Spring 2023 Dome final

URSULINE

Continuing the Legacy of Spirituality and Service

Changing Seasons A PUBLICATION OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF LOUISVILLE • SPRING 2023

in this issue:

Our Laudato Si’ Commitment CELEBRATING OUR JUBILARIANS The Teaching Ministry of The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville From 1965–1975

On the cover Sister Carol Curtis traveled with the SHARE delegation to El Salvador and Honduras in December, 2022. They visited the San Pedro River in Honduras, which flows into the Guapinol River, where the Guapinol Eight had been protesting, two of whom were murdered in January 2023. They visited a beautiful waterfall there. Everyone explored, then came back down, eventually sitting on boulders in the middle of the river next to the waterfall. You can read about the solidarity Sister Carol discovered among the people and nature on pages 20-21.

About this issue In this issue you will read part three of the history about the teaching ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965 to 1975. The Sisters experienced many seasons of change during this time: Vatican II, the reality of fewer Sisters in the community, and making difficult decisions to merge or close schools that they founded. They responded thoughtfully and carefully to Vatican II, holding a Special Chapter and going back to their roots to learn about their foundress, Saint Angela Merici, her charism and legacy.

They also changed their governing structure, modernized their habits, and elected their first president. They changed the expression of their fouth vow to include the words “teaching Christian living,” which was a much broader interpretation of what Christian formation meant, and a return to the spirit of Saint Angela Merici. The Ursulines changed and adapted, always with a vision of how they could best serve “in accordance with the needs of the Church and of the world.”

—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 Donor Relations Office, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, 3115 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40206, or use the enclosed remittance envelope.

The check must be processed through the Donor Relations 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 2023 CONTENTS 2

On The Cover/About This Issue

3

From the Leadership Circle

4–13 The Teaching Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965-1975 14-15

By The Numbers

16

Jubilarian Lelia Marie (Placidus) Kirchner

17

Jubilarian Helen O’Brien

18

Jubilarian Martha (Trinitas) Jacob

19

Jubilarian Rita Joseph Jarrell

20-21 Changed by Solidarity in El Salvador and Honduras 22-23 What Is It Ours To Do? Laudato Si’ and Cry of Earth/Cry of Humanity 24-25 Changing Seasons in Peru 26-27 Beyond Change 28 Chapel Update 29 Changes: The Magic of Beginnings 30-31

In Memoriam

32

Taizé Prayer

DONOR/ALUMNI RELATIONS

KIM BRADLEY Manager, Donor/Alumni Relations COMMUNICATIONS/PR OFFICE

KATHY WILLIAMS

Director, Communications/Public Relations DOME Editor, Art Direction and Design DOME CONTRIBUTORS

SISTER CAROL CURTIS BERNIE MUDD-WHITE GINNY SCHAEFFER SISTER SUE SCHARFENBERGER LISA STEINER KATHY WILLIAMS LAUREL WILSON Archivist

KAREN HEILERS Proofreader

Changing Seasons In your early encounters with the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, did you ever wonder why things happen when they do? I remember sitting down in the then-unairconditioned Motherhouse chapel for a Mass celebrating the Jubilarians, and my dress at the shoulders stuck to the varnish of the pews. The kind Sisters in the row behind whispered to me, the new kid in the pew, that one sits forward in the chapel during summertime to avoid the varnish situation.

For decades, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville made their profession of vows in the summer season. We have also had wintertime transfer of vows with Sisters Carol Curtis and Mary Theresa Burns. The reason for summertime vows and Sister gatherings was the school year, which was oriented to the agricultural seasons. Although this refers to the northern hemisphere, for us and for our Ursuline Sisters in Peru, our respective seasons and school years differ as the earth’s rotation varies our times of planting, harvest and learning.

In this issue, we learn about the four Ursuline Sisters celebrating their jubilees. These anniversaries mark the years from their investment as novices in 1948, 1953 and 1963. You can read about the seasons of change these four Sisters have seen in their lives as Ursuline Sisters. It is the season of jubilee for these Ursuline women!

The feature story describes, from 1965 to 1975, how the teaching ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville changed to adapt to the times but remained rooted in the Ursuline’s centuries-long teaching mission. Ursuline Sisters and Associates continue to be inspired

by Jesus’ teachings and his soulchanging relationships with the people he encountered. Even the daily witness of our attempts to be kind, to be aware of the world and the other life-pilgrims around us, carries on our Ursuline charism through all the year’s seasons.

Among the other topics featured, the Peruvian Journal offers Sister Sue Scharfenberger’s new information on the Peru ministries.

She also describes the political unrest unfolding in Peru. With our prayers, we accompany the people of Peru and the people of many other countries in the world who are in a season of political and economic challenge, crisis or instability.

Sister Agnes Coveney, OSU Councilor, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

We celebrated Catholic Sisters Week March 8–14!

Visit our website to see all our events: ursulinesisterslouisville.org/catholic-sisters-week-celebratingtraditions-changing-the-world/ Our jubilarians (top to bottom): Sister Helen O’Brien in 1964, Sister Rita Joseph Jarrell, circa 1969, Sister Martha Jacob in 1976 and Sister Lee Kirchner, 1970s DOME | SPRING 2023

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Rooted and Reaching, Part Three: The Teaching Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965–1975, Changing Seasons We didn’t know where to begin—there was such poverty, but we went to the very ones we came to help, and God spoke to us through the poor.

—Sister Lee Kirchner

Sisters Lee (Placidus) Kirchner (L) and Mary Martha (Joseph Marie) Staarman (R) with lay teacher Carmen de la Cuba Laurel (far right), Peru

In 1965, the Ursulines found themselves in a season of change like never before. Revolution seemed to be in the very air one breathed.

Events such as the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, urban riots, and the peace movement existed side by side with Vatican II, the historic gathering in Rome from 1962–1965 that brought about profound changes in the Church and the lives of the faithful.

The Sisters carefully studied the documents that emerged from Rome during the mid-sixties. These documents asked them to go back to study their roots, the life of their foundress, and their charism. Saint Angela’s legacy of adaptability during changing times served the community well. It was a challenging time, but often a joyful time, full of hope and renewal. The Ursulines were asked to

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respond to the question: “If Angela were living today, what would be her answer to the needs of the Church?” 1

Staarman were able to hire two Peruvian teachers for Santa Angela Merici School. Sister Lee then transitioned to the role of principal of the school. One of the teachers they hired, Carmen de la Cuba Laurel,

The Ursulines of Louisville carefully studied the documents that emerged from Rome during the midsixties. These documents asked them to go back to study their roots, the life of their foundress, and their charism.

Saint Angela’s legacy of adaptability during changing times served the community well. It was a challenging time, but often a joyful time, full of hope and renewal.

While the community in Louisville was responding to the challenge of renewal from Vatican II, and planning a way forward, the Ursulines in Carmen de la Legua, Peru, were finding their path in a foreign country and culture. Within two years of its founding, Sisters Lee Kirchner and Mary Martha

stayed with the school over 50 years, is an Ursuline Associate, and a 2022 Angeline Award recipient!

Sister Lee reflects, “We didn’t know where to begin—there was such poverty, but we went to the very ones we came to help, and God spoke to us through the poor.” The Sisters developed youth programs and started

sewing, knitting, and crocheting classes for the mothers.

They helped the women develop their self-esteem and sense of personhood, something very much needed in the patriarchal culture of Peru.

Sisters Lee and Mary Martha were supported by the other Louisville Ursulines who taught at the Naval School in Lima, who often helped in their free time with the social programs for youth and mothers. Sister Kathy Neely became actively engaged in working with the deaf students at Santa Angela Merici School.

The community withdrew its Sisters from the Naval School in 1970, citing political unrest in Peru and the lack of support by the Peruvian government for foreign teachers in its schools.

Despite many obstacles, including political revolutions, the Ursulines persevered; the school expanded from kindergarten through high school, and has played a significant role in the life and culture of the town.

The winds of change continued back in the United States. In 1966, Ursuline Academy, opened by the Ursuline Sisters in 1892 at the parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Cumberland, Maryland, merged with several other high schools in the area to form Bishop Walsh High School, a coed school. This merger was prompted by the “Declaration on Christian Education”

documents of Vatican II, which encouraged cooperation among peers, discouraged the formation of new schools, and encouraged adaption “to the needs of their unique situations.”2 The Sisters of Notre Dame of Maryland, the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville and the Christian Brothers formed the faculty of the new high school.

In 1967, the education department expanded with the opening of the Ursuline Montessori School on the Ursuline campus. Sister Marlene Oetken, who was trained in the Montessori method at Xavier University in Cincinnati, was the first director.

It was housed in a prefabricated building that served up to 12 students daily and was enlarged over the years. The youngest learners on campus were receiving the benefits of the Montessori method of hands-on learning and developing real-world skills.

In response to Vatican II, the Ursulines held a Special Chapter from 1968-1969. Among the many changes to religious life that came about in response to Vatican II, were changes to the expression of the fourth vow of instruction. It now included the words “teaching Christian living,” which was a much broader interpretation of what Christian formation meant and a return to the spirit of Saint Angela Merici. The Chapter implemented change in all areas of the life of the community, including its apostolate, or ministry—of the DOME | SPRING 2023

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Rooted and Reaching, Part Three: The Teaching Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965–1975, Changing Seasons

explain that the financial condition of the ommunity had influenced this action. The Courier-Journal published an article about the report that highlighted the fact that the Ursuline Sisters saved the Archdiocese $1.25 million annually by either operating or staffing its educational institutions.3

Continued from page 5

Sisters, which was education.

