DOME Magazine spring 2024 issue

On the cover

With this issue of the DOME, we are featuring our Sisters in ministries of outreach, serving their neighbor. The artwork of hands reaching out to form a heart perfectly captures the love and joy in which the Ursulines of Louisville minister to others.

About this issue

In this issue you will read about two of our Sisters who minister to their neighbors who are at opposite ends of the spectrum in life—one in communion ministry to the elderly at the Louisville’s Masonic Homes Kentucky, the other with schoolchildren at Kids Café, providing meals, homework help and community. Both Sisters are responding to the needs of their community and in doing so, teaching Christian living, just as Saint Angela Merici did.

Our five jubilarians are celebrating their 75th and 70th jubilees, and each one has a story as unique as they are. They came from different backgrounds and different states, but the one thing in common is that they each encountered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville and were influenced by that encounter in such a way that they were called to join the Sisters.

You will read about our Sisters in ministry in Peru at Santa Angela Merici School, and the challenges the community is facing due to climate change and the loss of a beloved pastor. The Associates are finding a new way forward and have exciting plans.

Two of our beloved Sisters, Martha Buser and Mary Denis West, now rest in the arms of our Lord. They lived the charism every day and inspired so many by their life and example. As Sister Martha said, “It’s all about love.”

—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 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.

Sisters in Ministry

From the very beginning of the Ursulines Sisters of Louisville in 1858, we have heard and heeded the Gospel message in Matthew 9:37-38: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ ”

In the mid 1850s, the influx of Catholic German immigrants in Louisville was great, and the children needed an education. Fr. Leander Streber, OFM, pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Louisville, realized that, indeed, the harvest was abundant, but there were no laborers who spoke German to do the teaching here. Bishop Martin Spalding sent him to Bavaria to recruit German–speaking Sisters for the task. He came back with three Ursuline Sisters: Salesia Reitmeier, Pia Schoenhofer and Maximilian Zwinger. Thus began our first ministry in the United States at St. Martin of Tours Parish. Within the first ten years the harvest grew, as did the laborers, and we spread out in Louisville and southern Indiana.

For the first one hundred years we were answering the call to minister by going out to the fields, so to speak, as teachers from kindergarten through postsecondary schooling in thirteen states. It is in the blood of Catholic Sisters to go where the need is, to become laborers for—and with—the downtrodden, to go to places where needs are not being met. It was religious women who made the Catholic school system strong, who established hospitals, who provided outreach to those living in poverty. When Vatican Council II happened, religious women responded to the call to explore our founders’ and foundresses’ charism. To our amazement, we discovered that our foundress, St. Angela Merici, was not your conventional classroom teacher. She instructed the young women of her day, and she reached out to minister to the social needs of the time, to nurse the untouchables of her day, including

those who suffered from syphilis. Where there was a need, she went.

In the mid 1960s, we sent Sisters to Peru, at first to teach, but soon it became apparent that the people in the barrios needed our help. “The harvest was plentiful.” The Sisters were few, but over these past sixty years with the Sisters’ help, the people in Callao and San Miguel, Peru, have flourished. Meanwhile, back in the states, Sisters began to focus on where the needs were great but laborers were few. They retooled their gifts and went to minister where they were needed. Music teachers became parish liturgists, religion teachers became parish directors of religious education, others became social workers, or parish administrators in outlying areas, or spiritual directors or...the list goes on.

In my own case, I was a very content elementary school teacher, yet I became aware of many lay people wanting to teach in the Catholic school system. I heard the message Jesus proclaimed so many years ago that the harvest was plenty but the laborers were few when it came to the needs of people who were deaf. So, I made one space available for a lay person to come into the Catholic school system while I went to minister to, and with, deaf people.

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Blessed be the Lord.” (The Cry of the Poor, John Foley, S.J.) Sisters minister by following what their hearts hear. They have done this down through the centuries and will continue to do so.

We celebrated Catholic Sisters Week March 8–14! Visit our website to see the comic strip art of our Sisters that Sacred Heart Academy students created: https://ursulinesisterslouisville.org/sacred-heart-academy-studentshonor-ursuline-sisters-with-comic-strip-art/

Scan the URL code with your camera phone to go to the website!

Sister Rita Ann Wigginton, OSU Councilor, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

Nourishing the Body, Mind and Spirit at Kids Café

BY KATHY WILLIAMS

In a large, light-filled room in the Parish Life Center of St. John Paul II Parish in the Hikes Point neighborhood of Louisville, Sister Ruth Ann Haunz, director of Kids Café, is busy preparing to welcome volunteers and student participants to the café. With her color-coded sign-in sheets and forms in hand, she is ready for the afternoon rush to begin.

Kids Café, a program sponsored by Dare to Care, provides hot, nutritious meals to children at over 30 partner sites throughout Louisville. St. John Paul II Parish is one of these sites. To qualify to be a Kids Café site, at least 60% of the students in your neighborhood school must qaulify for free and reduced lunches.

The program, which runs from 4:30–6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, draws students from Goldsmith, Klondike Lane and St. John Paul II

elementary schools, grades one through eight. Sister Ruth Ann, who believes that “Good education and good nutrition go hand-in-hand,” says that the 30+ students in the program are recommended by their schools mainly based on nutritional needs.

Transportation can be an issue for many of the students, as they do not have a bus that can pick them up and drop them off for the program, so parents have to arrange transportation.

