Sharing & Caring Spring 2023

Dear friends and family, F rom the P resident’s D esk

Spring moving into summer seems to have finally arrived after winter’s multiple returns. Nature speaks of new life everywhere we look. The birds are singing, and babies are being born. All shout “Alleluia” to Jesus who is risen from the dead.

Holy Week with the remembrance of Jesus gifting us with His Body and Blood, his death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day have come and gone and we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church. This issue of Sharing & Caring , dedicated to the Eucharist, is so appropriate for this time of the Church Year. In Eucharist we remember and we celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection every time we celebrate the Mass. Or in the words of Pope Francis: “To let ourselves be nourished by the Bread of Life means to be in tune with the heart of Christ, to assimilate his choices, thoughts, behaviors.” It also means that we enter into “a dynamism of sacrificial love and become persons of peace, forgiveness, reconciliation and sharing in solidarity,” he adds.

As I reflected on my own history with the Eucharist, I remembered how as a child my parents took us to Mass as often as possible. Even though I attended a public school, we had Mass every day of the week before starting school. Around the time when I was in seventh or eighth grade, changes started happening

with the Mass. We were able to use English in the opening prayers of the Mass, which made it possible to understand what we were saying.

Of course, when I entered Fatima Hall, the aspirancy of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, we also had daily Mass. During my years of formation, things were radically changing in the Church. The Second Vatican Council was taking place, and one of its important documents was the “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” which brought many changes to the way the Eucharist was celebrated. Having the priest celebrate facing the people instead of with his back to the people was a clear sign that this celebration involved all those who were present. Being able to hear the prayers, readings and acclamations in English helped laypeople participate more fully, instead of praying a rosary while Mass was being celebrated. Having experienced the “old” way and then the “new” way to celebrate liturgy, I find it difficult to understand why some young priests today want to go back to celebrating Mass with their backs to the people and in Latin, which is not even a language people speak or understand.

I hope you will enjoy getting in touch with what Eucharist means for us Sisters of the Precious Blood and how it inspires us to go from Eucharist to live in love and to work for peace and justice. A few

of this year's Jubilarians share their reflections on how Eucharist motivates and sustains them. We also share about Mother Brunner’s devotion to the Eucharist. Our foundress would go to Mass as often as possible and received communion whenever she attended Mass, which was very unusual at that time in history.

Also, with this column, I am saying goodbye. It has been a privilege to share with you in Sharing & Caring. At the end of June, we shall be electing a new leadership team, so when you receive your next edition of Sharing & Caring, you will find someone new sharing with you. May the Lord bless you and fill you with His love. 

United in love,

Sister Edna Hess President, Sisters of the Precious Blood

EVs “spark” our interest!

In May, Sisters had the opportunity to go for a spin in an electric vehicle and learn more about different types of EVs, as well as the technology behind them. Drive Electric Dayton visited Salem Heights, our central house in Dayton, on May 6 and shared information, as well as their passion for the many environmental and health benefits of EVs over internal combustion engine vehicles.

For example, their team shared that the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. comes from transportation — and the largest contributor to global climate change is fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, which contribute over 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. EVs, on the other hand, produce no carbon dioxide emissions and do not require oil changes.

Drive Electric Dayton also debunked some common myths about EVs. For example, it’s a common misperception that EVs are not any more environmentally friendly than gas-powered vehicles. But we learned that electric motors convert 75% of the chemical

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Story by Mary Knapke and Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator Jen Morin-Williamson

Correction: the article “Abundant Blessings: Our Ministry in Guatemala” on Page 10 of our previous issue, Winter 2023, misstated the timing of Sister Mary Faye Hellman’s arrival in Guatemala. According to our archives, she arrived a month after Sister Rosalina Gonzales, not a few years later. We apologize for the error.

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.

Contributing writers: Sarah

Aisenbrey, Archivist;

Jen

Morin-Williamson, Peace, Justice & Ecology Coordinator

Top, Sisters Judy Niday, Jane Francis Hoffman and Mary E. Wendeln speak with Rap Hankins and members of Drive Electric Dayton; bottom, Sister Edna Hess checks out a new Tesla; Jen Morin-Williamson photos.

New Words

Do you remember the first time you saw the shark?

It is hard to imagine, but it has been almost 50 years since one of the most iconic movies of our time was released, Jaws. As I was preparing to write this article, a line from the movie kept popping into my head: “You are going to need a bigger boat.” As we become more attuned to how our Precious Blood family understands our spirituality and as we reach out to others in the larger world, I wonder if it is time for us to start making a bigger boat.

On March 18, the Precious Blood Spirituality Institute hosted an event called “Coming Together to Celebrate Connections and Diversity.” During the day, representatives from the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Dayton, our lay associates, and the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, Missouri, shared how they define Precious Blood spirituality from their unique perspectives. We heard familiar words: renewal, reconciliation, preaching, redeeming love, brokenness, liturgy, Eucharist and conversion. The beauty of the day for those who attended was seeing a new connection of all these different words that make up our spirituality. There was palpable energy throughout the day and almost a sense of recommitment to our spirituality. It was an exciting day but also challenging as we looked to the future.