An unusual step was taken by publishing the financial statement of the Ursuline Society and Academy of Education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968 in The Record. The Special Chapter had voted to publish this information, along with a statement concerning the withdrawal of teachers from parochial schools, because it would

In looking at their structure of government, the Sisters elected their very first president, Sister Adelaide Fackler, in 1968. Gone was the old title of mother superior in the spirit of renewal.4 The Sisters also

smaller number of Ursulines in the future. The community had reached peak membership of 597 women in 1965-66; by 1975 there were 432 members.

Fewer members meant making some difficult decisions about the number of schools the community could manage and serve. At the time of the 1968 Special Chapter, there were 540 members, more than half of them staffing 27 schools in Louisville, and many teaching in seven other states. While these numbers on the surface looked

Fewer members meant making some difficult decisions about the number of schools the community could manage and serve. ...the costs of educating and maintaining a Sister in a teaching position at a parish school were outpacing the minimal salaries the Sisters were receiving. chose an outside consulting firm to make a complete examination of the Ursuline way of life and community.

This included acknowledging the reality in the sixties of a significant number of women leaving their religious communities—of which the Ursulines of Louisville were no exception—and planning for a

encouraging, studies made that year showed that the costs of educating and maintaining a Sister in a Dates Served teaching position at a parish school 1938-1944 were outpacing the minimal salaries 1944-1950 the Sisters were receiving.

1950-1956

Name Mothe Mothe Mothe Also at the 1968 Special Chapter, Mothe 1956-1962 the Ursulines announced their plans Mothe 1962-1968

to end over a century of semi-

1965–1975: Ursuline Sisters of Louisville Timeline Santa Angela Merici School, founded by the Ursulines, opens in Carmen de la Legua, Peru.

1965

Ursuline community membership reaches its peak with 597 sisters

1965–66

Ursuline Montessori Preschool opens.

1967

Ursulines elect their first president, Sister Adelaide Fackler

1968

1965

1966

1968

1968

Vatican II closes December 8, addressing the needs of the modern world

Ursuline Academy in Cumberland, Maryland, merges with several other schools to form Bishop Walsh High School.

Louisville Ursulines hold a Special Chapter in response to Vatican II.

Ursuline College merges with Bellarmine College.

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cloistered life. Many other changes were made in the spirit of renewal. They had the option to teach in a public school, attend meetings without asking prior permission from the president, have visitors, revert to their birth names rather than their religious names, and most visible to others, they could choose to wear contemporary clothing without veils. The Chapter guidelines stated that

Along with all these changes, talks that began in 1965 of their beloved Ursuline College for women merging with Bellarmine College for men became a reality in 1968. an Ursuline Sister will no longer have to observe night silence, but will be responsible for “creating her own silence that she may deepen her union with God.”5

e Age er Roberta Zehe 50 er Rosalin 1. Class of 1968 as postulants: The last class to go through formation as a group er Columba 50religious names and not wear habits during formation. and the Ishanski first to not receive Front row (L-R): Donna Mattingly,* Brenda Norris,* Lynn Manger* er Cosma Coponi 63 Middle row (L-R): Jean Anne er Agnes Marie Long 61 Zappa, Mary Jeffers,* Alberta Eiden* Back row (L-R): Linda Hayden,* Cecelia Thomas* (*Later left the community) 2. Ursuline College library 3. Ursuline College graduation

Along with all these changes, talks that began in 1965 of their beloved Ursuline College for women merging with Bellarmine College for men became a reality in 1968. Inspired in part by the documents of Vatican II, the two schools had begun an inter-institutional coordination of programs in the mid-sixties that attracted attention around the country. On February 2, 1968, the governing boards of both schools approved a statement of intent to merge, which was endorsed by Ursuline President Sister Angelice Seibert and Msgr. Alfred F. Horrigan, effective on June 1, 1968. For a period of three

1965–1975: Ursuline Sisters of Louisville Timeline

Louisville Ursulines hold a second session of the Special Chapter.

1969 1969

Ursuline School of Music opens.

Ursulines host education conference called “A Vision of Things to Come.”

1970 1972

Ursuline Academy in Louisville closes.

75th anniversary of the Ursulines ministering at St. Joseph Children’s Home.

1972

1974

Msgr. Pitt Learning Center celebrates 25th anniversary.

Task Force appointed to study St. Angela.

1974 1975 The charism statement of St. Angela and the Ursuline Credo are created.

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Rooted and Reaching, Part Three: The Teaching Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965–1975, Changing Seasons Continued from page 7

years after the merger, the institution would operate under the title “Bellarmine-Ursuline College.”

A document from the Ursulines archives entitled “History and Organization” states, “This series of developments has produced in Louisville a new type of Catholic college, representing the open, progressive, and experimental spirit of Vatican II and an American society in the state of transition. It is a ‘Catholic’ college and a ‘diocesan’ college in the best contemporary sense of these terms.”6 But even under the best of circumstances, change can be challenging. In recalling the merger of Ursuline College and Bellarmine College, Sister Pat (Marcian) Lowman (1921–2016) said, “It was a must. Neither of us could survive on our own.” Sister Pat had taught at Ursuline College for three years when the merger took place. “I loved teaching there [Bellarmine], and later on, it was such a good thing. But it was very difficult at first.

We felt we were submerged because we were smaller.”7 (In 1968, Bellarmine enrollment was approximately

1,800 and Ursuline’s was 485.) Sister Pat taught history at Bellarmine for 31 years, and was a beloved teacher on campus.

During the second session of the Special Chapter in 1969, the General Council was granted the authority to investigate the feasibility of seeking alternate sponsorship or lessening—or adjusting—the institutional commitment in the Ursulines’ community-owned schools.

Given this mandate, the General Council made the decision to “gradually phase out the operation of Ursuline Academy” located at 806 East Chestnut

It was a must. Neither of us could survive on our own. I loved teaching there [Bellarmine], and later on, it was such a good thing. But it was very difficult at first. We felt we were submerged because we were smaller.

—Sister Pat Lowman

Schools Louisville Ursulines served between 1858–1975* Name of School City State Years served St. Martin of Tours School Louisville KY— 1858—1967 Ursuline Academy Louisville KY— 1859—1972 St. Mary School Louisville KY— 1861—1871 Corpus Christi School Newport KY— 1864—1900 St. Aloysius School Covington KY— 1866—1867 St. Joseph School Louisville KY— 1867—1872** St. Peter School Louisville KY— 1868—1967 St. Boniface School Lafayette IN— 1868—1877 SS. Peter & Paul School East Liberty PA— 1869—1874 St. Charles Borromeo School Peru IN— 1870—1874 St. Joseph School Logansport IN— 1870—1874 St. Anthony School Jeffersonville IN— 1870—1892 SS. Peter & Paul School Cumberland MD—1870—1981 St. Mary School Madison IN— 1872—1954 Holy Childhood of Jesus Mascoutah IL— 1872—1888 St. Boniface School Germantown IL— 1873—1877 St. Francis of Assisi School Dayton KY— 1873—1901 St. Joseph Academy St. Joseph KY— 1874—1912 Immaculate Conception Columbia IL— 1875—1890 Sacred Heart Academy Louisville KY— 1877—— St. Mary School Bloomington IL— 1877—1883

St. Boniface School Edwardsville IL— 1878—1880 St. Mary School Metamora IL— 1878—1894 St. Mary School Lincoln IL— 1878—1882 St. Patrick School Lincoln IL— 1878—1882 St. Mary School El Paso IL— 1879—1882 SS. Peter & Paul School Haubstadt IN— 1879—1881 St. Celestine School Celestine IN— 1880—1885 St. Vincent de Paul School Louisville KY— 1880—1979 St. Mary School Memphis TN— 1881—1890 Sacred Heart School Pekin IL— 1881—1888 St. Patrick School Minonk IL— 1881—1882 St. Boniface School/Westside/ Catholic Consolidated — Evansville IN— 1881—1980 Huberta Academy/St. Joseph School Owensboro KY— 1881—1919 St. Francis of Assisi School Ottawa IL— 1882—1887 Holy Ghost School St. Louis MO—1883—1893 St. James School St. James IN— 1884—1890 Holy Trinity School Louisville KY— 1885—1979 St. Alphonsus School St. Joseph KY— 1885—1888 St. Bernard School St. Louis MO—1886—1899

*Dates are the first period of service according to recorded dates in the Ursuline archives. ** returned in 1874 to 1975 8 SPRING 2023 | DOME

Today I learned that I would soon lose a dear friend—one who has meant more to me than any one else I have known. ...I feel such deep sorrow I cannot even cry any longer.

—Marcia Meisner, UA student, 1970

Former Sister Dorothy Downey with Clarissa Franklin at the 1971 Catholic Girls High Schools’ fall track meet

Ursuline Academy, 1859–1972

Street in Louisville.8 With fewer women entering the Ursulines, the Sisters had to staff their three Louisville high schools with more lay teachers, increasing operating costs.

Additionally, extensive maintenance was needed on Ursuline Academy’s buildings, and so, the difficult

decision was made to close the school the Ursulines founded in 1859.

In the February 1970 edition of the school paper, The Merician, student Marcia Meisner wrote of hearing news of the closure: “Today I learned that I would soon lose a dear friend—one who has meant

more to me than any one else I have known. I learned she is dying from an incurable disease—insufficiency.

I feel such deep sorrow I cannot even cry any longer.”

