2022-23 Annual Report

From Our Leadership Team

Dear Sisters, Our theme for the year 2022–23 has been “Walk in Faith.” It has certainly been a journey of faith as we embrace what is happening in our city, country and the world. The challenges of war, violence, discrimination, poverty and other issues give us pause to ask the question: What is the quality of my faith during these times of uncertainty in our society, the world, the church, religious life and our own congregation?

Pope Francis said, “Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.”

Walking in faith is walking in love. May we never grow tired as we meet the challenges of the present and of what may be ahead of us.

This annual report is a testimony as to how we, as people of faith—Sisters, Associates, co-workers and ministry partners, walked in faith this past year and lived our call as true disciples of Jesus. We, the Leadership Team, are grateful to you for your witness of faith this past year and with your commitment to the Gospel and our mission. Let us continue our journey.

Your Sisters in faith, Leadership Team

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

Leadership and Guiding Teams Reports Leadership Report

Governance

We were happy to take the recommendation of the Health Team and add a new member, Katie Holthouse. We continue our ministry partnerships with Sacred Heart Schools, Nazareth HomeClifton and Bellarmine University. Although we have stepped back from sponsorship of Nativity Academy, we find ways to support its mission. We continue to engage in the legal and canonical steps of our “Planning in Faith” guide.

At its meeting on March 24, 2023, the Governance Guiding Team requested to conduct the congregational Spring Gathering on March 16, 2024. At the same time, the team requested a place on the agenda for Community Days in 2024. While the details of these days are not yet planned, the team will lead the congregation in reviewing our governance journey, answering questions, and in looking ahead to what remains to be done leading up to governance decisions in 2026.

—Sister Janet M. Peterworth

Our journey of faith continues to be connected with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) on the local, regional and national level, exploring the emerging future of religious life.

We were happy to be a pilot group for Thresholds in Transformation, not only for our Sisters who participated, but also by offering input to other communities who were wanting to participate as well. The virtual Ursuline Convocation that was held in October was a great success. Our involvement with the Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC) has expanded, with Sister Jean Anne, Becky Phillips, Kathy Williams and Laurel Wilson being involved on various committees.

Walking in faith with our Sisters, Associates, co-workers and ministry partners has been a journey filled with blessings.

Charism and Spirituality The Charism and Spirituality Facilitating Team invited the Sisters for reflection and sharing during Community Days, and again in March 2023. On August 4, the parable of the Prodigal Son was read, followed by individual reflection and small and large group sharing on “What does the ‘Prodigal Father’ say to you about your Creator, God?” Ginny Schaeffer, director of the Angela Merici Center, facilitated.

On March 4, 2023, Sisters gathered in the Heritage Room to view a short video of a homily on the Epiphany (our epiphanies) by Bishop Robert Barron. Bishop Barron reflected on where “God took hold of my life (epiphanies),” and small group sharing followed. After lunch, Sisters reassembled in the Heritage Room. Sisters who were unable to attend in person were connected virtually to sessions in the Heritage Room. A shortened version of the March 4 session was offered for Sisters who reside at Nazareth Home–Clifton.

—Sisters Martha Jacob and Judy Rice

Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

While the Governance Guiding Team did not engage the total congregation between July 2022 and June 2023, it did work behind the scenes on its assigned tasks. Due to the congregation giving a leaning on March 5, 2022, that 2026 would be our final Chapter, and Leadership having administrative duties to attend to, the Governance Guiding Team stepped back for a while.

Do something. Get moving.

Be confident. Risk new things. Stick with it. Get on your knees. Then be ready for big surprises.

— St. Angela Merici

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

We asked our Sisters: How have you walked in faith this past year?

How have you helped others to walk in faith?

You can read some of their responses on these pages.

Walking in faith with others while living the transformative joy of the Gospels.

Identifying and encouraging others to share the privilege and blessing of volunteering with the underserved and economically, socially, and spiritually needy. Creating new spaces for a transitional time with Nativity Academy—revised by-laws and Catholic identity documents.