As we move forward, the words we use to speak about

our spirituality outside our Precious Blood communities become paramount. Our founder and foundresses found themselves continually adapting and changing the words they chose as they began the communities that make up our Precious Blood family to be relevant to the people of their times. Today, we face that same challenge. It might feel even more daunting in these polarizing times we find ourselves that one author described as “a vitriolic intensity of cultural polarization.” This polarization has infiltrated our communities, institutional Church, families and each of us, making our work even more difficult. Our spirituality and its gifts are needed now more than ever.

To be relevant and life-giving during these times of division, we may need to look for newer words that describe our spirituality in today’s world. Our challenge is determining the best way to describe and define our spirituality in a world and times we have never imagined. The words we use within our communities make sense to each of us yet may be problematic for those in our larger world. Reconciliation, for example, is an essential word for us. Still, for many, this means balancing your bank accounts or filing your tax forms, or perhaps what happens when one contemplates divorce. Everyone has experienced gracefilled moments but may not use the word “reconciliation” to describe them. Who can forget the Amish community

or the church community in Charleston who publicly forgave the shooters who attacked them? In Church life, we use words like liturgy, preaching, and Eucharist, but they don’t resonate with people in the wider world. They might even be hurtful to others. Yet we all know the beautiful moments that happen when we gather with people we love, when we share stories and have a meal together. We need to find ways to have people connect these feelings and actions with those they should be experiencing at Church.

So what words do we use? They will vary for each of us and where we live. Words that might be applicable in Kansas City or St. Louis might not resonate with people in Berkeley or Orlando. Words that work in Wichita and Columbia might not be relevant to people in Dayton or Celina. How we each live out our spirituality also changes the words we use. Our lay associates will need different words than our members. No matter what the circumstance, we each need

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Story by Vicky Otto, Executive Director, Precious Blood Spirituality Institute

Be a part of our good works

From time to time, our friends in ministry will ask if they may make a financial contribution to help support our work. If you would like to contribute, please visit our website at preciousbloodsistersdayton.org. The menu bar at the top of our website now includes a “Donate” link. There are options to donate in loving memory of a Sister or loved one; in support of our ministries in Chile, Guatemala or the U.S.; and to donate funds for use wherever they are needed most. Any donations contribute to our mission as we endeavor to be a life-giving, reconciling presence in our fractured world. 

Happy Birthday

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

Gathering on “The Front Porch”

As a little girl growing up in North Star, Ohio, I remember sitting on our front porch and waving to all the people who passed by on Route 127! Being farmers, we would run to our porch swing on a rainy day and watch the rain watering our fields. On weekends and evenings, neighbors would gather on our porch to tell stories and have some ice cream and warm pie that Mother just baked.

Last week when the temperatures reached almost 50 degrees here in Chicago, I sat with one of our mothers on her porch as she told of her granddaughter’s murder and the pain of going to the court hearings month after month and rehearing the horror of the night. She cries, “Will the pain ever leave; will I ever find healing?”

participants to gather, share stories, connect and be fed physically and spiritually, to heal pain and celebrate friendship. After more than five years of vacancy, many were waiting with great expectation for those doors to open ...

a no-steps, two-room gathering place to lift spirits, not sell them!

The place hosts circles of all kinds — mothers’ healing circles, youth circles, restorative justice leadership circles, support circles for men and women returning from prison, staff circles, drumming circles, community Mass circles, planning circles — all for the purpose of healing harm and building relationships.

I leave her porch thinking of the differences in our porch conversations.

Today on 51st Street here in the Back of the Yards in Chicago, the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation has opened a “front porch” — a warm, open space for neighbors, staff and

neighbors were stopping and asking, “Is this going to be a church, an art center?” “Will you be selling liquor?”

Then on November 8, the doors did open, and we celebrated the birthing of the radical transformation of a former grocery and liquor store into

While precious blood continues to pour out on the streets we walk and the porches on which we stand, we invite the community into a safe place, a comfortable corner to share with others their suffering, their confusion and their hopes — and know that they

Story by Sister Donna Liette, Family Forward program coordinator at the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation. Originally published by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in The New Wine Press. Used with permission.

Outside view of PBMR's "Front Porch"; contributed photo

Summer will offer all kinds of activities and “front porch” experiences as we set up easels outside and the community comes together to paint and chat, to barbeque and know they are safe to come off their porches and get to know their neighbors and the community in a new way!

are not alone.

Every day I’m at the “front porch” someone new stops by: someone in need of healing, longing for a place of peace, a mother with two young children asking for prayer, a young father walking home from work ... young, old, rich, poor, neighbors curious to see if this is a place for them. “Need some water, coffee, chips, some cookies, a hug? Come inside. You are welcome here!”