The participants are a diverse group and include children of immigrants from Vietnam, Mexico, Cuba, Iraq, Nepal, India, Malaysia, Burma-Myanmar, Congo, Gambia, and Ethiopia, who may not have access to a reliable car.

Another requirement of the program is that each site must have at least an hour-long activity for the students prior to the meal. Sister Ruth Ann says that Dare to Care is not very strict on what the activity is. Some sites just have open gym.

Sister Ruth Ann has developed a curriculum for the program, which includes working out of the Simple Solution workbooks, games which increase language arts and math skills, and other activities. On nice days, they will take a “field trip,” which involves going outside on the parish grounds to play.

The backbone of a program like this one is the volunteers. Sr. Ruth Ann, who has a background in

pastoral ministry and religious formation, has done an excellent job in recruiting and retaining volunteers. On any given day, she will have 25 volunteers, which translates into focused attention for each child, as one volunteer will work with 1–4 children. About a quarter of the volunteers come from John Paul II Parish, several from St. Martha, Ascension and other parishes, and many from the neighborhood. She gets many volunteers through word-of-mouth. She says that many volunteer once a week, but several volunteer two or three times a week.

Several high school volunteers arrived around 4 p.m. Two young men from St. Xavier High School, stopped by to talk. “The kids are great—they are very fun to help, and the staff is nice,” according to Jaxson Stone. Danari Timberlake, a sophomore, adds, “I just love it here, I like helping them.”

There are several longtime adult volunteers, and they have formed community with each other. They will check in with each other and go out to eat together. Sister Ruth Ann cares for them, and tells them, “Health, family, then volunteering, in that order!” With the students, she says, “Family, school, health!” Her volunteers tell her she makes it easy to volunteer, and one can see why—Sr. Ruth Ann moves around the room, anticipating needs and questions before they are even asked, giving hugs and encouragement.

When asked how she got involved in the program, Sr. Ruth Ann says that after finishing her term in Ursuline leadership in 2014, one of the people she

I like it because we get special help, and we get to eat!

Audrey, Kids Café participant

mentors in spiritual direction told her about Kids Café. At first she said no, because up until that point she had only worked with high schoolers and adults. But God had other plans, and in 2015 she became the manager of the program. Now, she says, “I am so blessed by all the students and volunteers here.”

In addition to this program, Sister Ruth Ann also manages the parish’s Dare to Care Mobile Pantry, which gives out food the second Tuesday of each month from the church parking lot. She also volunteers with Catholic Charities of Louisville, facilitating household goods donations for immigrant families.

Several of the volunteers are retired teachers and one is a retired physician. Cindy Morrison, a volunteer who worked in finance, comes three times a week and brings play money with her for counting exercises

Nourishing the Body, Mind and Spirit at Kids Café

Continued from page 5

Kid’s Café has brought many generous people into my life, and they have shown me the face of Jesus.

I think, together, we are changing children’s lives while nourishing the body, mind, and spirit.

with her students. She says, “The feeling that I am accomplishing something with the children, seeing their smile and knowing that they are happy to be here, is what motivates me to volunteer.”

Dare to Care drops off the meals early in the day in containers that keep the food heated. Shirley Bedard, who is 89, was in the kitchen prepping to serve the meal. As she worked on setting out items, she said how blessed she was to be able to volunteer twice a week at

her age. She was soon joined by two other volunteers, and they all worked efficiently together to get the serving table ready for the 5:30 p.m. meal. Audrey, a student from John Paul II, says, “I like it because we get special help, and we get to eat!”

Right on the dot at 5:30 p.m., the worktables are cleared. Helpers collect pencils and other items; and students wash up. The dinner on this particular day included chicken gyros, fruit and vegetables, all of which looked delicious.

Before the meal, Sister Ruth Ann, microphone in hand, played a quick recall sort of game, calling each table one by one to answer questions such as, “Add up your fingers and then count how many ears you have. What is the number?” Students were gleefully shouting out answers and clapping for each other. The joy in the room was contagious.

Sister Ruth Ann reflects, “Kid’s Café is a multifaceted ministry that has blessed my life. I get to work with amazing adult and youth volunteers (about 70 total), and delightful children. Our sessions, three times a week, are high–energy, fun, rewarding and challenging. Kid’s Café has brought many generous people into my life, and they have shown me the face of Jesus. I think, together, we are changing children’s lives while nourishing the body, mind, and spirit.”

A Vendor for Jesus

BY KATHY WILLIAMS

“What would you like to pray for?”

As part of her weekly visits on Fridays with Communion to homebound residents at Louisville’s Masonic Homes Kentucky, Sister Rita Joseph Jarrell asks this question of every person.

“I want to pray for my family.”

“Peace for the world.”

“For my son.”

“For more vocations.”

“For good health.”

“For my grandchildren; some are struggling with school.”

“I pray for my ancestors that came before me.”

Together, they pray the Our Father, then Sister Rita Joseph reads the prayers of Communion, which include: “This is the Bread of Life, taste and see how good the Lord is.”

Then, Sister Rita Joseph is off again, moving quickly down the hall to her next appointment, with her rollator—her “office” as she calls it—that helps her with balance after back surgery last year, and as a bonus, has storage for her supplies.

The day starts with Sister Rita Joseph getting picked up by a campus employee in a small van outside her apartment promptly at 9:30 a.m. and doesn’t end until well into the afternoon. Sister Rita Joseph visits several buildings on campus in one day. She says, “I am tired at the end of the day, but it is good for me!” When

It was meant for me to do this ministry.

we discussed the fact that she has had major medical setbacks, including being a breast cancer survivor of 46 years, and how amazing it is that she is able to do all of this, Sister Rita Joseph simply says, “It was meant for me to do this ministry.”

