Sharing & Caring Fall 2023

Sharing & Caring Volume 33 Number 3 • Fall 2023 Sisters of the Precious Blood • Dayton, Ohio www.preciousbloodsistersdayton.org

A Summer of Celebration

From the President’s Desk

Summer celebrations!

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ow, was everyone busy this summer!

There was the culmination of the months of preparation for our nearly weeklong Assembly, where we set our directions for the next four years and elected the Sisters who would lead us in this stage of our journey. That gathering was bookended by the celebration of Sisters’ jubilees and their years of service to God’s people, and by the profession of first vows of one of the women discerning to join us in her commitment to be one of those serving God in the Church and the world in the future. There were, of course, the civic holidays of the Fourth of July and the “unofficial end of summer,” Labor Day. We definitely kept our staff at Salem Heights busy preparing and cleaning up as our Sisters from Chile, Guatemala, California and the other states in between joined us for many of these events. We owe the Salem Heights staff a real debt of gratitude, along with all our other staff and Sister volunteers for all their preparations along with making everyone feel at home and anticipating their needs.

Family reunions, parish festivals, school alumni get-togethers, and community picnics are all important to maintain connections that feed our souls and make it possible to return to what can easily become the humdrum of daily life. Recalling our stories of growing up with siblings, at the same time watching children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren 2

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interact and play, blends past and present and can fill us with joy and gratitude for the gift of life so easily muted with the concerns of the day-to-day.

Gathering with others who are part of our larger “family” can also trigger gratitude, joy, expectation and energy.

These celebrations for us Sisters are just as important in helping us rejoice in the Lord, helping us remember who we are and Whose we are, and helping us be energized so we can continue to engage fully in the mission God has entrusted to us. They allow us to step out of ordinary time to enjoy each other’s company, to celebrate our common past and anticipate a common future. The Jubilee celebration allowed us to honor our Sisters who were, incredibly, celebrating 80, 75 and 60 years of vowed service to God’s people and to the building up of our own communion together. The first profession of vows of Sister Juliana Wuur gave us the opportunity to dream of a future filled with hope, the hope that our mission and ministry will continue through the brave women joining us at a time in history where the future feels unsure and a bit scary, as it seems so very few are answering the call to religious life.

As one of the new leadership team called forth to guide the Congregation for the next four years, I see the tasks ahead of us as both daunting and exciting.

There is no lack of confidence in the God who first called each of us to this life. While the

world around us is undeniably not as it used to be, we recognize that it doesn’t mean God is not still calling, still has a place in the Church and the world for women and men consecrated to the vowed life. How those who come after us will live out that life will definitely look very different from how we lived it in our time. Indeed, the world in which they will live out their vows is already radically unlike the community Mother Maria Anna Brunner founded 189 years ago.

So as we venture into the unknown, we need to continue to create times of celebration, of stepping out of the ordinary to touch and be touched by the ExtraOrdinary One who invites and celebrates with us, the God who gives us all we need and Who goes forth with us into the mystery ahead. 

Sister Joyce Lehman President, Sisters of the Precious Blood

I

n 2017, Sister Mumbi Kigutha met some new Daytonians from Congo.

Sister Mumbi is from Kenya, east of Congo. Sister Mumbi and the new Daytonians soon realized that they shared similar cultures, language and food. They all missed old favorites like African eggplant!

So Sister Mumbi collaborated with Rumenge Mbonigaba and others to start a community garden on a farming field that the Congregation owned.

After years of ups and downs, this year the Dayton Organic Farming Community Garden has been a bountiful success.

The gardeners, the Congregation’s maintenance department, God’s Garden of Eatin’, St. Gabriel Family of Parishes Youth Group, Jerry Rowe (a farmer friend of the Congregation) and Five Rivers MetroParks have all contributed to the harvest.

An above-ground water tank was installed. African eggplant seeds were ordered and started. The shed was relocated and rebuilt. The field was plowed.

Then the field was tilled. The

Established in 1989, Sharing & Caring is published quarterly by the Sisters of the Precious Blood, Dayton, Ohio, to communicate news of the Congregation and 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 communications coordinator.

plants and seeds were planted. Water was purchased.

Baby plants were watered.

Hay was purchased. Weeds were pulled. Weeds were pulled again. Weeds are always being pulled. (This is an organic garden!) And finally, the harvest began. Food was harvested and shared. We are so grateful.

Community gardens are one way that the Sisters are living out Pope Francis’ call in Laudato Si. People gathering together and growing fresh, organic vegetables in our community — what a wonderful gift and celebration of our earth. But it’s not just about growing the food locally, without chemicals, and caring for creation — it’s also about feeding the soul. But we cannot accomplish that alone. We are a Eucharistic people. So we always seek to work together as one family in Christ, as the people of God from every corner of the world.  Story and photos by Jen MorinWilliamson

Peace, Justice & Ecology

Continuing this good work in Dayton: Dayton Organic Farming Community Garden

Top, the field being tilled in May; second, the above-ground water tank; third, Rumenge inspects the harvest with Sisters Jeanette Buehler, Judy Kroeger, Patty Kremer, another volunteer and Sheree Neumann.