The last class graduated from Ursuline Academy in 1972, ending 113 years of tradition that began with

Schools Louisville Ursulines served between 1858–1975* Name of School City State Years served St. Mary School St. Henry IL— 1886—1887 St. Joseph School Memphis TN— 1887—1888 St. Henry School St. Louis MO—1889—1893 St. Michael School Frostburg MD—1891—1899 SS Peter & Paul Ursuline Academy Cumberland MD—1892—1966 St. Patrick School Mount Savage MD—1896—1899 St. Joseph Orphange Louisville KY— 1897—2010 St. Boniface School Louisville KY— 1898—1967 St. Anthony School Louisville KY— 1899—1971 St. George School Louisville KY— 1899—1976 St. Helen School Louisville KY— 1902—1998 St. Sylvester School Ottenheim KY— 1903—1904 St. Romuald School Hardinsburg KY— 1903—1912 St. Mary School Cumberland MD—1903—1989 St. Elizabeth of Hungary Louisville KY— 1906—1982 St. Leo the Great School Louisville KY— 1906—1974 St. Therese School Louisville KY— 1907—1987 St. Ann School Louisville KY— 1907—1986 St. Peter Claver School Louisville KY— 1908—1967

St. Mary High School Cumberland MD—1910—1959 St. Francis of Assisi School Louisville KY— 1911—1989 St. Martin School Rome KY— 1912—1916 St. Augustine School New Straitsville OH— 1915—1955 St. Francis de Sales Morgantown WV— 1915—1987 Sacred Heart School/Conemaugh Catholic Conemaugh PA— 1915—1979 St. Patrick Academy Sidney NE— 1916—1989 St. Mary School Rushville NE— 1916—1933 St. Patrick School North Platte NE— 1916—1999 St. Aloysius School Louisville KY— 1916—1916 St. Ambrose School Seymour IN— 1917—1929 St. Joseph School Diamond IN— 1918—1923 St. Mary School Washington IN— 1918—1928 St. Michael School South Sioux City NE— 1918—1923 St. Michael/St. Therese School Omaha NE— 1918—1941 St. Bartholomew School Columbus IN— 1919—1929 Blessed Sacrament School Omaha NE— 1920—1990 Sacred Heart Junior College/Ursuline College/Bellarmine Louisville KY— 1921—1996 DOME | SPRING 2023

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Rooted and Reaching, Part Three: The Teaching Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965–1975, Changing Seasons Continued from page 9

three Ursulines from Bavaria. Although quite painful, this decision was in keeping with the decisions made at the Special Chapter to make the Sisters available to serve “in accordance with the needs of the Church and of the world.”

In 1969, there was a movement toward centralization of music instructors. Music lessons had always been a part of an Ursuline education, and there have been many distinguished Ursuline teachers in the music field. With many Ursulines teaching music in parochial schools, and giving private lessons, the need for music fees and salaries to be adjusted by 1969 prompted serious study by the community.

In a letter dated May 28, 1969, former Sister Serena Stauble wrote, “In this day of greater specialization, we can no longer expect the regular classroom teacher to be totally responsible for the school music

The last graduating class of Ursuline Academy Louisville, 1972

The last class graduated from Ursuline Academy in 1972, ending 113 years of tradition that began with three Ursulines from Bavaria. Although quite painful, this decision was in keeping with the decisions made at the Special Chapter to make the Sisters available to serve “in accordance with the needs of the Church and of the world.”

Schools Louisville Ursulines served between 1858–1975* Name of School

City

State Years served

St. Michael School Madison IN— 1922—1954 Sacred Heart Model School Louisville KY— 1924— St. Rita School Louisville KY— 1928—1982 Catholic Schools Office Louisville KY— 1932—1984 Ursuline High School/Columbia Catholic/Cardinal Newman Columbia SC— 1936—1998 St. Peter School Columbia SC— 1936—1972 St. Joseph Academy O’Connor NE— 1937—1951 Holy Spirit School Louisville KY— 1937—1978 Our Mother of Sorrows Louisville KY— 1937—1991 Sacred Heart School Camden MS— 1946—1992 Archdiocesan Reading Clinic Louisville KY— 1947—1969 St. Raphael the Archangel Louisville KY— 1948—1996 St. Mary School Jackson MS— 1949—1990 Our Lady of Lourdes School Louisville KY— 1950—1988 Archdiocesan Opportunity Class/Special Education Class/ Msgr. Pitt Learning Center Louisville KY— 1951—1981 Archdiocesan Sight Saving Class Louisville KY— 1951—1968 Shawe Memorial High School Madison IN— 1952—1999

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St. Mary-Michael School/Pope John XXIII School— Madison IN— 1954—1984 St. Aloysius School Shepherdsville KY— 1954—1991 St. Joseph School Columbia SC— 1954—2016 Ursuline Speech Clinic Louisville KY— 1956—1996 St. Clement School Louisville KY— 1957—1986 Ursuline Academy Pittsburgh PA— 1957—1981 Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament School Pittsburgh PA— 1958—1979 Angela Merici High School Louisville KY— 1959—1984 Our Lady Help of Christians Louisville KY— 1959—1972 Incarnate Word College San Antonio TX— 1959—1960 Ursuline Tutoring Program/Tutoring Center Louisville KY— 1960—1995 St. Joseph School Pittsburgh PA— 1961—1984 Ursuline Special Education Learning Center Louisville KY— 1964—1981 St. Timothy School Louisville KY— 1964—1988 Liceo Naval Almirante Guise Lima Peru — 1964—1971 Santa Angela Merici School Callao Peru— 1964—

*Dates are the first period of service according to recorded dates in the Ursuline archives.

The Community agreed that a centralized music center was needed, and in the fall of 1969, the Ursuline School of Music on the Ursuline campus became a reality. program. …I believe that the principals who have promoted the hiring of a music specialist will verify that classroom teachers are somewhat relieved and that the music program has been greatly strengthened.”9 The community agreed that a centralized music center was needed, and in the fall of 1969, the Ursuline School of Music on the Ursuline campus became a reality.

The new Ursuline School of Music was initially housed in Ursula Auditorium and was used for music lessons and recitals. Built in 1925, the building was initially used by Ursuline College and Sacred Heart Academy for its dramatic and choral performances.

It was later used by Sacred Heart Model School, the K-8 co-ed school on the Ursuline campus. Later dance, drama lessons and other productions were added to the curriculum, and its name changed to the Ursuline School of Music and Drama.

In 1970, the Ursulines hosted an education conference called “A Vision of Things to Come.” It brought together bishops, superintendents, CCD directors, pastors, and other education leaders from the eleven dioceses in which the Ursulines served and gave them an opportunity to share concerns and interests.

Sister Sarah Stauble with SHA students, circa 1967. She taught music at Sacred Heart Academy and later at the Ursuline School of Music.

Schools Louisville Ursulines served between 1858–1975* Name of School

City

State Years served

Bishop Walsh High School Cumberland MD 1966—1999 Ursuline Montessori School Louisville KY 1967—2000 Pope John XXIII School Louisville KY 1967—1969 Bellarmine College/Univ.

Louisville KY 1968—1996 St. Bernard School Louisville KY 1968—1970 Roncalli Center Louisville KY 1968—1971 University of Galway Galway Ireland 1968—1969 Ursuline School of Music / Sacred Heart School for the Arts Louisville KY 1969—1995 Ursuline Reading Clinic Louisville KY 1969—1971 Pope Paul VI School Louisville KY 1969—1971 Louisville Public Schools/Jefferson County Public Schools Louisville KY 1969—1991 Coke Memorial United Methodist Church Day Care Center Louisville KY 1969—1970 Mount Saint Agnes College Baltimore MD 1969—1970 Smith College Northampton MA 1969—1970 St. Louis University St. Louis MO 1969—1971 Jefferson Comm. College Louisville KY 1970—1979 Central High School Louisville KY 1970—1971 Russell Junior High School Louisville KY 1970—1971

Montessori of Kentucky, Inc Louisville Holy Rosary Academy Louisville Trinity High School Louisville University of Georgia Athens Indiana University Southeast New Albany / Jeffersonville Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Education Baltimore Columbia Public School Columbia Madonna High School Weirton St. Joseph the Worker School Weirton St. Francis of Assisi Parish Louisville Spalding College/University Louisville Community Catholic Elementary School Louisville Holy Name School Louisville Flaget High School Louisville Spalding Academy Spalding Christian Brothers College Memphis Colegio San Antonia Chico Callao Presentation Academy Louisville

KY KY KY GA

1970—1971 1970—1974 1970—1979 1970—1974

IN

1970—2001

MD SC WV WV KY KY

1970—1973 1970—1971 1970—1976 1970—1975 1971—1973 1971—1972

KY KY KY NE TN Peru KY

1971—1973 1971—1972 1971—1972 1971—1973 1971—1974 1971—1973 1972—1976

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Rooted and Reaching, Part Three: The Teaching Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville from 1965–1975, Changing Seasons Continued from page 11

In a letter dated October 27, 1969, to the community regarding the “A Vision of Things to Come” conference, Sister Clarita Felhoelter stated that, “During this conference, we feel those who employ our services can tell us what the needs are, and we can inform them about our resources and the degree to which we can supply education in those areas.”

At the time of the conference, the Ursulines were staffing parochial elementary and secondary schools in Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia. The community owned and staffed one elementary and three secondary schools in Louisville and Ursuline Academy in Pittsburgh. It also operated a Montessori school, a music school, a speech and hearing clinic, a school for special education on the Ursuline campus, and St. Joseph Orphanage, as well as a mission school in Peru.