Sister Rita Joseph, who has served in education, pastoral work, hospice care, and is a certified chaplain, began living at the Masonic Homes 11 years ago. She

A Vendor for Jesus

Continued from page 7

started taking Communion to her sister, Ruth, who lives in the nursing home on campus, and about five years ago was asked to take on the Communion ministry role after a local church had to stop due to a lack of volunteers. She chuckles as she states that she is listed on the Masonic Home’s official list as a “Vendor for Jesus.”

One of the residents, Rhea Fedler, says, “What would we do without people like her? God bless Sisters, we need more vocations.”

Upon entering an apartment, Sister checks in with each person, asking questions about their health, their family, or something they discussed last time. Ciel Iler had asked her for a book about praying the rosary as her memory needed refreshing. While we were there, Ciel pulled out the book and her rosary, and said, “Sister, I see your family name

in this book. Was this your personal book?” Sister Rita Joseph replied, laughing, “Yes, I really had to dig around to find that book!”

Ciel’s husband, Dick, was a lay eucharistic minister, and Sister Rita Joseph will hand him a host so that he can give it to Ciel—a thoughtful way to honor his prior ministry. Sister Rita Joseph says, “I try to adapt to each person—it is like having twenty different books open and remembering each chapter in every book.”

Sister Rita Joseph feels that everyone she visits appreciates it tremendously. She says that for some, she may be the only person they see that day. One experience that has stayed with her is when a gentleman in the dying process, and non-responsive to everyone, would say the prayers with her, word for word, when she visited with Communion.

The charism of Saint Angela Merici and the Ursulines is surely present in Sister Rita Joseph: “A contemplative love of God and a resulting eagerness and openness to serve the needs of others.” A vendor for Jesus, indeed.

What would we do without people like her? God bless Sisters, we need more vocations.

Rhea Fedler

Sister Rita Joseph Jarrell gets picked up outside her apartment to start her day.

Our 2024 Jubilarians

Sr. Julia playing guitar with John McQuery when she was serving at St. Mildred Church in Somerset, Kentucky.

Sr. Donata with first graders at St. Mary in Jackson, MS.

Sr. Julienne (L) at SHA in 1988 during her first year as principal, with Sr. Louise Marie Willenbrink (R), the outgoing principal.

Sr. Clara with children at her parish in Lexington.

Sr. Marilyn (then known as Sr. Matthew) with editors of The Arrow, the AMHS student newspaper, for which she was the faculty advisor.

Sister Julienne Guy, 75 years

BY BERNADETTE MUDD

Sister Julienne Guy was born Louise Guy in Atlanta, Georgia, and the fifth child of seven in the family. Growing up, she was “Girle”—a name given her by one of her brothers. Even to this day, she remains “Aunt Girlie” to her family. The family moved often following her father’s career building shirt factories during WWII. Her mother told him, “You need to build a factory near a Catholic high school…she’s getting too wild.”

“I never thought I wanted to be a nun,” said Sister Julienne, until her senior year when she attended Ursuline High School in Columbia, South Carolina, where she met the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. She enjoyed her senior year, attending dances and going on the senior trip with friends. Eventually, she decided to enter the convent. “Something in me,” she said, “wanted to be like them—the Ursuline Sisters.”

Before attending Ursuline College, her mother insisted she first “take a look at that place.” She visited the week of “Investment,” when novices received the habit and their religious names. Years later, she would hear, “In the world, you were known as ‘Louise Guy.’ In religious life, you will be ‘Sister Mary Julienne.’ ”

The highlight of her first years of teaching was at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish school when WHAS TV in Louisville aired a program called “Experience Our Schools.” Monsignor Felix Newton Pitt, executive secretary of the Catholic School Board, selected St. Elizabeth for the broadcast. Sister Julienne and three other Sisters were asked to teach for the broadcast. “I had never even SEEN a television,” she recalled.

Sister taught first grade for 14 years in Morgantown, West Virginia, Omaha, Nebraska, and Columbia, South Carolina, and then taught eighth grade. She loved it!

When Sister was made principal at St. Joseph School in Columbia, Sister Donata Kokot began teaching first grade at the school, and they became lifetime friends. Thus began the “adventure years,” which included raising money to go on retreat in Florida with Sister Donata, Sister Cecelia Hatem and Sister Maria Goretti Lovett, with enough money for a day trip to Disney World!

Sister Julienne hoped to one day teach eighth graders again. While working for the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Catholic Schools Office, her friend, Sister Andrea Callahan, asked her to come teach eighth grade at St. Agatha’s in Columbus, Ohio, so she went! She worked there for a total of nine years, first as a teacher (19791985) then as principal (1985-1988). Sister also served as principal at Sacred Heart Academy (1988-1990) then as high school vice principal/middle school director at Cardinal Newman Middle School (1990-1996) in Columbia, South Carolina.

At age 65, Sister said, “I can’t be teaching when I’m 65!” So, she began a year-long sabbatical, studying at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. “It was a wonderful year.”

In 2003, Sister Julienne began a twelve-year ministry at St. Joseph Parish in Columbia as director of senior life ministry. For one of her parish programs, she invited the owners of the local Fred Astaire Dance Studio to teach ballroom dancing to senior citizen couples. “We had the best time on Friday mornings.”

