ON A MISSION
By Joe Foley
Two priorities were a given – the first with dozens of Notre Dame wells pumping clean water across two African nations, and the second addressed by presidents and prime ministers in media-packed, international conferences focused on climate change.
But the third priority – that one came unexpectedly. And it came from the 80- and 90-year-old Sisters living in the Mount Notre Dame Health Center.
Spurred into action by Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Encyclical of 2015, and in conjunction with the global, seven-year Laudato Si’ Action Platform, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur have launched the Dorothy Stang
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Sister Elizabeth Bowyer, SNDdeN
At the heart of the Dorothy Stang Initiative for Laudato Si’ Action are three priorities: clean water, fossil fuels reduction and the reduction of plastics, especially single-use plastics.
Initiative for Laudato Si’ Action. At its heart are three areas of prime concern: clean water, fossil fuels reduction, and after a donnybrook between Health Center Sisters and a pharmaceutical company – the reduction of plastics, especially single-use plastics.
And though the first two are going strong, it is the plastics crusade that has fired up the Mount Notre Dame world of Sisters, Notre Dame Associates and the many employees engaged in the Notre Dame mission.
“Our oceans are filled with it, it’s in the air we’re breathing,” says Sister Elizabeth Bowyer, former twotime Ohio provincial, a former member of the Sisters’ worldwide leadership team in Rome, and now part of the Plastics Task Force of the Sisters’ Initiative.
“Look around at the world you’re in,” she says. “It [plastic] is all around you. It’s with us everywhere. It’s taking over our lives.”
The Clean Water effort is working primarily in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo pumping and purifying clean water, as well as building photoelectric power systems. It has also constructed a Learning Lab on the Mount Notre Dame campus to allow area students to test technologies for photovoltaic power generation, electrical storage and water purification systems, all to be employed halfway around the world.
In parallel, the Fossil Fuels effort is seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of the Sisters’ Cincinnati campus both through energy conservation and a re-thinking of the now-manicured campus grounds. Instead of wide lawns
requiring the use of fossil fuels for cutting, trimming and overall maintenance, the Sisters are committing to natural ground covers and native plants, which together will reduce carbon emissions (through less to no mowing) and provide natural flora and habitat for native species.
The work in Clean Water has been going on for decades. Reducing Fossil Fuels is just beginning, and with small steps. But in the area of plastics, and in particular single-use plastics, the Sisters are finding ample opportunities to make significant leaps forward.
And it began with a mutiny of sorts.
Rebellion in the Health Center
Teresa Phillips, director of Justice, Peace and Care of Creation for the Sisters, and also coordinator of the Dorothy Stang Initiative Steering Committee, tells of how Sisters in the Health Center were getting all their prescriptions in single-use plastics — individual doses of medicine in plastic bags, individual pills in plastic caps, etc. “And the Sisters said, ‘Enough!’” Teresa says.
The large pharmacy under contract said there was no choice in the matter, and that’s the way the prescriptions would continue to come.
The Sisters disagreed, and in the back and forth, the pharmacy was fired and another hired, one that would honor the Sisters’ wishes.
“The Sisters said this really matters to them,” Teresa recalls. “It wasn’t something to be dismissed. It’s their home. And so they came up with how to reduce single-use plastics in their daily lives, and to find alternatives.”
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The daily medication prescribed to our retired Sisters added up to a lot of wasted plastic until alternatives were found.
That first effort on the assisted living and nursing floors of the Health Center soon expanded to the cafeteria, where Styrofoam, single-use flatware and plastic cups have been phased out. Plastic grocery bags are no longer used on the campus. Yogurt containers, juice bottles and most other plastic packaging is carefully recycled.
“But the more we read,” Teresa says, “the more we researched, we realized that recycling wasn’t the answer. Reduced use was the answer."
Ninety-one percent of all plastics, according to information gathered by the Sisters, has not, and will not, by recycled. This holds true for the more than 15 million metric tons of plastic dumped in the ocean every year, for the 100 billion plastic bags used annually by Americans for an average of 12 minutes (but that last 500 years), and plastics in the coming year the manufacture of which will add as much greenhouse gas as 189 coal fired plants.
