URSULINE
Continuing the Legacy of Spirituality and Service
A PUBLICATION OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF LOUISVILLE • SPRING 2022
in this issue:
Resilience and Perseverance CELEBRATING OUR JUBILARIANS
Thank you, Chapel Fund donors!
On the cover Dr. Karen McNay, president of Sacred Heart Schools, and Sister Jean Anne Zappa, president of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, gather in the Motherhouse Chapel to celebrate the transfer of the Chapel Preservation Fund to Sacred Heart Schools, ensuring the chapel will be preserved into perpetuity. We give thanks to you, our donors for your generosity to the fund—you’ve made this dream a reality!
About this issue In this issue, you will read about our five jubilarians, who have been Ursuline Sisters for 80, 75, 70, 60 and 40 years. Each one of their vocation stories is unique.There is a native Nebraskan, an accomplished musician, the last Ursuline Sister to serve at St. Joseph Children’s Home, one who is still in the classroom, and one who has worked in health care ethics for major hospitals. Their stories are all stories of perseverance and resilience, which is the theme of this DOME. You will also read about the perseverance and resilience of the Sisters in their efforts to build the Motherhouse and the chapel, the perseverance and resilience of a young Peruvian mother who struggles to send her son to Saint Angela Merici School, the perseverance and struggle of an Afghan refugee family and the efforts of one of our Sisters and many volunteers to assist them in making Louisville their home. The Cumberland Associates have persevered in their efforts to continue to be in community with one another, and a beloved priest shares his story of all of the Ursulines who helped him in his journey. You will also read about the healing power of lamentation, which is surely the partner to perseverance and resilience. Today, with the shadow of the war in Ukraine, COVID, and economic uncertainty, we hope these stories can inspire you, too, to persevere and have faith. —Kathy Williams, editor DONATION INFORMATION The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville appreciate the support of those who share their financial resources with us. We make every effort to ensure that you receive the maximum tax credit allowed by law. When making a donation, make your check payable to the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, and mail it to Mission Advancement Office, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, 3115 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40206, or use the enclosed remittance envelope. The check must be processed through the Mission Advancement Office for the Ursuline Sisters to generate the proper documentation you will need for your tax-deductible donation. Ursuline Society and Academy of Education (USAE) is the corporate title under which the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville do business. USAE does not include gifts received for the other corporation, Sacred Heart Schools (SHS), Inc. Gifts for Sacred Heart Academy and other campus schools are received by the SHS Office of Development and used exclusively for the schools and their programs.
A PUBLICATION OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF LOUISVILLE
SPRING 2022 CONTENTS 2
On The Cover/Inside This Issue
3
From the Leadership Circle
4–7 The Story of the Ursuline Chapel of the Immaculate Conception 8-11
Chapel Fund Donors
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Jubilarian Sister Shirley Ann Simmons
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Jubilarian Sister Antonine Biven
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Jubilarian Sister Loretta Guenther
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Jubilarian Sister Mary Jo Gramig
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Jubilarian Sister Agnes Coveney
17 Cumberland Associates Persevere through the Pandemic 18-19 AMC Spirituality: The Healing Power of Lament 20-21 Peruvian Journal: Resilience, Perseverance and Just Plain Stubbornness 22-23 Planned Giving: Ursulines Inspire Priest’s Gift of Gratitude 24-26
Welcoming The Stranger
27 2022 Angeline Award 28 Laudato Si Action Plan Commitment MISSION ADVANCEMENT OFFICE
ELLEN McKNIGHT
Director of Development and Planned Giving
KIM BRADLEY
Coordinator, Database Management/ Donation Processing COMMUNICATIONS/PR OFFICE
KATHY WILLIAMS
Director, Communications/Public Relations DOME Editor, Art Direction and Design DOME CONTRIBUTORS
SISTER YULI ONCIHUAY GINNY SCHAEFFER ELLEN MCKNIGHT BERNIE MUDD-WHITE BAY BALTES KATHY WILLIAMS SISTER SUE SCHARFENBERGER LAUREL WILSON Archivist
SISTER MARTHA JACOB Congregational Historian
KAREN HEILERS Proofreader
FROM THE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
Resilience and Perseverance To begin talking about resilience and perseverance despite obstacles or setbacks, I need to tell you that these words express a lot of depth in what they represent in our lives. I wonder who of us has not lived each of these words in our daily lives: they are verbs, nouns, sensations and feelings that challenge us every day of our lives. In my experience, resilience invites me to always stand up, despite adversities and obstacles. It’s that inner strength that tells me: “Everything will be all right, everything will be all right.” And we find it in this Bible passage: “And he took the girl by the hand and said to her: ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up.’” Mk 4:41 In these times, resilience can be found in families, at work, in the social culture in which we live, in politics and in our relationships. The pandemic and climate change have affected every human, as we have all suffered losses, including isolation, lack of work, violence, food and housing shortages, and worst of all, loss of life. In the face of every obstacle that we have experienced or are experiencing, we demonstrate the ability to continue fighting for life, to not stop, to keep going, to encourage each other by saying: “You can! You can!” By living in solidarity with each other and raising the voice of justice, we can continue to cultivate hope in the middle of the desert. The resilience that is being lived out in many countries and the world is inspiring when millions of people who have lost their loved ones to the coronavirus continue to say, “Here, we are!” As Saint Angela Merici advises us: “Do not be discouraged, do not lose confidence, put your hope in God.” This is a resilient message
since it invites us to face all obstacles and setbacks just as Angela lived through in her own time. Resilience and fortitude have taught us to be more in solidarity with each other and to enlarge our hearts with God’s favored ones—those on the margins: immigrants, those who have suffered through racism, environmental catastrophes, and the LGBT community. When made aware of this suffering, people of faith gather together to reconcile with their brothers and sisters who are the face of the living God. An example of resilience is what the people of Honduras suffered when a group of environmental activists who were defending their river, Rio Guapinol, against mining were arrested as criminals. They had organized to defend their rights peacefully and seek justice for their Honduran brothers and sisters. Numerous charges were brought against them, including charges of violence. All charges have since been dismissed. The defense of water began in the ’90s with the death of the activist Berta Cáceres, and until now they continued to fight in defense of our common home, which is our land, “la Pachamama.” I can say, then, that resilience and perseverance can be cultivated; they can be found and brought together to face adverse conditions. In conclusion, I share this message from the Bible: “I will be with you until the end of time.” Mt 28:20 It expresses and reminds us that God will always be with us in the difficult moments of our lives.
We row, knowing what the price is Remamos, sabiendo cuál es el precio with clenched fists Con los puños apretados Without thinking of stopping Sin pensar en detenernos We row, with our faces against the wind Remamos, con la cara contra el viento with courage ahead Con la valentía delante With a town between the fingers Con un pueblo entre los dedos We row, with a knot, here, in the chest Remamos, con un nudo, aquí, en el pecho Dreaming that on the other side Soñando que al otro lado Another start is coming Se avecina otro comienzo — From Remamos, a song by Kany García and Natalia Lafourcade
Sister Yuli Oncihuay, OSU Councilor, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville DOME | SPRING 2022
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The Story of the Ursuline Chapel The story of our Motherhouse chapel, the Ursuline Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, is one of resilience and perseverance over the past 100+ years.
One must begin with the harrowing journey that the three Ursuline Sisters from Straubing, Bavaria, took to arrive in Louisville in 1858. The first ship they were to take, the Austria, caught fire before reaching their port. The ship they ultimately took, the Ariel, was rammed by a Turkish man-o-war as they landed in New York Harbor on October 21, 1858.1 Sister Salesia Reitmeier, their young leader,
In 1916, Mother Angela Leininger directed the construction of a new convent and chapel on the property, to replace the Motherhouse on East Chestnut Street near Shelby Street, part of which had been built in the 1860s. had been given the equivalent of $22.50 for traveling expenses—small change even then. Resilience. Arriving by steamboat in Louisville on October 31, 1858, the Sisters then set about their task of teaching the children of German American immigrants at Saint Martin school at Shelby and Gray
streets. They soon opened a grade school for girls, a high school that took boarders, a training school for teachers and a novitiate. Mother Salesia dedicated herself to the construction of a chapel at Shelby and Chestnut streets. She told the Sisters, “A convent without a church is only halfwork.”2 A wall collapsed during construction, delaying the project, and Mother Salesia took
of the Immaculate Conception ill and died on June 25, 1868, six months before the chapel was dedicated. And yet, the community of Ursulines had grown in number to over 40 members and the chapel was completed. Perseverance.
Mother Martina Nicklas, the second Mother Superior, purchased land “in the country” in 1877 on Workhouse Road, now Lexington Road. In a three-story mansion on the estate, the Ursuline Sisters opened the Academy of the Sacred
Heart, which was a coed school for grades one through twelve. In 1916, Mother Angela Leininger directed the construction of a new convent and chapel on the property, to replace the Motherhouse on East Chestnut Street
near Shelby Street, part of which had been built in the 1860s. In order to fund the building of the new Motherhouse and chapel, the Ursuline Board of Councilors authorized Mother Angela “to borrow a sum of money sufficient to complete the new convent.” At the same time, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville were spreading out across the country to staff schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania,
1. Approval letter from the Board of Councilors 2. Loan letter from Kentucky Title Savings Bank and Trust Company 3. Signed loan agreement from First National Bank 4. Estimate of cost per cubic foot, 12 cents 5. Architect’s fees
The Story of the Ursuline Chapel of the Immaculate Conception Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Nebraska. The Sisters often faced hardships in the remote areas in which they were sent, but they carried out their duties faithfully. Resilience.