Sr. Ruth Ann Haunz

August 2-5, 2022: Community Days Most of our Sisters were able to gather in-person as we met, celebrated our jubilarians and were sent out on mission to “Walk In Faith.” On August 2, the newly installed archbishop, Shelton Fabre, met all the Sisters and had a Q&A session.

My walking in faith this past 12 months has been a call to live evermore in the present, accepting what is and seeing how much God accompanies each of us always. I have been honored to accompany individuals through falls, surgeries, and other illnesses, offering my help and encouragement as they lived into their reduced health situations. There is no doubt in my mind and spirit how present God is to each of us, calling us to rely on God’s mercy and compassion.

Sr. Lynn Jarrell

I walked in faith this year by believing and trusting God who walked with me each day, and whose presence was a guiding light.

Sr. Rita Dressman

I have walked in faith observing, listening and affirming each person I met along the way— encouraging them, giving them strength and sharing joy, because in each one lives the presence of a God who gives life and gives life in abundance.

Yo he caminado en la fe observando, escuchando y afirmando a cada persona que encontraba en el camino, animándolas, dándoles fortaleza y compartiendo alegria, porque en cada una está viva la presencia de un Dios que da vida y regala vida en abundancia.

Sr. Yuli Oncihuay

August 3, 2022: Our Sisters who ministered in Peru and who know Gustavo Gutiérrez, OP, gave a presentation on liberation theology. Gutiérrez’s writing, “Teología de la Liberación, Perspectivas” (1971), reached its 50th anniversary in 2022.

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

October 7, 2022: The Louisville Ursulines, Associates and SHS staff hosted a station during the all-virtual 2022 Ursuline Convocation: Challenged and Changed Towards a Ever-Wider We.

After suffering a serious fall and dealing with low vision, I felt strengthened and loved by God and my many faith communities.

Sr. Martha Buser

When I have walked in faith, I’ve been grateful for God’s peace, love, and grace in me and in us as a community. When I have walked in faith, I have reached out to others and have extended that peace, love and giftedness to others.

It is then that I’ve been comfortable with what is because I’m trusting God. Sr. Helen O’Brien Walking in faith has been a challenge as I am so aware of the issues in our city, and country, regarding gun violence, the continued war in Ukraine and the unrest in Peru. It calls me to really commit to faith in knowing God does not abandon those who struggle.

Sr. Jean Anne Zappa

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

With faith, I asked God to “give me the grace to BE and to DO what you, God, want me to BE and DO this day.”

Sr. Rosella McCormick I have walked in faith in prayer ministry with those who are suffering, with those who need encouragement and support, and with those who are rejoicing in thanksgiving. On this journey of faith, I bring a joyful presence and reverence to each person as a “Human GPS,” and in communities of groups of volunteers, line dancers, Ursuline Associates, two book clubs, and sports teams/fans, especially SHA and U of L. Sr. Julia Davis

October 2022: Sacred Heart Schools’ Heritage Room Timeline was installed in the Motherhouse.

The timeline tells the story of the founding of Sacred Heart Schools by the Louisville Ursulines in 1858 to the present day.

October 13, 2022: Fall Fun Outing to Thomas Farm! Dr. McNay’s family hosted the Sisters for a fall outing to their family farm.

October 23, 2022: The Angeline Award was presented to Joy Green, an Ursuline Associate from Cumberland, Maryland, and Carmen de la Cuba Laurel, an Associate and retired vice-principal of Santa Angela Merici School in Carmen de la Legua, Peru.

November 2022: Restoration and painting

by Whitehouse Residential & Commercial Painting began on the interior of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the Motherhouse and will continue through September 2023.

If I had not walked in the overflow of faith in my daily struggles during these last six months, I would not have been blessed in many ways despite the extreme loss of my earthly sight. God is GOOD and is getting better every day.

Sr. Lee Kirchner

I’ve accompanied and been accompanied by my Ursuline Sisters. I wrote letters to my legislators asking them to do what they can to prevent gun violence and promote gun safety in our state and our country.

Sr. Agnes Coveney

Roses in December, 2022: Sister Carol Curtis traveled to El Salvador and Honduras as a delegate with SHARE and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). They visited marginalized communities, forming friendships and solidarity.

