefully recognize that in me, too.”

She brings a calming presence.

With a quiet voice and broad smile, she greets patients, doctors and staff, asking about their family or how they are feeling.

She often gets a smile - be it relief or comfort – in return.

At times patients will ask for a prayer or just want Sister Rosemary to sit with them and hold their hand. It’s a simple act of mercy that goes a long way.

During conversation stories are sometimes shared. Patients may recall an important moment in their lives that happened long ago, or they may simply ask for a prayer about one who is hurting. Moments of faith occur daily.

“A lot of it is listening,” Sister

On the cover, Sister Rosemary Goubeaux with patient Judy Dale at Good Samaritan North Hospital. Above, Sisters Adeline Mertz and Nancy Recker in Emma Hall at the Maria Joseph Center. Dave Eck photos

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Rosemary said. “I hear so many stories, many beautiful stories, so faith enriching. I feel blessed to be part of this holy journey.”

A listening ear and a listening heart are important characteristics in a chaplain. The ability to pray with and for others, figuring out their needs and having the courage to ask about prayer if patients don’t mention it themselves all play a role.

“I think people can tell when you’ve got this caring attitude,” Sister Rosemary said. “I want them to experience that I care about what they are going through. Just the fact that I listen to them and offer to pray with them touches their heart.”

For 40 years Sister Nancy (M. Rachel) Recker fed thousands of people as a dietician, but today she nourishes their spiritual side as the chaplain to the ill and elderly Precious Blood Sisters at Maria-Joseph Center in Dayton.

It all goes together, she says.

“When you work in dietary you’re feeding the physical body.

When you work in chaplaincy you work in the spiritual side,” she said. “It’s nourishment. You can’t feed one without the other.

You’re still giving life.”

As she moves through the corridor on the third floor of Emma Hall, Sister Nancy brings peace and calm. She’ll take a Sister’s hand to begin a conversation or reach out to those who need a comforting touch or a pat on the back.

In addition to a tender voice and a gentle demeanor, Sister Story by Dave Eck

Cover Story

Nancy’s most important trait is an ability to listen. Listening to someone share concerns or grief is the foundation of a trusting relationship.

“Listening is important because you can’t help others if you don’t listen and learn what their concerns are,” Sister Nancy said. “To me that’s a real work of mercy,” Sister Nancy said. “It’s a human element and we all need somebody who we trust. We all need somebody to talk to.”

A corporal work of Mercy calls us to visit the sick. Sisters and residents in Emma Hall know they can share their burdens with Sister Nancy, knowing she’ll walk with them.

“When you visit people you sit down and you find out who they are. You just get to know them a little bit as a person.”

In addition, Sister Nancy helps with liturgy, ensures residents are offered the sacraments and distributes communion to Precious Blood Sisters and other residents.

As a chaplain, she is encouraged by the Sisters’ faith.

She draws strength from them as they ease into their situations, embracing the next chapter of life.

“We’ve got some holy women on this floor. They inspire the heck out of me,” Sister Nancy said. “They’re teaching me to accept limitations.”

A native of Glandorf, Sister Nancy felt a call to religious life after eighth grade. She attended public high school in her freshman year, but the call persisted and she came to Precious Blood High School, the former aspirancy of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, as a sophomore.

Left, Sister Dorothy Kammerer. Sister Mary Lou Schmersal photo. Right, Sister Mary Ann Smith.

Archive photo.

“I never looked back,” she said. “I liked it.”

After formation she became a cook and eventually a registered dietician at several hospitals and Catholic institutions.

The ministry was particularly fulfilling because as a child Sister Nancy wanted to be a cook in a seminary so she could feed the men who provided the spiritual nourishment.

As she grew older, Sister Nancy felt a call to chaplain ministry. She was asked to volunteer as a hospital chaplain for a short period and enjoyed it. She received an internship at St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo and trained at Mercy Hospital in Tiffin, Ohio, before taking the position at Emma Hall.