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.

phone: (937) 715-9580 email: mbodine@cppsadmin.org

Layout and Design Michelle Bodine, Communications Coordinator

Progressive Printers Inc., Dayton, Ohio

Editorial Content Mary Knapke, Communications Assistant

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

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Contributing writers: Sarah Aisenbrey, Archivist; Jen Morin-Williamson, Peace, Justice & Ecology Coordinator; Teri Iverson, Vocation Ministry Coordinator

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Vocations

Meet our new Vocation Ministry Coordinator

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he Congregation recently welcomed Teri Iverson to the role of vocation ministry coordinator.

Iverson grew up in Valley City, North Dakota. She was active in her faith as a member of the Lutheran church, serving throughout her school years as a choir member, lector, usher, Vacation Bible School helper, youth group president and more.

She was also very involved in SEARCH, a Catholic peer-led retreat program.

“SEARCH was very influential in my faith journey and where I first felt stirrings about joining the Catholic Church.

The more I learned, the more I was enamored,” Iverson said.

“In fact, I chose my college, Concordia College — a private Lutheran liberal arts college — in hopes it would ‘cure’ me

of wanting to become Catholic. It did not!” She completed RCIA and joined the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil in 1989.

Iverson earned a B.A. in psychology and a B.A. in mass communications and went on to serve as a youth minister for the next three decades, at St. John the Evangelist in Grafton, North Dakota; St. Joseph in Moorhead, Minnesota; St. Benedict of Wild Rice in Horace, North Dakota; and St. John the Baptist in Tipp City, Ohio.

“It was a fabulous 30 years, and I enjoyed so much of ministry — especially service opportunities and summer mission trips. I loved watching all the students grow in their faith and realizing how fortunate they are,” Iverson said.

Most recently, she managed a local retail store but said she

missed serving in a ministry role. “I missed being surrounded by faith-filled people, and I missed feeling like I was making a difference,” she said.

“I prayed for God to make the path clear; I prayed for the Holy Spirit to lead me where I was supposed to go; and I prayed to have the courage to follow. And here I am!” 

Enjoying each season of life

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ummer is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it … the colorful flowers, the sudden thunderstorms, the smell of fresh cut grass, the endless sunshine and many cookouts.

The September days remind me that summer’s days are soon to be memories and fall is coming. I enjoy the cool, crisp fall days … colorful views, the crunch of leaves, the smell of bonfires and pumpkins. What I don’t love is the dread of what comes after fall. Winter is my least favorite season … perhaps it’s spending the first 40 years of my life in North Dako4

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ta. I dislike the cold, the snow that oftentimes forces plans to change, the lack of sunshine — and from the moment winter starts, I find myself counting the days until spring.

I wonder how often I look at life that way. When times are good … my heart feels like summer … sunshiney, joyful, exciting. When times are difficult, my heart feels cold, gray, dull. And oftentimes I find myself dreading (fall) or anticipating (spring) what’s to come rather than enjoying where I am and what I’m doing. Instead of accepting times of “grayness” as “bad” things,

how about if I see them as opportunities for growth? Instead of dreading an upcoming task or issue, I can turn those things over to God, who sees my whole life and knows where I’m being led. Instead of anticipating good things, I can stop and enjoy exactly where I am and exactly what I’m doing. Instead of dreading and despising and anticipating with anxiety, I can trust God to bring me those “summer” moments all year long. I bet if I did that, I’d appreciate all the seasons of life a whole lot more!  Story by Teri Iverson

W

hat a surprise! I was delighted to welcome David Bird and his wife Mary when they came to Salem Heights for a visit last May. When I was teaching and putting on plays at Regina High School in Norwood, Ohio, I had featured David in the lead male role in Brigadoon in 1962 and then in My Fair

Lady in 1965. After graduation, he attended Xavier University in Cincinnati and then became a lawyer.

He and his wife now live in Fulton, Maryland. David and I had not seen each other in years, so it was good to see him again. We took lots of pictures and shared many memories. I enjoyed their visit very much. 

News

Visitors from Fulton, Maryland

Story by Sister Berenice Janszen

Letter to the Editor

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rread with great interest your opening letter in the most recent edition of Sharing & Caring. I was most pleased to read your comment about younger priests seeking to celebrate liturgy the old way, i.e., in Latin and backs to the wall. As a convert, I never knew the pre-Vatican II liturgy.

What a great comment and I heartily agree with Sister Edna.

Reading the rest of the publication, I see what marvelous work the Sisters are doing around the country and caring for our planet. The articles on EVs and “The Front Porch” show me how vital your ministries and work continue to be.

Our good friend Sister Vera Heile attended many of our Dignity/Dayton liturgies, and her passion for revoking the

death penalty was infectious.

We knew Vera made things happen. And, she was a Precious Blood Sister.