Also in 1970, there were ten Ursulines teaching at Bellarmine-

Ursuline College, and three others were faculty members at private colleges out-of-state. Ursulines had recently entered the areas of religious education, early childhood education and adult education due to the renewals of Vatican II, which included “broadening its interpretation of its fourth vow to encompass apostolates in many other aspects of the education of both men and women.”10

Other milestones during this time included December 27, 1972, which marked seventy-five years of education ministry to St. Joseph Children’s Home since the Ursulines started there in 1897. Altogether, over 150 Ursulines served at the home until 2010, when Sister Loretta Guenther retired.

In 1974, Msgr. Pitt Learning Center for children with special needs celebrated its 25th anniversary. It was started as The Opportunity Class

by Monsingor Felix N. Pitt in 1949, and the Ursulines had been teaching there since 1951. Sister Regina Marie

Bevelacqua was director of the school from 1967 to 1983, succeeding Sister Mary Vincent Strittmatter.

Also in 1974, the Steering Committee recommended to the Chapter that a Task Force be appointed to study St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursulines. This led to the creation of The Ursuline Credo, which contains the expression of the charism of St. Angela and the Ursulines. It is a statement of the Ursulines’ belief in the call they share as a result of the love and influence of the Holy Spirit.11

In 1975, the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville stood on the threshold of uncertainty and change, viewing the past with pride, the present with reality and the future with vision and hope; taking heed of the words of Saint Angela: “If, according to times and circumstances, the need arises to make new rules or to do something differently, do it prudently and with good advice.” (Last Legacy)

Footnotes are on page 14. Special thanks to Laurel Wilson, archivist for assistance with this article.

Schools Louisville Ursulines served between 1858–1975* Name of School

City

State Years served

St. John Vianney School Louisville KY 1972—1979 Most Blessed Sacrament School Louisville KY 1972—1988 Kentucky School for the Blind Louisville KY 1972—1974 St. Mary College St. Mary KY 1972—1976 St. Luke School Ogallala NE 1972—1999 De Paul Institute Pittsburgh PA 1972—1974 St. Paul Indian Mission Marty SD 1972—1973 St. Vincent Children’s Home Wheeling WV 1972—1973 Watterson College Louisville KY 1973—1986 Clarke County Board of Ed. Athens GA 1973—1975 Lake Michigan College Benton Harbor MI 1973—1975

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Sacred Heart Southern Missions Hernando MS Weirton Catholic Schools Weirton WV Kennedy Montessori School Louisville KY Sumter Adult Development Center Sumter SC St. Jerome School Fairdale KY Central Michigan University Mt. Pleasant MI St. Ann School Lexington NE

1973—1978 1973—1975 1974—1977 1974—1975 1975—1991 1975—1976 1975—1978

*Dates are the first period of service according to recorded dates in the Ursuline archives.

The Ursuline Credo I believe that I am personally called by Yahweh.

I believe that this call is an eternal gift—to love celibately, in simplicity, in community as an Ursuline.

I believe that as an Ursuline I share in the charism of Angela—a contemplative love of God and a resulting openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others.

I believe that this contemplative love comes to be as I strive to be a woman of prayer with prophetic vision—sure of God. I believe that the needs of others call me to witness Gospel values—serving and teaching as Jesus did.

In all this I believe the Spirit works in me enabling me to see wonders as I direct everything to the glory of God and the good of others with faith, joy, confidence, and gratitude.

Changes in Habits: Class of 1926 on their 50th Jubilee in 1976—some Sisters are in the old habit, some in modified habits and some in no habit.

Front: Alodia Thomas, Nunilo Thomas, Corrine Straub, Rosemary King, Thecla Shiel, Gertrunella Schutte, Adeline Bryan, Quentin Heun, Helen Breighner.

Middle: Delia Lynch, Aloyse Stocker, Thomasetta Keenan, Lorraine Clark, Alfreda Gurtis, Wilfred Mattingly, Celeste Graf, Georgina Eisenback.

Back: Regis Marie Kenna, Willetta Kruse, Francine Bauer, Josephine Hildenbrand, Mary Stella Mohr, Marie-Aline (Antonia) Massicotte.

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BY THE NUMBERS

Changing Seasons: 1965–1975 Ursuline Sisters of Louisville Ministry Arrival Dates by State and Country (through 1975)

9 of 27

One third of Mother Superiors/ Presidents came from missions outside of Kentucky

1975 S

Membership Trends 1953

1948

Perpetual Professed Temporary Professed

Novices

Postulants

Mother Superior/President, 1965-1976 Dates Served Name 1962-1968 Mother Agnes Marie Long 1968-1976 President Adelaide Fackler 1. P. 104, Under His Mighty Power 2. Breen, Edward Francis, “Educational Viewpoints of the Second Vatican Council” (1969). Dissertations. https:// ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1979&context=luc_diss 3. P. 121 Under His Mighty Power 4. P. 115 Under His Mighty Power 14 SPRING 2023 | DOME

Age 61 47

5. The Courier-Journal, August 12, 1968, Options and More Freedom Are Granted Ursuline Nuns by Joan Riehm 6. “History and Organization” document, Ursuline Motherhouse archives 7. Bellarmine Magazine, summer 2008, “Forty Years of Merger” by Dianne Aprile

8. Letter to the community from Sister Adelaide Fackler, dated November 18, 1969 *Number not available 9. Letter to the community from Sister Serena Stauble, dated May 28, 1969 10. P. 3, “A Vision of Things To Come” conference program 11. P. 129 Under His Mighty Power

BY THE NUMBERS

Louisville Ursulines By the Numbers ULSTER

CONNAGHT

1968 Galway

LEINSTER

IRELAND

Dublin

MUNSTER

Distribution of Ursuline Sisters in 1970 Professional Career Services 6%

Education 61%

Retired 23%

Formation 2% Administration 2% Other: Child Care, Nursing 4% Full-time students 2%

1975

Sister Anna Marie (Mary Bernadette) Trance serves at Elizabeth Gardens in Pompano, Florida

1973

Sister Bianca Marie Marguglio* serves at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan

1972

Sister Marilyn (Angela Marie) Portz* teaches at the St. Paul Indian Mission in Marty, South Dakota

1970

Sister Mary Ann (Maurice Marie) Byrne* teaches at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia

1969

Sister Angelice Seibert teaches at Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts

1969

Sister Justina Heintzman serves at Bridgeton Public Library in Bridgeton, New Jersey

1968

Sister Angelice Seibert teaches at the University of Galway in Galway, Ireland DOME | SPRING 2023

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OUR JUBILARIANS

Jubilarians Sister Lelia Marie (Placidus) Kirchner is celebrating her 75th jubilee! She was the eighth of thirteen children born to Mary and John Kirchner in Lyndon. The family moved to Louisville a few years later, where Sister Lee attended St. Joseph parish school and graduated from Ursuline Academy.

Two of her most influential mentors were Sister Antonia Wagner and Sister Immaculata (Dolores) Hellmann. Of being an Ursuline Sister, Sister Lee says, “It has fulfilled a dream of doing something for God.” Sister Lee, who graduated from Ursuline College, taught at several Louisville parish grade schools and in Cumberland, Maryland. While she enjoyed teaching and loved her students, she always carried in her heart a love for ministry with the poor and marginalized.

When the community asked for volunteers to serve in Latin America, Sister Lee immediately volunteered.

In 1964, she was selected to go to Peru, along with three other Ursulines, which began a journey of forty-plus years of ministry among the people there. After a crash course in Spanish, Sister Lee and Sister Mary Martha Staarman set about opening a school in Carmen de la Legua, then a slum area of Callao outside of Lima. In 1965, they opened Santa Angela Merici School with 75 children in two first-grade rooms, one box of chalk and two erasers!

Sister Lee was with the school from 1964 to 1988, including ten years as principal. She and her staff empowered parents to serve in the school, in women’s family programs, and in youth/young adult groups. Sister cherishes the support they had from other missionaries, especially from Missionary Sisters of St. Columba, Joanna Krupa and Martin de Porres, who became her soulmates.

Sister Lee embraced Vatican II’s views on gospel values, particularly the preferential option for the poor, all the while witnessing first-hand the struggles of her Peruvian friends. These experiences helped lead Sister

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Lee to a deeper trust in Jesus and the courage to face all the isolation and difficulties while ministering in South America, including a twelve-year revolution.

In 1988, Sister Lee moved to the rural mission of San Miguel, in the Andes Mountains, where she worked in pastoral ministry until 2005. Of that time, Sister Lee says, “I felt honored and humbled to baptize hundreds of babies, children and adults, accompany young girls and women, work closely with the dedicated rural catechists, and carry by horseback the Blessed Sacrament that was shared in para-liturgies and with the sick.”

She recalls, “From 1964 to 2005, I spent the most unbelievable, difficult, happy and rewarding years of my life. Forty-one years of every kind of experience enriched my spiritual journey of serving and sharing God among some of the poorest, faith-filled, happy people I know and love. In Peru, I began to realize what my call as a religious really was.”

“In my later ministry, from 2005–2022, I encountered a new spark of mission with the community of Centro Latino, in Shelbyville, alongside many Latinos and a very warm and justice–minded friend, Sister Pat Reno, OP.” Now, facing challenges of aging, Sister Lee says, “I pray to let go of my expectations, to look at the new realities of my circumstances, trusting Jesus to help me realize new boundaries.”

Surely accompanying Sister Lee on this journey of change is her personal symbol—a yellow butterfly she calls Sofia, after the biblical Sophia, whose name means wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Sister Lee says, “Jesus isn’t finished with me yet. Despite the unknown staring at me; blessings flow, maybe even undeserved blessings. In fulfilling my dream to serve others, I have received so many graces in my life—love, support, affirmation, and acceptance.”