The chapel, with its domed ceiling, was to be the centerpiece of the Motherhouse building. The architect was Fred Erhart. Ground was broken on August 1, 1916, and the cornerstone laid on December 8, 1916, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. “Sisters and pupils of Sacred Heart Academy formed the procession which left the Academy building at 2:30 p.m. Rev. Geo W. Shumann, D.D., ecclesiastical superior of the community performed the ceremony, and he was assisted by Rev. Paul J. Volk, chaplain of the Academy.” 3
One year later, on December 8, 1917, the dedication of the new Motherhouse and chapel took place. “The temperature that day was the coldest and the snow the deepest in Kentucky’s history.” 4 Bishop Denis O’Donaghue’s car got stuck in a
snowdrift, but that did not stop the ceremony—or the bishop apparently, as he arrived in time to celebrate Mass. Perseverance. Throughout the years, the Ursuline Sisters have gathered strength from their prayer and worship together in their beautiful chapel to go out into the mission field to serve others. Although the Sisters’ work was primarily in education, in October 1918, fifteen Ursulines of Louisville went to nearby Camp Zachary Taylor to serve as nurses during the influenza epidemic. Surely when they returned to the Motherhouse after such an arduous task and attended Mass in the Motherhouse chapel, it was of great comfort to them. During the Great Flood of the Ohio River in January 1937, about 230,000 of Louisville’s 350,000 inhabitants were forced to leave their homes and find safety on higher ground. The Ursulines took refugees in and housed them on campus. And the Ursulines themselves “kept as warm as we
could during the day huddled in one large room with two coal stoves and we ate our supper, said our morning and night prayers and retired by the light of candles. We had running water for only two hours each day.”5 Resilience. Over the decades, various improvements and changes were made to the chapel. In 1944 the chapel was frescoed by Mr. Ed Partusch.6 In 1957 the chapel was painted and pews revarnished. In 1980 it was rewired and the dome ceiling repainted.
In 1991, in preparation for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the chapel, major renovations were made to follow the basic principles for liturgical space. The arrangement of pews was altered so that the altar and ambo were visible from any seat, the two side altars were removed and smaller Stations of the Cross and the crucifix were placed in the rear of the chapel. The main altar was now free-standing, although the original baroque altar was left in place.
Our hearts are nourished as we celebrate and give glory to God together in this chapel, and it leads us to build community with others when we go out to serve in the world. —Sister Jean Anne Zappa
A $3.5 million preservation campaign was started in 2017 by the Ursulines to celebrate the centennial of the chapel. In addition to continuing to be a sacred space for the Ursuline Sisters and Sacred Heart Schools, since 1997 the chapel has served the homebound by providing the location where Mass of the Air is videotaped by the archdiocese. Following a Mass to celebrate St. Angela Merici’s feast day on January 27, 2022, the Ursuline Sisters officially transferred the Chapel Preservation Fund to Sacred Heart Schools, which are sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters. Giving thanks to the donors who made the fund possible, Ursuline President
Sister Jean Anne Zappa presented Dr. Karen McNay, president of Sacred Heart Schools, the donor restricted funds.
This gift builds on the one that the Ursulines gave to Sacred Heart Schools in June 2019: the lease transfer of all buildings and land on the 48-acre Ursuline campus. In their wisdom, the Ursuline Sisters discerned that by giving this gift, it would allow them to continue other ministries and focuses as they become fewer in number. Perseverance. Other recent repairs and upgrades made to the chapel include new carpet, plaster repairs and painting of the chapel court, and protective windows installed
over the stained-glass windows. The transfer of the fund will allow Sacred Heart Schools to preserve the Motherhouse chapel on the Ursuline campus into perpetuity for future generations.
Ursuline President Sister Jean Anne Zappa reflected, “Saint Angela called us to ‘build community wherever you go.’ We see this gift to Sacred Heart Schools as not just preserving a beautiful and sacred space, but living out Angela’s words and charism. Our hearts are nourished as we celebrate and give glory to God together in this chapel, and it leads us to build community with others when we go out to serve in the world.” Resilience. Perseverance. And faith.
Above: Sister Jean Anne Zappa and Dr. Karen McNay sign the Chapel Fund transfer. Left: The chapel through the years, 1933 through today. Sacred Heart Academy: 125 Years of Excellence in Education Rooted In Ursuline Tradition, copyright 2002, published by Ursuline Campus Schools, foreword by Dianne Aprile
1, 2
Excerpts from “Annals of the Ursuline Convent of the Immaculate Conception: 1914-1932”
3, 4
5
Excerpts from “Annals of the Ursuline Convent of the Immaculate Conception: 1932–1942”
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Excerpts from “Annals of the Ursuline Convent of the Immaculate Conception: 1944–1948”
CHAPEL FUND DONORS
Thank You To Our Chapel Fund Donors July 1, 2017 — January 31, 2022 Colleen Adams Elaine Adams Karen and Robert Adams Theresa Adams Richard Adrio Martha and Detlef Alle Linda Allgeier Mary Allgeier Mildred Allgeier Sybil Alt Elaine Alvey Patricia Andres Anonymous Judith and Albert Anthony Dianne Aprile Archdiocese of Louisville Anthony and Julia Armstrong Mikki Arnold Dr. Joe Franklin Arterberry Jack Ashworth Patricia Atkins B B & T Insurance Services Bernard Baas Deborah Bagnato Mary Bailey Richard and Rita Ann Bajura J. Robert Baker Jean Baker Frank Balint, Jr. Raymond Balint Caroline Banta Cheryl Barnes Delores Barnett John Barrett Richard Barrett Page Barry Linda Barry John and Yvonne Basil Nora Bayer Marilyn and Bob Beam Jerry and Katherine Bean Charlie and Jane Beard Dorothy Bearden Lucretia Beatty Arthur Beaulieu Vernita Beaulieu Paul Becilla Mary Helen Becker Mary Sue and Bob Becker Clare Beckner Craig Benhase Marsha and James Bennett Martha and Jerry Bennett
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Doris Bensley John and Betty Bentz Joseph and Carolyn Besendorf Thao Bianco Margaret Biedinger Joe Birkenmeyer The Esate of Deacon Paul Bissig Karla Blain Erin Blain Kelsey Blain Martha Blair Anne Blair Mary Blasi Julia Blessinger Sheila Blevins Lawrence and Jan Bloemer Jr. Dorothy Bloom Paul Bogovich Irene Boone Mary Lee Borders Dennis and Rebecca Bosse Gerald and Marilyn Bott Mary Catherine Bowers Bernard and Mary Bowling Jr. Jane Bowling Mary Beth Bowling Theodore Bowman Patricia Bowron Mary Boyce Elsie Boyd Robert Boyd Rose Boyle Delvin and Debra Braaksma Elizabeth Bradley Ruth Ann Bradshaw Thomas Bralliar Norman and Diana Bray Dorothy Breckel Elaine Breitenstein Louise Brian Patricia Bridges James Briner Ronald Britt Mary Louise Brogan Stephanie Brooks Caroline Brown Della Brown Dorothy Brown John Brown Mary Brown Maureen Brown
SPRING 2022 | DOME
Rochelle Brown William Brown Anna Browning Mary Lee Broyles Kimberly Brumleve C. F. and Barbara Bryan Helen Bube Susanne Buckler John and Jeanette Buege Mary Burch Pitsy Buren Adele Burke Jo Ann Burke Johanna Burke Timothy Burke Suzanne Hodes Burns Nora Ann Burton Donna Burton Theresa Butler Patrick and Pamela Buzzerd Mary Cabela Joan Cahill Barbara Cambron Gina Cammarano Nancy and Joseph Cammarano Alma Jean Campbell Gerald Campbell Ann Canaday Patricia and Gregory Carlen Mary Carman Betty and Perry Carney Alice Carpenter Walton and Monica Carpenter Hilda Carr Catherine Carrico Richard Carrico Delores Carta Joan Carter Mary Catherine Carver Doris Cascino Patricia Casillo Alvin Cassidy Gerri Cassidy Mary Margaret Caster Pam and Steve Catlett Patsy Catlett Scott and Celia Catlett Kathleen and Joe Cenci Marjorie Cessna Patricia Chervenak Carol Chester Carolyn Childers Laura Chipe