Becoming a chaplain was an opportunity for new growth.

“Spiritually you keep growing and growing and growing,” she said. “You never stop. If you stop then you’re the loser because God keeps calling us to a different level, a deeper level. You just have to sit and listen to God.”

In the early 1980s, Precious Blood Sister Dorothy (M. Fidelia) Kammerer noticed a need for a place in Dayton where the less fortunate could enjoy hot, nutritious meals. She set out to fill it. With the support of area religious and social service organizations, Sister Dorothy secured a location, obtained tables and chairs, donations of food and other staples.

The newly formed House of Bread was ready to open.

The first meal of soup, sandwiches, canned fruit, cookies and coffee was served on Dec. 3, 1983. About 19 people showed up. As word of the lunches began to spread more people came and guests numbered in the hundreds. The location needed to be moved.

In a history of the House of Bread, Sister Dorothy writes of the many guests. Their stories were unique, but they all expressed their gratitude for Sister Dorothy and the volunteers who fed them day after day.

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Cover Story Sister Lou Ann Roof holds a chalk drawing from a former inmate at the Oakwood Correctional Faciliity. Michelle Bodine photo

Eventually, Sister Dorothy moved on to other ministries in Dayton and established The Other Place, a homeless shelter.

She died in 2011, but the House of Bread continues to feed the hungry and The Other Place now operates as Homefull.

Sister Mary Ann (M. Hiltrude Ann) Smith also reached out to those in need for 20 years through her work at Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley.

For 14 of those years she coordinated the agency’s emergency services operations. She started the Choice Food Pantry in Dayton, which continues to provide food to the needy in Dayton.

When she retired in 1988, she was recognized with a “Sister Mary Ann Smith Day” in Dayton and received a certificate of appreciation from the Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. She died in 1994.

As a therapist in Ohio prisons for 10 years, Sister Lou Ann (M. Charmaine) Roof tempered the rigors of rehabilitation with touches of mercy.

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There was the time in 1987 when an inmate at the Oakwood Correctional Facility, a psychiatric hospital in Lima, Ohio, expressed anxiousness with being incarcerated and wanted to run. Not wanting to see the man punished, Sister Lou Ann suggested that when frustrated he look out his window and visualize a place of peace, describing how she enjoyed the ocean. The inmate, grateful that Sister taught him how to cope with his situation, created a chalk drawing of an ocean scene on a piece of bedsheet and secretly tucked it in a box of Sister’s belongings when he helped her move to another office.

She recalls another man who had been released on parole and was having difficulty readjusting. The man’s family, concerned that he may violate parole and be sent back to prison, begged Sister Lou Ann to talk with him. After receiving permission from the warden, Sister had a conversation with the former inmate. Her reassurance calmed him.

To help families deal with a loved one being incarcerated, Sister would meet the inmate’s relatives at visiting times. It was important to her that she help keep families connected.

“I would go to the visiting room to share with the families,” she said. “That isolation from family was so difficult for inmates and for their families.”

A former teacher and principal who later worked as a parish pastoral associate, Sister Lou Ann began working with inmates when she was trying to heal. She had been betrayed by someone in a previous ministry and both of her parents had recently died. Those experiences helped her better relate to the inmates, some of whom also felt betrayal.

“I was able to touch their lives,” said Sister Lou Ann. “I think that’s why God called me there.”

Sister never expected to minister in a prison, but when the opportunity came she was determined to work in rehabilitation, not corrections. During firearms training in her job orientation, she prayed that she would shoot well enough to pass, but not so well that she would be put on a squad that chased escapees.

Soon she settled into the challenging prison environment.

“My background in teaching and education gave me the skills to organize, create and make things positive,” she said. “Some people walked around and had no idea what to do with these guys.”

Working with inmates helped Sister Lou Ann heal. With the encouragement of a local priest, she began to pray for the man who had wronged her. He

When the United States was attacked in September 2001, a social studies teacher at a local high school brought a senior level class to the school library to watch the television broadcast. Sister Mary Ellen (M. Genesius) Lampe, the librarian, sensed a growing fear and pain experienced by the students.