In 2018, Sister Julienne and her friend, Sister Donata Kokot, were the first Sisters to move to Twinbrook, a senior living complex off campus. After a tour, “We selected our rooms and discovered we picked rooms next to each other,” Sister Julienne laughed.

Today, the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville form community differently: some live independently in local apartments or houses, and others in assisted living or skilled care facilities. Sister Julienne’s ministry today is prayer and “to live life” each day!

Sister Donata Kokot, 75 years

BY KATHY WILLIAMS OUR JUBILARIANS

Sister Donata is celebrating her 75th jubilee as an Ursuline Sister of Louisville. Her very first encounter with the Ursuline Sisters was at the age of seven. The Sisters came every summer to teach catechism lessons to the children of Bretz, West Virginia where she grew up. Sister Donata, one of five children, said, “I had never seen nuns before. I told my mother I wanted to be just like them when I grew up. I thought they were dropped from Heaven.”

The thought of becoming a Sister lingered long after her catechism days. Sister Donata says, “True, God planted the seed early in my life, but almost always speaks through others. My dear mother and Sister Jane Callahan awakened God’s love in my soul.”

The closest Catholic school was 14 miles away, so Sister Donata went to public schools. After high school graduation, she worked for 3½ years, first at a shirt

factory, then at a Montgomery Wards store, and then worked as a telephone operator in Detroit. Sister says, “No matter what job I had, I still yearned to become a Sister. At the age of 21, I stepped out in faith and embraced the life of an Ursuline Sister of Louisville.”

Sister Donata initally thought she would serve the community as a domestic, but the mother superior informed her, “My dear, you have to go to college. We are educators.”

Sister Donata began teaching at Louisville parish grade schools in 1951 while attending Ursuline College, graduating in 1965. Sister Donata then taught at St. Joseph School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while earning her master’s degree in education from Duquesne University.

Her very first encounter with the Ursuline Sisters was at the age of seven... Sister Donata, one of five children, said, “I had never seen nuns before.

I told my mother I wanted to be just like them when I grew up. I thought they were dropped from Heaven.”

The mother superior ended up being spot-on in sending Sister Donata to the classroom, as she taught first and second grade for a total of 48 years! Sister Donata said, “I loved teaching first and second grade.” She taught at St. Boniface, St. Therese, St. Helen and St. Clement parish schools, and at Sacred Heart Model School in Louisville. She also taught in Conemaugh and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cumberland, Maryland, Columbia, South Carolina and Jackson, Mississippi.

Sister Donata served in Jackson, Mississippi, for 31 years, from 1977 to 2008, first at St. Mary and St. Therese schools, and also as a caregiver for two years; then, when she retired from teaching, she decided to try a different ministry, one that would exemplify the Ursuline mission. She found this new ministry as a medical records clerk at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. She served at the hospital from 1999-2006. She said, “I found personal and professional fulfillment in the hospital’s mission of service.”

Sister Donata returned to Louisville in 2008. When the Motherhouse was transitioning into office space for the USAE and SHS staff, Sisters Donata and Julienne volunteered to be the first Sisters to move into Twinbrook Assisted Living Home in 2018. Sister stated, “My many years’ journey has been interesting, challenging, enjoyable, rewarding and truly blessed. I am still continuing the journey at Twinbrook Assisted Living Apartments, where I now reside.”

Sister Julia (Mary Daniel) Davis, 70 years

BY BERNADETTE MUDD

Sister Julia Davis, the oldest of six children, was born at Ft. Knox Ireland Hospital during the Great Flood of 1937. As the waters of the Ohio River rose at West Point, the family quickly evacuated to her grandmother’s house on higher ground in Louisville. Her crib was made from a banana box!

Eventually settling in Louisville, Julia entered the first grade at St. George School, where Ursuline Sisters taught, and where she had many neighbors who were Catholic. “One big Catholic community walked to school each morning,” recalled Sister. “It was a special time in our lives.”

Her faith was nourished by family, neighbors, Sisters, priests and parishioners of St. George. Sixth-grade teacher, Sister Clarita Felhoelter, was a valued presence in her students’ lives, allowing them time to talk with her about being a sister. “She had a joyful spirit about her,” leading Julia to consider religious life.

Julia attended Sacred Heart Academy in the Ursuline Sister Aspirant program, living on campus while discerning religious life. Aspirants became postulants their senior year of high school and wore black jumpers and veils. Following graduation from the Academy, Sister became a novice, receiving her name in religious life, Sister Mary Daniel.

“This campus has been my home since 1951,” shared Sister Julia. “When we went out to teach, we came ‘home’ to attend college each summer.” After professing temporary vows, some Sisters remained on campus and continued their studies. Sister Julia was among those “sent forth” immediately to teach.

Sister’s first assignment was teaching 75 second graders at St. Raphael the Archangel. When assigned to a class of 34 fourth graders at St. Leo the Great, she recalled, “I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

Teaching fourth grade was her love. At St. Helen, she taught second grade, then fourth and finally sixth grade (1967-1973). She learned to play the guitar, then taught students to play and lead the music at Mass.

In 1968 Sisters could choose the direction of their lives and education. Sister Julia chose the “larger mission of Church” in religious education, earning her master’s degree in 1977 from Notre Dame School of Theology in New Orleans. In 1973, Sister served as youth minister and director of music and worship in three mission parishes in DeLisle, Mississippi, as part of the Trinitarian Mission Team: St. Stephen, St. Ann and St. William churches.