The Citro Family Barbara Clark Martha Clark Rosemary Clark Marlene Clarke Sharon Clayton Donald and Kathy Clem Rita Agnes Clifford Frances Coady Elizabeth Cole Barbara Collins Donna Collins Sandra Collins Patricia Columbus Donald Comley Amy Condo Elizabeth Conner Denise Coons Judy Corbett Antionette Corey James Corrado Joan Costello John Coveney Martin and Martha Coveney Rita Crabtree Sandy Crabtree Laurie Craig Kenneth Crawford Mary Ann and Edward Craycroft Anna Croak Ruth Crothers Debra Cruise Cassandra Culin and Kyle Ellison Patricia Curci Patrick and Jane Cyphert Rena Cyphert Barbara Dahlen Jean Danhauer Karen Dant Patricia Darif Kitty Darst Rosemary Darst Mary Ann Daunhauer Donna Davis Mary Lou Dawson Elizabeth Day Norma Dean Mary Ann Dearing Richard Dearing Paul and Patsy DeBorde Dennis and Pat DeCarlo Michele DeCarlo
Kenneth Dennis Jane Dentinger Bill and Kathryn Dermody Emily Elizabeth Devine Clora Deweese Mary Virginia Diehl Donna Dillman Rosanne Dillon Pasquale and Ann DiMaio Dolores DiMaria Janice DiMaria Vince DiMaria The DiMaria Family Charlene Distler Charles Distler Joyce Doerr Patricia Donahoe Martha Dooley Michael Dorn Jacquelyn Dotson Mary Dolores Dougherty Peggy and Frank Dougherty Anne Douglas Sharon Dowdall Erminelda Downs Claudia Dreisbach Bette Dries Mark Duchovic Daniel and Martha Dues Virginia Duffy Bette Ann Duggan Josephine Dumas Colette and Tom Dumstorf Mary Ann Dunaway Michael and Helen Duncan Clarissa Duvall Judy Eberenz Robert and Joy Eberenz Joan Echsner Patricia Eckert Bernadette Efkeman Rebecca Eggers Carol Ehlinger Rita Eichert Charlotte and Robert Eigel Kenneth and Elise Eisenback Lucille Eisman Louise and Richard Eiswirth Gerry Ellis Berta Ellison Sharon Epperly Fr. Bryan Ernest Elaine Ernspiker
CHAPEL FUND DONORS
Alice Ernst Beverly Etcheson Viola Eve Carol Everslage Fackler Family Rentals, LLC Fackler Homes, Inc. Stephen and Marcia Fackler Doris Faini Mary Kathleen Falk Janice Faller Paula Fangman Mary Janice Fanning Libby Farmer Daniel Faulkner Jackson Faust Barbara Fedikovich Dan and Kathleen Fehringer Lisa Feldkamp Paul Feldkamp Maura and David Fennell Rev. William Fichteman Janice Fields James and Rita Finn Ann Fischer Terese Fisher Mary Louise Fischer Sandra and Robert Fitz Lana Fitzgerald Barbara, Mark and John Fitzmayer Elizabeth Fleitz Martha Fluhr Teddy Flynt Susan and Irv Foley Stephen and Linda Fontanelli Dennis and Beth Ford Gladys Ford
Vilman Ford Kathleen Fowlkes Dr. James Franco Zella Fraze Jean Frazier Colleen Freeman Jim Frentz Carol Frerman Carole Freville Sheila Frierson Margaret Fries Louise Gaddie Anthony Gadlage James Gallagher Rita Gawarecki GF Maron PE, Inc. Tim and Ellen Gibler Ellen and Thomas Giesler Joan Gillespie Patsy Gipperich Shirley Giuliani Mary Ann Glaser Agnes Godar Ilene Good Barbara Gorman David Gorman Marian Gosling Linda Gosnell Kathryn Gotting Mary Graas Ronald and Betty Grabenstein Rev. Joseph Graffis Ann Carol Grant Connie Graven Jean Green Jo Ann Greenwell Rose Marie Grenewald
Betty Griffith Mary Lynn Guettler Kathleen Gunderson Sarah Gurtis Becky Guthrie Barbara Hager Kathryn Hagerty Pat Hahn Sue Halbleib Judith Hall Lynn and Chris Hall Sharon Hamm Joanne Hammond Shirley Hanna Joan Hans Eileen Hardesty Pamela Hardesty David and Sarah Hardy Rosemary Harkins Terie Harper Alice Harris Elizabeth Harris Karen Harris Suzanne Haugh Rita Hayden Charlene Head Jacqueline Hearn Thomas and Marcia Heil Mary Heininger Donna Heitzman Judy and Tony Heitzman John and Yvonne Held Bob and Cindy Heleringer Dolores Hellmann Patricia Helmstetter Michael Hendricks Ruth Hendrickson
Judith and Donald Herboldsheimer Jacqueline and John Herde Constance Herth Mary Anne Hess Louis Hettinger Charles Heyl Judith Hildenbrand Pamela Hines Catherine Hoge Susan Holahan Sharon Holliday Donna Hollkamp Janice Hood Margaret Hook Romana Horn Cullen Hornaday Anne House Joseph and Cheri Hovekamp Estate of Anne Howard Charlene Hoyer Mary Jo Hruska Mary Ann and Gerald Hubbs Patricia Hubbuch Janet and Albert Huber James Hughes Nancy Hughes Patricia Hughes Jeffrey Hull Carl and Donna Hulsewede Jane Hummel Brother Larry Humphrey, FSC Maria Huson Gregory Hutcheson Virginia Hyman Cathleen “Jil” Ice Carlotta Ingram
Mary Barbara Ivie Evelyn James John and Karen James III Charles Jansing Karen Jarboe Kevin Jeffrey Lynn Jeffreys Debbie Johnson Evelyn Johnson Diane Jones Doris Jones Doris Jovanelly Elizabeth Kaelin Jo Ann Kalb Lois Kapfhammer Carolyn Keelen Martha Lee Keely Catherine Keene Debra Kehl Joyce Keibler Kathleen Kelley Judith Kelly Ruth Kelly Dr. Paul Kelty Raymond Charles and Mary Kemper Jr. Ralph Kempf Dianna Kenney Rita and William Keown Bob Kern Janet and Ron Ketterer Frank and Donna Kiley Carol Killen Patricia Killen Roger and Katharine Killen Mildred Killmeier Daresdean Kim DOME | SPRING 2022
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CHAPEL FUND DONORS
Thank You To Our Chapel Fund Donors July 1, 2017 — January 31, 2022 Kathleen Kimbel Charlene King Dennis and Eileen King Doris King Mary Margaret King Jane and Mark Kirby Ann Kist Anne Klapheke Fred Klausing III Catherine Kleier Jerry and Nancy Kleier Janet Kluemper Susan Kocher Sara Koehler Mark Kohut Betty Kopp Carol Kopp Nancy Kotarski Dr. Alexanndra Kreps Judith Krijgelmans Beverly Kruck Clara Kuhl Forrest and Mary Julia Kuhn Margie Kummer Kay Kupper Dr. Mary S.K. Kwan Lonnie and Dodie Labaw Paul and Pat Lafkas Catherine Laganosky Mary Lou Lally Mary Landherr Mary Ann Larkin Sylvia Lawler Shirley Lazrovitch William Leasure James and Regina Leitner John Leitsch Linda Lenahan Colleen Lewis Nancy Lewis Penny Lewis Corine Liebert Rev. Daniel Lincoln Mary Lipsey Margaret Liter Mary Little Robert Loch Glenn and Vivian Lochner Brother Dominic Lococo Katherine Loeffler Mary Lou Logsdon Dave and Diane Lohr Mary Ernestine Lohr
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SPRING 2022 | DOME
Stella Long Robert and Andra Lubbers John and Madeline Lucchesi August Lucci Joan Ludwig Betty Lux Joan Lynch Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Cesar and Nene Macatangay Barbara MacDonald Mary Pat Mackin Kathleen Maginot Kenneth and Mary Maginot Ronald Maginot Steve and Judy Magre Colleen Magruder Leslie Mahan Pamela Malast Katherine Manger Barbara Marasco Elizabeth Marcellino Jacqueline Marcotte Patricia and Robert Markert Mary Ann Marko Jan Marmilott Kathleen and Gerard Maron Joseph Maroon Marquette Associates Carmella Martin Joan Martin Steven and Teresa Martin Martha Maskey Mass of the Air Mary Della Mattei Martha Matthews Kathryn Mattingly Suzanne Mattingly Mary Lou Mayhall Romano Mazzoli Susan McBrien Rita McCabe Mary Ruth McClish Anne McCollom William and Jessie McCormick Tom and Joyce McCraw Dolores McCrory Ruth McCullough Mary Suzanne McCune Joan McDonald Elizabeth McGahan Joan McGregor Catherine McGrew Betty McGuigan Kathleen McHugh
Lucille McIntyre Kelly and Ellen McKnight Virginia McKune Eithne McMullen Nancy McWhorter Karen Medley Geneva Meehan Randall Mehl Dorothy Meibers Paul and Hildegard Meisner Barbara Mercer Michael and Ann Marie Mercurio Joann Meredith Martha Metz Gail Meyer Marjorie Meyer Jones, Nale & Mattingly PLC Mary Meyers Anna Michael Judith Michels Betty Mike Robert Miles Ann Miller Bobbi and Lee Miller Carolyn Miller Judy Miller Louise Miller Norma Miller Patricia Bernardi Miller Ruth Ann Miller Shirley Miller Terry and Greg Miller Dorothy Miltenberger Lois Miltenberger Betty Mitchell Carol Mohr Donna Moldovan Martha Moll Mary Stephanie Molter Yvonne Mongan Shirley Monge William Monteith Christine Montgomery Elizabeth and Guy Montgomery Elizabeth Moody Betty and Daniel Moore Mary Ann Moran Nellie Moreschi Mary Arthur Morgan Susan Moriarty Linda Morris Margaret Ann Morse