I walked in faith this year as an artisan of peace. When we identified peace as our Laudato Si’ focus last summer, I wondered how to plan it. Instead, I was invited to envision it and live into it with others. In Central America, I witnessed the chiaroscuro of violence countered by movements of solidarity. Here in Louisville, as well, I experience peace work as walking in faith.

The way of peace is made by walking, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

Sr. Carol Curtis I have walked in faith through the development of a serious health issue with my heart and have learned to pray with great faith that God will bring me back to stronger health.

Sr. Paula Kleine-Kracht

As I reflect on the world situation—wars, climate disasters, violence, migration across nations, it seems every day is a walk in faith…faith that God is still in God’s heaven and that all will be right with the world. I think I Walk In Faith as I ponder what the Ursuline congregation will look like in the upcoming years. It takes a great deal of faith to live in the liminal space that I find myself in.

Faith is tricky…it seems it is here today and then gone tomorrow only to come back again and again. Walking in faith is the only way!

Sr. Janet M. Peterworth

Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14, 2023 We had several events, including a talk

by Sister Carol Curtis on “Living Out Laudato Si’ in Global Solidarity,” and several Sisters visited Sacred Heart Schools students to discuss their areas of ministry.

April 2023: The historical marker at Shelby and Chestnut streets was reinstalled after being lost.

Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

We have made big “letting go” decisions over the past several years that have been hard to make, though necessary. My faith that our God is with us, and that something new is being born from us, keeps me going through the losses.

Sr. Jo Ann Jansing

The increased gun violence, natural disasters, wars, state executions and abortions all continue to challenge me to choose life. The many public interfaith religious services have helped me walk by faith in our loving God and in our loving community of brothers and sisters.

Sr. Kathy Neely

My walking in faith journey began the day I was required to relinquish my driver’s license because of poor eyesight. My physical loss of sight continually calls me to see with the eyes of faith that God walks with me daily.

For me, walking in faith is a constant challenge to surrender to God’s unknown plan, embracing the present moment with humility, trust and unconditional love.

Sr. Clara Fehringer I have walked in faith this past year by experiencing severe health issues and surviving them very well.

Sr. Rita Joseph Jarrell

February 2022: The new Office of Catholic Identity and Ursuline Charism for Sacred Heart Schools is supported by the Louisville Ursulines. The office currently consists of three staff, L to R: Campus Minister and Catechetical Program Manager Andrea Hoback, Vice President of Mission and Community Mia Cooper, and Director of Mission Formation Jane Cruthirds.

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

I have been part of a group at Epiphany Catholic Church called Soul Life. We spend time together in discussion and contemplative prayer. We are reading the book, Seeking the God Beyond by J.P. Williams.

Sr. Sara Delaney I walked in faith through intercessory prayer ministry to the sick, and ministry to those in need. I walked in faith through study and prayerful reflection on Laudato Si’, and by living the Ursuline Call as an Ursuline Sister.

I walked in faith as a catechist with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program.

Sr. Mary Jo Gramig

May 4, 2023: Sisters and USAE staff gathered to watch the annual Sacred Heart Preschool parade during Derby week.

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

Walk In Faith: Highlights

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

Colegio Parroquial Santa Angela Merici, Callao, Peru

Sacred Heart Schools

Sacred Heart Schools had much to celebrate during the 2022-23 academic year. We announced and implemented the Office of Catholic Identity and Ursuline Charism to promote and carry the teaching mission of the Ursuline Sisters into the future.

As a campus, we celebrated the first Sacred Heart Schools Day on October 4, signifying 145 years of Ursuline education, followed by the feast of St. Ursula and Founders Day on October 31, commemorating the founding of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville in 1858. We experienced many beautiful moments of faith this year, including the Paschal Mystery experience at Sacred Heart School for the Arts for students and staff. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program continued at Sacred Heart Preschool and Sacred Heart Model School, in addition to theology instruction, retreats, school Mass and prayer services and more at each of our schools.