OUR JUBILARIANS

BY KATHY WILLIAMS

For Sister Helen O’Brien, it only took one year at Ursuline High School (UHS) in Columbia, South Carolina, for her to decide on becoming an Ursuline Sister. Her father had served in the Army during World War II. After the war, her father reenlisted in the military and was assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Her father insisted that Joan (her birth name) attend UHS. Ironically, Sister Helen remembers saying, “I don’t want to go to a Catholic school. I don’t want nuns!” She only went there from 1950-51, but she says that year awakened something deep in her.

There was also a feeling of at-homeness about the school and the Ursulines.

In 1951, her father got transferred to San Francisco, but Joan stayed in touch with Sister Ferdinand Storch, who was principal of UHS in Columbia. In July of 1952, the then-Mother Superior, Sister Columba Ishanski, wrote to Joan: “Sister Ferdinand said you are interested in becoming a Sister.

You could come and do your senior year at Sacred Heart Academy and be a postulant at the same time. The teenaged Joan said, “Let’s get on with it!” So, her parents put her on a plane to Louisville in September 1952.

Sister Helen received her undergraduate degree from Ursuline College, in Louisville, and her master’s from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sister Helen taught for twenty years in Louisville at several Catholic grade schools, then at Sacred Heart Academy, where she was dean of students, as well. She served on Leadership for the community from 19761984, and 1996-2002. In between the two Leadership terms, she was director of formation for new members.

Working in formation (1984-1996) led her to her current ministry of spiritual direction. While working with the postulants and novices, Sister Helen realized she needed more training for the position. She says, “I was doing it out of my heart, but I needed to learn the skills to do the position well.” Upon the advice of

Sister Martha Buser, she attended the Institute for Spiritual Leadership at Loyola University, in Chicago, becoming certified in spiritual direction. Sister Helen then studied psychosynthesis at the Kentucky Center for Psychosynthesis, in Lexington. She also completed an internship at the Jesuit Renewal Center (now the Jesuit Spiritual Center) in Milford, Ohio.

Sister Helen says, “While I have appreciated the gifts of each ministry and valued their experience and the people involved, I most appreciate accompanying others in spiritual direction—accompanying them in coming to recognize that God loves them and gifts them with the ability to recognize God’s love. This ministry encourages me to keep the mystery of God’s love and grace in greater awareness. I am often awed by what happens while the two of us are attending to God’s love and commitment.

Being with someone in spiritual direction is an awesome gift that I call secondhand grace.

For me, spiritual direction is a gifted vocation within the call to live religious life.”

Upon reaching this milestone as an Ursuline Sister of Louisville, Sister Helen says, “Celebrating a 70th jubilee is amazing. It is difficult to believe, and I rejoice in years and years of God’s fidelity. I appreciate the shifts I have experienced in who I am and what is important.

I remember being concerned about wanting to obey laws—now I am much more interested in receiving God’s love, rather than God’s approval! Were I to speak with my much younger self, I would want her to realize that what she really desires is God’s gift.”

Sister Helen adds, “Being an Ursuline Sister has come to mean being involved in a mission greater than my own. We often say, ‘Where one Ursuline Sister ministers, there we all are.’

Being an Ursuline Sister enlarges my universe and stretches me, and being a spiritual director challenges me to stay open and alert to God’s grace and love.”

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OUR JUBILARIANS

BY KATHY WILLIAMS

Sister Martha (Trinitas) Jacob, a native of Louisville, is celebrating her 60th jubilee.

Sister Martha grew up in the neighborhood around St. Francis of Assisi, where she attended grade school, and then attended Sacred Heart Academy, graduating in 1953. She had the Ursulines as teachers at both schools.

Her involvement in the school newspaper, field hockey, basketball, and piano and violin lessons had her returning home so late every day that her mother said to her, “Why don’t you just move there?” meaning the school campus.

How prescient that question was!

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana.

She recalls of those days, “It was such a small school, we were all so close, and really made our own fun!” After graduation, she taught at St. Raphael parish school, then Loretto High School before returning to Indiana to teach in the journalism department of Saint Mary-of-the Woods from 1959-60.

Martha then returned to Louisville where she applied for the position of public relations director of Ursuline College, and also taught English and journalism at the college. When she decided to enter the Ursulines in 1962, she was in the unique position of being a teacher to some of her fellow postulants! She says that she is thankful that the community recognized that she had different needs and requirements than her younger classmates, including completing her dissertation for her master’s degree from Indiana University.

Entering during Vatican II posed its own challenges, with the community adapting to the change, holding a Special Chapter, and looking for new ways to offer formation to their novices. Sister Martha is grateful for the attention paid to formation and changes the community made during those years.

After Ursuline College and Bellarmine College merged in 1968, she says, “I had to go look for a job!” She received a grant to study at Michigan State University for three years to obtain her doctorate in communication.

She did research for her dissertation on how the

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communications of three different religious communities varied in response to the changes of Vatican II.

She says she liked teaching college—she really enjoyed the university atmosphere. In the 1970s, she was on the faculties of Spalding University and Jefferson Community College. She also was an adjunct professor at Indiana University Southeast and Bellarmine College (now University). Sister served as chair of the first editorial board of The Record, 1973-74, and was a member until 1976.

Of the different ministries Sister Martha was involved in, she says, “I didn’t have a master plan for my life, it was more of seeing opportunities and being invited to be involved.” Her next opportunity was being executive director of the Neylan Conference from 197981, which was a special project of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

In 1981, Sister Martha returned to campus as director of communications. Years later, there was a need to raise funds for Marian Home renovations and other projects, so this office became the Office of Mission Advancement. She also was a secretary of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Senate of Religious and a cofounding director of the Veritas Society at Bellarmine.

Sister Martha was chairperson of the Ursuline Campus Art Fair for eight years. Appointed community archivist in 2000, she served as vice-president on the community’s Leadership Team (2008-14) and currently serves the community as congregational historian.

Sister Martha reflects, “In my life and the life of the congregation, it has been one of change and movement.

I got a taste of the old way of life, for which I am grateful. But certainly, 60 years ago, I wouldn’t think I would be sitting here like I am now. What we knew then as ‘The Call,’ was ministering as teacher or administrator in a Catholic school.

“Today, ‘Teaching Christian Living’ is the way you are, your presence and interaction with others— the way you live each day.”

OUR JUBILARIANS

BY KATHY WILLIAMS

Sister Rita Joseph Jarrell is celebrating her 60th jubilee.

One of five girls, Sister Rita Joseph grew up in Louisville, graduating from Sacred Heart Academy (SHA). An honor roll student at SHA, Sister Rita Joseph played varsity basketball and hockey, was on the student council, and in the Sodality spirituality club. Sister Pat (Marcian) Lowman was the moderator of that club, and she had a great influence on Sister Rita Joseph becoming an Ursuline. “Yep, I kept myself out of trouble,” she laughs.

Originally, Sister Rita Joseph said she wanted to become a medical technician. But God had other plans for her. Father Ehrich J. Stuart, then-pastor at St. Margaret Mary Church, had seen her coaching the grade-school children and interacting with them. He told her, “You need to become a Sister! You should join a teaching community because you are a born teacher.”

Sister Rita Joseph had visited two other communities, as she still was considering healthcare. One day, she recalls, “Something hit me. I thought to myself, ‘No, you want to be there—on the Ursuline campus.’ ” She walked over to the convent and knocked on the door. Upon hearing her story, Mother Columba Ishanski said, “Just come and see. Just try it out.”

Sister Rita Joseph says, “I came for the four vows, and especially the fourth vow, instruction.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from Ursuline College in history with a minor in Spanish (1967), a master’s degree in secondary education from Western Kentucky University (1973), a master’s degree in theology from Duquesne University (1982) and achieved a Rank I status in elementary education from the University of Louisville (1985).

Sister Rita Joseph taught at Angela Merici High School and Bishop David High School. She was an assistant principal, then principal, at Ursuline Academy (UA) in Pittsburgh. Decreased enrollment and the opening of Lawrenceville Area Catholic High School in the neighborhood led to the closing of UA in June 1981 and its merger with Lawrenceville Catholic High School. Sister Rita Joseph became assistant principal at

Lawrenceville from 1981-83 to help make the transition easier for the UA girls. It was during this time that she developed breast cancer.

Never one to let illness stand in her way, Sister Rita Joseph returned to Louisville where she became vocation coordinator for the community, followed by assistant principal at the new Holy Cross High School from 198486. She laughs and says, “I can still remember getting students to help me carry the lockers from Angela Merici High (Louisville) over to Holy Cross, and guess what?

They are still using those lockers!”

In 1999, Sister Rita Joseph moved into a new ministry phase—pastoral work. She served at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Clarksville, Indiana, as pastoral associate, then as activity director at Marian Home. She received national certification as a chaplain and went on to work with the Brown Cancer Center and Hospice.

As a breast cancer survivor of 46 years, Sister Rita Joseph never expected to see this jubilee. In 1988, she started a survivor support group—Reach to Recovery and continues to volunteer with breast cancer survivors.

She takes communion to the assisted living residents at Masonic Home and teaches Living A Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions through Seven Counties Services. She also stays in touch with the UA-Pittsburgh alumnae.

Sister Rita Joseph is also a member of Contemplative Outreach, which is a group of laypeople who meet every Saturday to reflect and pray about the gospels. Of the group, she says, “It met me in my need when diagnosed with cancer, and in my growth and the struggles that I have had since then.”