Charlotte Moseley Jacqueline Mudd Bernadette Mudd-White Irene Mueller Pat and David Mueller Robert Mueller Ruth Mueller William Muller Edna Mulligan Sharon Mullins Steve and Beth Mullins Chris Mundt Beatrice Muraski Ray Nolan Roofing Company Jane Ellen Myers Linda Myers Mary Gayle Myers Betty Mytych Denise Mytych Georgette Mytych Anita Nalley Ann Nauert Martha Neely Larry and Mary Belle Newby Terry Newman Wadia Newman Julia Ng Mary Nichter Barbara Nicol Joan Nitzken Vonda Norris Mary Ann O’Brien Bob and Pat O’Bryan Mary Lizanne O’Bryan Deanna O’Daniel Norma Oeswein Gerry and Carol O’Farrell Mary Frances Olberz Gerald and Linda Oliver Judy O’Neil Mary Jane O’Rourke Lisa Orr Betty Osborne Rev. Robert Osborne Roserita Ott Sandra Otte Bruce and Linda Otto Mary Carmel Owen Anita Owens Gerald Pacanowski Barbara Page Benita Palazzo Stephen and Theresa Pallardy Cecilia Palmer
Charmaine Paslick Kathy Passafiume Phyllis Passafiume Frances Passanisi Dorothy and James Patterson James Patterson David Paulin Betty Pavach Mary Jo Payne Wanda Peace Lillian Peak Patsie Peak Patricia Peters Bob and Joyce Pfaadt Jane Pfeifer Mary and Bernie Pieper Doris Pierce Mary Ellen Pike Sue Pile Janet Pisaneschi Eileen Platner Kathleen Powers Theresa Poynter Nona Preher Doris Price Jinny Price Colette Priddy Gina Priddy Gretchen Priddy Robert and Gail Pruette Claudia Pugh Patricia Pulley Debbie Pustolski Susie Ragle Bobbie Raibert Tom and Davie Ransdell Carol Rappa Felicia and Martin Ray Juliana Raymer Thomas and Cyndy Raymond Jr. Robert Rea Hester Reinacker Marilyn Retkowski Rev. Nick Rice Paula and Jim Rice Mary Lee Richardson Yvonne Rickert Mary Raleigh Ridge Diane Riggs Maryanne Riggs Celeste Ringuette Kelly Riordan Phyllis Ritchie
CHAPEL FUND DONORS
Carolyn Ritsert Margaret Roach John and Dolores Roberts Patricia Robeson Katherine Robinson Todd and Jeanne-Marie Rogers Suzanne Ronald Marianne Roncoli Elayne Roose Jane and Don Rosenbarger Sarah Rothenburger Harry Rothgerber Rita Ruckriegel Irv and Marilyn Rueff Cecila Ruhnke Ed Ruppenkamp Rose Russell Marie Russo Peter Rutledge and Jann Logsdon Dianne Ryan Mary Ryan Joy Saab Joan Sabel Richard Samuelson Jeaninne Sandlin Mary Louise Sandman Alice Sapienza Irene Saturday Cecilia Sauter Delia Schadt
Marie Schaefer Virginia Schaeffer Millie Schafer David and Sandra Schardein Rex and Mary Lu Schardein Angela Schell Harold and Roseanne Schlegel Kim Schmetzer Regina Schmidt Barbara Schmitt Clare Schmitt James Schmitt Judith Schmitt Kathy Schmitt Robert Schmuckie Bonnie Schnarre Teri Schneider Cherry and Dr. Gary Schreiner Robert Schroeder Melodye Schueler Janet Schulz Betty Schutte Doris Schutz Elizabeth Schweinhart Norma Schweitzer Dana Scott Virginia Scott Barbara Seifert Carmel Seifert Jimmy Sell
Hugh Senn Joy Sexton Mary Jane Shannon Barbara Sharpensteen Rita Shaughnessy Sister Angie Shaughnessy, SCN Barbara Shaw Mary Patt Sheridan Nora Shih Joelle Shorette Anna Shrader Evelyn Siemens Catherine Siemers Barbara and Bud Simmons Bernie Simmons Joyce Simmons Niles Simmons Jr. Mark and Donna Sinkhorn Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Sisters of Loretto Paula Skelley Mary Katherine Sladky Donna Slaughter Alice Smith Diane and Hugh Smith Joan Smith Mary Ann Smith Mary Jane Smith Patty Smith Kathy Smithers Allan Smyth Katherine Sniegon Barbara Snyder Dorothy Solomon Mary Sox Laura Spalding Peter Sparano Barb Speck Diane Spicer Retta Spitznagle Dolores Spoonmore Barbara Sprenger Linda and Jon Squire and Family St. Paul United Methodist Church Regina Staiger Anne Stakem Edward Stanley Jerry Stanley Marilyn and Nancy Staples Nancy Staresinic Donald Stauble Lisa Steiner
Mary Steinmetz Ann Steltenpohl Joe Stemle Laurie Stemler Martha Stephenson Deborah and Stan Stevens Mary Angela Stevens Amy Fraze Stewart John and Mary Stocker Karen Stocker Darlene Stoddard Rita Stone Suzy Stone William Stone Rita Stosberg Rose Stuck Maria Stuckenborg Audrey Stultz Jo Ann Sturgeon Mary Jane Suhre Patricia Sullivan Jetta Svaranowic Marian Swope Raymond and Betty Szwarc Philip and Nina Tarullo Margaret Tassi Betty Tatro Jeanette Saddler Taylor Anita Teets Dr. Jane Thibault Catherine Thomas Faith Thomas James Thomas Pitt Thome Mary Helen Thompson Frances Ann Tompkins Patricia Tonini Robert Tonini Loc Tran Roxanna and Gary Trivitt Bertrand and Barbara Trompeter Johanna Troy Mary Ellen Tucker Eugene and Rosemary Turano Mary Louise Turner Patricia Turner Patrick Turner Michael Uberta Jeffrey Underhill Maureen Underhill Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph Aubrey Vanorsdal
All tribute gifts from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 will be listed in the 2022 winter DOME issue.
Mary Claire Vanorsdal Anna Vaughan VFW Auxiliary #2921 Churchill Downs Dolores Vogel Isabelle Volden Mary Vowels Walter Vukmanic Barbara Wade Claire Wagner Philip “Al” Wagner Jr. Betty Waldon Jo Ann Walker Thomas Walsh William and Alice Walsh Theresa Warren Joyce Watson Denise Weber Mary Jean Weckman Jean Weidner Eileen Weisenberger Beth Welch Joyce Welsh Rose Mary Weltner Doris West Carolyn Whalen David and Ines White Gerald White Phyllis White Dolores Whitlock Virginia Whitlow Jim Wilberding Mary Margaret “Peggy” Wilhelm Patricia Wilkison Becky Williams Doris Williams Gordon Williams Rita Williams Doris Wilson Joy Therese Wilson Ruth Wimsatt Jamie Winner Mary Marlene Wolf Katherine Wong Amy Schmitt Wood Janice Wooldridge Joyce Wyatt Sallie Yagel Cecelia Ann Yates Charlotte Young Eugene and Rita Zappa Zeefam Trust Jo Ann Zeller Judith Zugg DOME | SPRING 2022
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OUR JUBILARIANS
Jubilarians The oldest of four children, Sister Shirley Ann was born in 1924 in Heartwell, Nebraska, to Niles and Ella Simmons. The family moved to Sutherland, Nebraska, when Shirley Ann was in grade school. Her father was a farmer who raised corn and cattle. She first encountered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville at her home parish, Holy Family Church, when she attended catechism class in the summer for two weeks. Sister Shirley Ann says that the parish priest got the Ursulines to come from St. Patrick parish, in North Platte, to teach. Shirley Ann loved going to school, did very well and participated in the county spelling contests annually. She attended public school until high school, then went to St. Patrick High School, in North Platte, where she was taught by Ursulines. The high school was 30 miles from home, so she recalls that, “I stayed with a nice family. They had two children and since St. Patrick was K-12, I helped their little girl get to and from school.”
Shirley Ann received a four-year scholarship to Ursuline College, in Louisville, which her parents encouraged her to accept. She wasn’t fond of going so far from home for college, as her original plan was to attend Kearney State Teacher’s College, in Nebraska, and become a teacher as her mother had been. But it was during the World War II era and money was tight, so she didn’t think it very wise to give up the opportunity of using the scholarship. During her freshman year of college, she felt called to become a Catholic Sister, so in January of 1942 she entered the Ursuline community in Louisville. Sister recalls one incident as a postulant, where “there was a plate of cookies that somehow ended up in our area. When Sister Sylvester Ahlhaus, who oversaw the postulants, returned to the room, the cookies were gone!”
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she says, laughing. “We were just young kids and couldn’t resist those cookies!”