It has been said that “the Nuns will Save the Church” ... keep throwing out the life preservers, Sisters!  Richard Young and Robert Butts Kettering, OH

Happy Birthday In each issue of Sharing & Caring we recognize the birthdays of the Sisters of the Precious Blood.

Congratulations to the Sisters celebrating fall and winter birthdays.

8 10 11 12 16 22 1 3 13 17

SEPTEMBER

Nadine Kaschalk Mi-Kyoung Hwang Florence Seifert Noemí Flores Della Mae Meyer Rita Rogier

OCTOBER

Marie Kopin Beverly Bodnar Teresa Maher Patricia Kremer

5 12 23 1 2 8 22 27 31

NOVEMBER

Rae Marie Ratermann Angeline Hoffman Anna Maria Sanders

DECEMBER

Barbara Brown Berenice Janszen Mary Garke LaKesha Church Gerri McGeorge Donna Liette

10 12 15 17 17 19 29

JANUARY

Pat Gist Madonna Ratermann Pauline Siesegh Catherine Lett Cecilia Taphorn Carolyn Hoying Rosemary Lindemann

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Ministry

Update from Guatemala Sister Joyce Kahle and Sister Terry Walter are co-directors of Casa Sofia, our residence for university students in Guatemala City. Sister Joyce recently sent joyful updates from their ministry there.

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e enjoyed seeing three of our students graduate last spring with beautiful ceremonies and fun celebrations!

Berna (Bernandina) graduated from the Universidad Rafael Landívar in Antigua on March 28 with a technical degree in nursing, and nursing with an orientation in primary care. This is similar to an RN degree in the States. Berna continues her work in an outpatient dental hospital.

The next student to graduate was Lety (Berta Leticia) from the Universidad Rafael Landívar in Guatemala City on April 15 with a licenciada or degree in theology. She was surprised at the graduation when she received special recognition for graduating cum laude at the top of her class. Here in Guatemala, college graduates have a sponsor who has a degree in the same field. In Berna’s situation, the same faculty members were sponsors for all the graduates, but for Lety’s class, a person with the same degree could sponsor them. So Sister Terry was Lety’s sponsor since she also has a degree in theology. Sister Terry accompanied Lety up on the stage and had the honor of placing her cap on her head. Lety continues studying chiropractic, sees 6

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some clients for medical massage, and is beginning to teach 8- and 9-year-old children in a Catholic school to prepare them for their First Communion.

Sindy graduated from the University of San Carlos on April 27 with a licenciada in social work. Her practicum was with an area in the department of Jutiapa called

Lagunilla, about three hours from the capital. Her thesis also included a project in which she helped get funding to bring potable water to the people in that area. The people themselves secured funding for most of the materials and they provided all the labor, Story by Sister Joyce Kahle

Ministry Opposite page, top, Berna with Sisters Terry and Joyce; bottom, Lety with Sisters Joyce and Terry, outside on campus. This page, above left, Sister Terry places the graduation cap on Lety's head; above right, Sindy and her mother with with Sisters Terry and Joyce; contributed photos.

but the Sisters of the Precious Blood donated money for the larger water pump to bring the water uphill to the water tank which would provide water for several villages.

The University of San Carlos graduates each received their cap and gown from their sponsor and director, took their oath as social workers and signed the register. The director of the social work department spoke personally to each graduate about their thesis. She praised Sindy’s work and dedication to going beyond the requirements for her practicum, staying in contact with the leaders in that area, visiting them after the COVID travel restrictions were lifted, and advocating for them to help their dream of a water project become a reality. We were all very proud of her. Terry and I were in tears. The project was

completed and dedicated last nate malnutrition and hunmonth. ger, especially in children.

Then each graduate had a She does home visits in rural few minutes to express their areas to gather information on thanks, and Sindy included the nutritional status of each the Sisters of the Precious family and, if needed, to conBlood for the opportunity to nect them to agencies for food live at Casa Sofia and conassistance. Although the work tinue her studies at Sister Terry was Lety’s sponsor since the Univershe also has a degree in theology. sity. (More tears!) Sindy Sister Terry accompanied Lety up is an active on the stage and had the honor of member of placing her cap on her head. the board of our nonprofit association, which is hard and requires walking includes Casa Sofía and the up and down dirt paths on the Center of Formation in San hillsides, sometimes long disRaymundo, the school that tances in rain or sun, to reach Sister Mary Faye Hellman the homes, Sindy loves meetstarted years ago. Since her ing the people and being a graduation, Sindy was hired part of reducing the high rate to work with a team of social of hunger in Guatemala. workers in the Department Needless to say, Terry and I of Chiquimula, where she is are very proud of our gradufrom, on a project to elimiates!  Fall 2023

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Ministry

Images of hope

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ather David Kelly, CPPS, executive director of the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago, once wrote: “We must create communities of hope where we recognize that our lives are intertwined with one other and that what affects one, affects us all.

This ethos — the interconnectedness of all — is at the heart of our spirituality that calls us to be ambassadors of reconciliation.”