For those who saw the chaos and smelled the stench when

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energy from the batteries to power the wheels and emit no direct tailpipe pollutants, while internal combustion engines convert only 20% of the energy stored in gasoline — allowing the other 80% to escape through the tailpipe.

Our Congregation has been recognized as a Laudato Si

the doors first opened in late July, the transformation has been amazing. Rats had their way, and quickly learned that they had lost their home! Neighbors, funders, board members, attorneys, friends of PBMR have been welcomed into this new creation and they stand with mouths open in amazement — sometimes even to the point of tears. Mothers were especially excited as they could not believe there was such a place in their community — a place to find

peace, to experience a “Spa Love Day,” a place where pain and disappointments can be shared, where reconciliation can happen among women, men and youth; a place to drum out frustrations and clear one’s brain!

Summer will offer all kinds of activities and “front porch” experiences as we set up easels outside and the community comes together to paint and chat, to barbeque and know they are safe to come off their porches and get to know their neighbors and the community in a new way!

PBMR continues to hear the voices of the community and respond as best we can to that call — it is the call of our spirituality — to build a community where all are welcome; all are seen as IN the circle; where all are offered radical hospitality, hope and healing; where those who feel “far off” will be brought onto the “front porch” through the Blood of Christ. We invite all of you to come, especially this summer, sit on the “front porch” to see and engage in our building a community of love. 

community by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, meaning that we are a community committed to caring for our common home, the Earth. We continue to look to Laudato Si as our guiding light in living out those principles.

All of us are stewards of God’s amazing and wonder-

ful creation — and as Catholic Christians, we hold this joy and responsibility close to our hearts. We are all called to care for the Earth so that others can enjoy this beautiful gift just as we have. And we look forward to learning more about electric vehicles as one way we can continue to do that. 

Sister Donna Liette, center, with the mothers of PBMR at the "Front Porch"; contributed photo

Inside the CPPS Archives Sisters

and the Eucharist

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

Since the founding of the Sisters of the Precious Blood in 1834, the Congregation’s devotion to the Precious Blood through the Eucharist has been central to their ministries and prayer lives. The photos here depict the Sisters being Eucharistic ministers or preparing for Mass. They also use artwork to express their devotion to the Eucharist — a few of those pieces are also depicted here.

1) Sister Bernice Krieg (M. Erwin) holding an incense bowl at a Mass at Salem Heights in the 2000s.

2) Sister Rosalina Gonzales (Maria Corona) distributing Communion in Chile in 1975.

3) A drawing by Sister Eileen Tomlinson (M. Cephas) commemorating the Feast of Corpus Christi.

4) Sisters Virginia Beene (M. De Lellis) and Madonna Winkeljohn (M. Irenaea) prepare for a Mass in 1999.

5) Sister Jeannine Kloeker (M. Leo Mary) distributes Communion to Sister M. Armella Schoenlein, an Emma Hall resident in the 2000s.

6) Sister Mary Anne Westerheide prepares the altar for the Sisters’ celebration of 25 years of ministry in Chile in 1982.

7) Sisters Mary Anne Schiller (M. Carmela) and M. Cleophas Schumacher bring the gifts to the priest at their 60th Jubilee Mass in 2007.

8) Sister Eleanor McNally (M. Thomas) prepares to receive the Blood of Christ at a celebration Mass at Salem Heights in 2003.

9) A drawing by Sister Rosemary Laux (M. Columba) depicting the Eucharist with the caption, “Do this in memory of me.”

10) A drawing by Sister M. Cordelia Gast commemorating the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Story by Sarah Aisenbrey; photos from the CPPS Archives collection.

The Sacrament of Love

How the Eucharist motivates and sustains us

In 1834, a deeply faithful Catholic, widow, mother of six, and beloved godmother to 20 children began what would become a Congregation of over 800 Sisters at its peak with three young women in a castle in Switzerland. After a lifetime of service to her children and people experiencing poverty in her village, Mother Maria Anna Brunner discovered the Society of the Precious Blood in Rome (founded in 1815 by St. Gaspar del Bufalo). She became inspired to spread this devotion through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

During her twilight years, she lived with her son, the Precious Blood Father Francis de Sales Brunner, who ran a seminary in Castle Loewenberg in Switzerland. Her room faced a small chapel where she prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament as often as possible. Inspired by her humility and prayerful life, three young women who worked at the castle joined her in adoration. Although Mother Brunner died in 1836, her Congregation had taken root and began to thrive.

This small group was the beginning of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, which moved to northern Ohio 10 years later in 1844 to minister to the German Catholic immigrants of the area. During their pioneer days at their 10 original con-

vents, the Sisters taught, cared for orphans, farmed, gardened, kept bees and gave music lessons. They also made shoes, hats, altar linens and altar bread. They did all this while keeping night hours of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the tradition of Mother Brunner. Today, the Church is in the midst of a National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative launched last year by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is a threeyear experience of discernment, encounter and celebration culminating in the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024 and a year in which the faithful are called to go out on mission to share the gift of the Eucharist with the world. Here, a few Sisters of the Precious Blood — who are

also just some of the Sisters celebrating their Jubilee this year — reflect on the meaning of Eucharist for them.