She began to reach out.

“It was an opportunity to assure them that while they were witnessing a terrible act, others were working for their safety. While the act was morally wrong and a tragedy, they need not fear for their lives and their families.” Sister Mary Ellen said, “No matter what else one is doing, at times like that there is an opportunity to share mercy or compassion.”

Throughout her ministry as a teacher, librarian and, currently, a tutor at the Brunner Literacy Center, Sister Mary Ellen has treasured these moments. Sometimes there were quiet, one-on-one talks with students who were grieving losses. Sometimes it meant reaching out to students who were struggling to reach their academic potential. Always it was striving to encourage all

students to develop and acknowledge the uniqueness of their own gifts and to rejoice in them.

While studying for her Master of Library Science degree at then Rosary College in Illinois, Sister Mary Ellen also worked part-time in the college library.

One evening a beleaguered freshman asked for help in putting together her first term paper. Together the student and Sister began with developing a statement, identifying resources, adopting a method for note taking, outlining, etc. About a month later, the student reported, “Sister, we got an A on that paper we did! Will you help me with another one?” Of course, Sister said, but this time the student would take the lead.

“That is where one gets the sense that this has really been a wonderful experience for both of us," Sister Mary Ellen said. "She learned a lot and I had the joy of knowing she succeeded and that she was confident and enthusiastic about trying it again.”

It was precisely the opportunity to research an endless va-

riety of subjects with students having a variety of interests and abilities that initially attracted Sister Mary Ellen to the field of Information Science. A librarian is uniquely positioned to assist others in developing foundational skills for lifelong learning. Students are taught where to find information and how to evaluate sources for accuracy and reliability.

When Sister Mary Ellen decided to enter the convent after graduating from Regina High in Norwood, Ohio, it came as quite a shock to family and friends. After all, Mary Ellen had been working part-time at the local public library and had her undergraduate courses and masters program in library science already planned.

God had other plans, but Sister Mary Ellen is grateful that she has been able to incorporate her preferred career choice into her service to Christ and His people, her ministry.

“It’s very interesting to see how God works in your life,” Sister Mary Ellen said. “The focus of my evolving spirituality is to remain open to however God wants to use me.” 

Sister Mary Ellen Lampe in the courtyard at Salem Heights. Michelle Bodine photo

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Cover Story

ended up losing his career and co-workers. He had no living family members and was alone.

She felt sorry for him.

Eventually, her anger faded.

“Something happened inside of me where I could no longer hold grudges against him,” she said. “And once the grudge was gone, I felt peace.”

Looking back, Sister Lou Ann is grateful for the opportunities God has given her to be merciful.

In Brief Sister Mary E. Wendeln, second from right, protests the "Voter Purge" at the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Photo used with permission from Cincinnati.com/Cara Owsley.

Sister Mary E. (Dolores Marie) Wendeln joined two dozen other sisters from Cincinnati who attended a Hamilton County, Ohio, Board of Elections meeting on Sept. 13 and urged the board to stop removing voters who have not participated in elections for several years from voter rolls.

ministry appear prominently in campaign posts and news stories.

In addition to raising awareness of Catholic sisters, the campaign highlights key findings of a 2015 research study of Americans’ perception of Catholic sisters. The research showed: • Twenty-five percent of Catholic women have considered becoming a sister; • Forty-two percent of Americans believe most sisters wear habits; • Twenty-one percent of Americans think sisters live in seclusion; • More than a third of Americans want to learn more about Catholic sisters; • Sisters are highly respected, but remain a mystery to most Americans.

Global Sisters Report, America magazine and Aleteia.org have carried articles about Sister to All. The research study and the Sister to All campaign were funded by the Conrad Hilton Foundation.

Sister Joanne Belloli in Howell, Mich. Rich Kalonick photo

Catholic sisters do amazing work ministering to those on the margins of society.