In reflecting on her life and ministry, Sister Rita Joseph observed that she took a circuitous route—first education, then pastoral care and, finally, medical and chaplaincy. She says, “I came for the vows, and now the Charism of St. Angela Merici and the Ursulines guides me: ‘A contemplative love of God and a resulting openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others.’ It has sustained me, and it will continue to sustain me.”

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ROSES IN DECEMBER

Changed by Solidarity in El Salvador and Honduras “This is the tree.

The tree was the witness.

It received their blood.”

These words, spoken by the people of the village of San Francisco Hacienda, a rural area 27 miles east of San Salvador, transformed Sister Carol Curtis’s understanding of the meaning of true community. Sister Carol went to El Salvador in early December 2022, participating with “The Roses in December” delegation of the SHARE (Salvadoran Humanitarian Aid, Research and Education) Foundation and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) to mark the 42nd anniversary of the martyrdom of the four U.S. churchwomen in El Salvador. San Francisco Hacienda is the closest village to the site where the four churchwomen were murdered in 1980.

The “Roses in December” martyrs: Cleveland Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, and lay missionary Jean Donovan, were abducted, raped and brutally murdered by the U.S.-supported Salvadoran military for their ministry and dedication to those living in poverty. They were called “subversives” because they were accompanying refugee families who had fallen victim to the escalating

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violence and oppression that eventually led to civil war. On the night of December 2, 1980, the four women were ambushed on their way home from the airport and killed in this remote area, their blood spilling out on the ground by the tree.

After a ceremony at a small church to honor the women, at the exact site of their murders, the Salvadorans pointed out the tree and said, “This is the tree. It is a protected tree, a national monument, because the tree was the witness. It received their blood.”

It was a powerful moment for Sister Carol. The interconnectedness of all living things, including the earth, became real for her as never before.

Sister Carol reflected, “That is where I got my first sense of what solidarity is. It is not just something you create; it is something that is there. And it was created, in this case, by the presence of these women, the four martyrs, who were with the people. They hadn’t even been working in that area, but they were killed there. This diocese calls itself the Diocese of Martyrs, and view keeping the four women in remembrance as a responsibility they have. All of sudden I got a whole new sense, a different sense of what community is. This IS community.

This is these people’s understanding of what community is. This is the natural embrace of people with the earth.”

The ties to Sister Dorothy Kazel, a fellow Ursuline Sister, became even more tangible when Sister Carol was invited to carry Dorothy’s photo during several processions and ceremonies, as they knew that Sister Carol is an Ursuline and therefore “kin” to Dorothy.

The words of St. Francis of Assisi came back to her on this trip: “The world is my cloister…and my soul is the hermit within!” Having lived as a cloistered Carmelite nun for 25 years before joining the Louisville

ROSES IN DECEMBER Ursulines, Sister Carol now found herself connected to this Cleveland Ursuline, a continent away and four decades past, by their shared charism of Saint Angela Merici and the Ursulines. Sister Carol’s “cloister” had become the world, and all that God creates.

The SHARE delegation visited more villages in El Salvador and Honduras, and Sister Carol, who is the Ursulines’ Social Concerns liaison, chose to visit projects that were related to migration, water rights and land access.

The 50+ year ministry the Ursulines share with Peru has kept the community connected with, and aware of, the power dynamics of multinational corporations, weak and/or corrupt governments and politicians, and how that impacts the

company. Representatives from neighboring villages came out to the river to talk to them, to explain why they were fighting the mine. poor and vulnerable, particularly by way of economic exploitation and the stunning amount of violence and deaths without accountability. In El Salvador alone, almost 50,000 people have been arrested or disappeared in the past few months, and their families do not know where they are.

Many environmental protestors have been murdered for their efforts.

Another pivotal moment for Sister Carol was attending Mass where Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot and killed. She states, “It brought home that the work of justice is the work of the gospel. And it has opposition. And the work of defending human rights, people’s rights to water and land, triggers opposition that has political power and terror behind it.”

And then there was the waterfall.

The delegation visited the San Pedro River in Honduras, which flows into the Guapinol River, where the Guapinol Eight had been protesting, two of whom were murdered in January 2023.

The Hondurans took the group to a beautiful waterfall on the river.

Everyone got out and explored, then came back down, eventually sitting on boulders in the middle of the river next to the waterfall.

In the distance, you could see the yellow walls of a mining company. It had been built on a nature preserve, but the government had sold the rights of the preserve to a mining

And then it dawned on Sister Carol.

They were having a conference in the middle of the river.

And the river has a voice.

The waterfall.

Just as the tree was the witness, the waterfall and the river gives witness.

And Sister Carol felt it—the sense of community. She could feel that it was more integrated here, in this culture. Sister Carol saw that the respect we give to family, to kin, to neighbors, is given equally here to the tree, the river, the waterfall. A true earth community.

Sister Carol now says, “Going into this journey, I was aware of the issues—mining, human rights, political corruption, gang violence and indigenous communities being threatened. When I got there, what I found was the solidarity. Like the gospel says, ‘We are all members, each one of the other.’ Boundaries are not essential—it is really our connection. The importance of being a witness as part of our Christian responsibility is one I am exploring.”

The tree.

The river.

The waterfall.

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SOCIAL CONCERNS

What Is It Ours To Do? Laudato Si’ and Cry of Earth/Cry of Humanity Well into this second year of our Congregational Laudato Si’ commitment and the third of our Cry of Earth/Cry of Humanity Chapter resolution, it may seem surprising that we are still asking, “What is this about? What does it mean? Just what are we supposed to be doing?” These are not just preliminary questions; they express our ongoing exploration of the interconnections within our common Earth home.

As we discover, celebrate and restore these relationships, we discern our responsibilities with new insight and respect. Opening his encyclical Laudato Si’ [be praised] with the refrain of the Canticle of Creatures by St Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis frames the conversion toward integral ecology as an expression of reverence. Saint Angela herself exhorts: “Be obedient to every creature for love of God, insofar as it is to the honor of God and accords with one’s own integrity.” Rule 9

Collaboration is an essential element of our efforts. In January of this year, a number of our community began an extended Archdiocesan study and discussion of Laudato Si’, which complements our ongoing participation in programs sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries to address deep-rooted racism.

The perspective of integral ecology underlines the mutually reinforcing patterns of marginalization in health, housing and education, as

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well as areas of finance, policing and legal recourse. We are becoming increasingly aware of our nation’s history of violence against Native American nations and global violations of the rights of indigenous communities.

“What is this about?

What does it mean? Just what are we supposed to be doing?” These are not just preliminary questions; they express our ongoing exploration of the interconnections within our common Earth home.

Membership in Louisville’s Interfaith Paths to Peace allows us to dialogue with other faith communities so that we can explore together ways to address the deep division and violence in Louisville.

Unrelenting violence across the country prompted the Ursulines to adopt peace and nonviolence as our areas of focus for this second year of our Laudato Si’ Action Plan for our Spring Gathering.

Tragically, school shootings and hate crimes are not random. Even more disturbing is the systemic violence in policing. Last fall, we joined the Spirit in Action Collaborative, a diverse gathering in Louisville’s West End, which acquainted faith leaders with

grassroots efforts to interrupt cycles of violence; this initiative continues to explore and promote the paths of peace.

As part of the 2022 North American Ursuline Convocation, Louisville Ursulines, together with Sacred Heart Schools, hosted a virtual pilgrimage station with the theme: Honoring Diversity in Community. The violence of racism manifest in the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor initially gave rise to the choice of the “Challenged and Changed” convocation topic. Included in our presentation was an excerpt from our own Archbishop Shelton Fabre’s USCCB statement at the time of George Floyd’s death. We invited Sacred Heart Schools to share its own efforts to cultivate the sense of belonging among campus community.

Our presentation shared the personal experiences of Sister Yuli Oncihuay as a Peruvian in the United States, and that of Sisters Mary Martha Staarman and Kathy Neely in their ministry as interpreters at the Family Community Clinic. This sharing, together with Sister Sue Scharfenberger’s closing meditation, brought home our more than half century in Peru, as well as our present support of migrants and refugees, whether at the United States border or resettling in Louisville.

SOCIAL CONCERNS Several years ago, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious [LCWR] identified the intersection of racism, migration and climate change as a priority for mission. We explored this dynamic as we first began our Laudato Si’ commitment in 2021. The humanitarian crisis at the United States’ southern border has heightened our awareness of the needs of migrants and invited our response while acquainting us with some of the causes of migration. LaCasita Center and the Family Community Clinic supports immigrants in their adjustment to a new culture here in Louisville. Our experience serving at the border deepens our respect and compassion.

The delegation to El Salvador and Honduras, hosted by the SHARE Foundation and co-sponsored

by LCWR in December 2022, heard from leaders of indigenous communities of their struggle to preserve their rights to land, to prevent the contamination of their waterways, and to preserve their most basic right to remain on their traditional lands. In the face of escalating assassinations of these leaders, however, the need for international solidarity and advocacy is more urgent.

The difficulties facing economically and politically marginalized communities is exacerbated by climate change.

Whether in Central America, Appalachia or the Navajo Nation, devastating natural disasters and erratic weather patterns compromise their sustainability and resilience.

Basic access to clean water, or even adequate water, requires more than relief efforts. It calls us to moderate

our patterns of consumption and develop more equitable systems of distribution. Last October, in collaboration with Water With Blessings, we co-sponsored the first InterTribal Water Gathering, bringing together a council of Native American leaders to consider the water crises confronting many of their communities, invoking traditional wisdom to address new challenges.

Finally, as we began, the recurring question...What is it ours to do?