As you know, our Front Porch Community Healing Center opened this past November, and it has brought many curious neighbors inside to see how the old community grocery and liquor store has been transformed. [See the Spring 2023 issue of Sharing & Caring for an article about The Front Porch.]

The first few months were wonderful welcoming new friends inside, but something was missing. The space is beautiful, but those white cinder block walls were stark and colorless! So we called on our artist instructor, Alberto Alaniz, and a youth artist, Kathleen Ilarraza (the “granddaughter” of Father Kelly), and creative energies emerged!

A mural team of youth and staff gathered, sharing ideas and sketches and began designing the layout. Alberto reflected on the initial brainstorming process: “Love, hospitality, hope, healing and a strong sense of community were important expressions 8

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of what the team felt PBMR stood for in this community and what our mural should give voice and challenge to in these dire times,” he said.

So the design incorporates both the pain of loss and the hope of a new day, of woundedness and hands open to forgiveness and healing, of the tree of life and the balloons flying high, remembering loved ones lost to violence!

Alberto added: “The skyline became a source of light, represented Youth artists paint the mural; Holly O’Hara photo. by candles, shinI feel so happy and blessed ing core values into a city in to have had this opportunity need of healing.” The little to work on this collaborative children in the mural embrace project.” one another, knowing darkAnd Janell Gosa, PBMR ness and death yet looking youth, wrote: “Art is somewith hope at the light for a thing that makes you breathe new city as they move into with a different kind of haptheir future. piness.” She was there at the As I spoke with some of the beginning, saw the value of youth artists after they comkeeping together with the projpleted this amazing mural, ect and can now celebrate the you could feel the impact this success of the masterpiece! had on them as they splashed paint, shared stories and watched their work tell of the Story by Sister Donna Liette, FamPBMR mission of LOVE! ily Forward program coordinator Kathleen reflected: “Art is a at the Precious Blood Ministry of way for me to heal, and I hope Reconciliation. This article origithis mural can help others in nally appeared at pbmr.org. Used the community feel similarly. with permission.

Another mother said how she loved the big heart in the mural, for she sees LOVE as the only answer to the darkness, the violence, the disunity, the “broken-heartedness of our people.”

Another neighbor caught one of the hidden words — EMBRACE — and she said, “That says it all for me — I see the children in an embrace, and I believe if we followed these children and embraced one another, life would be so different.”

So we invite you to come visit our Front Porch and find your hidden words, reflect on this masterpiece and share your stories of pain, forgiveness, connectedness, love, healing and hope. Carry the

message of this mural into your spaces, creating communities of hope and healing wherever you are.

PBMR has taken HEALING as the theme of 2023, and as Kathleen so beautifully expressed, “Art is a way for me to heal.” It is our hope that our mural will bring healing to this community and to yours and beyond.

So just as Father Kelly wrote, we are working together to create a community of hope and healing! Our lives are intricately intertwined with one another — in all of our joy, sorrow, love, heartbreak and healing. We are all interconnected, restored and united through the Precious Blood. 

The finished mural; Janell Gosa photo.

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Ministry

Yesterday a group of visitors stood stunned as they opened the door and immediately saw on the once-blank wall an amazing inspirational piece of art. They began to tell stories, and emotions were evoked as they spoke of their wounds, their hopes, their awe at the creation!

Several mothers gathered last night and stood before the mural, reflecting on their lives and the lives of their children, weeping because they saw the pain, smiling because they also saw the open hands of healing, and they said, “We want to be a part of bringing this healing to our community and our families. This is a powerful statement and needs to be on our outside walls.”

Cover Story

A Summer of Celebration

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isters of the Precious Blood were blessed with a joyous summer! We honored our Sister Jubilarians, welcomed and affirmed the commitment of our newest Sisters, and looked to the future with hope and faith as we elected and installed a new leadership team. Celebrate with us!

Celebrating our Jubilarians This summer, we honored eight Sisters marking milestone anniversaries of entrance into the Community. All the Jubilarians were recognized at a Mass and banquet June 25 at Salem Heights, the Congregation’s central house in Dayton. Congratulations, Sisters!

Sister Berenice Janszen — 80 years A Cincinnati native, Sister Berenice (M. Edward) grew up in the former St. Mark Parish and attended Regina High School.

Sister Berenice has enjoyed a varied life of ministry: She taught high school English and drama and produced 19 high school musicals, and also served in pastoral adminis­ tration, chaplaincy and service to the Congregation.

Sister Dorothy Koenig — 80 years Originally from Wapako­ neta, Ohio, Sister Dorothy (M. Angelista) was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, attended the parish school and graduated from Precious Blood High School, the Congregation’s former school in Dayton. For nearly three decades, she ministered as a supervisor, purchaser and cook, coordinat­ing all phases of dietary services, and serv10

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ing three meals daily for large groups of people.

Sister Genevieve Volk — 75 years Originally from rural Linton, North Dakota, Sister Genny (M. Adelaide) grew up in St. Bernard Church and, for most of her elementary years, attended a one-room schoolhouse. She then left North Dakota for Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Precious Blood High School. Sister Genny taught elementary and intermediate students for over 40 years and then went on to minister as a spiritual director.