Introduction by Sarah Aisenbrey

Cover artwork and banner (above) of Mother Maria Anna Brunner by Sister Eileen Tomlinson

Sister Joyce Langhals

A woman for her time (17641836); a woman for our time (2023). Maria Anna Brunner spent much of her lifetime as a caring and conscientious wife and mother. She continued her openness to the Spirit’s action in her later years by responding to a deeply felt call to grow ever closer to her God, especially through prayer and reflection before the Blessed Sacrament. During her visits to Rome in 1833, she spent hours in prayer before the tabernacle and crucifix in the Church of St. Nicholas

Sister Rita Rogier

“… This is my body, which will be given for you … This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20). Jesus’ total gift of self for me and for all others, the gift remembered at each Eucharistic celebration, sustains and empowers me to be that gift of self to others. Even in my high school years, I felt the pull to attend daily Mass before my classes began. Today, while it is a little

in Carcere (where Gaspar had previously preached). Upon her return to Loewenberg Castle, she likewise nurtured her devotion to Precious Blood spirituality during many long hours of prayer in the chapel. Maria Anna came to know ever more deeply God’s unconditional love for each person as manifested through the paschal mystery. Ultimately this led to an ever-increasing motivation and commitment to do outreach for her neighbors and especially the poor, namely, sharing bread and other food with those in need.

1834 marked the founding of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Eucharistic prayer was paramount for Maria Anna and her small community. In 1933, when her remains were exhumed in St. Mary’s Church in Sagens, Switzerland, for transfer to Dayton, Ohio, in commemoration of the centenary anniversary (1934) of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, her hands were found to be intact in a folded prayer position, thus the reference to Maria

Anna as the “praying hands.” She continues to walk with us CPPS as “mother” and “sister” as we confront the difficulties of these days. Presently we Sisters of the Precious Blood strive to embody “Mother Brunner’s own spirit — ‘gentle, patient, hard-working, humble, obedient, charitable, and above all, simple and joyous’ — the true portrait of a Sister of the Precious Blood” (Not With Silver or Gold, p. 72). Sometimes we miss the mark, but we try!

Maria Anna Brunner’s Eucharistic connection currently inspires each of us Jubilarians and all of our other Sisters as we are invited to believe in the Body and Blood of Christ and become the body and blood of Christ for our world today. I am happy to have been a Sister of the Precious Blood for these 60+ years and to have endeavored to follow in the footsteps of such a great woman, a woman of prayerful conviction whose enduring influence affects the lives of women religious with our Precious Blood charism today, nearly 200 years later.

more challenging to attend daily Mass because of distance or commitments, I make the effort to attend a parish Mass or the one at Salem Heights. Sometimes I participate “online,” but something very important is missing.

My own faith has been enriched by the faith and belief of special people who exhibited their love of the Eucharist. During my ministry, I was privileged to take Holy Communion weekly to a young man who was totally

paralyzed after an accident. I was humbled by his desire to receive Jesus and to be nourished by this special gift. I witnessed other homebound Catholics eagerly anticipate their divine encounter with the Eucharistic Lord.

Naturally, our foundress, Mother Brunner, is a daily inspiration to me as well.

During my sabbatical year in 1997, I participated in the CPPS pilgrimage to Rome and

Switzerland. We visited the areas where Mother Brunner lived and worshiped. This was a great inspiration to me because I saw firsthand the difficulty of her travels by foot over very challenging terrain and distances. Yet she made it a priority to attend daily Mass!

In our present day, we also have the great witness to the Eucharist given by Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006). This Italian teenager died at the age of

15 but leaves a legacy reminding others of the great treasure that we have in the Eucharist. At an early age, he began researching and cataloguing Eucharistic miracles and posting them to his website. He told the people, “the more often we receive the Eucharist, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.” What a great inspiration we have in this modern-day saint.

MariaAnnaBrunner’sEucharisticconnectioncurrentlyinspireseachofusJubilarians andallofourotherSistersasweareinvitedto believe in the Body and Blood of Christ and become the body and blood of Christ forourworldtoday.—SisterJoyceLanghals

Sister Joanne Belloli

When I think of my history of celebrating Eucharist, I am called to remember various instances of Eucharistic celebrations as a child, to include the Mass of Christian Burial for my mother. Over the years what I learned from her example has grown and nurtured my faith. The Thanksgiving meal of Eucharist, listening to stories from Scripture, partaking in the meal has sustained and nurtured my faith in so many ways.

It was seeing literature of CPPS Sisters in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament that encouraged me to enter the Congregation. As a junior high school educator, I worked with students by assisting them in planning liturgies and in encouraging their involvement as lectors, song leaders and members of the assembly. After my years in elementary education, I gained a position as a coordinator of liturgy and

adult enrichment. My years in that position of ministry allowed me to assist others as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, musicians, leaders and members of the assembly to grow in faith and focus on the Sacrament of the Eucharist as the central point in their lives. I, too, continued to be nourished by Word and Sacrament as well as by those who participated in Eucharist. Those were deeply enriching years for me.