As a congregational commitment, our Laudato Si’ Action Plan obliges us to integrate our growing understanding of these interlocking relationships and responsibilities into our operations and planning.

Reducing our institutional footprint is paralleled by creative use of our collective resources

through socially responsible and impactful investment, as well as our long-standing mission-oriented grants. In these first two years of our Laudato Si’ commitment, we have worked to integrate an ecological conscientiousness into leadership decisions, operations, communications and liturgy, as well as bringing another dimension of mindfulness to our ministry.

Each one of us is invited to gift the Canticle of Creatures with a unique verse, an epiphany of the grace of God teaching us “to live temperately, justly and devoutly” (Ti 2:12) in this world...in hope.

May it be so.

PERUVIAN JOURNAL

Changing Seasons in Peru We had always heard that Peru had only two seasons, summer and winter. That no longer seems to be true. And what also is not true is the predictability of the changes in seasons.

I recall that December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, was at one time the beginning of summer. Since it was a national holiday in Peru, that might even mean our first visit to the ocean.

January was excessively hot, February as well, and by March things cooled down and a new school year began.

No longer true. Climate change has thrown our seasons out of kilter, as it has in so many parts of the world. Heavy rains in January and February might still be predictable in the interior of the country, but the patterns of excessive flooding or drought seem to be unpredictable, or at least unexpected.

Whether we accept it or not, climate change is real and continues to deluge the poorer areas of the country, where political abandonment has a long history and is one of the factors that does not change. This history of abandonment by the government and exploitation by multinational corporations has forged the current political crisis in Peru, as it has in many countries of Central and South America.

There comes a point where patience—or waiting—no longer carries weight in an argument for change. The Peruvian people hoped

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Whether we accept it or not, climate change is real and continues to deluge the poorer areas of the country, where political abandonment has a long history and is one of the factors that does not change.

for change after last year’s elections.

Some would say they “elected one of their own,” meaning they elected someone from the interior of the country, a teacher, a “campesino,” one who knew the struggles of the poor.

But being elected is not the only criteria. Having the capacity to lead and govern, to deal with the political powers and the centers of wealth is also a criteria. That did not happen.

And so, what you have seen in the papers—the outbreak of violence, the marches, the protests, the confrontations with police, the destruction of property, the outcries for a change in government, rewriting the constitution—are the result of years of abandonment by the government. A scarcity of

hospitals, a lack of control of imports and exports, privileges given to the extraction industry, a lack of protection from subversive groups, a confused education policy, and a lack of protection from natural disasters have all accumulated into the chaos the Peruvian people are living now.

In Lima and in the southern Andean region, the protests have calmed down because there are police and military on the streets.

Major highways are no longer blocked because the army is there, securing passage. The protests have moved more to the north, and soon the military forces will squelch voices there, as well.

There have been too many deaths of too many innocent people.

PERUVIAN JOURNAL

Citizens self-convened in the city of Lima to protest the current political crisis facing the country. During the day, unions, collectives, associations, federations, regional delegations, students and individuals were mobilized to call for the resignation of Dina Boluarte, the closure of the congress and a referendum for a Constituent Assembly.

Photo credit: Candy Sotomayor, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

And so, what you have seen in the papers—the outbreak of violence, the marches, the protests, the confrontations with police, the destruction of property, the outcries for a change in government, rewriting the constitution—are the result of years of abandonment by the government.

There is still a call for new elections for the president and the congress. However, as you might expect, no one wants to let go of their power or the higher income because they are in an elected position, and so, no real solution is found.

Our political parties have nothing solid to hold onto. Neither the left nor the right can claim that they are unified or have clarity in their proposals. And ever since the time of political terrorism in the ’80s

and ’90s, there has been little local organization that can carry the voice of the people, and the few that are left or have been refocused do not carry weight.

Despite all the above, I cannot say that there is no hope. There are groups of teachers, local entrepreneurs and members of previous youth groups that still give of their time to help children and youth have a better opportunity for becoming healthy, participative citizens of a democratic society. With

them, Sisters Yuli Oncihuay and Sue journey, brainstorm, plan, dream and develop projects that might create a better future for a few.

Having Sister Yuli in Carmen de la Legua these past few months has been a gift. While she has spent a lot of time with her family, and especially caring for her mother, she has also been supportive in activities with the Associates, the children, and now in getting ready for the school year.

I leave you with a quote by Emily Dickinson: “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words and never stops at all.”

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REFLECTION ON CHANGE

Beyond Change

BY GINNY SCHAEFFER

But the work one does seeks to align our lives with God’s longing for us—that we be happy, joyful, and liberated from all that prevents us from seeing ourselves as God does.

—Gregory Boyle, S.J.

Change, along with death and taxes, is one of the constants in our lives—just ask Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, and Benjamin Franklin. We see change in nature as the seasons turn and the weather fluctuates. We experience it in our own lives. Over my lifetime my hair has gone from platinum blonde to dark brown to mostly grey. We change our clothes, change our minds, and change with the wind. We welcome it, embrace it, and dig our heels in and fight tooth-and-nail against it.

Change is also an essential dynamic of a healthy spirituality, so much so that Jesus’ first message as he came out of the wilderness was all about change.

In Matthew and Mark’s gospels, Jesus’ first words go something like this: Stop watching! What you have been waiting and looking for is right here, right now— the ultimate reality of God. What you have to do is repent and trust this good news like your life depends on it.

The word repent can conjure up images of someone weeping, wailing and vowing to never sin again, or a thin, bearded man carrying a sign announcing, “Repent!

The end is near!” Now, here’s the kicker: if we go to the original Greek, in which the gospels were written, the word from which we get repent is metanoia, and it has little to nothing to do with sin. It has much more to do with moving beyond the mind—in which we are formed through many different influences—into the large mind of the LOVER of us all. Eventually, we read St. Paul referring to this as the “mind of Christ.”

The change that Jesus invites us all to is so significant

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that we use another word to describe it: transformation.

For good or ill, we are all formed by our families, culture, institutions and society. We are taught what is right and wrong; what to believe about ourselves, others, the world and God; and how to act, how to fit in. Jesus’ invitation is to move beyond what has formed us in the past to a bigger, broader, more inclusive way of perceiving reality, of living and loving.

As we are transformed, we come to realize that this mind is nothing like our small, dual (either/or), egoic minds, but is expansive, nondual (both/and), flowing from the cosmic heart of the One who is the Ground of our being. We find ourselves changing organically, rather than forcibly and artificially (which is usually not sustainable). We find ourselves seeing the world and those who live in it. We begin to see them, and even ourselves, as loveable, maybe even beautiful. We let go of judgment and condemnation and move to understanding and acceptance. We begin to notice, with awe and wonder, glimpses of God all around us in the kindness of a stranger, the playfulness of children, the unconditional love of a dog, the eruption of crocuses through the winter ground, the tenderness of a loved one.

Because we live in a DIY, self-help kind of world, the temptation is to assume that this transformation is something we can do on our own. Like me, you may ask, “How do I make this happen? What’s the magic formula? Tell me what book to read!”

We cannot make this happen—this deep, life-altering

REFLECTION ON CHANGE change, this transformation of heart and mind. Again, if you are like me, you may not even be able to change that one behavior that has been a bur under your saddle for way too long.

The good news is that this transformation can take place when we cooperate with the One in whose image and likeness we are created. We say “Yes!” to love, unconditional, freely given love. Remember the father in the story of the wayward son who runs to greet him and embraces him before the son can give his well-practiced spiel asking for forgiveness? That’s the kind of love God offers us. We say “Yes!” to the LOVER of us all who does not judge, condemn or see us as unworthy, but who loves us tenderly and desires our healing and wholeness.

Yet, we seem to be bound and determined to hang on to the idea that we must prove that we are worthy.

We are deeply ingrained in the belief that when God looks at us, the only thing God sees are our faults, shortcomings, and sins. We have been taught that we are sinful—full of sin, that we are corrupt, and God cannot stomach our presence until we are cleansed. We have to prove our worthiness through acts of penance, turning our lives around and becoming the person we think we are supposed to be. We forget that we are created in the image and likeness of the Creator, and that when the Life-giver stepped back to eye what had just been created, the response was, “This is good, so very good!”

That’s right, you heard it from the mouth of God, “You are good,” and you are loved more than you can imagine. When we come to know this reality, not just in our heads, but mostly in our hearts, transformation begins.

So, how do we cooperate with our transformation, this moving out of our small mind into the cosmic mind of Christ?

In I John 4:18 we read, “…perfect love casts out fear.”

When we open our hearts and mind to the wholehearted love of God, there is no longer room for what is not love.

Just like the light from a flashlight or candle dispels the darkness in a room during a power outage, that which is love dispels fear, hatred, judgment, and self-centeredness.

It heals the wounds that bind us to old ways of thinking and behaving that are not life-giving. It opens our eyes and ears so that we are no longer blind or deaf to our true identity and purpose. This love heals us into

wholeness, which is God’s greatest desire for us.

There is a beautiful story—whether it is true or not is not important—about St. John Vianney who noticed that one of the hard-working farmers of the village would begin his day by coming into the church and just sit, looking toward the front of the church. One day, St. John Vianney’s curiosity got the best of him, and he asked the farmer what he was doing, and this simple man replied, “I look at the good God and the good God looks at me.”

The good news is that this transformation can take place when we cooperate with the One in whose image and likeness we are created. We say “Yes!” to love, unconditional, freely given love.

“I look at the good God and the good God looks at me.”