Sister Joanne Belloli — 60 years Sister Joanne grew up in the former Guardian Angels Church in Detroit, attended St. Anthony High School in Detroit for two years, and then graduated from Precious Blood High School. Sister Story by Mary Knapke

Cover Story On the cover, Sister Joyce Langhals shares a reading at the Jubilee Mass. Opposite page, top, 2023 Jubilee logo; second, Sister Berenice Janszen; bottom, Sister Dorothy Koenig. This page, clockwise from top left, Sisters Genny Volk, Joanne Belloli, Pat Gist, Nancy Wolf, Rita Rogier and Joyce Langhals. Michelle Bodine photos.

Joanne currently ministers as a mental health and substance abuse therapist at Livingston County Catholic Charities in Howell, Michigan. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the NASW Academy of Certified Social Workers.

Sister Patricia Gist — 60 years Originally from Akron, Ohio, Sister Pat grew up as a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and attended the parish school through high school.

She first served as a teacher and then moved into ministry as a pastoral associate, pastoral team member, director of religious education and adult education coordinator. She also served as a diocesan catechetical consultant and was administrator of the Maria Stein Center in Maria Stein, Ohio.

Sister Joyce Langhals — 60 years Sister Joyce (M. Andrice) grew up in St. Barbara Catholic Church in Cloverdale, Putnam County, Ohio, and graduated from Precious Blood High School. Sister Joyce currently serves as the Congregation’s director of initial formation.

At various periods throughout her ministry, she has also served as a teacher, attorney, executive director of senior housing for St. Mary Development Corporation, and eight years as president of the Congregation, among other roles.

Sister Rita Rogier — 60 years A daughter of St. Boniface Catholic Church (now All Saints) in New Riegel, Ohio, Sister Rita (M. Rose Annette) attended the elementary and high school in New Riegel.

She currently ministers as a volunteer for St. Rita Parish in Dayton and for Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, working in the food pantry and at the front desk.

She served in education for 30 years, and then moved into pastoral ministry.

Sister Nancy Wolf — 60 years Sister Nancy grew up as a member of St. Joseph Parish in Wapakoneta, Ohio. She attended the parish school and graduated from Precious Blood High School. Most recently, Sister Nancy served as Coordinator of Sisters at Salem Heights from 2014 until her retirement in 2022. Prior to that experience, she enjoyed a ministry in elementary education, including 30 years at Immaculate Conception School in Celina, Ohio.

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A Summer of Celebration Celebrating Sister Juliana In a spirit of great joy and thanksgiving, Sister Juliana Wuur professed her first vows as a Sister of the Precious Blood on July 1, the Congregation’s traditional feast day.

A “packed house” at the Salem Heights Chapel enriched the celebratory atmosphere, with many Sisters and visitors in attendance. Ghanaian singing and dancing by Sister Juliana — as well as other Sisters, visiting religious, and family and friends — filled the chapel with joy. Ghana is Sister Juliana’s country of origin.

Sister Juliana wrote in the rite’s program about an important image she chose to highlight on the occasion of her first profession.

Sankofa, represented by a bird looking backward and carrying an egg in its mouth, means “go back and fetch it.”

“Sankofa is important because it helps us to connect with our past and understand our present,” Sister Juliana wrote.

“I have chosen this symbol to give thanks to God for all that has been my life in the past and entrust the future into the hands of the Almighty One and to show my connection with my heritage and culture.”

Sister Juliana recently completed an intercongregational 12

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“Sankofa is important because it helps us to connect with our past and understand our present.”

— Sister Juliana Wuur

Clockwise, from top, the entrance procession; Sister Edna Hess places the ring on Sister Juliana's finger; Sister Juliana, along with Sisters and visitors, enjoy the Ghanaian singing and dancing; Michelle Bodine photos.

collaborative novitiate program in Chicago. She is currently taking classes at Mount

St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and plans to work toward a degree in nursing.

Cover Story

Celebrating the journey ahead

Clockwise, from top left, the opening song of the Installation ceremony; after Sister Joyce gives the Pledge of Commitment, Sister Edna Hess presents her with the Symbol of Office, The Crucifix; Councilors give the Pledge of Commitment; formal photo of the President and Councilors; Michelle Bodine photos.

The Sisters of the Precious Blood elected a new leadership team during the recent Assembly, held June 26-30.

Every four years, Sisters travel to Dayton to take part in the weeklong congress.

During Assembly, members of the Congregation reflect on and re-examine their mission, and their past and present, and invite the Holy Spirit to continue to lead them into the future. “… Jesus did not give his followers a series of commandments, statutes and ordinances to show them how they were to relate to God and how they were to live as a community. Rather, the new

covenant established by Jesus has only one commandment: as I have loved you, love one another,” said Sister Joyce Lehman, speaking during Sister Juliana Wuur’s first profession of vows.