What can we can do?
“We need plastics,” says Sister Elizabeth, the former provincial. “We can’t get rid of plastics. But we can contain plastics. Instead, right now, they’re using us. We have the ability to be in charge of our own environment, instead of letting the plastics be in charge.
“Look at your lives, look at what you do each day. Then ask, ‘What can I do?’ We all have different opportunities. But right now, we all use single-use plastics.”
In particular, we all use plastic grocery bags.
“Listen, you can’t be a devotional Christian if you don’t pay attention to climate change,” says Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn, SNDdeN, another former provincial who is also involved with the Plastics Task Force.
“This is very practical spirituality,” she says. “It’s not ethereal. It’s not esoteric. Eliminating plastic bags is not costing you money. A lot of things cost you money. This doesn’t. Bring cloth bags [to the grocery store]. It’s something we can all do.”
Something else the Sisters are encouraging, according to Sister Mary Ann, is that everyone should ask family and friends to likewise find plastic bag alternatives, and if possible, to talk with store
managers about decreasing the availability of plastic bags at checkout counters.
“We have 29,000 people reading this Cross Currents magazine,” says Sister Mary Ann. “Think about it. Think if 29,000 people did this!”
Why Dorothy Stang?
Sister Elizabeth, as provincial in 2005, took the phone call that Sister Dorothy Stang had been murdered. It was a Saturday. For a while, Sister Elizabeth was alone with the news. The congregational leadership at the time was in Peru for a meeting, unreachable by phone. Sister Meg Walsh, eventually contacted by Sister Elizabeth, carried the news on foot. Similarly, Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk couldn’t be located. Sister Elizabeth was able to get hold of his secretary. She also notified the U.S. State Department.
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For Sister Elizabeth, Sister Dorothy’s namesake Initiative for Laudato Si’ Action could not be better titled.
“In the first part of the 21st century we weren’t really as involved in the environment as we are now,” she says. “This was new. And it was new for Dot (Sister Dorothy). She lived at a time when change was happening. Dot was growing in her ecological sense. She was growing in her concern for the Earth just as she was concerned so much for people. She was killed standing up for people who had no opportunity to stand up for themselves. Their futures were being wiped out by the conglomerates who were taking the land and taking the forest.”
Today, Sister Elizabeth calls Sister
Dorothy “our great ecological champion,” and believes that by placing Sister Dorothy front and center in the Sisters’ environmental ministry, it gives that ministry greater relevance to the wider community.
And involving the wider community is key.
“It’s groups working together that are going to make a difference,” says Sister Mary Ann. “Certainly, Sisters all over the world are taking this seriously. Plastic is so evil, but we have to be careful that we don’t paint a hopeless picture. There is something we can do about this.”
To that end, the Sisters have formed working committees and subcommittees to affect change, including advocacy subcommittees. “We don’t want it to be scattershot,” says Sister Elizabeth. “We want to work through education, careful planning and collaboration.”
This includes the education of students and others, such as through the Learning Lab; conversations with retailers, especially grocers; letters to newspaper editors, letter writing campaigns to city council members and state legislators; and joint efforts with Notre Dame schools and other religious communities including the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of the Precious Blood.
“As we become more aware, and start to do things, the more we grow in our ability to take responsibility for what we believe in. It’s related to hope, and hope makes us all continue to do things that count,” says Sister Elizabeth.
“If we really care,” she says, “we’re going to be on fire to make it better. Dorothy knew the problems were great, but she believed in people and believed we can make a difference!”
“We have the ability to be in charge of our own environment, instead of letting the plastics be in charge.”
-Sister Elizabeth Bowyer
To learn more about how Sisters in the Ohio Province are addressing Laudato Si', visit our website, sndohio. org, or contact Teresa Phillips, coordinator of the Dorothy Stang Initiative Steering Committee (tphillips@ohsnd.org).