That’s one of the key messages in an initiative to raise awareness of Catholic sisters’ lives, ministries and the role they have in the world.

The Sister to All campaign was based on social media until Sept. 17. The #SistertoAll hashtag identifies campaign posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The initiative website can be found at sistertoall.org.

Precious Blood Sister Joanne (M. Annata) Belloli is one of six sisters from across the United States featured in the project for her work as a substance abuse/mental illness counselor at Livingston Catholic Charities in Howell, Mich.

Photos of Sister Joanne and an article about her 12

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Sister Margie Zureick with her Citation of Appreciation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Dave Eck photo

Sister Margie (M. Loretta Rose) Zureick was recognized by the Kentucky House of Representatives on Aug. 30 for 60 years of religious life and 32 years of ministry as a pastoral associate and outreach coordinator in rural eastern Kentucky during five separate assignments. A native of Cincinnati, Sister Margie helped establish the only Catholic parish in Wolfe County and later opened a laundromat in Elkhorn City, Ky. She also ministered in McKee, Berea and Beattyville. 

News

Memories of service trips to Elkhorn City

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here were plenty of laughs July 18 as several parishioners from the Church of the Annunciation in Shelbyville,Ky., visited Sister Margie Zureick at Salem Heights in Dayton.

For much of the afternoon, the visitors reminisced about the service trips they made to St. Joseph the Worker Mission in Elkhorn City, Ky., where Sister Margie was pastoral associate. Several times a year for nearly a decade they would load up tools and supplies for the four-hour drive to Elkhorn City. Sister Margie was always waiting with a list of projects.

Over the next two or three days they would do everything from building a wall in someone’s home to fixing floors to helping clean the mission church. They even obtained a Braille machine for a blind women who was a lector at the mission. There was plenty of work, but also lots of socialization as they bonded with Sister Margie and the residents of Elkhorn City in one of the poorest corners of the state.

Sister Margie retired and moved to Dayton in 2014 and the mission church closed, but the memories of service trips to Elkhorn City came alive in the Salem Heights dining room.

Over a leisurely lunch, Sister Margie, who remains in contact with her former parishioners, shared the latest news.

The group recalled some of their more back-breaking

Top, a group of parishioners from the Church of the Annunciation in Shelbyville, Ky. visited Sister Margie Zureick at Salem Heights July 18. The parishioners worked with Sister Margie during service trips to her previous ministry at St. Joseph the Worker mission in Elkhorn City, Ky. From left standing, Bill Horn, Jeanne Horn, Renie Zimmerman, Ben Zimmerman, Deacon Bob Hart and Kathy Hart. Sitting, Sister Margie. Bottom, St. Joseph the Catholic worker closed in 2014.

projects, like working on roofs.

Chuckling, Ben Zimmerman remembered how during one project he and Sister Margie sneaked away to watch a University of Kentucky basketball game on television. UK was losing, so Sister Margie put on a UK shirt and the Wildcats

came back to win.

The visit ended with lots of hugs and a promise to stay in touch. Though Sister Margie has settled into a new chapter in life, her Kentucky roots are forever strong.  Story and photos by Dave Eck

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News

Sisters of the Precious Blood hold peace event at Salem Heights

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he planting of a little white pine tree on the grounds of Salem Heights, the Sisters of the Precious Blood central house in Dayton, on Sept. 17 dealt a large symbolic blow to violence in the community and around the world.

As part of the planting, Sisters joined peace advocates and Trotwood city officials to bury the remnants of a destroyed handgun. In a ceremony full of symbolism, Guy Jones of Five Rivers Chautauqua and a member of the Lakota Nation of Native Americans burned incense as musician John DeBoer played the Native American flute. Precious Blood Sister Judy Niday led the group of about 40 in prayer, followed by the burying of the cut-up pieces of a shiny, silver weapon

by Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson and restored citizen Derrick Patrick.