The spirit of St. Angela and our Ursuline Sisters is vibrant and pervasive in our school community, punctuated by amazing academic experiences, emphasis on teaching the whole child through arts and athletics, and dedication to formal leadership development for all students. It’s a great time to be at Sacred Heart Schools! —Dr. Karen McNay, president

Nativity Academy

Nativity Academy at St. Boniface is an independent Catholic middle school that transforms the lives of students who have a commitment to achievement and whose families demonstrate financial need. We offer an academic school day for sixth, seventh and eighth grades, afterschool enrichment, an extended school year, and graduate support for life. Nativity Academy serves students from the urban core of Louisville.

In July 2022, Amy Olson became the executive director of Nativity. To honor the 20th anniversary of the school in 2023 and Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht, Nativity Academy’s first executive director, the Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht Scholarship was created. We know without a doubt that Sister Paula, Father Tim Hogan and Father Bill Fichteman walked in faith to get the school up and running in 2003. The fund will be used to sponsor one student to attend Nativity Academy and provide a scholarship for a current Nativity eighth grader to attend a local Catholic high school. —Amy Olson, executive director

We finished the 2022–23 school year grateful for the return to in-person classes.

Our theme for last year, “Know, Love, Protect Life,” had us celebrating being together, caring for one another, and paying attention in a different way to individual and community needs.

But the year ended on a very sad note, with an attempted coup by then-president Pedro Castillo. With the Congress more closed than ever to the voice of the people, protests began in the streets.

Government forces reacted, killing some fifty people who were totally innocent. Schools were closed sporadically, depending on their location, because of the violence that was taking place. The tone of the end of the school year changed dramatically.

Protests continued until heavy rains began in February, and we faced a different kind of disaster. Flooding began in the Lima area, affecting the three rivers that feed into Lima, and we were totally unprepared for the devastation that took homes, crops, animals, and the livelihood of many people. Nothing had been done by the government since the flood of 2017 to protect roads, highways, homes and farmlands.

In summary, our school year began with collecting food and clothing for the communities who lost everything. Our programming was changed to take into account the viciousness of climate change and the consequences of not being proactive. Most affected by climate change are always the poor and the indigenous communities whose voices never reach those in power. We don’t need faith to move mountains. The floods do that. We need faith to believe in one another—the power of collective voices, and the will to bring faith into action. Our students are challenged to believe that their voices matter.

—Sr. Sue Scharfenberger, mission effectiveness director

Archives

Associates

Who knew that 2022–23 would be such a year of transition—imagining, walking in faith and hope.

The Future Planning Team kicked off the year with a visioning session for the entire Associate community in July of 2022. Themes of charism, community and growth were consistent among the Associate community as we looked toward the future. In September, Mark Clarke, a facilitator who often works closely with the Sisters, led a planning day with the former Associate Board and Future Planning Team to create a Transitional Governing Board that will lead the Associate community.

The Transitional Governing Board members, Patricia Hagan, Lauren Hitron, Anne Reardon, Donna Ising and Karen Harris, met monthly to plan prayer and social gatherings for Louisville-area Associates. We were elected in late 2022 to keep us going as lovers of God, St. Angela, and one another until such time as the Future Planning Team can call us together to discuss what newness we might seek as Associates.

We completed and sent out the new Associate Directory. We distributed the minutes of the meetings of the board, the Spirituality Committee and the Future Planning Team so that all of us could share in what was happening behind the scenes.

We began a new monthly column called “I’ve Been Thinking...” and sent out a monthly calendar of the various reflection groups and meetings.

We had our annual retreat on March 19, 2023, led

by Sister Rosella McCormick, and we continued our Faith and Fellowship gatherings on the third Sunday of each month. We discussed possible outreach programs, for us as individuals and as a community, led by Lisa Steiner in her Peace and Justice communications.

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

The Future Planning Team continues to work with Mark Clarke and seek input as we plan for the future of the Associates. We are exploring formation and how to strengthen that process for all new and current Associates. The Sisters have been generous in their encouragement and support while giving us the time and space to determine a structure that fits the needs of our community.

We Walk In Faith and are grateful for this opportunity to serve our Associates.