“Our Precious Blood spirituality and our covenant of love with the God who calls us are made concrete in the invitation of the second reading [Ephesians 2:13-20]. We are called to bring into one, through the Blood of Christ, those who are near and those who are far off. We are no longer a chosen people; rather, all people are invited to participate in the covenant. … In the midst of our struggles, we are

to remember to work toward unity, to create a covenant community.”

The new leadership team was formally installed on July 30 during a Mass at Salem Heights. The team is composed of Sister Joyce Lehman, president; Sister Judy Kroeger, vice president; and Sisters Ann Clark, Marla Gipson and Terry Walter, councilors.

Sister Joyce previously served as president from 2011 to 2019. Sisters Ann Clark and Marla Gipson served as Councilors during the previous four-year term, beginning in 2019, and Sister Judy Kroeger previously served as Councilor from 1991-1999.

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Celebrating Sister LaKesha On Aug. 19, Sister LaKesha Church renewed her vows of religious profession for up to two years. The Rite of Renewal took place in a home prayer service in California. In attendance were Precious Blood Sisters Mary Faye Hellman, Terry Maher and Margo Young, as well as Sister of the Guardian Angel Hortensia del Villar.

Originally from Lorain, Ohio, Sister LaKesha entered the Sisters of the Precious Blood in 2016 and made her first vows in 2018. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health care management and a master’s degree in early childhood education. Currently she teaches fourth grade at St. Adelaide Academy in Highland, California, and lives in community with Sisters in Redlands.

Left, Sisters Hortensia, Mary Faye, LaKesha, Terry and Margo pose before the ceremony; top, the Rite of Renewal ceremony; bottom, Sister LaKesha with her gifts; contributed photos.

In Sympathy We offer sympathy and prayer to Sisters of the Precious Blood and friends who experienced the death of a loved one.

Carol Trainor-Eyerman, former Sister Mary Rose Ellen, died May 26.

Sister Edna Hess on the death of her brother, Carl Hess, on May 29.

Sister Ritamary Bulach (deceased) on the death of her brother-in-law, Tom Schneider, on May 30.

Deacon David Klingshirn 14

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died June 10.

Sister Barbara Jean Backs (deceased) on the death of her sister, Joan Wenning, on July 1.

Father Clarence Williams, CPPS, died July 8.

Father William Delaney, CPPS, died July 31.

Sister Mumbi Kigutha on the death of her sister, Njoki Kigutha-Kiragu, on Aug. 14.

JoAnne Dole, the Congregation’s health and wellness coordinator, on the death of her sister, Judy Reilly, on Aug. 20.

Julie Brinkman Rivas, a former member, died Aug. 20.

Sister Terry Maher on the death of her former brother-inlaw, Daniel Young, on Aug. 22.

Father James McCabe, CPPS, died Aug. 27.

K

im Jaynes, activity coordinator, organized Fair Week for the Sisters in August. The Sisters enjoyed a petting zoo with farm animals, a carnival and a magician!

Top row, from left, Kim holds her card, with magician “The Amazing Cindini”; the rabbit in the hat; Sisters enjoy petting the rabbit; Cristen Allen photos. Second row, from left, Sister Juliana Wuur pets a pony; Sister Jeanette Buehler pets the dog; Sister Lou Ann Roof and Cristen Allen feed a duck; third row, from left, Sister Katie Lett with the dog; Sister Rosemary Goubeaux pets a pony; Sister Laura Will picks her prize; fourth row, from left, Kim at the snack table; Sister Jane Francis Hoffman, with Sister Judy Kroeger, plays bottle ring toss; Sister Genny Volk, with Sister Linda Pleiman, plays pingpong ball toss; Michelle Bodine photos.

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Scenes from Salem Heights

Fair Week at Salem Heights

Archives

Inside the CPPS Archives Sisters in the Summer

This column showcases artifacts or documents from the CPPS Archives in each issue of Sharing & Caring.

T

he Sisters of the Precious Blood have always had busy summers. They celebrated, worked, took classes and more. The summer of 1939 is such an example — the Sisters’ Chronicles depict a snapshot of what life may have looked like for a busy Sister during the summer.

In June and July, 16 Sisters would travel to various parishes to teach Christian Doctrine (now known as CCD) to local children, preparing them for “the reception of the Sacraments of Confession and First Holy Communion.”

In June, 107 Sisters from the missions arrived at Salem Heights to participate in the first summer retreat conducted by a Precious Blood Father.

Other Sisters arriving at Salem Heights prepared to renew or make final vows. In July, a delegate of the archbishop conducted classes for these Sisters. Still others attended classes “in the branches offered in our school at the Motherhouse!”

On July 29, the Sisters received their “obediences” or the locations of their next mission. They had “this news conveyed to them by a note in a small sealed envelope.” The Sisters would go into the Chapel at Salem Heights and open the envelope and read it “in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord exposed in the Blessed 16

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Sisters gather in the chapel at Salem Heights, ca. 1940.

Sacrament.”