In collaboration with PEACE DAYton and Five Rivers Chautauqua, the ceremony was one of 40 events held Sept. 12-29 as an outgrowth of the United Nations International Day for Peace, celebrated annually on Sept. 21.

The day started in the Salem Heights chapel as Sister Joyce Lehman welcomed the visitors by explaining that the Sisters chose the name for their home because they wanted it to be place of peace. The Congregation’s mission is to proclaim God’s love by being a reconciling, life-giving presence in today’s fractured world.

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Top, Trotwood Mayor Mary McDonald. Bottom, Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson holds the pieces of the cut-up handgun to be buried with the white pine.

“That’s what the Sisters do here,” Sister Joyce said. “They pray for the needs of the world in order that justice might be established so that peace can reign in this world.”

In her remarks, Trotwood Mayor Mary McDonald reflected on the need for peace not only in our communities,

but across the world.

“I think about the peace that’s needed for the people in this land. I think about the decisions that I make to enhance the peace and the life of love and the abundance that I’d like Story by Dave Eck; photos by Michelle Bodine

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to have happen for my family,” she said. “Today being a part of this event is a huge honor.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with each and every one of us. That’s our call.”

The white pine was chosen to represent peace, Jones explained, because the tree’s top four branches are equidistant to each other, yet they all tie to the trunk. We see the same in creation with the four stages of life, four Gospels and four seasons - all of which stem from our Creator.

Likewise, humans need to extend a hand and connect with each other.

“We’re going to put away the violence, Jones said. “Let’s all take a vow to live a good life, a peaceful life.”

The event ended with a breaking of bread in the Salem Heights dining room with a blessing led by Sister Marita Beumer. In a final gesture, people at each table broke off a section of bread and shared it with each other.

The previous day a peace pole was permanently installed at Salem Heights to continue the promotion of peace in our community and around the world. The phrase “May peace prevail on earth” is written in eight different languages on the pole: English, German, Spanish, Lusiño, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese and Hebrew. The languages were chosen because they are becoming more widely used around the globe.  Top, Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson and restored citizen Derrick Patrick bury the cut-up pieces of the handgun with the white pine. Middle, musician John DeBoer plays the Native American flute during the ceremony. Bottom, participants gather around the Peace Pole.

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News

St. Pius X School names scholarship in honor of Sister Nadine Kaschalk

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ister Nadine Kaschalk had no idea why Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father David Whalen, pastor of St. Pius X parish in Toledo, was calling her when she picked up the phone last fall.

After all, Sister Nadine didn’t even know the priest and it had been 22 years since she worked at the parish school, first as a teacher and later as principal.

Then Father Whalen asked if he could set up an annual scholarship in Sister Nadine’s name. It got her attention.

“It meant a lot,” she said.

The scholarship will be given to a parishioner at St. Pius X who is going into the eighth grade at the parish school, Father Whalen said. The award will be given based on financial need. The amount of the scholarship will be dependent on investment earnings, but the goal is to award $500 annually.

Chase Oukley received the inaugural scholarship at the 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass on Aug. 14. Sister Nadine attended the Mass and met the boy.

“He was all smiles,” she said. “I was honored and pleased that they offered it in my name and pleased they were having a scholarship started for the students. I was glad to hear the good Catholic education that was started was still going on.”

The scholarship was funded by two anonymous donors, former parishioners, who asked that the mon- Sister Nadine Kaschalk and St. Pius X School eighth grader ey be used in honor Chase Okuley, the inaugural scholarship recipient of the Sister Nadine Kaschalk scholarship. Contributed photo of Sister Nadine.

“They were connected to the parish when Sister “I found it to be a very good Nadine was here as principal,” place to work. The teachers Father Whalen said. “They felt were well-prepared, loved the very close to her when she was kids. The parents were supprincipal and respected what portive and cooperated and she did with their children.” the pastor worked with us in Sister Nadine taught second the school,” she said. “I have grade at the school from 1981fond memories.”  84 and was then principal Story by Dave Eck until 1992.