Sister Shirley Ann began her 55-year teaching career in 1944 at St. Boniface parish school, Louisville, and then taught at Catholic schools in Cumberland, Maryland, returning to St. Boniface in 1954. In 1957, she was sent west to Nebraska. While teaching at Blessed Sacrament School, in Omaha, and attending graduate classes, Sister received a master’s degree from Creighton University. Sister also served at St. Elizabeth (principal and superior) and Our Lady of Lourdes, both in Louisville. She returned to Nebraska where she once again ministered at Blessed Sacrament, and then served as principal at St. Patrick’s school and McDaid Elementary, in North Platte, and was principal for 25 years at St. Luke parish school, in Ogallala, where Sister Loretta Krajewski followed her as principal of the school.
After retiring from teaching, Sister Shirley Ann decided to serve in ministry at St. Luke parish (19992012.) She says that, “When it came to the point that I thought I should get out of teaching, I thought I was still good for something, so I thought I could serve in the parish.” She served as eucharistic minister, and visited shut-ins, the sick and those in nursing homes. She also served on the parish council, did bereavement ministry and worked with the RCIA program. In 2012, Sister Shirley Ann returned to Louisville, where she volunteered in the Ursuline archives and at United Crescent Hill Ministries. Today, she ministers through her prayer and presence at Nazareth HomeClifton. At 97-years-young, Sister Shirley Ann says she has no health issues and reads “anything I can get my hands on!” Sister says that she has loved all her 80 years of being an Ursuline Sister of Louisville.
OUR JUBILARIANS BY BERNIE MUDD-WHITE
Sister Antonine Biven, known to her family as Mildred Louise, was born and raised in the west end of Louisville. She was educated by Ursuline Sisters at St. George grade school, Ursuline Academy and Ursuline College. As a child, she studied piano. In eighth grade and into high school, she was encouraged to learn the E-flat saxophone so she could play in her school bands.
Her senior year, Ursuline Academy classmates pooled their money to rent Memorial Auditorium so she could give a piano concert. She memorized and performed seven difficult pieces for the event! Other students learned one piece each to perform in between her performances. On a bus ride home, someone sitting nearby noticed her sheet music and asked, “Do you play?” Mildred Louise answered, “A little.” As a postulant, she played pop songs for her classmates. The mother superior did not approve. Sister Antonine recalls, “[Sister] Bernadine Nash watched at the door. When she heard Mother coming, she’d signal, and I’d start playing ‘Mother at Your Feet Kneeling.’ ”
Sister Antonine attributes her calling to Sister Mary Laurentia Foley and her own mother, Lillian Elizabeth Biven. In her early years as a Sister, she was reassigned after short periods. “I thought they were bringing me back to reform me,” laughed Sister Antonine, recalling the story. “But I didn’t ask, ‘Why?’ ” When she was called to return to Louisville after five years teaching music in Jackson, Mississippi, the pastor drove all the way to Louisville to ask the Sisters to reconsider. “They did not,” recalled Sister Antonine. Later, she learned the shortened
assignments were due to her talents as a teacher. She was needed elsewhere and often reassigned.
Sister Antonine earned two master’s degrees: one in music from Notre Dame University and a second in religious education from Loyola University New Orleans. Sister Antonine served parishes in Louisville, Columbia, South Carolina, and Jackson, Mississippi, as a music teacher, band leader and arranger of operettas for students to perform. In Louisville, she also served as music director for St. Helen and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes. Sister Antonine taught and inspired hundreds of students over the years and mentored many of the Ursuline community’s novices. She also served her community on three different Leadership Teams.
St. Mary Catholic Church, in Maryville, Kentucky, where she and Sister Anne Mary Lochner served together for 11 years, was her favorite assignment. “I used ALL my talents there,” said Sister Antonine. “We did prayer services, family ministry and religious education.” Many from the parish have stayed in touch with her over the years, sending photos and news. Professional musician Bruce Mattingly, of New York City, attributes his success to Sister Antonine. When Catholic churches in Louisville began to renovate according to the new rite of architecture, Sister Antonine was asked to help by talking with parishioners about their concerns. “I listened with an understanding heart,” smiled Sister Antonine. “For many, this was very difficult and emotional.”
Sister Antonine was also treasurer of the community’s former “Hospitality House” for women who were discerning a vocation to religious life. She now serves the community as an apostolate of prayer. She enjoys talking with the service people who pick up their trash, bring the mail, or deliver packages from Amazon. She knows each of them by name, including those who fill in for them while the regulars are out. Her mission in life is to “act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with God.” Mi 6:8 DOME | SPRING 2022
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OUR JUBILARIANS BY KATHY WILLIAMS
Sister Loretta Guenther is celebrating her 70th jubilee as an Ursuline Sister of Louisville. Born during the Great Depression to Albert and Wilhelmina Guenther, Sister Loretta was baptized Wilhelmina Pauline at the hospital by her parish priest, as she was believed to be close to death as a newborn. As soon as she was baptized, her purple lips and toes turned a healthy pink and she began breathing normally. This was the first of several miraculous events in Sister Loretta’s life that she attributes to God. The second youngest of 11 children, Sister Loretta went to St. Elizabeth parish school, where she had Ursulines as teachers. Her favorite Ursuline was Sister Urban Boch. She loved Sister Urban so much, she would routinely go to school on Saturday to assist her with chores. Sister Loretta laughs, recalling her mother telling her, “Honey, school is closed!”
In eighth grade, Wilma, as her family called her, told her parents she wanted to become a nun and enter as an aspirant for high school. She was somewhat frail as a child, and her father objected since aspirants lived out of state at the time. Wilma prayed to the Blessed Mother for help, and lo and behold, the aspirant program had moved to Louisville! Her father gave in and let her join. Wilma moved onto the Ursuline campus and attended Sacred Heart Academy for high school. Her vocations mistress was Sister Theodolinda Obermeier, and Sister Loretta says, “She was wonderful to me!”
Sister Loretta is very devoted to the Blessed Mother and says Mary has appeared to her several times—during grade school while she was in church, during illnesses, in times of need, and while in prayer. She says, “She is so beautiful, I pray that I see her again.”
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After helping for a brief stint at St. Joseph Children’s Home in Louisville, Sister Loretta decided that was her calling—to work with children. However, she was assigned to work as a cook for many years, making meals at several schools, including Sacred Heart Academy, St. Raphael and St. Anthony. She also worked in the Ursuline Motherhouse infirmary kitchen.
Finally, in 1974, encouraged by Sister Annette Rutledge, who was at St. Joseph’s for 40 years, Sister Loretta wrote a letter to her superiors to explain why she wanted to minister at the home. Her efforts paid off and she was asked to serve as a house parent for a group of boys. Sister Loretta said that at first she was nervous about taking care of boys, “but after just a little time, they were my joy.” Working at St. Joseph’s must truly have been her calling, because Sister Loretta stayed there 36 years! Sister Loretta says, “I have always loved children.” The feeling must have been mutual, because many of her former charges, now grown men with families of their own, stay in touch with her and call her “Mom.”
Sister Loretta was the last Ursuline Sister to work at St. Joseph Children’s Home, retiring in 2010. She was recognized by St. Joseph’s in 2000 with the St. Joseph-Ursuline Award for her “dedication and hard work, which has exemplified outstanding service to children and youth.” In 2002 St. Joseph’s again honored her with a fund established in her name, The Sister Loretta Guenther Educational Fund, to meet the educational needs of the children at the home. Today, Sister Loretta ministers in prayer and presence at Nazareth Home-Clifton where she resides. With a big smile on her face, Sister Loretta says, “God is first! Then Mary. God and Mary love me so much, and I love them.” Amen, Sister Loretta, Amen.
OUR JUBILARIANS
Sister Mary Jo ( Joseph Marian) Gramig, a Louisville native, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. The second of four girls, Sister Mary Jo says, “I grew up in a faithfilled Catholic family, where our lives intertwined with our parish school and church.” The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville taught her at both Holy Spirit and Sacred Heart Academy. Sister Mary Jo remembers, “Dorothy Hulsewede (Sister Carl Marie) was a close family friend who encouraged me to discern my own vocation.”
That vocation started in second grade. On a class trip to Bardstown, while visiting a church, Mary Jo prayed that she might become a religious sister if that was what God wanted. She didn’t express this calling she felt until high school, but it stayed in her heart over those growing-up years. Sister Carl Marie must have seen that in young Mary Jo.
Entering right before Vatican II, Sister Mary Jo remembers that, “There were larger classes of women then, and it was good to be a part of a bigger group of people who were answering the call to religious life. We attended monthly spiritual conferences at Bellarmine and had scripture scholars give talks to Sisters on the college’s campus. There was a lot of activity and opportunities for learning at that time.”
Sister Mary Jo has a bachelor’s degree in education from Ursuline College (1968) as well as master’s degrees from Xavier University (Montessori education) and Spalding University (religious studies). She started her teaching career in primary grades at St. Rita, Holy Trinity and Sacred Heart Model schools, before being asked if she’d be interested in being a Montessori teacher. She took classes at Xavier and “fell in love with the Montessori Method, where children learn in a prepared environment of specially designed sensorial materials, a way of learning which engages all their natural abilities and senses for learning. From 1970 to 1977, I was privileged to work with Sr. Marlene Oetken, founder of the Ursuline Montessori School, a Model teacher and wonderful mentor.”