The next day, July 30, the Golden and Silver Jubilees were celebrated with a Mass and a “festive dinner,” which “formed a pleasant feature amid the solemnities of the day.” The Sister Jubilarians were “favored by a specially prepared program consisting of instrumental selections, songs and speeches.”

On August 5, 200 more Sisters — including postulants preparing for investment and novices preparing to profess their first vows — attended a retreat, again given by a Precious Blood Father.

To end the summer, on August 15, the Congregation celebrated investment,

profession and renewals of vows. “At the Communion of the Mass, 12 novices made their first Profession of Vows.

Five Sisters renewed their vows for one year in the same manner, and 43 Sisters pronounced final vows.” Eleven postulants joined the Congregation, also.

In late August, the Sisters dispersed to continue their ministries or begin new ones.

According to the 1939 Chronicle, “the greatest number of Sisters present at the same time at the Motherhouse during this summer was about 350.”  Story by Sarah Aisenbrey; photo from the CPPS Archives collection.

hen Sister Mary Ann Smith made her final profession of vows with the Sisters of the Precious Blood in 1945, she was assigned to domestic work as a cook, seamstress or housekeeper, and she applied her numerous skills and talents in those areas as she served in mission houses across the country. Later in her ministry, she served for two decades in a variety of roles with Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, where part of her duties included helping mothers and children living in poverty learn essential homemaking skills.

Throughout her ministry, she served God’s people — among her many roles in community building, she served as a board member of the Emergency Resources Bank and Montgomery County Hunger Coalition, and she worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute cheese and butter. The mayor of Dayton declared May 12, 1988, as Sister Mary Ann Smith Day; the Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross recognized her for the “many years of service [she] provided to the hungry of the community.”

All those years, Sister Mary Ann also developed and expanded the practical application of her hands-on skills into a rich legacy of distinctive cookery, ceramics, fiber art, woodworking and carving, and handmade rosaries.

Born in 1920 in Lima, Ohio, Sister Mary Ann’s first woodworking teacher was her brother Bob. She developed her artistic talents in classes at St. Joseph’s College, the University of Dayton, the Dayton Art Institute and the Columbus College of Art and Design.

She made liturgical ceramic vessels, as well as ceramics for home use and display, and her pieces won several awards in the Midwest Ceramic Show in Dayton. She taught woodworking to boys at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Dayton and taught weaving to women in Ottoville, Ohio. She built 11 altars and made dozens of candle holders for the Maria Stein retreat house in Mercer County. In her lifetime, friends and family also enjoyed her hand-dipped chocolate candy. Sister Mary Ann died in 1994 at the age of 73.  Story by Mary Knapke

Top, Sister Mary Ann stands next to artwork she created, ca. 1980s; middle, Sister Mary Ann teaching a ceramics class at Catholic Social Services in Dayton, ca. 1960s; bottom, Sister Mary Ann stands behind a table at Salem Heights with ceramics she made, ca. 1980s; photos from the CPPS Archives collection.

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Palettes of Prayer

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Creative pursuits of all types allow us to express thoughts and feelings that can sometimes be difficult to put into words. Color, form, texture or sound can take us to a place beyond language as we continually seek transcendent experiences that elevate, challenge and inspire.

Many Sisters of the Precious Blood make art and crafts, and while the forms of their creations vary widely — carving, painting, quilting, singing and many more — they share in common a means of communion with others, and a way to reflect the beauty of God.

In Brief

In Brief Precious Blood Sisters have been busy with a variety of recent events.

In all that we do, we strive to continue to fulfill our mission to proclaim God’s love by being a life-giving, reconciling presence in our fractured world.

May 9 — Sister Mary E. Wendeln and Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator Jen Morin-Williamson joined 50 other Ohioans at the Statehouse in Columbus for the presentation of Senate Bill 101. The bill would abolish the death penalty in Ohio.

Community Gems June 1 — Our own Jen Morin-Williamson was recognized by the Dayton Daily News as a “Community Gem” — and we certainly agree! Morin-Williamson was nominated by Cheri Overholser; the two women co-chair the Dayton chapter of SOAP (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution), which works to prevent human trafficking. Great work, Jen! Aug. 9 — Rap Hankins was also recognized as a “Community Gem” by the Dayton Daily News for his work in advocating for electric vehicles. Last spring, Hankins visited Salem Heights with his nonprofit Drive Electric Dayton and let some of our Sisters go for a spin in an EV. Jen MorinWilliamson nominated him for the honor. Congratulations, Rap! June 1 — Sarah Aisenbrey, the Congregation’s archivist, and Jen Morin-Williamson gave a PechaKucha presentation titled “Gem City’s Precious Sisters” at Longfellow School in Dayton.

The presentation included a bit of the Community’s history and highlighted a Sister from each decade over the past 100 years.

PechaKucha Dayton is a quarterly idea-sharing party and networking event. The PechaKucha presentation format began in 2003 in Tokyo.