Today, the celebration of Eucharist sustains and nourishes my spiritual life in so many ways. My ministry is that of a clinical social worker specifically in the field of mental health and substance abuse. My life is challenged as people break open their lives and begin to heal and/or come to healing. I think of those on the road to Emmaus who told stories of their lives and recognized Jesus in the Breaking of Bread. I am enriched by the Sacrament of Eucharist as well

as people who choose to heal their lives.

I am grateful for those with whom I celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist today and for those who trust themselves to receive God’s blessings. I am grateful to my mother, family members, Sisters and Fathers of the Precious Blood, friends all who witness to me the nurturing of the Eucharist and the breaking of bread.

Sister Nancy Wolf

A long time ago when I made vows, I heard the Lord say to me, “May I have this dance with you for the rest of your life?” Saying YES to this invitation and the unknown was what I needed to do to follow in the footsteps of Jesus each day. Sometimes I need to run to catch up and other times we just talk, walk and dance side by side. We could be planning a new day, sharing the good news, teaching or “walking compassionately with those in need.”

The Eucharist sustains me because it is my “food” that nourishes me for the day. Remembering that a little child gave away his lunch to Jesus and Jesus accepted the simple gift of loaves and fish. Jesus accepted it, blessed it, broke it and gave it to others to share with those gathered. I try to remember the words TAKE, BLESS, BREAK AND SHARE what God has given me for

each day. Sometimes it takes faith to look in the basket for the day!

During my 46 years of ministry of teaching, it was always important to start my day with Mass. Sometimes that meant getting up very early and driving to 6:30 a.m. Mass. There were times when I would take a young child with me because he arrived at that time even though school started at 7:45 a.m. Eucharist was a reminder to share Jesus with those around me. In later years, I had the honor and privilege of bringing Holy Communion to the homebound who would often share their stories of faith and love of God! What an awesome honor! Their faith and love touched my soul, and I am so grateful!

Mother Brunner was in love with her God and followed in the footsteps of Jesus by caring for all those who came to

her door or touched her life in some way. She prayed for these, as well as those who just needed someone to bring them to God in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. That is what has inspired me. It is important for me to receive Eucharist at Mass and then to try to “Go in peace, glorifying God by my life.” Now it has been my turn to listen, teach, invite, share, care and be a compassionate disciple of the Lord — and maybe, just maybe, to invite someone to “dance with the Lord, too!”

TheThanksgivingmealofEucharist,listeningtostoriesfromScripture,partakinginthe mealhassustainedandnurturedmyfaithinsomanyways.—SisterJoanneBelloli

In Sympathy

We offer sympathy and prayer to Sisters of the Precious Blood and friends who have recently lost family members to death.

Margaret (Mouzin) Robbeloth, former Sister M. George (class of 1950), died Sept. 29, 2022.

Marilyn (Schwieterman) Moeder (class of 1951 aspirancy) died Feb. 5.

Jaclyn “Jackie” (Kerns) Monahan (class of 1959 aspirancy and postulancy) died Feb. 5.

Audrey (Schumaker) Ruthman, former Sister Alicine (class of 1949), died Feb. 20. Sister Mary Ellen Andrisin (deceased) on the death of her brother, Jack Andrisin, on Feb. 28.

Sheena McCormick, administrator of Salem Heights, on the death of her brother, John, on March 17.

Sister Teresa Monnin (deceased) and Lucy Oen (former Sister Lucy Monnin) on the death of their sister-in-law, Barbara Monnin, on March 22.

Joan Dunn, former Sister Paul Ann, died March 28.

Sister Barbara Ann Hoying on the death of her brother-in-law, Ralph Guggenbiller, on April 1.

Unwavering faith: the unforgettable history tour

Sister Pauline Siesegh entered the novitiate last year. As part of her year of active novitiate formation and ministry, she recently undertook a tour of the Ten Foundations, the original settlements of the Sisters of the Precious Blood in the U.S.

Formation in this 21st century is different from former times as formators expose the formatees to the core values of the particular religious congregation or institute for serious discernment. One such exposure is the historical tour of the Ten Foundations of the Sisters of the Precious Blood in Ohio and Indiana: New Riegel, Marywood, Maria Stein, Glandorf, Maria Camp, Gruenenwald, Minster, Himmelgarten, Mary’s Home and Egypt. We visited all of the Ten Foundations, as well as Peru, Ohio, where Sisters first arrived but did not establish a permanent home.