Sister Mary Jo then taught religion at several parish schools in Louisville. Her last fulltime ministry position was with St. Frances of Rome as director of Family Religious Formation (1995-2018). Sister Mary Jo says, “The focus was always on family formation, not just the children. I have a firm belief that it is within the home that the child truly learns the way of faith, prayer and a personal relationship with God. I am forever grateful for the many families and staff I have served and come to know as lifelong friends.”
In the fall of 2018, Sister Mary Jo began volunteering as a helper in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program, a Montessori based catechetical program for children 3-6 years old at St. Louis Bertrand Church. The director, Leslie Genius, and Sister Mary Jo now teach the program to Sacred Heart preschool and K-2 students two full days each week. Children in CGS interact with child-size liturgical materials, including altars, chalices, cloths and rosaries, and they practice pouring water and “wine” into vessels. They learn other aspects of Catholic teaching, such as care for creation by holding plants and watering them. Sister Mary Jo says, “Time and again I have been touched by the children’s responses and how they come to know Jesus as someone who really lived and walked on the earth and is very personal to them now…someone they talk to and listen to in the quiet.” By her presence and ministry, Sister Mary Jo has truly been a role model to her students by helping them listen to that “small still voice” in following their own paths that lead them closer to God.
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OUR JUBILARIANS
Born in Chicago, Sister Agnes Coveney and her twin sister, Eileen, were number four and five in the middle of eight children born to Eugene and Mary Alice Coveney. The family moved to Dayton, Ohio, where she was educated by Precious Blood Sisters, and then to Columbus, Indiana, where she was taught by the Beech Grove Benedictines. After earning her bachelor of science degree in clinical dietetics at Purdue University, she moved to Louisville to live with Eileen, who was working as a nurse.
Sister Agnes Coveney’s path to becoming an Ursuline Sister of Louisville 40 years ago was that of a serendipitous encounter with them after college. In 1980, Agnes found a job at Humana Hospital-Suburban, and she and Eileen lived in an apartment in the Crescent Hill neighborhood near St. Joseph Children’s Home. While out on an afternoon stroll one day, she saw two Ursuline Sisters in habit watching over children from the home at play in a field behind the orphanage. She introduced herself to the two nuns, Sisters Alodia Thomas and Nunilo Thomas (both blood sisters), and thus began a wonderful friendship. Agnes started coming to the field a few times a week to see the Sisters and the children. Slowly, the idea of becoming a religious sister took hold. Sister Agnes said, “These two Ursulines, so genuine and wise, were the ones who encouraged the spark of the vocation call in me, and that’s how I met and joined the Ursulines.” Sister Agnes also adds, “I wasn’t taught by Ursulines in school, but I was certainly taught by them in my 40 years of Ursuline vowed life! I grew in my sense of being a thinking woman in the Church and in my understanding of the many justice issues that afflict the people of this world and that put in peril God’s creation, our common home, the earth.” A post-Vatican II postulancy and novitiate were different from what most of the older Ursulines had experienced. There were four in her novitiate class and Sister Agnes says, “I always enjoyed the classes and the
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experience of being among other novices and congregations in the intercommunity novitiate that was held in Cincinnati at the Sisters of Charity’s Motherhouse.”
Sister Agnes says that “I’ve worked in health care in one way or another. First, it was as a clinical dietitian at Suburban Hospital and St. Anthony Hospital here in Louisville. Then, I was encouraged by Sr. Angelice Seibert to pursue a graduate degree. I thank the congregation for their support and patience. Their prayers helped me earn that doctorate in health care ethics in 1997 from Loyola University Chicago.” After that, Sister Agnes served in roles that combined mission integration, ethics and outreach in hospitals in Iowa (a Mercy hospital) and Cincinnati (a system with hospitals founded by Methodist Deaconesses and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati). She speaks with enthusiasm about her years in hospitals and the dedication that the staffs she worked with had for the mission of the organization.
Sister Agnes served on the leadership team of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 2014-2020 and is on the current leadership team. Sister Agnes reflects, “It is rewarding to serve the congregation this way. I am always touched, heart and soul, by the genuine love and faith and life-long witness of service that my Ursuline Sisters give to me, to the Ursuline family, and to the wider community.” The Ursuline Sisters are very blessed to have Sister Agnes’ quiet, thoughtful presence among them.
ASSOCIATES
Cumberland Associates Persevere through the Pandemic BY BAY BALTES
Members of the Cumberland, Maryland, Associate Community, like every community, were directly affected by the pandemic. However, they are very resilient and continue to meet for fellowship and prayer and to plan future gatherings. On January 13, 2022, the community attended morning Mass together at the Shrine of SS Peter and Paul in Cumberland. This was followed by a prayer service for the feast of St. Angela Merici. The breakfast at Bob Evans Restaurant they had planned had to be cancelled due to the high rate of COVID locally.
In early February, nearly half the community met at St. Mary’s Parish Center for a bag lunch gathering. Those in attendance were encouraged to sign up for a variety of responsibilities for the year. Bette Dugan graciously agreed to guide the community for the year and to be the contact person for the Ursuline Associate Community. She will be assisted by Maureen McGann, Linda Ratchford, Lois Miltenberger and Carolyn Neely.
Various community members committed to help with activities, including spirituality, communication, kitchen duties, recruitment and formation, outreach, photos and articles, and to be in prayer for all Ursuline Sisters and Associates. At the end of the business meeting, the group watched the video of the first chapter of Sister Martha Buser’s book, Lover of Us All, which was followed by a period of sharing.
The Cumberland community also made plans for gatherings through June. In March, the Associates will attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Church and then participate in a parish corned beef and cabbage lunch. In late April, they will have a one-day mini retreat in St. Mary’s social hall. The retreat will be directed by Ursuline Sisters. In late April or early May, Ellen McKnight, director of mission advancement, and I are planning a trip to Cumberland to meet with the Associate community and share fellowship with them. These trips are always very enjoyable.
30 Years Marlene Kramer
25 Years Theresa Butler Margie Dischinger Anita Morin Jean Patton Mary Ann Peer Colleen Sparks
20 Years Paula Fangman Vernetta Gettelfinger
15 Years Jan Farrell Colleen Freeman Ruby Hyde Jacqueline Johnson Eileen Spears
5 Years Bob Lockhart Dottie Lockhart Amy Nall Sue Pile Josh Shoulta Katy Sniegon Lisa Steiner
On May 18, the community will enjoy dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s and Mass at the Shrine of SS Peter and Paul. At the Mass, deceased Cumberland Associates and Sisters will be remembered with a reading of their names. In June, the community will hold their annual summer picnic. There is nothing like a pandemic to make people realize how important community is! In Cumberland, the Associates continue to prioritize maintaining their connections with one another.
Karen Joan Bundy July 7, 2021
Jane Elpers
November 18, 2021
Diane Dickman
November 28, 2021
Barbara Hevia
January 13, 2022
Lane Clatterbuck January 17, 2022
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ANGELA MERICI CENTER: LAMENT
The Healing Power of Lament BY GINNY SCHAEFFER
How long, O God… —Psalm 13: 2
A quote from one of my childhood heroes has become my prayer of late. Popeye, a one-eyed sailor with an abnormally large forearm, would put up with the shenanigans of his nemesis, Brutus, as long as he could. When his patience had reached its limits, he would declare, “Enough is enough and enough is too much!” He would then eat cold spinach straight out of the can and put Brutus in his place.
That’s about how I feel these days: “Enough is enough!” The straw that broke this camel’s back was the EF-4 tornado that decimated my hometown of Mayfield, Kentucky, just weeks before Christmas. This monster of nature came roaring out of the depths of the underworld hell-bent on destruction. It seemed to be starved for death and devastation and its appetite was insatiable,
killing seventy-seven people in Kentucky alone. Livelihoods, homes, factories, grand old trees, majestic churches and 150+ year old buildings chewed up and spit out. There is no way to describe the horrors of the aftermath this beast left in its tsunami of a wake. Words and pictures do it no justice. Enough is enough, O God!
Russia has invaded Ukraine, a young democracy, with unfounded allegations of genocide and neo-Nazi leadership. Not satisfied with attacking only military targets, they have moved on bombing suburbs, hospitals, schools and apartment buildings, killing innocent civilians, some who were fleeing during a supposed cease-fire to allow travel out of an active combat zone. It is believed that nearly five million refugees could flood Europe as the war continues and we can only watch in horror as the death and destruction continues.
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Enough is enough, O God!
We are three years into a global pandemic that has killed at least six million people world-wide and going on one million in the United States. In spite of vaccines and other known ways to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, we faced yet another more infectious variant. Graph lines measuring the infection rate shot straight up beyond the heights of previous surges. Even though the omicron variant was less virulent, the sheer numbers of those infected overwhelmed hospitals, closing schools and even some countries. Enough is enough, O God!
Gun violence runs rampant on our city streets, killing more people than ever before, not even sparing the lives of innocent children sleeping or eating in the onceperceived safety of their own homes. Enough is enough, O God!
As this prayer continued to well up within me day after day, it dawned on me that this had also been the prayer of my spiritual ancestors who also experienced destruction, violence, plague, oppression and death. I wasn’t just whining or feeling sorry for myself. I wasn’t becoming like Eeyore who lived under a perpetual dark cloud. I was lamenting.