In 1974, Sister was invited to be the first director of religious education (DRE) at St. Helen parish (Louisville). Yearning to work in a rural area, she later accepted the DRE and director of music and worship positions at St. Mildred Catholic Church in Somerset. After several years, she served as pastoral associate in Manchester, serving three counties in eastern Kentucky.

Returning home, Sister served in a variety of roles, including ministry to the sick and homebound (St. Francis of Assisi, 1982-1984), and later, the St. Joseph Orphans Society Membership Office and Ursuline Child Development Center. In 1990, she felt God calling her to return to religious education, and eventually youth ministry, and served at St. Brigid in Vine Grove in those roles for 17 years.

Today, Sister Julia, the University of Louisville’s Number One fan, can be found dressed in Cardinal red, line dancing, ministering as a Way Finder at Audubon Hospital, or being a “prayerful presence,” listening to those seeking guidance or a friend. Sister Julia recalls, “St. Angela Merici tells us, ‘Build community wherever you go.’ ” That’s just what Sister Julia does every day.

Sister Clara (Loyola) Fehringer, 70 years

BY BERNADETTE MUDD

Clara Mae Fehringer grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado, the 11th of 13 children. She attended public schools in a community that was “so ecumenical…the whole atmosphere was wonderful,” she said. On Saturdays, Franciscan Sisters from another town taught them catechism. Clara attended St. Patrick Academy (boarding school) in Sidney, Nebraska, her last two years of high school. Clara met her first Ursuline Sister of Louisville there and considered entering the community toward the end of her senior year.

Clara’s older sibling, Philomena (Sister Esther Fehringer), joined the Ursuline Sisters when Clara was three years old, so her parents were comfortable with Clara’s move to Louisville.

Due to a shortage of teachers in Louisville Catholic schools, just two years after their investment, Sister

Clara and a few of her classmates would teach at St. Therese with no prior teaching practice. Sister Mary Hildenbrand helped them prepare lessons for the following day, “So we’d look like we knew what we were doing,” according to Sister Clara.

When Sisters were needed to teach in Peru, Sister Clara signed up. During the week, she taught Peruvian naval officers’ children, earning a salary that supported the work of her fellow Ursulines in the barriada of Carmen de la Legua. On weekends, she traveled to minister to the families of the barriada. “I was energized by the strong faith of these people who had so little material goods.”

After returning home, she studied early childhood education for the disadvantaged at the University of Illinois. Sister Clara said, “The real education was

working with the children in the classroom, supervising and learning to relate to those needing help.”

Sister’s greatest experience was receiving a three-year grant to develop a program for low-income families in West Dallas, Texas. The program taught Spanishspeaking mothers how to teach and prepare their children for a formal education. When the grant ended, the public school system developed an early childhood curriculum based on their model.

Sister Clara also served as director of formation for the Ursuline community. She then was part of Eastern Kentucky University’s campus ministry. Sister Clara recalled, “We shared in a lot of activities that gave students the opportunity to serve the people in the Appalachia area of Eastern Kentucky. An additional blessing of campus ministry was helping students to take an active role in liturgy.” She remembers fondly the integration of the Catholic, Methodist and Baptist student centers on campus, teaching students to work together.

In the Lexington diocese, she worked in the diocesan liturgy office and in the social Justice office, where she had the opportunity to travel to Cuba during the rule of Castro. “I was amazed by the strength of the people, especially the woman, who were strong in spite of their fear,” she recalled.

She then helped the faith-filled Hispanic people in and around the diocese locate a spiritual home at Historic St. Paul Catholic Church in Lexington for worshiping in their own language, and coordinated Spanish-speaking priests to celebrate the liturgies.

Today, Sister Clara calls her ministry a ministry of presence—tending to what needs attention at St. Paul’s: from the Sunday collection to Children’s Church and hanging out with “people who literally have nothing, but who live in hope.”

Sister Marilyn (Matthew) Mueller, 70 years

BY BERNADETTE MUDD

Sister Marilyn Mueller was born in Louisville, the oldest of four children in her family. They moved often to accommodate their growing family. By the time she completed grade school, she had attended three different schools taught by Ursulines.

In sixth grade, Sister would stay after school asking Sr. Marita Byrne questions about the “stuff that happens if you were interested in joining the convent.” Marilyn said, “I could see myself doing that.”

Eighth grade students were encouraged to take the high school entrance exam. Marilyn tested for Ursuline Academy and received a scholarship. Like her father, a newspaper reporter, she joined the school newspaper, and in her senior year became its editor.

Sister Marilyn recalled the day she decided to become a Sister. She was a sophomore when she visited St. Martin of Tours. “The sun was shining, the church had colored glass windows, and when I walked in, all these lights were crisscrossing. It was just beautiful. A voice said to me, ‘If you want a happy life, you will be a Sister.’ ” She said aloud, “If I want a happy life, I’ll be an URSULINE Sister.”

In her senior year at Ursuline Academy, she told family and friends of her plans to become an Ursuline. Sister Marilyn entered the community after graduation. As first-year professed, some Sisters were sent to teach at parish schools and others, including Sister Marilyn, attended classes at Ursuline College.

The next semester, Sister was pulled out of Ursuline College to teach sixth grade at Sacred Heart Model School. The Sister who had been teaching that class had to go to Maryland to fill in for another Sister who had become ill. “I was not good at it but I improved; and was best as a high school English teacher.”

“From all you do in English class, I discovered I was good at writing and proofreading,” recalled Sister. Throughout her career, she served as proofreader for many writers.