Paper pumpkins The Sisters living at Salem Heights celebrated the beginning of fall by making paper pumpkins under the direction of Kim Jaynes, activities director. There was plenty of laughing and socialization as they went about their craft.

Clockwise from middle, Kim Jaynes (standing), Sisters Laura Will, Mary Anne Schiller, Maureen Mangen, Mary Ellen Andrisin and Lou Ann Roof. Michelle Bodine photo

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Sisters visit Huffman Prairie site in Dayton

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appy 100th anniversary to the US National Parks! To celebrate, our Sisters visited Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center in Dayton. From 1904-05, Wilbur and Orville Wright used the field to perfect controlled flight. Located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Huffman Prairie was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.  Story by Dave Eck; photos by Kim Jaynes

Clockwise from top, Sisters Lou Ann Roof, Charlene Heidenreich, Laura Will and Ellie McNally view Huffman Prairie. Standing in front of the monument, from left, Sisters Laura Will, Lou Ann Roof, Ellie McNally, Charlene Heidenreich and Rosemary Lindemann. Sister Laura Will watches a video at the park.

Happy Birthday 5 9 12 12 14 22 23

NOVEMBER

Rae Marie Ratermann Rita Yahl Angeline Hoffman Maria Luisa Miller Charmaine Grilliot Ann Catherine Merkle Anna Maria Sanders

1 2 2 8 8 25 27 31 31

DECEMBER

Barbara Brown Berenice Janszen Eleanor McNally Mary Garke Patricia Will Dolorosa Oen Gerri McGeorge Ritamary Bulach Donna Liette

2 6 8 10 12 17 17 18 19 29

JANUARY

Anne Schulz Nancy Raley Joanella Whaley Pat Gist Madonna Ratermann Katie Lett Cecilia Taphorn Mary Anne Schiller Carolyn Hoying Rosemary Lindemann Fall 2016

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News

Salem Heights hosts discussion on racism

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screening of the documentary 2012 “Slavery

by Another Name” was the catalyst for a community discussion on racism July 21 at Salem Heights.

More than 30 Dayton-area residents joined about a dozen Precious Blood Sisters to view the documentary and discuss how the issue is relevant today. The documentary details how African-Americans continued to be bound in slavery in the Deep South following the Emancipation Proclamation through such means as convict labor.

The event was sponsored by the Sisters of the Precious Blood and Weavers of Justice, a collaborative of parishes and Catholic organizations to address social justice issues in Dayton. The collaborative has made racism and antidiscrimination in the community one of its areas of focus this year. Other screenings

Attendees view the 2012 documentary "Slavery by Another Name" in Grace Hall at Salem Heights.

and similar conversations on racism will occur through the region.

“I think people left with a renewed sense of developing good relations and taking some action on the issue of racism,” said Pam Long, regional director of the Catholic Social Action Office of the

Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

“For many people in the audience who are Caucasian this was a new bit of history that they weren’t aware of. For others who are African-American this was a history that their families lived.” 

specialist) on the death of her husband Fred, Oct. 16.

Jerry Schmitmeyer, brother of our deceased Sister Dorothy Schmitmeyer, Oct. 26 Mary Rita Fischbach, sister of deceased Sister Vivian Hageman, Oct. 24 Deceased Sister Angela Therese Ballard's sister, JoAnne Kathleen Hueing, sister of deceased Sister Evelyn Mon-

nin, July 29 Mary Arkenberg, formerly Sister Ann Bernadine Beverly Nay, formerly Sister M. Nola, Aug. 8 James Monnin, brother of deceased Sister Teresa Monnin and former Sister M. Lucy Monnin, Sept. 4 Janice Huelskamp, sister-inlaw of Sisters Luella and Alma Huelskamp, Sept. 26

Story and photo by Dave Eck

In Sympathy Former member Brenda Hilger on the death of her sisterin-law Sister Marita Beumer on the death of her brother-in-law, Fred Rose, Aug. 11 Sister Patty Kremer on the death of her sister, Joanne, Sept. 16

Remembering Sheree Neumann (benefits 18

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January 1928 — October 9, 2016

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esurrection liturgy for Sister Margaret Morris was held at Salem Heights Chapel in Dayton on Thursday, Oct. 13. Margaret, 88, had been a Sister of the Precious Blood for 68 years.