— Patricia Hagan, Lauren Hitron Ursuline Associates

Walking in faith this year highlights: • Continued to prepare our archival collection for its future home with the Women Religious Archive Collaborative in Cleveland.

• Helped complete a timeline and display in the new Heritage Room showcasing the history of the Ursuline campus and Sacred Heart Schools.

• Answered several dozen reference requests from researchers, genealogists and staff members.

• Contributed historical photos and information for DOME articles.

• Began a three-year term as secretary of the Board for Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious (ACWR).

—Laurel Wilson, archivist

Angela Merici Center for Spirituality

Walking in faith has been our theme for this year. It certainly has been a journey in faith as we let go of the Angela Merici Spirituality Center.

This year the Angela Merici Spirituality Center experienced the transitioning of Ginny Schaeffer’s time with us as the director of AMC into her retirement. As we gradually, in faith, let go of our ministries, we believed it was a natural time to also let go of our Spirituality Center. The Center closed in December 2022, however, Ginny will continue to bring Angela’s spirit to the Bellarmine University campus beginning in July 2023.

We thank her for 21 years of service with us and wish her well in her new endeavor at Bellarmine.

—Sister Rita Ann Wigginton, Leadership Team

Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

Walk In Faith: Highlights Finance

Communications

Communications has walked in faith by telling the stories of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville and Associates through print, visual and social mediums. Through the DOME magazine, we have walked with the teaching history of the Ursulines, as well as their current ministries, and our e-publications provide a round-up of current events and news of the community.

Some Communications Highlights • Press releases resulted in media coverage for: – the Angela Merici Center closing.

– Sister Carol Curtis’ SHARE pilgrimage.

– Various statements against gun violence, both as a community and together with our region.

– Catholic Sisters Week events.

– St. Joseph Children’s Home honoring the Ursulines and Sister Loretta Guenther.

• Chaired Angeline Award and Chapel Donor Mass (Nov. 2023).

• Archival video interviews with Sisters (in progress.)

• Heritage Room timeline design and install.

• Three Category Winners and one Award of Merit from the Religion Communicators Council, and an Award of Merit and an Honorable Mention from the Associated Church Press.

—Kathy Williams, director

Hebrews 11:1 tells us “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In the Finance Office we are assisting the USAE community in “Planning in Faith.”

Much that we do is in support of, not just the day-to-day operations, but the long-term view of the Society in the “Planning in Faith” document. Specific accomplishments in this area include: • Selected U.S. Bank as custodian for both Society and trust investments.

• Assisted with an investment policy update.

• Presented Community stewardship options to the Society.

• Identified and selected an attorney to assist with USAE contracts.

• Arranged driver safety training and a cybersecurity presentation for Sisters and employees.

Thanks to Sister Shannon Maguire, Gina South and Austin Raderer for their teamwork, which keeps the Finance Office operating smoothly to meet the daily and long-term needs of the Society.

—Becky Phillips, director

Personnel Changes

During this fiscal year we welcomed Katie Holthouse to the Health Team. In December 2022, we said goodbye to a longtime employee, Ginny Schaeffer, director of AMC. We wish Ginny every blessing in her retirement!

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

Liturgy

In June 2022, we joyfully began in-person Taizé services for the first time since the pandemic started. We were saddened by the retirement of Ginny Schaeffer at the end of December. She led our Taizé services beautifully for many years. We continued to offer monthly Taizé services with the help of wonderful volunteers.

We celebrated the 2022 Jubilee Mass and Missioning service in August, followed by the Angeline Award presentation and Mass in October. In November, we celebrated the feast of All Saints and the temporary closing of the Motherhouse chapel for renovations. During this time, we adapted to funerals, vigils, Community Masses and Taizé services being held in the Heritage Room.

Masses continue to be held 5-6 days a week at Twinbrook Assisted Living, and we successfully offered anointings of the sick, confession and Holy Week liturgies. We are adjusting to the scarcity and waning health of priests by offering more prayer services and Communion services at Twinbrook.