The journey to the Ten Foundations was challenging but very educational. I was pondering what it was going to be like, the joy of seeing the places where our early Sisters sowed the Master’s seeds of the Sisters of the Precious Blood and nurtured them to grow. How did they get here? By what transport? God wanted me to experience an iota of what happened many years ago to our Sisters when they traveled from Switzerland to Ohio. A cargo train stopped and blocked our way to St. Alphonsus Church in Peru. We changed our route and, much

to our dismay, encountered another train. Wow, we went ’round and ’round and eventually ate our lunch in the car at a park near a river. Sister Ann Clark, my novice director, was the driver, and Sarah Aisenbrey, the Congregation’s archivist, was tour guide and assistant driver.

When we finally got to our first stop in Peru, we went to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, where our first Sisters began their ministry of prayer and education. Nobody was around on the day of our visit. But there was a big bell that reminded me of missionary activities. We entered St. John Neumann Prayer Center and what caught my attention was, “When God Closes a Door, He Always Opens a Window.”

Well, the door of the first generation was closed, l thought to myself — those first Sisters are no longer with us here in this life. But that is the reality.

We then stopped at St. Gaspar Catholic Church in Bellevue and went to St. Michael Cemetery, a quiet and peaceful place where the gravestones of some of the early Sisters are kept. Hundreds of the Sisters are resting here. From there we moved on to the Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue and then went to the Cradle of the Community at New Riegel. There are still signs to prove that Sisters lived and worked there before fire destroyed the convent in June 2001. Many of the Sisters’ graves are in the All Saints Cemetery. At the All Saints Catholic Church, we met a man who told us that

the Sisters used to live there but that fire had burnt up the convent.

Next, at Glandorf, where the Sisters founded Mary at the Holy Sepulchre Convent, things were not different at St. John the Baptist Church and cemetery. A good number of Sisters’ gravemarkers showed how committed they worked during their time in proclaiming the redeeming love of Jesus.

Accordingly, Maria Camp, where the Sisters founded Our

Story by Sister Pauline Siesegh

Top, the bell at St. Alphonsus Church, Peru. Bottom, sign at the St. John Neumann Prayer Center. Sister Pauline Siesegh photos.

Lady of Good Counsel Convent, used to produce more food because of the fertile land and the river, but now it is only a cornfield. All the Sisters who were buried there have been relocated together with those at Glandorf. There is a monument in honor of all of them.

We then continued our tour and stopped at St. Henry, near the former site of Himmelgarten convent, and where Father Joseph Albrecht left with some of the Sisters. Some of the Sisters eventually formed the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and some eventually

founded the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.

From there we made another stop at St. Aloysius Cemetery in Carthagena, and all Sisters’ marked graves proved the presence of the Sisters in that vicinity. Gruenenwald, where the Sisters founded the Mary, Mother of God Convent, was not left out.

We then went to Maria Stein. A number of Sisters are buried at the St. John the Baptist Parish cemetery. From there we headed to the first Motherhouse in Ohio, built in 1846. When we got to the Shrine of the Holy Relics, the chapel was opened with exposition of the

Blessed Sacrament. At the Maria Stein Shrine cemetery, over 530 Sisters are resting there, including Mother Kunigunda Wehrle and Mother Ludovica Scharf. What a glorious site to have Mothers General in the same eternal community with Sisters.

Oh death, why have you taken thousands of our Sisters away? But that is the plan of God. They sowed the seed, nurtured its growth and then passed it on. That door is closed and a window is opened. May their lovely souls find peace in God and may they continue to intercede for us.

Many of the early Sisters crossed the ocean to bring the redeeming love of Jesus to the German immigrant children in Ohio. In an act of great faith, many of these women left their homes and families, never to see them again but to raise a future generation of God’s children. Each of them, young and old, who made the journey had good stories.

Here are a few you may not have heard of: it took the Sisters approximately 30 days from Europe to New York over the ocean; two to three weeks from New York to Ohio by canal boat; and by wagon or on foot to their final destination. That was a very cumbersome journey, l suppose. They did not speak much English and understood even less. I am impressed with the devotion and heroism of our early Sisters. They were incredible. God placed within them divine qualities of virtue, love,

Sister Pauline at the St. John Neumann Prayer Center; Sarah Aisenbrey photo.

willingness to sacrifice and the strength to do it. They had an unwavering faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. The heroic accounts of what these early Sisters sacrificed and accomplished as they came to Ohio is a priceless legacy to the Church.

I am moved by the accounts of Mothers Kunigunda, Ludovica and Emma, and how they zealously kept the Congregation alive until women from the United States

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to take the time to reflect and find our own words to use. At our event on March 18, one of the grace moments was seeing participants hear words that other parts of our Precious Blood family use to describe our spirituality and making the connection that they could use those same words.

joined. I deeply and gratefully acknowledge the service, sacrifice, commitment and contributions of the early Sisters. Much of what we accomplish today is due to their selfless service. These Sisters played key roles in the Church, schools and family life, and as individuals. Most of their responsibilities did not provide much economic compensation but gave satisfaction and are eternally significant. Even when the Sisters serve, they are thinking, “If only l could have done more!” Though they are not perfect and all face individual struggles, their faith in a loving Father in heaven and the assurance of the aligning sacrifice of the Savior permeates their lives. They were loyal to God and to the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood.