Sister recalled that Ursuline Academy, in Cumberland, Maryland, “was the most fun of all the places I’d been.” She taught in several other Ursuline high schools including Angela Merici in Louisville, St. Patrick in North Platte, and St. Francis de Sales in Morgantown.

At Sacred Heart Academy (1976-1984), Sister’s students wrote six essays each semester. She graded for grammar, punctuation and character of writing. Scores were reduced by each error, but students could correct their papers and achieve 100%. Students often returned to thank her because her high standards helped them.

From 1980–1987, Sister Marilyn served at the Angela Merici Prayer Center in Louisville. After the center closed, Sister began a new ministry as outreach minister of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

(Louisville) for 19 years (1987-2006). She visited the homebound, nursing home patients, the sick, the elderly, and the grieving. Being told of a layoff at the parish, she shared the news with the nursing home she often visited. She learned the facility was purchased and the new owners were seeking a chaplain. She applied and was hired by Signature HealthCARE.

In 2014, Sister decided to retire. Today, she enjoys attending Louisville Orchestra concerts and the ballet at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, where she volunteered for 30 years. Her current ministries include collecting items where she lives that can be recycled instead of ending up in the landfill, mending clothing and other items for neighbors, making gifts, being with other Sisters in her community, and corresponding with former students, family, and friends “who are scattered all over.”

Being Community During Change

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you are doing something that you really love doing, you lose track of the fact that what you are doing is ministry? That has been the case, I believe, with Sister Yuli’s presence here in Callao these last few weeks.

As a matter of fact, one of our teachers at our morning prayer offered thanksgiving for Yuli’s presence in our meetings these past few weeks, in preparation for the new school year to begin. He mentioned being grateful for Sister Yuli’s enthusiasm and professional insights, along with her stubborn insistence on doing things in the best way possible, because our students deserve the best. Her total love for children and for education blossoms when she is in this context of mission and ministry.

Due to climate change, we are facing a new school year with extreme heat. While it is always a challenge for students to settle back into a routine after summer, this year will present its own special challenges with temperatures and humidity being so very high.

The heat and the excessive rains in the northern part of Peru have brought with them new infectious diseases. The proliferation of mosquitoes in those same areas has also made dengue one of the severe health challenges.

With temperatures and humidity so high, people tend to look for the

Due to climate change, we are facing a new school year with extreme heat. While it is always a challenge for students to settle back into a routine after summer, this year will present its own special challenges with temperatures and humidity being so very high.

beaches and waterways for relief from the heat. The problem, however, is that some of those areas where the water is stagnant is also where the mosquitoes breed.

On another note, January and February have been months for group retreats. Our Associates had their retreat in mid-January. We chose “Clothed in Grace” as our theme and pondered the counsels and legacy of St. Angela Merici for our reflection. The personal sharing, intertwined with song and body movement, painting, and coloring, became ways in which we clothed one another with grace.

Similarly, we shared a weekend retreat with our teachers and staff. This was the first year in more than 20 years that Father Felipe Zegarra Russo (better known as Pipo) has not been with us. He was always the great challenger, the one who invited us to a deeper commitment, breaking through the traditional and somewhat stereotypical notions of education. He was a friend, a pastor—in the best sense of that word, and one whose laughter was incredibly spontaneous and inviting. He loved to sing, and with one of the youth groups created a song with syllables and sounds that invited

This was the first year in more than 20 years that Father Felipe Zegarra Russo (better known as Pipo) has not been with us. He was always the great challenger, the one who invited us to a deeper commitment, breaking through the traditional and somewhat stereotypical notions of education. He was a friend, a pastor—in the best sense of that word, and one whose laughter was incredibly spontaneous and inviting.

everyone to join in. Once, when someone asked him what the words meant, he replied that he just made it up. There were no words, just sounds, easy to repeat until everyone joined in singing this nonsensical, invented “song.” Even a month before his death he joined in singing that “song” with those who had been part of the youth group of the ’90s.

On another note, and still about Felipe, the crowd at the funeral

home was overflowing. There were politicians and ex-politicians, former students from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, priest friends, members of the base Christian communities that he was a part of, people from the upper class of Lima society, and a large group from Carmen de la Legua and Boterin (the parish he served after leaving ours). Everyone knew us. No kidding. When we mentioned

where we were from there was an acknowledgement like “Of course, Saint Angela Merici! Felipe always talked about you!”

It became a community of communities at the wake! In fact, that was something Felipe always envisioned as a model of a new church. May we always hope to be community to each other.

Women Religious Archives Collaborative

BY LAUREL WILSON

The following article ran in the 2023 winter DOME; we are rerunning it with updates. Please consider supporting this worthy cause: www.archivescollaborative.org

The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville Archives contains invaluable records showing the remarkable impact our Sisters have had in the communities they’ve served for the past 165 years. As archivist, I receive dozens of requests each year from researchers, alumni, family genealogists related to an Ursuline Sister, and others who have been touched by the Louisville Ursulines in some way and who are seeking information only our records can provide.

functioned and how the Sisters lived their lives. But our archives are more than just a historical record, they are a touchstone for future generations who will carry on the Ursuline charism, bearing fruit from the labors of the Sisters.

Therefore, it’s critical to ensure archival collections from religious congregations like ours are safeguarded for the long term. As communities make plans for reaching completion, it’s also important that they make arrangements to protect their archival records in perpetuity.