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Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN, was ambushed and killed in 2005 for her work to protect the people and environment in Brazil.
CELEBRATING OUR FOUNDING
It has been 220 years since St. Julie Billiart, Sister Françoise Blin de Bourdon and Catherine Duchâtel pledged themselves to making known God's goodness through education. In honor of Foundation Day, February 2, the Ohio Province celebrated mass and held a banquet.
Learn more about our history on our website, sndohio.org, under the About tab.
STUDENT SECTION
During Catholic Schools Week, January 28 through February 3, 2024, many schools enjoyed special activities that highlighted their Catholic identity and their association with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
At The Summit Country Day School, Sister Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN provincial, delivered the homily at an all-school mass. Through storytelling, she shared how all children can be Jesus' light in the world by showing each other kindness and compassion.
Corryville Catholic Elementary students wrote letters of gratitude to faculty, staff and Sister Mary Ann Zwijack, SNDdeN, who has ministered at Corryville for more than 50 years. They were thanked for dedicating their lives to Catholic education.
Students at Badin High School recognized SNDdeN Foundation Day on February 2 by learning about our foundress, St. Julie Billiart.
Share your school news as it relates to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur by contacting Tami McMann, communications manager, at tmcmann@ohsnd.org.
Sister Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN Provincial, spoke to students at The Summit Country Day School during a Catholic Schools Week mass.
JOIN US FOR AN EARTH DAY EVENT ON APRIL 20
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are hosting a twohour session called "Laudato Si': Spirituality and Action" on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Mount Notre Dame campus, 701 E. Columbia Avenue in Cincinnati.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Marcus Mescher, associate professor of Christian ethics at Xavier University. He will guide participants through the steps from ecological conversion to ecological communion "in the light of faith," as Pope Francis encourages.
Other presenters are Sister Carol DeFiore, SNDdeN, and Teresa Phillips, director of the Office of Peace, Justice and Care of Creation.
This event is open to teens and adults; registration is required. Visit our website, sndohio.org, for details.
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Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School students from Dayton, Ohio, were some of the first to experience the completed Learning Lab. The lab is open from spring to fall.
LEARNING LAB SUPPORTS GLOBAL WATER PROJECT
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Learning Lab in Cincinnati is now fully functional and equipped to support the Clean Water for Life project while enhancing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning of local students.
The purpose of the Learning Lab is to test technologies for electricity generation and water treatment so solutions can be deployed where the Sisters serve in Africa.
Completed in two phases, the learning lab generates power through photovoltaic systems, power that runs equipment to strain and filter raw, unpurified water.
Students visiting from Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton, Ohio, recently learned about how the lab can help them run experiments in water treatment. While the space was closed during the winter
months to protect the equipment, students worked in the classroom to set up their projects.
To arrange a tour of the Learning Lab and explore teaching opportunities, contact Karen Hadden, associate director of development (khadden@ohsnd. org or 513.679.8106).
BRINGING HOPE AND HEALING TO THE HOMELESS
Sister Thérèse DelGenio, SNDdeN, (pictured on the right) is actively engaged in a rewarding ministry in Cincnnati, Ohio, focused on helping homeless people who are recuperating after a hospital stay.
“I am available for pastoral care, addictions counseling, transformative readiness discussions and activities," she says. "Being with them is a fantastic experience and privilege.” Her clientele often arrives empty-handed to the Center for Respite Care after their discharge, sometimes still wearing a hospital-issued gown and slipper socks. They are treated with kindness, compassion, warmth and cheer, restoring their dignity.
Sister Thérèse says, "Along with overwhelming feelings of rejection, fear, shame and hopelessness, they also often experience the trauma that comes with being a victim of violence. Your thoughts and prayers will bring them healing and hope!”
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BUILDING COMMUNITY IN CINCINNATI
NEWS FROM HAITI
In a joint community-building activity between the Ohio Province office and the Mount Notre Dame Health Center, 100 people spent a day raising funds and awareness for two health concerns: Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer.