For 179 years, the Congregation has done amazing work in Ohio and beyond. Going through a lot of challenges

since Vatican II did not deter or distract our faith in God. The Sisters kept focus. They tried to serve people and prayed for insight, wisdom and the seeds they planted in people’s lives to grow. I believe many of them have been smiling over the fruits of their labor.

They left a big legacy for us. I love to acknowledge the legacy of Sister Noreen Jutte, for all the wonderful work she has done as archivist. None of our early Sisters are lost. Sister Noreen worked to put all the grave markers, headstones or plaques on the graves, so that none would be forgotten. May this legacy motivate us to work hard in proclaiming the redeeming love of Jesus.

I discovered great moments in the history of the Sisters of the Precious Blood in the Ten Foundations. The cultural experience was that of the graves or tombs in the cemeteries. Hundreds of our Sisters are buried in the cemetery communities. I got closer to the Sisters on this journey and felt the peaceful atmosphere which indicates how they were devoted to prayer life.

Long live Mother Maria Anna Brunner! Garabenye (good job)! 

Our Precious Blood family was made up of people willing to take the time to adapt to the culture and world of their day. It is now our turn. While the language within our communities to speak about our spirituality is familiar and comfortable, I hope we can embrace new words as we talk

more about our spirituality with others. We don’t need to build a new boat; we need a bigger one.

If you were not able to attend our March 18 gathering, please visit our website, pbspiritualityinstitute.org, at the end of May to view the video of the event. 

Sister Pauline at the All Saints Cemetery; Sarah Aisenbrey photo.

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.

Here, Sister Joyce Ann Zimmerman writes about the challenge and gift of Eucharist. Artwork created by Sister Joyce Ann represents both the physical nourishment we receive from God in the form of bread and wine, as well as the spiritual sustenance we receive from Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

The eucharistic ritual flows from the Introductory Rites (during which we recognize ourselves as an assembly before our God) into the Liturgy of the Word (during which we are confronted with God’s prophetic words that urge us to live the gospel more fully) into the Liturgy of the Eucharist (during which we are transformed into being ever more perfect members of the body of Christ) into the Concluding Rite (during which we are sent forth to live as Christ). Our own personal needs and desires during this dynamic ritual flow are subsumed under this communal action of transforming us ever more perfectly into our common identity as the body of Christ. It is in the rhythm of this weekly action that we receive the impetus to be ministers of reconciliation, because it is in this weekly action that we celebrate the union of the sacrifice of our own lives with Christ and in that union share in his identity. Eucharist as nourishment for our journey

to the cross and as gift of identity as members of the body of Christ is the double prong of Eucharist’s reconciling action. It is both challenge and gift.

… Paying attention to the divisions and injuries among us and trying to heal them calls us to a renewed commitment to celebrate Eucharist faithfully and fruitfully, for that is the sacrament where we approach the messianic table as Christ’s body to be nourished and strengthened. Without its strength we cannot heal the divisions among us. Without its nourishment we cannot have the strength to forgive the injuries we inflict on each other. Without Eucharist we are a divided body of Christ. With Eucharist we are a dynamic organism continuing the salvific work of its Head. Healing divisions among us restores us to our common identity as body of Christ. Thus, Eucharist is the manifestation of the healing process as together we eat and drink from the common table. This common action challenges us to acknowledge and live out of our common identity. It challenges us to realize that when we harm another or exclude another we harm and exclude

ourselves. It challenges us to remember that whatever we do to the least members of the body, we do to Christ himself (cf. Matt 25:40). It challenges us to examine ourselves on how well we surrender to the eucharistic action and live it out in our daily lives. It challenges us to take up our cross with Christ by surrendering our wills for reconciling with others. Reconciliation brings us to Eucharist with a renewed commitment to be one with each other and share in the fruits of the risen Christ’s peace. 

Story by Sister Joyce Ann Zimmerman. Excerpt from “Eucharist and Reconciliation: A Jubilee Year Gift,” Liturgical Ministry 9 (Winter 2000): 19-27. Reprinted with permission.

Left, “Matt 14:20” is on display in the Last Supper Room at the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics. Right, this artwork is on display at Salem Heights and includes a poem by Sister Mary Alice Wurm. Contributed photos.

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.

March 1-3 — Sister Edna Hess, president of the Congregation, hosted the Precious Blood Leadership Conference at Salem Heights, our central house in Dayton. The participants were Sister Vicki Bergkamp, ASC, regional leader of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ; Sister Janice Bader, CPPS, president of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, MO; and Father Jeffrey Kirch, CPPS, provincial director of the United States Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.

March 8-14 — To celebrate Catholic Sisters Week, the Congregation highlighted our commitment to Laudato Si by giving reusable grocery bags to each Sister, as well as to Gem City Market, Miami Valley Meals and west Dayton food pantries. The initiative was a collaboration between Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator Jen Morin-Williamson and the vocations team.