I found solace and companionship with the psalmists who cried out to God millennia ago: How long, O God? …I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Enough is enough!
There are many psalms of lamentation: Psalms 6, 13, 22, 77 and 88, to name a few. There is the story of Job, the Book of Lamentations, even the prophet, Jeremiah who cried out, “You duped me, O God, and I let myself be duped.” Jer 20:7
ANGELA MERICI CENTER: LAMENT
I know that in reading these lamentations it would be easy to think that these folks could benefit from a strong dose of an antidepressant and months of therapy.
Well, maybe or maybe not. Rather than following the conventional wisdom of our day to “Get over it! Suck it up! Stop wallowing!” or “Get on with your life!” they seem to have chosen a more wholehearted way. Instead of choosing denial, shutting down and numbing out, they chose truth, authenticity, vulnerability and intimacy. Even in their darkness, they chose life. Some might argue that lamenting is like going down into the basement to dig holes, that the only logical result would be that we would fall head-first into the abyss of grief, pain and despair, never to be seen again. Yet, something else seems to happen. In another psalm we hear the experience of someone who comes out the other side: hen I kept it all inside, W my bones turned to powder, my words became dry long groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out… Suddenly the pressure was gone…” —Psalm 32:3-5
Giving expression to pain, fear, grief, guilt and shame makes room for a shift in our consciousness. Despair
gives way to hope, weakness to strength, fear to courage and darkness to light. Over and over again those psalms of lamentation end in words of hope, remembering how God healed and made whole those who suffer, trusting that the Source of all that is will do the same for them and for us. As we continue to live through days of grief, uncertainty, pain and anxiety, let us remember, as we say back home, “God’s a big boy,” or “girl,” if you prefer, and can take whatever we throw at him/her. I dare say that the Lover of us all even welcomes our naked honesty because it is then, when we are open and vulnerable, that God’s love has room to enter our hearts, to heal, restore and transform.
Do you miss our in-person workshops, services and retreats? Follow us on Facebook at: amcspirituality or vist www.amcspirituality.org to see our virtual Taizé prayer services and reflections. You may also sign up to receive updates in your inbox! Please email us at amc@ursulineslou.org for more information and to sign up. DOME | SPRING 2022
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PERUVIAN JOURNAL
Resilience, Perseverance and Just Plain Stubbornness BY SISTER SUE SCHARFENBERGER
to that was the inscription for the next school year. In addition, she had put aside almost all that she needed to pay off the debt. I wanted to help. This young woman was serious about her responsibilities and creative in looking for solutions. STUBBORNNESS.
But I asked her if she would be able to continue paying tuition in the coming year. Her answer revealed a whole new reality. Her brother, who is 22, had just started to work. It was his first job. She had been upset with him for years when it never occurred to him to get out and work in order to help the family. Now that he was working, he had more enthusiasm, interest in other things, and felt happy to be able to help the family. Estefani came to me about ten days ago. She looked too young to have a 6-year-old and a newborn. She told me that she was having trouble paying the back tuition and finding money for the next school year. I was anticipating that she needed some huge sum of money, which is frequently the case in January when back tuition has mounted over several months.
Estefani is a single mother whose own mother is a single parent, as well. Estefani lost her job at the beginning of the pandemic, but
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stubbornly has found work, sometimes for six weeks, sometimes for a month, sometimes only for a week. RESILIENCE.
So, with the brother’s help, Estefani would be able to continue to send her 6-year-old to Saint Angela Merici School.
When we met, I discovered that her back tuition only amounted to over a month’s worth and added
Each story is unique, yet there are common threads: Beatriz, Maria,
And with the money she earns, she puts food on the table for her mother, her brother, her two children and herself. In addition, she pays the lights, water and telephone bills for the family. So, with a minimum wage salary, there was nothing left for tuition.
The “help” I could give to Estefani came from the generous support of our many donors over the years. What was different about Estefani’s story was that she immediately told me that she would “pay it back” (or is it “pay it forward”) so that we could continue to help other people.
PERUVIAN JOURNAL
Connie. They all have been incredibly “down,” especially in this time of the pandemic— out of work, medical bills, funeral expenses, separations, divorce, children with lockdown fever, lack of adequate devices for internet, etc. Resilience and perseverance, and maybe a little bit of stubbornness.
The same is true of the fishermen who lost their livelihood when thousands of barrels of petroleum landed in the Pacific Ocean, just a little north of here. Rather than sitting back and lamenting the huge loss, not only to their livelihood, but also to all the ocean life for miles north and south, they immediately began entering the waters to save whatever ocean life they could pull out from the seas. The pictures were horrible. Birds, sea animals and fish, covered with oil, which the local fisherpersons tenderly cared for while trying to save their lives.
That is what resilience is about. Stubbornly saving lives. Saving the planet: wildlife, villages, farmers, waters, land, air. It is where the cry of the poor is heard and where resilient creativity brings people together to do what is good and life-giving, and lifesaving. And when you’ve done what you think you can, you cast your nets once again into the oceans of poverty and illness, inequalities and prejudices, human and natural disasters to be lifesavers. Really. Resilience, perseverance, and maybe a little bit of stubbornness.
DOME DOME || SPRING SPRING 2022 2021
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PLANNED GIVING
Ursulines Inspire Priest’s Gift of Gratitude BY ELLEN MCKNIGHT
his morning classes, Joe worked as a volunteer in the United States Bishop’s press office.
When Sister Kyran Larkin, OSU, put her hand on the shoulder of seventh grader Joseph Thaddeus Merkt and said, “I think your shoulders would look great in a black suit with a priest’s collar,” a vocation began to take shape. His interest in the priesthood grew when the pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, in Louisville, invited missionaries to speak to the elementary school students about their ministries in other countries. The Ursuline Sisters who taught at the grade school followed those missionary talks with classroom discussions, further enticing his curiosity. At Saint Xavier High School, in Louisville, he gave serious thought to entering the seminary. Encouraged by three former grade school classmates, he took the leap and enrolled in the former Saint Thomas Seminary, in Louisville. Later, Joe was sent by the archbishop to complete his graduate seminary studies in Rome. During the Second Vatican Council, after
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Father Joe ministered in education, including teaching some college theology courses, coordinated Catholic school religion programs, directed Spalding University’s Ministry Studies program, and served on national boards and committees fostering lay ministry. Father Joe also served as the chaplain at Marian Home, the Ursuline Sisters’ former nursing facility on the Ursuline campus. He authored a book, Why Lay Ministry Formation? A Resource for the Inquiring, and became an Ursuline Associate.
Sister Kyran might have set him on the path to priesthood, but Father Joe is indeed grateful for the many other Ursuline Sisters of Louisville who offered him insight, guidance, and loving encouragement over the past 50 years. Some of these educators, innovators and influencers are:
Sister Sue Scharfenberger, a classmate from St. Francis of Assisi grade school. Her mother and Father Joe’s mother were friends, and they arranged for Joe and Sue to meet in Rome in 1964, when they were both studying there. Father Joe later visited Sister Sue and other
Ursulines serving in Peru to witness their ministry in person, and was deeply touched by their profound spirituality as he joined them in daily prayer.
Sister Conrad Mellon, who assisted him as he prepared presentations for the Catholic Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry (AGPIM). She helped him develop ministry standards and competencies that earned support from the U.S. Bishops Office of Certification and Accreditation. These standards and competencies still guide the Lay Ministry Studies Curriculum in twenty Catholic Colleges and Universities.
Sister Bernadine Schene, who encouraged him as a high school teacher and with his master of arts in teaching degree at the University of Louisville. Later on, she assisted him with the writing and defense of his complex doctoral dissertation. Sister Chrysantha Schmidt, who offered him guidance when the school system moved from the Baltimore Catechism to new religion texts, and through the transition of teachers in Catholic schools from 90% women and men religious to 90% lay educators.
Sister Martha Buser, founder of the Angela Merici Center for Spirituality, who enriched his understanding of the many facets of spiritual growth and development, which helped him personally and in his guidance of undergraduate and graduate ministry students in their personal and spiritual formation.
PLANNED GIVING
Sisters Laura Duerr, Carl Marie Hulsewede and Assumpta Devine, who welcomed him at Marian Home to celebrate daily Mass. He later became their full-time chaplain. “I was touched by the inner peace the Sisters had as they entered nursing care and by their serenity as they approached the dying process.”
Sister Assumpta Devine, the director of Marian Home, who challenged him to prepare a video presentation for the Sisters on Saint Angela Merici’s spirit of prayer and devotion to Saint Ursula after he returned stateside from visiting Angela’s homeplace in northern Italy. It was after the presentations, and at the urging of several Marian Home residents, that he became an Ursuline Associate. He recalled them saying “You have no sisters, Father, let us become your sisters. You are already a brother to us.”
Sister Margaret Ann Hagan, who invited him to study the approach to prayer that Saint Angela Merici had in her Rule, introducing him to a whole new world of thought.
Father Joe is all about gratitude, so his decision to include the Ursulines as beneficiaries in his planned giving was a natural evolution. He said, “In the early 1980s the Archdiocese of Louisville increased our priestly salaries with the stipulation that we prepare for retirement by investing in IRAs or in long-term care insurance. At that time, I made the Ursuline Community (Sisters) a beneficiary. Now, my intention is to express my gratitude on a monthly basis by becoming a sustaining donor, with a monthly donation of much prayer and by sharing some of my limited resources with a small gift.”