The Sisters, along with staff members, held a mass, walked around the property, created a remembrance board and enjoyed lunch together. Around $800 was split between the Alzheimer's Association and the American Cancer Society following the event.
Two congregational leaders, Sister Mary Johnson, SNDdeN, of Rome and Sister Evalyne Aseyo, SNDdeN, of Kenya were in town for meetings with Ohio Province leaders and were able to enjoy the event as well.
A HEART — AND TONGUE — FOR IMMIGRANT MINISTRIES
Sister Nancy Wellmeier, SNDdeN, is putting her world language skills to good use. As a volunteer receptionist at Su Casa, the Catholic Charities social services center in Cincinnati, she welcomes guests, explains the services provided and answers questions. Sister Nancy is blessed to be multilingual; she is fluent in Spanish and French and can also converse in Swahili, Q’anjob’al Maya and sign language.
To better pursue its mission, the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers supporting Haiti have organized into a separate nonprofit organization incorporated in Maryland now known as the St. Julie Haiti Project.
Sister Katherine Corr, SNDdeN, and her team welcome your support and prayers as they work to lead Haitian families out of poverty. The main areas of focus are providing jobs and job training at a bakery, selling products, providing solar and other resources for power and offering scholarships for area residents. Visit stjuliehaiti.org.
“We envision that the bakery and water project will eventually be employee-owned and profitable for all involved.”
—Sister Katherine Corr
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Congregational leaders Sister Mary Johnson, SNDdeN, (left) and Sister Evalyne Aseyo, SNDdeN, (right) joined Sister Donna Jurick, SNDdeN, at an Ohio Province event called United for a Cure.
Sister Nancy Wellmeier, SNDdeN, answers questions from a visitor to Catholic Charities Su Casa.
SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
We respectfully honor these Sisters who were faithful to God and to the ministry of making God's goodness known. For complete obituaries, please visit sndohio.org.
SISTER MARY CAROLINA HESS, SNDdeN
Formerly Margaret Ann
August 9, 1930–July 4, 2023
Sister "Lina" was known for her sense of humor and contagious laugh. She earned master’s degrees in English and Library Science as well as a bachelor’s degree in English and served as teacher and librarian in Notre Dame schools. Lina was a published writer and poet whose work appeared in renowned magazines, such as Child Life, Catholic Library World, Catholic Digest and Reader’s Digest. Lina took a genuine interest in others and often chronicled stories about family and living in community, recording interesting facts, events and stories about her Sisters in a daily journal.
SISTER MARY DICROCE, SNDdeN
Formerly Michael Marie
June 18, 1933–July 18, 2023
Sister Mary spent 55 years in formal education. serving rural, suburban and inner-city children of diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. In 1989, she was named Teacher of the Year from Resurrection School in Philadelphia, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia later honored her for 25 years of service in its schools. Sister Mary considered herself fortunate to have experienced God’s presence in many ways. She reflected upon her life: “I’m happy and I love it. Our Blessed Mother has always been my inspiration.”
SISTER JEANNE MARIE SUERTH, SNDdeN
Formerly Jeanne Patricia
July 11, 1934–July 24, 2023
Sister Jeanne Marie’s call to religious life was first recognized as an eighth grader and deepened as a Notre Dame High School student in Chicago. There, she was deeply touched by the Sisters' genuine care, graciousness, kindness, simplicity and affection for each other. She dedicated 22 years to teaching in parish schools and also served as principal. Skilled in home repairs, she ran her own handywoman service for elderly clients — “Sister Jeanne on the Scene.” At one time she carried six toolboxes and an extension ladder in her car trunk. She delighted in spending time with people and found great joy in community.
SISTER ELEANOR COLGAN, SNDdeN
July 6, 1930–August 11, 2023
Sister Eleanor attributed her call to religious life, first planted in her heart as a first grader, to her mother's prayers. She entered consecrated life in 1947 and described it as a “gift" and "a marvelous adventure." Although her favorite subject was math, Eleanor primarily taught English for 40 years at schools throughout Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton. After retiring, she focused on adult education programs and worked with immigrants and refugees in Arizona and Ohio. She was a tireless woman of prayer throughout her life.