Born in Dunkirk, Ind. in Jan. 1928, Margaret Lucille was the older of two children to James L. and Helen P. (Schick) Morris. At the age of 18 she desired to serve God and help others in His name and formally entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood on Nov. 17, 1946. In religion she was given the name Sister Mary DePorres and later returned to her baptismal name.

After teaching grade school children for one year in Fort Wayne, Ind., and two years in Mesa, Ariz., Sister spent the next 15 years as Assistant Sacristan at Salem Heights in Dayton.

From 1967-78 she ministered as Sacristan at

Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her Community then called her to serve three years at the retreat house in Maria Stein, Ohio. From 1981-87 she served at Salem Heights as sacristan and baked altar bread at MariaJoseph Center. Sister’s calm and reverent demeanor in the sanctuary always gave evidence of her deep respect for the Divine Presence and her love for Jesus.

Through the years Sister Margaret served in other capacities within her ministries: organist, catechist, and service to the elderly poor.

In 2000 Margaret retired to Salem Heights.

With the deterioration of her health, Sister moved to the Maria-Joseph Center for the extra care needed in September, 2016.

Sister Margaret is survived by her Precious Blood Community of Sisters, her sister, Dorothy (Don) Nipp and many close cousins.

Interment took place in the Salem Heights Cemetery.

Sister Mary Barbara (M. Madeleva) Agnew April 1925 — October 8, 2016

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esurrection liturgy for Sister M. Barbara Agnew was held at the Salem Heights Chapel in Dayton, on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Barbara, 91, had been a Sister of the Precious Blood

for 67 years.

Born in April 1925 in Dayton, Mary Barbara was the older of three children to Walter I. and Marie K. (Weiser) Agnew. On Feb. 2, 1949 at the age of 23, she formally entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. In religious life she was given the name of Sister Mary Madeleva and later returned to using her baptismal name.

After graduating from college she taught one year in the Cincinnati Public Schools before entering the convent. She continued her teaching career mainly on high school level in Cleveland, Wapakoneta, and Cincinnati.

After earning her master’s and a doctorate of philosophy, Sister Barbara was awarded two grants in 1976 to study at two notable divinity

schools. She wrote numerous articles for various publications, and delivered many papers on various aspects of theology. She loved to read a variety of newspapers and journals and interact with others in discussion on topics of theology and Church issues.

At Pennsylvania’s Villanova University, Barbara ministered in the Theology Department in teaching, writing and doing research as a theologian and faculty member. After her retirement in 1999 Sister ministered in parish faith formation, in literacy training in city prisons and working in a residence of formerly homeless men and women.

She continued her retirement in Dayton at Salem Heights. Barbara moved to Cypress Pointe in September 2016 due to declining health.

Sister Barbara is survived by her Precious Blood Community of Sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her sisters, Edith (Agnew) Roat and Precious Blood Sister Anne Agnew.

Interment took place in the Salem Heights Cemetery.

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In Memoriam

Sister Margaret (M. DePorres) Morris

4000 Denlinger Road Dayton, OH 45426-2399

Congratulations, Sister Dolorosa Oen

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ongratulations to Sister Dolorosa Oen, who is celebrating her 80th jubilee this year. At age 103, Sister Dolorosa is the oldest member of the Congregation.

Sister's milestone anniversary was recognized on October 7 during Mass and lunch. Several of her family members joined Precious Blood Sisters in honoring Sister Dolorosa during the meal.  Story by Dave Eck Right, novice Sister Bela Mis, our youngest member, with Sister Dolorosa; Sister Patty Kremer photo. Inset below, Sister Dolorosa celebrates with her family at Salem Heights; Michelle Bodine photo.

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