For the first time since COVID began, our Ursuline Choir has raised their voices in joyful song again. Members of the choir participated in a concert hosted by St. Peter the Apostle Church in November. In December, members of the Ursuline Choir, along with the St. Peter the Apostle Choir, sang Christmas carols for residents at Twinbrook, Nazareth Home–Clifton and Brookdale Senior Living facilities.

—Lisa Feldkamp, liturgist

Social Concerns/Cry of Earth and Cry of Humanity Guiding Team

Donor/Alumni Relations

2022–23 Highlights: • Smooth transition to Kim Bradley serving as manager after Ellen McKnight’s retirement.

• Each school is now in charge of their class reunions. Assistance is given by Kim by providing class lists and making necessary changes and corrections to the database.

• We are planning a Chapel Preservation Donor Mass and Brunch for October 2023.

• Served on the Angeline Award Committee and assisted the day of the event.

• Working with the Development Team of Holy Cross High School to ensure a seamless transition to Holy Cross managing Angela Merici High School reunions.

For the 2022-23 fiscal year, our fundraising goal was set at $350,000. Final income total was $232,622.71. (66.46% of our goal).

Total Number of Benefactors: Total Number of Financial Gifts: Total Number of In-Kind Gifts: Most Common Monetary Gift: Calculated Average Gift Amount: Number of New Benefactors: Number of Estates Received:

406* 763 3 $25 $304.88 30 6

* Includes benefactors of in-kind donations, estates and monies ** Includes all financial donations, estates and effective value of in-kind donations

—Kim Bradley, manager

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

For Social Concerns, our 2022-23 “Walk In Faith” has been eye-opening, calling us to embrace the unexpected with creativity, sure of God. Responding to the Cry of Earth and Cry of Humanity has broadened our network of collaboration. During the Ursuline Convocation, our Louisville theme of diversity challenged us to walk together as a “Wider WE.” During Community Days, the 50th anniversary of A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez provided an occasion for Sisters who served in Peru to reflect on how this grassroots and integral approach to ministry is attentive to the cry of the poor and empowers communities. During Catholic Sisters Week, other Sisters also shared the paths that their ministry has called them to Walk In Faith.

When we chose peace as our Laudato Si’ focus for this year, school shootings and armed conflicts were on the national and world news. Cory Lockhart accompanied us on our Seeking the Shalom of the City journey during our Spring Gathering. Last fall, we participated in the Spirit in Action Collaborative sponsored by Interfaith Paths to Peace to address the issue of violence in Louisville. At the end of March, we joined in the first citywide Violence Reduction Summit, less than two weeks before a mass shooting in Louisville. The community building

Operations

Throughout the year, Operations has aimed to help the Ursuline Sisters, USAE employees and others “Walk in Faith” by improving connectivity, safety, independence and flexibility. Whether through the deployment of new cell phones, tablets or computers, or the adoption of new software, our organization continues to evolve to meet the needs

we undertook in faith manifested in citywide vigils and gatherings as we collectively confronted the tragedy, more painfully aware that violence against anyone impacts us all.

We express our faithfulness through solidarity, honoring long-standing relationships, as with our Appalachian neighbors in the wake of flooding and our family in Peru during this time of political unrest. Our Walk In Faith opens new horizons, as well, revealing new connections within our common home and inviting us to discover and explore new ways of justice and peace.

—Sister Carol Curtis, Social Concerns liasion of our community and its mission. We purchased several new vehicles this year and continue to appreciate the technological advances that lead to increased safety and decreased impact on our environment. With the adoption of new items and technologies, we have also focused on the donation or responsible disposal of antiquated or unnecessary items.