The metanoia that Jesus calls us to begins as we open our minds and hearts to the love of God. Like St. John Vianney’s weathered, wise farmer, we take time to “look at the good God and the good God looks at me.” We spend time with the Creator who calls forth our true self with compassion and tenderness. We do not have to go into a church to do this, although we can. We find opportunities for this to happen in our own lives.

Instead of reading the paper with your morning coffee, sit quietly with your cup of warmth with the intention of looking at the Lover of us all and allowing this Lover to look at you. Notice the love and kindness that someone expresses for you with the awareness that God is the source of all love. Take a walk in nature, soak in its stillness, beauty and liveliness. Looking at yourself in the mirror and using a mantra of your choosing, remind yourself that you are good, loveable and loving. Find others, like yourself, who yearn for this transformation. Read scriptures, poetry and stories that speak to you of love. Ponder what is beautiful. Pray for the grace to be transformed. Remember, the ultimate reality of God is right here, right now.

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CHAPEL RENOVATION

Chapel Update

BY BERNIE MUDD-WHITE

In November 2022, restoration began on the interior of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the Ursuline Motherhouse. Whitehouse Residential & Commercial Painting, owned by Sacred Heart Academy alum, Amy Bergeron, was contracted to handle the much–needed restoration. The project includes repairs in the main parts of the chapel, including the sanctuary. During the project, which will run through this July, the Whitehouse team will use caution to protect themselves, as well as the delicate details of the 106-year-old interior.

Scaffolding and hard hats replaced pews, hymnals, and songs making way for workers to remove chipping paint and patch spots for precision painting. Upon first glance at the scaffolding, Chapel ceiling one might consider Michelangelo’s challenges while painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Painting began in midDecember at the highest point of the chapel’s dome. Workers carefully climbed ladders and scaffolding to reach their paint assignment each day.

Dr. McNay, president of Sacred Heart Schools, said, “We are blessed by the generosity of those who love the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. This chapel, which is dedicated to Mary, is a true treasure. With great care and our eyes to the future, we have worked to restore the beauty of our chapel. I look forward to our Ursuline Sisters, students and alumni celebrating many milestones in the chapel for years to come. To be a part of this restoration has been an honor for Sacred Heart Sister Jean Anne Zappa and Dr. Karen McNay Schools and to me personally.”

Sister Jean Anne Zappa, president of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, stated, “We are not just preserving a physical structure, but a sacred space where we give praise to God, are nurtured spiritually, and where we strengthen each other to build community wherever we go.”

The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville transferred ownership and stewardship of the Chapel Preservation Fund on January 27, 2022, St. Angela’s Feast Day, to ensure that the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the chapel will continue into perpetuity. Sacred Heart Schools are now the primary caretaker of the Immaculate Conception Chapel, which remains a vital, sacred center for the schools, Sisters and Associates on the Ursuline campus.

Thank you to all the Chapel Preservation Fund donors who made this major restoration project possible.

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Below: wall detail

URSULINE ASSOCIATES

Changes: The Magic of Beginnings

BY LISA STEIINER

Sometimes it’s difficult to appreciate what is new. We can have anxiety about what is yet to be discovered and a tendency to revert to what we already know. Our human nature finds peace in patterns of predictability. And yet, there are times when we cannot help but look ahead eagerly toward something fresh and new. As Meister Eckhart, a German theologian and mystic, said, “And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

We Ursuline Associates can relate to this sentiment as we begin a new journey of independence.

We are embarking on a future that is not quite clear with a mixture of wonder and concern. Yes, 500 years after St. Angela Merici walked on this earth, Ursuline communities around the world—vowed religious and lay members alike—are beginning to imagine what is next for them, including the Ursuline Associates of Louisville.

Last year, several Associates began serving on a Future Planning Team—a group that is envisioning what the Associate community will become as we evolve into an independent entity.

This exploration is both a necessity and an inspiration. It’s a chance to honor the past, accept the present, and embrace the future.

And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.

—Meister Eckhart For over 40 years, we have been associated with the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, who have funded us, guided us, shared the Angeline charism, and held us close to the congregation’s mission. Now, the Sisters have encouraged us to find a new way forward as a self-directed community of faith, starting in 2024.

Although the special relationships and shared spirituality between the Sisters and Associates will not end, the Associates will forge a new organizational path and identity. We will set and fund our own priorities and decide how best to nurture our lay community.

Navigating these unchartered waters will not be easy, but St. Angela’s words fortify us: “And if, according to times and circumstances, the need arises to make new rules or do something differently, do it prudently and with good advice.”

While the Future Planning Team is discerning what the Associate community will become and look like in the long term, in December the Associates elected a Transitional Governing Board to carry us through 2023. The purpose of this Transitional Governing Board is to help organize the Associates; to continue gathering for spiritual, social, and outreach programs; to build a positive culture of belonging; and to maintain

ongoing communications across our community. You will notice that three individuals serve on both groups, which should allow for ease of coordination.

Guided by St. Angela’s teachings, we know how to be resourceful and creative when confronted with challenges. We are both confident in, and humbled by, the abundant love of God. Above all else, we place our needs at the feet of Jesus and trust in the Holy Spirit. Every Associate is encouraged to pray for our community, and to offer support to our leaders. Together we can thrive as a community that lives the Gospel values and that shares St. Angela’s charism with our world.

Like never before, “…it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

Future Planning Team: Lauren Hitron, Chairperson Jan Farrell Karen Harris Donna Helm Donna Ising Pat Turner

Transitional Governing Board: Patricia Hagan, Chairperson Lauren Hitron, Future Planning Liaison Anne Reardon, Operations Liaison Donna Ising, Charism Building Liaison Karen Harris, Ursuline Sisters Liaison DOME | SPRING 2023

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IN MEMORIAM

Sister Mary Lee Hansen Sister Mary Lee (Concepta Marie) Hansen, age 89, died on February 1, 2023, at Nazareth Home-Clifton.

She graduated from Technical High School in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1951 and entered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville in 1957. Sister Mary Lee celebrated her 60th jubilee in 2017.

Sister Mary Lee obtained a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Ursuline College, Louisville, and a master’s degree in education from Creighton University, Omaha.

In Louisville, Sister Mary Lee taught in the 1960s and early 1970s at Our Mother of Sorrows, Saint Raphael, and Our Lady of Lourdes parish schools, as well as Sacred Heart Model School. She was also on the faculties of schools in Omaha, Nebraska; Columbia, South Carolina; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Of contracting polio right after high school, Sister Mary Lee said, “I don’t see any of these things that have happened to me as something to mourn, or to ask why God did that to me. That was not part of the way I thought. You look at God and look at what He had to go through, and the Blessed Mother, what she had to go through.”

Post-polio issues forced her to give up teaching, but God opened a door to a new ministry. Beginning in 1974, Sister served the Ursuline Sisters as the director of communications, and then as an administrative assistant to the Leadership Team until 2005.

Sister Mary Lee also enjoyed calligraphy, painting watercolors and photography. In 2017, she reflected, “When I get finished, I look at it and say: ‘That must be how God feels. It may not be perfect, but it’s mine.’

God wouldn’t do this, but once in a while I do pitch something!”

Sister Mary Lee is the daughter of the late Emil and Opal Cossairt Hansen. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Don Hansen, and is survived by her sister-in-law, Anne Clark, of Salome, Arizona; niece, Ronda Bowley; great-nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.

Watercolor by Sister Mary Lee Hansen, OSU

IN MEMORIAM

Sister Maria Goretti Lovett Sister Maria Goretti Lovett, age 90, died on November 25, 2022, at Nazareth HomeClifton. Born Esther Virginia to Hopson and Elizabeth Creason Lovett, and a native of Columbia, South Carolina, she entered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville in 1951. She celebrated her 70th jubilee in 2021.

Sister Maria Goretti obtained a bachelor’s degree from Ursuline College, Louisville, and a master’s degree from Cleveland State University.

A graduate of Ursuline High School (now Cardinal Newman School), in Columbia, South Carolina, she was inducted into the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015.

In Louisville, Sister taught at Holy Spirit (1954–58) and Our Lady of Lourdes (1963–68) parish schools.

She also taught in Morgantown, West Virginia, and spent 48 years teaching at parish schools in Columbia, South Carolina, until her retirement in 2016.

Sister Maria’s last teaching assignment was at St. Joseph Catholic School in Columbia, where she taught for 41 years and was known as the kickball queen. She pitched kickball every school day at recess, except for when it rained—then she would invent a game or pull out musical instruments.

Sister loved singing and said, “I had three words painted on my classroom walls: SING, SMILE, and LOVE. I believe that singing hymns is like praying twice. I think it makes a room brighter if you enter it smiling. And love is the greatest of all gifts of the Holy Spirit. Without love, there is nothing. I taught my first graders all three words. I wanted them to know that they are loved, and God put them here to love others.”

Another talent of Sister Maria’s was the ability to pull a child’s tooth. Students would come from every grade to have Sister pull their teeth, because, as one student put it, “It doesn’t hurt when Sister does it!”

In reflecting on her life, Sister Maria Goretti said, “I thank God for the many gifts he has given me, the greatest being my vocation.”

Sister Maria Goretti is survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.

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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.

Prayer in the Spirit of Taizé We offer prayer in the spirit of Taizé every second Monday of the month in our Motherhouse.

Known for its beauty, peace and quiet power, Taizé Prayer is practiced throughout the world.

Using chants, simple songs, inspirational readings, Scripture, silence and prayer, it offers an opportunity of ever-deepening rest in God’s presence. Come and find rest for your soul.

All are welcome.

For more information on Taizé, contact Lisa Feldkamp at (502) 896-2781 or lfeldkamp@ursulineslou.org.

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