As religious congregations reach completion, researchers will look to those communities’ records to learn how these women-led congregations

About two years ago, our Leadership Team (in consultation with archives) committed to joining the Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC). WRAC will build a heritage center in Cleveland that will be a permanent repository for the archival collections of more than a dozen women religious congregations from the region. It will offer researchers a centralized hub to study the records

of numerous congregations in one location. In addition, the building will include space for exhibits and programs to engage with the public about women religious.

The 30,000-square foot facility will be constructed on a 1.5acre parcel of land at 2490 E 22nd Street in the city’s historic Central neighborhood. WRAC purchased the property from St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have maintained a ministry presence in this area since 1865.

“As religious communities become smaller and as women religious have always practiced, collaboration is key for this decision,” Ursuline president, Sister Jean Anne Zappa, said. “We are not just preserving archival material and records, we are preserving stories and events of women religious who have dedicated their lives to the gospel, sharing it with countless persons they touched through their mission and ministries. The persons we touched are now touching the lives of others, and we want to

“ We are not just preserving archival materials and records, we are preserving stories and events of women religious who have dedicated their lives to the gospel...”

—Sr. Jean Anne Zappa, Ursuline president

preserve and tell the wonderful stories of the gifts, impact and blessings religious women have had on individuals, the church and society.”

The Louisville Ursulines have substantial involvement in WRAC:

• Sister Jean Anne is president of the WRAC Board of Directors.

• I am part of the WRAC Archivist Committee, which is helping congregations prepare their materials for eventual transfer and advising the WRAC board on what features the center will need to store the collections.

• Ursuline Society and Academy of Education (USAE)

Communications Director Kathy Williams serves on the WRAC Communications Committee, which created the WRAC website and other materials.

• USAE Finance Director Becky Phillips is treasurer for the WRAC Board of Directors, and also chairs the WRAC Finance Committee, which provides budget oversight and financing options for the project.

Currently, 38 congregations have joined WRAC, including three other Ursuline congregations: the Ursuline Sisters of Cincinnati, Toledo, and Cleveland. There are also two other communities from

Kentucky on board: the Sisters of Loretto and the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Tabor, in Martin, Kentucky.

“We invite you to be an important part of this endeavor to continue the works of our community in a new way,” Sister Jean Anne said. In doing so, you can help ensure that our efforts to preserve our archival collection will bear fruit for future generations.

On the donation envelope included in this issue of the DOME, you will notice WRAC is now one of the categories you can select to specify where you’d like your donation to go.

For more information, please visit www.archivescollaborative.org.

A New Way Forward

BY LISA STEINER

We encountered one another as Charism Carriers, sensing St. Angela close at hand. And with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we began to cocreate a new way forward that reflected spiritual solidarity with all Ursulines, yet forged our own unique path.

February 10, 2024, was a beautiful day. Close to 50 Ursuline Associates chose to “Meet at the Piazza” for a community-wide gathering at the Motherhouse. There we celebrated our past, reflected on our present, and imagined our future as lay women and men called to the Ursuline way of life. There were blessings, music, prayers, conversations, and connections. Some of us had been Associates only a few years, and others were here from the very beginning, but we all showed up for the same reason.

On that day, the Ursuline Associates of Louisville officially began anew. We came together knowing the

Ursuline Sisters were praying for our community. We encountered one another as Charism Carriers, sensing St. Angela close at hand. And with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we began to co-create a new way forward that reflected spiritual solidarity with all Ursulines, yet forged our own unique path.

One of the many aspects of Angela Merici’s spirituality is her ability to appreciate that we are called to wholeness, not to see the world in either/or terms. We can get caught up in a myriad of false choices and find ourselves asking the wrong questions if we move away from the totality of God’s love. In fact, the closing prayer service that day reminded us of this very point. Throughout the day, we recalled St. Angela’s examples of how to be strong, yet gentle; how to be open, yet focused; how to respect the individual while building lasting bonds of community. Most of all, we embraced her words of encouragement: “Do something. Get moving. Be confident. Risk new things. Stick with it. Get on your knees. Then be ready for big surprises!”

Several years ago, the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville encouraged us to look at ways to become more independent. As much as we felt connected to the Sisters’ congregation (the Order of St. Ursula), we knew our Associate Community was distinct. We needed to consider a day when we would be on our own, without the physical presence of the Sisters to guide us. So,

over the course of two years, the Associates established a Future Planning Committee and a Transitional Governing Board. Both bodies helped the community discern what our future might look like.

Prior to this gathering, Associates were involved in envisioning our future. In a departure from the past, we decided to take a leap of faith as an all-volunteer organization without a paid associate director on the Sisters’ staff. Associates purposely designed a structure that would avoid too much hierarchy and top-down decision making, opting instead for a servant leadership model of shared governance. As we coalesced, we began to articulate our hopes, dreams and priorities in three areas of ministry: Charism, Community, and Capabilities. In late 2023, three Associates stepped up to lead in these overlapping spaces as members of a closely connected guiding team. They are: Jane Cruthirds (Charism), Lisa Steiner (Community) and Lauren Hitron (Capabilities).

When we gathered at the piazza, Associates were invited to get involved in one or more ministry circles and assume leadership however and wherever they were called. It became clear that the vibrancy of our community would depend on the work of the many, rather than the work of a few. During our discussions, we found ourselves following Angela as we were “united in one heart and one will,” even when we saw things differently. The Holy Spirit was certainly with us—not only during our beginning and ending prayer services, but throughout the entire day.

