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

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.”

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.”

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 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.”

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.”