March 14 — Sister Joyce Ann Zimmerman presented “What We Do & Use at Mass” as part of the Lenten Learning Series at the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics, former Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. She presented a second session on March 23. Sister Joyce Ann is founding director of the Institute for Liturgical Ministry in Dayton; an adjunct professor of liturgy; a facilitator of liturgy workshops; and a prolific author of scholarly and pastoral liturgical books and articles.

March 18 — Sister Joyce Lehman, former president of the Congregation, represented the Sisters of the Precious Blood at a panel discussion, “Coming Together to Celebrate Connections and Diversity.” The panel was hosted by the Precious Blood Spirituality Institute and held in person and virtually at the Precious Blood Renewal Center in Liberty, Missouri.

March 30 — Homefull held a groundbreaking on Gettysburg Avenue in Dayton for the first phase of their 16-acre Healthy Living in West Dayton Project. The project will include a grocery store, primary care physician’s office, a locally owned and operated pharmacy and a regional food hub for area farmers. Sister Margo Young, Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator Jen Morin-Williamson and Executive Assistant Peg Birkemeyer attended the ceremony. In 1988, Precious Blood Sister Dorothy Kammerer founded The Other Place, which evolved into Homefull and works to end homelessness.

Top, Gem City Market employee Kimberly McGuire and Sister Margo Young at Gem City Market; Jen Morin-Williamson photo. Second, Sister Marita Beumer, Sister Rita Rogier, friend of Wesley Dayton, Executive Director Shawn Kerley, and Jen Morin-Williamson at Wesley Dayton, a community organization; contributed photo. Third, Lenten Learning Series with Sister Joyce Ann Zimmerman flyer Fourth, the courtyard of the Precious Blood Renewal Center; contributed photo. Fifth, the groundbreaking ceremony at Homefull; Jen Morin-Williamson photo.

March 31 — Sister Karen Elliot was honored with a Women of the Mount Impact Award, presented by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati. Sister Karen serves as chief mission officer at the Mount.

March 31 — Sister Mary E. Wendeln and Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator Jen Morin-Williamson hosted a gathering to re-vision the Ohio Nuns on the Bus organization with a new identity as the Ohio Sisters Justice Network. Nuns on the Bus is a Catholic advocacy group that began in 2012, touring the country to visit community agencies and advocate for the principles of Catholic social teaching.

April 19 — Sister Mūmbi Kīgūtha participated in a panel discussion, “Change, Hope, and the Catholic Church,” cosponsored by Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Discerning Deacons, a project dedicated to engaging Catholics in conversation about women and the diaconate.

April 22 — The Dayton Catholic Women’s Club celebrated its centennial jubilee with a Mass at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Dayton and a dinner at the Presidential Banquet Center. The club engages in religious, educational, social and charitable works. Sister Thelma Wurzelbacher currently serves as the group’s spiritual adviser.

May 12-13 — Sisters Mi-kyoung Hwang and Mūmbi Kīgūtha participated in a symposium, “A Praxis of Reconciliation: Trauma, Culture, and Spirituality” at the Robert J. Schreiter, CPPS, Institute for Precious Blood Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. The symposium explored opportunities and challenges for interculturally recognizing, narrating and healing various manifestations of trauma in praxes of reconciliation and restorative justice.

May 13 — Shannen Dee Williams, associate professor of history at the University of Dayton, gave a presentation at Salem Heights titled “America’s Real Sister Act: The Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States.” Williams is the author of Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle (Duke University Press, 2022), named a 2022 top five book in religion by Publishers Weekly and recipient of the 2022 Letitia Woods Brown Award for best book in African American women’s history from the Association of Black Women Historians.

May 16 — Sister Mūmbi Kīgūtha hosted a webinar titled “The Hope I Saw in South Sudan,” in which she shared photos and stories from her visit to Solidarity with South Sudan ministries. Sister Mūmbi currently serves as president of Friends in Solidarity, an initiative of U.S. Catholic religious men and women in support of religious working in South Sudan and beyond. 

Top, Sister Karen Elliott (second from right) with her colleagues Sandra Curtis, Elizabeth Barkley, Tina Blakley and Mary Mazuk at Mount St. Joseph; contributed photo. Second, Nuns on the Bus logo. Third, Sister Mumbi speaks during the “Change, Hope, and the Catholic Church” panel discussion; contributed photo. Fourth, Dayton Catholic Women’s Club centennial jubilee flyer. Fifth, Shannen Dee Williams; Jen MorinWilliamson photo.

4000 Denlinger Road Dayton, OH 45426-2399

Scenes from Salem Heights

Sisters and staff enjoyed many events these past few months. Clockwise from top left: Sister Regina Albers found the baby Jesus in the King cake and was crowned the Mardi Gras Queen of Salem Heights; Nifty Nineties party for Sisters aged 90 years or older; Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School students delivered 40 Easter baskets to the Sisters; Employee Service Awards Banquet and Ceremony - from left, Nancy Gordon, Tammie Wortham and Sheree Neumann; Michelle Bodine photos.