Father Joe continues, “The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville are so woven into my life and my heart that I would need a book just to begin sharing it. All I can say now, is that I wish I had been able to share more and speak of my gratitude for many additional Sisters, including Sister Jean Anne Zappa, current president of the Ursuline congregation. Even though all the Sisters’ names have
1. Thad Merkt on his First Communion Day 2. Sister Kyran Larkin, OSU 3. Father Joe with his niece on her First Communion Day 4. Father Joe “Thad” with relatives in St. Louis celebrating his 50th anniversary 5. Sister Sue Scharfenberger and Father Joe in Peru
not been mentioned, I deeply treasure every one of my Ursuline relationships. To each of them, I am very indebted in special ways—with no exceptions.”
What’s in Your Will?
If you have included the Ursuline Sisters, or are considering will inclusion in your planned giving, please make sure this information is on your legal documents: Corporate Name: Ursuline Society and Academy of Education Mailing Address: 3115 Lexington Road Louisville, KY 40206 Questions? Contact: Ellen McKnight (502) 515-7526 emcknight@ursulineslou.org
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OUR MINISTRIES BY KATHY WILLIAMS
Rocking her infant son, Mohibullah, in her arms, Zargona Haidar looked over the fabric that Sister Ruth Ann Haunz had brought her to sew clothes for her family. Her husband, Janat Khan
Haidar, smiled as two of their sons, 2-year-old Asadullah and 4-year-old Nasratullah, played peekaboo with the visitors to their apartment. Soon, 6-year-old Freshta, their daughter, and 8-year-old son Jawid would arrive home from school. It was a typical day for the Afghan refugee family for the past two months, but before that, there were many months of uncertainty and chaos. As our translator, Siddiq, explained, Janat had worked for the
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United States Army as an escort, which was a type of bodyguard. The family lived four hours south of Kabul in Khost, which is close to the border of Pakistan. Working for the Army gave the family financial stability. Janat and Siddiq both said that the Afghan people love the United States for all that the country did for their people. When Kabul fell, they had to leave siblings and other family members behind in Afghanistan, but feel it is worth it for the better life and safety that they can find in America.
use his military contacts to get the proper documentation to leave. They had to make the hazardous journey to Kabul, and then wait a week in a hotel until they were able to get inside the airport. They flew to Qatar, then Germany, then Washington, D.C., before arriving in Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. Once at the army base, they had to share a tent and one bathroom with three other families, spending four months there before coming to Louisville. Zargona was 8 ½ months pregnant when they fled Afghanistan, and baby Mohibullah was born when they arrived in the United States.
Taliban, and that Siddiq’s teenage sister could no longer attend high school with the Taliban in control. They both said they would only return to their country if the Taliban were no longer in power. Reports coming from Afghanistan now cite rising homelessness, poverty and food scarcity. 1
worked with refugee families in the past in her role as pastoral associate at St. Gabriel Parish and with a family that the Ursuline Sisters once sponsored, as well. She now manages a Dare to Care Mobile Food Pantry with 15 generous volunteers and organizes and supports virtual tutoring for children through St. John Paul II Parish. Sister Ruth Ann attended an information session that Catholic Charities hosted in early September
They told us that one of Janat’s brothers had been killed by the
This summer, when the United States was in the process of withdrawing from Afghanistan, Janat and his family were able to
Enter Sister Ruth Ann Haunz and an ecumenical effort in the Buechel/Hikes Point neighborhood to sponsor a refugee family in Louisville. Sister Ruth Ann has
OUR MINISTRIES about Afghan refugees and began coordinating with other Buechel area churches to sponsor an Afghan family through Catholic Charities. The four churches involved, St. John Paul II Parish, St. Martha Catholic Church, Buechel Park Baptist Church and St. Andrew United Church of Christ,
contributed time, talent and treasure to the effort. They began asking church members to save furniture and other household items to donate once the refugees arrived. The tricky part was, they did not know exactly when the refugees would arrive in Louisville, or how many. In early October, the news came that Catholic Charities was going to be getting up to 200 Afghan refugees. Then, the waiting began. Finally, on December 20, the four churches learned that a family of seven was going to arrive the week of Christmas, not a typical week for refugees to arrive. On December 22, volunteers from the four churches collected, delivered and set up furniture and household
essentials for the Haidar Afghan refugee family. They met the very tired Haidar family at the airport on December 23 at 11 p.m.
Sister Ruth Ann says, “One of the things I try to remind our volunteers about is that we are doing God’s work. And the fact that this family came at Christmas, it was very easy to make those connections. Here was a family that had to travel a long distance and the baby was born in a foreign place, just like the Holy Family.”
Sister adds, “The backdrop of working with refugees is that Jesus said, ‘Welcome the stranger. Welcome the alien.’ And the story of the Good Samaritan is the story of a stranger stopping to help someone in need. And there weren’t any questions such as, ‘Where are you from?’ or ‘How bad off are you?’ or Continued on page 26
OUR MINISTRIES
‘Can you pay me?’ It was a stranger seeing someone in need and using their own resources to help that person. That’s the story of the Good Samaritan. And that is what we are being called to be.”
Zargona and Janat have learned how to use Google translate on their phones to communicate. Often, gestures or photos will work, as Sister Ruth Ann realized when she was called upon to help Zargona with a problem with her sewing machine. Sister Ruth Ann, who sews, used Google translate to type in “sewing machine” into the Pashtun language so Zargona knew what that was and immediately pulled the sewing machine out. Sister Ruth Ann says, “She was so excited when I got it working. It was something very simple like a spool guard, and I used the photos in the directions to show her now to fix it.”
The children are very friendly and loving with Sister Ruth Ann, playing games with her and hugging In addition to the donations of her. She quickly has become a friend furniture and other household goods, of the family. the volunteers from the four Buechel Sister Ruth Ann says, “It is in churches continue to mentor the our heart, that we want to help Haidar family. Transportation is one someone in need. If we can reach need they have. If the entire family out from the depths of our being is going somewhere, they must take and reach out to others with the two cars because they need four car gifts that we have been given, and seats! Volunteers will transport them do it in a responsible way, that is to the food pantry and to Catholic what it is about—doing God’s work. Charities, where translators can Plus, I get all these fringe benefits of assist them. English classes will building relationships and learning begin soon for the adults so they about Afghan culture, and a little can become independent as quickly child who wants to hold my hand.” as possible. 1.
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Through this ministry to refugee families, Sister Ruth Ann is living the words of Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
It is in our heart, that we want to help someone in need. If we can reach out from the depths of our being and reach out to others with the gifts that we have been given, and do it in a responsible way, that is what it is about—doing God’s work. Plus, I get all these fringe benefits of building relationships and learning about Afghan culture, and a little child who wants to hold my hand.
Nominate a Deserving Woman for the
IN MEMORIAM
Since 1991, the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville have recognized women for their outstanding service and dedication with the Angeline Award. A nominee must meet the following criteria: • Demonstrates Christian leadership as a disciple of Jesus Christ by being actively involved with challenges that face women and families today, such as illiteracy, poverty, violence, abuse or addictions • Reflects a contemplative love of God resulting in an openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others • Currently has a personal connection to the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville through ministry, professional association, education, relationship or common goals • Is able to receive the award in person at a ceremony on October 23, 2022, at the Ursuline Motherhouse in Louisville, Kentucky • For more information and to download a nomination form, visit: https://ursulinesisterslouisville.org/angeline-award/
Angeline Award Nomination Form Name of Nominee: Address: Phone:
Email:
Attach a written narrative that describes how the nominee meets or exhibits the criteria listed above. Also, include three additional letters of recommendation from individuals who can further explain how the nominee meets the required criteria of living out the Christian call to reflect the love of God by serving others. Nominated by (your name): Your Address: Your Phone:
Your Email:
Submit Nominations to: Angeline Award Committee/Ursuline Sisters of Louisville 3115 Lexington Road • Louisville, KY 40206 info@ursulinesisterslou.org
Nomination Deadline: June 1, 2022
DOME | SPRING WINTER2022 2017 27 A nomination form is also available on our website: www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org
FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED 3115 Lexington Road Louisville, Kentucky 40206 www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org
Our Mission Teaching Christian living is the corporate mission of the Ursuline Sisters. This ministry, cutting across socio-economic, racial and national boundaries, assists women, men and children to live more fully and to develop a personal relationship with God.
Louisville Ursulines sign 7-year commitment to Laudato Si’ Action Platform A prayer service was held on Sunday, October 4, 2021, with Sisters and Associates to celebrate this 7-year commitment. As Catholic Sisters who are called by our charism to be contemplatives in action; and by our mission, to teach Christian living, we will strive to “listen to the cry of the earth and of people who are poor,” as Pope Francis has asked of all of us.
The full text of our statement of commitment, photos and other information can be found on our website: www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org Like us on Facebook! facebook.com/UrsulinesLouisville
www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org
Ursuline President Sr. Jean Anne Zappa and Sr. Carol Curtis, social concerns coordinator, sign the Laudato Si Action Platform commitment. Follow us on Twitter! @UrsulinesLou