June 16 — Four students from Carroll High School in Dayton visited Sisters at Amherst House and enjoyed dinner and prayer time together as part of the school’s Mission Dayton program. Participants also visited other sites, such as a prison and a group home, to learn about the people and places that make up our communities. Our visitors had not been around Sisters before. We enjoyed our time together!

Top, fourth row, Jen and Sister Mary E. at the Statehouse in Columbus; contributed photo.

Second, Community Gem Jen; Dayton Daily News photo. Third, Community Gem Rap; Dayton Daily News photo. Fourth, Sarah and Jen during their PechaKucha presentation at Longfellow School in Dayton; contributed photo. Fifth, four students from Carroll High School pictured with Sisters Rita Rogier, Judy Niday and Pauline Siesegh at Amherst House in Dayton; contributed photo.

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In Brief / In Memoriam

July 24 — Sisters and staff enjoyed a luncheon at Salem Heights with Homefull’s Chief Executive Officer Tina Patterson and Chief Strategic Officer Trudy Elder. Homefull was founded in 1988 by Sister Dorothy Kammerer and other volunteers. It began as a place for the homeless to go during the day and has expanded to take a comprehensive approach to addressing poverty.

August 21-23 — Sister Pauline Siesegh participated in the welcome weekend and orientation for the Inter-congregational Cooperative Novitiate program in Chicago. Sister Ann Clark joined her as her novitiate director. In addition to Sister Pauline, this year’s group also includes Sister Katie, BVM, from Iowa; and Sister Emerite, FHM, originally from Congo.  Top, from left, Sister Patty Kremer, Sister Mary Garke, Sheena McCormick, Tina Patterson, Sister Edna Hess and Trudy Elder; Michelle Bodine photo. Bottom, Sisters Pauline, Katie and Emerite; contributed photo.

Sister Mary Ann Mozser

September 1938 — August 31, 2023

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Mass of Christian Burial for Precious Blood Sister Mary Ann Mozser was held at the Salem Heights chapel in Dayton on September 6.

She had been a Sister of the Precious Blood for 67 years.

Mary Ann was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Michael Paul Mozser and Gizella (Mesgaros) Mozser. Mary Ann wrote about her loving family, where every day would begin with a morning kiss and every evening would end with a chat about the day, night prayers, and being gently tucked into bed.

Mary Ann got to know the Sisters of the Precious Blood at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and School. She loved school and her teachers, and it was there that she discovered her vocation to be a teacher and a Sister.

Mary Ann entered the Sisters of the Precious Blood in 1956 and professed her vows in 1958.

She was given the religious name of Sister Rose Michael. Sister Mary Ann began her teaching ministry in various parish schools throughout Ohio, even going back to teach at Our Lady of Good Counsel. In 1975, she was assigned to teach in Linton, North Dakota, and then returned to her beloved city of Cleveland a year later. With that move, Sister Mary Ann ministered as the principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel School and later at St. Dominic Parish School in Shaker Heights.

While working at St. Dominic, she became the volunteer coordinator of the L’Arche community in Cleveland. She volunteered and for a few years had a full-time ministry at Parma Community Hospital in the emergency department as a patient representative.

In 2003, Sister Mary Ann became vice president of mission and ministry at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland. It was there that Mary Ann was the happiest. She understood that each person who walked through the doors of St. Vincent’s was a child of God and so very valuable, whether they believed it or not.

In 2015, Sister Mary Ann “retired” and became the coordinator for volunteers at St. Vincent’s, where no amount of giving love and care was too much for her.

Frequently, she shared her many talents with the Congregation. For four years she was chair of the committee that established the CPPS Heritage Mission Fund Corporation. Once the Fund was established, she served as its chair until very recently.

Sister Mary Ann joins her parents and her brother Dennis in heaven. She is survived by her good friend, Sister Martha Eckstein, OSF, her Precious Blood Community of Sisters, her sister-in-law Kathleen Mozser and many friends and colleagues.

Interment took place in the Maria Anna Brunner Memorial Garden.

Fall 2023

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4000 Denlinger Road Dayton, OH 45426-2399

More Scenes from Salem Heights

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isters and staff enjoyed many events these past few months.

Clockwise, from top left, Father Steve Dos Santos poses with his cake. The Sisters celebrated Father Steve in June as he left Dayton to start his new ministry at St. James the Less in Columbus, Ohio. They presented Father with a gift card to a local Columbus restaurant; Cristen Allen photo. Sisters and staff planned a Council Appreciation Mass and dinner for the outgoing Council in June. Pictured are the gifts and some of the items on the menu, in the serving line; Michelle Bodine and Brenda Gabbard photos. Sister Patty Kremer poses with her "Thank you" cake and gifts. Sisters and staff planned a "Thank you party" in July for Sister Patty as she moves on from serving as Coordinator of CPPS Community at Salem Heights to a new chapter in her life; Michelle Bodine photo. Sister Joyce Ann Zimmerman gave two presentations in September, titled "Our Life of Self-giving."

Both were recorded and posted on the Precious Blood Spirituality Institute's website: www.pbspiritualityinstitute.org; screenshot of video.

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