—Austin Raderer, manager

Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

Sisters in Mission Boards

Committees

AWARE (Agricultural Workers Are Respected Equals) Community Catholic Center Friends of Escapulas Hildegard House Holy Cross High School Interfaith Paths to Peace Nativity Academy PATH (People Against Trafficking Humans) Coalition of Kentucky Sacred Heart Schools St. Benedict Child Care Center St. Frances of Rome Parish Council St. Paul Roman Catholic Church Parish Council St. Vincent DePaul Society United Crescent Hill Ministries Ursuline Associates Ursuline Sisters Charitable Trust Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC)

Angeline Award Catholic Worker–Casa Latina Central Louisville Community Ministries Charism and Spirituality Guiding Team Cry of Earth and Humanity Guiding Team Delegate Vowed Religious Family Community Clinic Volunteer Advisory Council Fortunate Families (LGBTQ) Governance Guiding Team Holy Cross High School Curriculum Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility John Paul II Academy Fundraising LCWR Region 6 Executive Committee Nativity Academy Catholic Identity Natural Resources Committee Our Lady of Lourdes Financial Assistance Sacred Heart Schools Internal Affairs Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church Parish Property Stewardship (Lexington) St. Vincent de Paul Ursuline Charism and Spirituality Facilitating Team Ursuline Convocation Planning Ursuline Fun Committee Ursuline Funeral Planning Ursuline Social Concerns Wayside Christian Mission

In Memoriam

Sister Maria Goretti Lovett June 24, 1932—November 25, 2022

Volunteer

Archdiocese of Louisville Women’s Prison and Jail Ministry AWARE—English as Second Language online Casa Latina Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program Catholic Action Center Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Catholic Charities Sewing Instruction and Machine Repair Catholic Women Preach Central Louisville Community Ministries Dare to Care Mobile Food Pantry Encore (Leadership Louisville) Family Community Clinic Feed Louisville Festival of Trees and Lights Greenwood Cemetery Restoration Just Creations Louisville Just Faith Social Justice–Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women

Sister Mary Lee Hansen May 30, 1933—February 1, 2023

Kid’s Café Masonic Home (Sam Swope Care Center) Nazareth Home–Clifton Norton Audubon Hospital Olmstead Parks Conservancy Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Our Lady of Lourdes School Sacred Heart Schools Seven Counties Services Shively Area Ministries St. Frances of Rome St. John Paul II St. John Paul II Mobile Food Pantry St. Lawrence Church St. Louis Bertrand Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program St. Vincent DePaul St. William Church Thresholds in Transformation TreesLouisville Twinbrook Assisted Living United Crescent Hill Ministries Ursuline Associates

Be joyous, and always act out of charity, with faith and hope in God. — St. Angela Merici Primitive Rule

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

Recognitions Sister Julia Davis was honored with an Optimal Aging Award by the University of Louisville’s Trager Institute during their Gold Standard of Optimal Aging Award Ceremony on September 30, 2022. Sister Julia was also recognized for 15 years of volunteer service as a Way Finder at Norton Audubon Hospital.

Sister Loretta Guenther was honored by St. Joseph Children’s Home in Louisville for her 36 years of service there as a houseparent by naming their chapel in her honor in the spring of 2023.

Sister Brendan Conlon was recognized posthumously as “Saint Brendan Conlon,” and newly inducted into the Communion of Catholic Committee of Appalachia (CCA) Saints in the winter 2022 edition of their Patch Quilt newsletter.

The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville were honored by St. Joseph Children’s Home in Louisville with a plaque dedicated to them for their 113 years of service to St. Joseph’s in their renovated Landmark Building in May 2023.

Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht was awarded the Father Tim Hogan Excellence in Volunteerism Award by Nativity Academy at St. Boniface on November 17, 2022 at their Donor and Volunteer Luncheon. Nativity Academy also named a scholarship after Sister Paula in March 2023 during Catholic Sisters Week.

A picnic table was donated in the spring of 2023 to Sacred Heart Schools in honor of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville by an anonymous donor.

2022 Jubilarians

Summary of Membership Statistics As of June 30, 2022 Total Number of Sisters

44

As of June 30, 2023 Total Number of Sisters

42

Changes between June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023 Entered Eternal Life 2

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

Statistics by Age As of June 30, 2023 81.9 – average age 83 – median age 38 – Sisters 70 and older 4 – Sisters 69 and younger Sister Shirley Ann Simmons, 80 years Sister Antonine Biven, 75 years Sister Loretta Guenther, 70 years Sister Mary Jo Gramig, 60 years Sister Agnes Coveney, 40 years

Ursuline Sisters of Louisville