SISTER MARIETTA FRITZ, SNDdeN
Formerly Roslee Elizabeth Fritz
May 3, 1942–August 12, 2023
Sister Marietta entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1960. She is best known for co-founding Emmaus House, a transitional living program for women beginning new lives following incarceration or rehabilitation. The nonprofit was established in 1987 in Saginaw, MI, and has provided life-changing opportunities for more than 3,000 women. She said, "I spent 29 years with my women — loving, living, eating, crying, praying, celebrating, etc. I loved them all with God’s own love.” A book about her life and work, "Sister Marietta, Saginaw's Saint," by Joan and Craig Douglas is available through Emmaus House.
SISTER JEAN ANNE BLUST, SNDdeN
Formerly Mary Cecilia Blust
October 3, 1933–December 26, 2023
Sister Jean Anne was a certified Montessori instructor who taught throughout Ohio from 1954 to 2015. In addition to decades of classroom experience, Jean Anne was the principal of St. George Parish School in Cincinnati before it merged with other parish schools to form Corryville Catholic. Her calling to do God’s work inspired her to tirelessly fulfill the needs of generations of children and families. She was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from Stephen T. Badin High School, the successor school of Notre Dame High School. Her love for people was particularly evident in all she did.
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READY TO RETIRE?
Americans are living longer and healthier lives and thoughts about our “golden years” are changing. Retirement is no longer a short stretch at the end of a long working life. A retirement that begins at age 65 can easily extend 20 or more years, a scenario that requires careful planning to ensure there is enough income to carry through.
Many financial experts believe we need at least 70% of preretirement income to maintain our lifestyles after we stop working. In addition to social security benefits accrued during our working years, tax-advantaged savings plans are necessary to fund retirement expenses.
A deferred payment charitable gift annuity offers an attractive way to make a gift to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur now while guaranteeing personal
annual income when you retire. If you need tax deductions during your peak earning years and supplemental income when you retire, the deferred payment gift annuity could be a strong option for you.
Consider the following example: Jennifer is a successful 55-yearold sales executive and supporter of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She is looking ahead to retirement at age 68 and wants to make certain that she has sufficient annual income at the time she retires from her company.
To supplement her taxable investments, Jennifer has decided that a deferred payment gift annuity would accomplish two of her primary objectives: to assist the Sisters in their ministry and to provide retirement income for herself. Jennifer is in the 32% income tax bracket.
During a time when she is earning and her taxes are higher, Jennifer purchases a deferred payment gift annuity in the amount of $50,000 for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She will get an income tax charitable deduction for a portion of her gift which will save her current taxes, if she itemizes. She has also removed $50,000 from her estate, thus reducing potential estate tax liability upon her passing.
In this 13-year period, when Jennifer does not receive income, the investment accumulates in value on a tax-deferred basis. Then, at age 68, when Jennifer begins receiving income from the deferred payment gift annuity, a portion of it will be tax-free.
Ready to learn more about this strategy? Contact Kevin Manley (kmanley@ohsnd.org or 513-679-8117).
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Pictured on the left, Sister Rita Sturwold, SNDdeN, greeted members of the Our Lady of the Window Society at a 2023 event in Chicago. Members are alumnae of the Notre Dame School for Girls, which closed in 2016.
LUNCH WITH THE SISTERS
We are eagerly preparing to welcome friends of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at our annual Partners in Action fundraising luncheon in Cincinnati.
Please join us on Wednesday, May 8, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University campus.
At this mission-based luncheon program, you will learn about and be inspired by the educational work and mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, women with hearts as wide as the world.
Reservations are required. Please contact Karen Hadden, associate director of development (khadden@ohsnd.org or 513.679.8106).
KEVIN MANLEY Director of Development