The Associates are grateful to the Sisters for allowing us to work under their non-profit umbrella, lean on some of their staff, and benefit from their funding for the next couple of years. This will continue to be a time of learning and discernment as the Ursuline Associates seek to branch out on our own.

There is an expression, “As it begins, so it goes.” While the Ursuline Associates are not starting over from scratch, we are embracing a new beginning. This first step of gathering as a community was a gracefilled day that provided momentum and clarity. We are blessed. We are poised to proceed. We are ready.

For more information about becoming an Associate, please email associates@ursulineslou.org.

While there were more ideas than we could process for a grass-roots organization, we were able to arrive at some key priorities for 2024-2025:

Charism:

• Create a new formation program for prospective and current Associates.

• Find new ways to gather in prayer and strengthen our current offerings.

Community:

• Design a new annual gathering to reflect on the past, plan the future, and renew our individual covenant commitments.

• Build upon our internal sense of community, while also reaching out to serve our neighbors by working on social justice causes.

Capability:

• Find new methods and tools to enhance communication within the Associate community.

• Utilize the generous support of the Ursuline Sisters with an eye on functioning as a truly independent organization down the road

Open to All!

We hope to see you at our Come and See Gatherings on:

Saturday, April 27

Saturday, May 18 1:30–3 p.m.

in the Desenzano Conference Room (formerly the Motherhouse Library)

Sister Martha Buser

Ursuline Sister of Louisville Martha (Olga) Buser, OSU, age 92, died in the 73rd year of her religious life on November 18, 2023 at Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

A graduate of Sacred Heart Model School and Sacred Heart Academy, she entered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville in 1950.

Sister Martha was active in her parish, St. John Paul II, and in her ministry of private spiritual direction for individuals. She was writing reflections on spirituality for the Ursulines’ online blog until her death. In her final blog, Sister Martha stated, “I am looking for new possibilities, new horizons.”

Sister Martha earned a bachelor of arts degree from Creighton University, Omaha, and a master’s degree in English from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. She was named Sacred Heart Academy Alumnae of the Year in 2007, and received the Distinguished Service Award from Wayside Christian Mission in 2008.

Sister Martha taught in Louisville at Saint Leo parish school during the 1950s, at Sacred Heart Academy from 1962 to 1968 and during the 1972-73 school year, and at Ursuline Academy from 1969 to 1972. She also was on the faculty of Catholic schools in Omaha, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, and Morgantown, West Virginia. During the 1970s, she served as director of formation for the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville.

She completed an internship in spiritual direction in 1975 at the Jesuit Renewal Center in Milford, Ohio, and in 1977 began serving as a retreat director and supervisor of Jesuit interns at the center. In 1979, she founded the Angela Prayer Center in Louisville, providing “a place in the city for others to pray and attend sessions on spiritual matters.” She served as the director of the center until 1987.

In 1984, Sister Martha became an instructor in the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of the Permanent Diaconate. In 1987, she was appointed associate director, and later, director of that office—the first woman to hold that position. In 1997, she served as the first director of the Angela Merici Center for Spirituality, sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. Sister Martha was also involved in formation for the Ursuline Associates.

Sister Martha authored two books, Also in Your Midst and Lover of Us All, about Saint Angela Merici, foundress of the Company of Saint Ursula, from whom Ursuline Sisters trace their origin. Sister Martha also gave retreats and presentations on the charism and spirituality of Saint Angela Merici to Ursulines in Canada, Italy, Belgium and South Africa, as well as throughout the United States. Sister Martha wrote in Lover of Us All, “When all is said and done, all the books about Angela Merici written and read, nothing is left but to acknowledge: it’s all about love.”

Sister Martha is survived by several nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, great-great-nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.

Sister Mary Denis West

Ursuline Sister of Louisville Mary Denis West, age 95, died on March 4 at Nazareth Home-Clifton.

Born in Oolitic, Indiana, her family later moved to Louisville.

Her thoughts about religious life started in 1945, before she was even a Catholic. Sister Denis recalled approaching a priest about her desire to become a religious sister and he responded with, “I think you had better become a Catholic first.” She was baptized a year later at St. Anthony Church in Louisville. “I think the Lord was talking to me,” she said, when she reflected on what attracted her to the Catholic Church.

After leaving public high school and working for a period, Ruby Mae (her baptismal name) completed high school at the former Ursuline Academy, graduating in 1949. She entered the Ursuline Sisters in 1950. Sister Denis celebrated her 70th jubilee in 2020.

Sister Denis was a 1962 graduate of Ursuline College. She began her many years as a teacher of elementary grades at Saint Raphael the Archangel parish school in 1952, and continued at Our Mother of Sorrows, Saint Helen, Holy Trinity, Saint Clement, Saint Timothy and Saint Elizabeth parish schools in Louisville area. Sister Denis also taught at parish schools in Cumberland, Maryland, and Columbia, South Carolina.

Her second ministry was volunteering at the former Marian Home, the Ursuline Motherhouse, and at Sacred Heart Home (now Nazareth Home-Clifton), Elder Serve and Baptist Health East.

Sister Denis founded a support group for those with Spasmodic Torticollis (ST), a neck disorder from which she suffered. She received the National Spasmodic Torticollis Association’s Leadership Award in 1998. Sister Denis had a passion for sports; golf, bowling, roller skating, basketball and softball were just some of the sports that she played. Because sports played such a huge role in her life, it was a hardship for her to be limited in mobility and to use a walker, but it did not dampen her spirit of gratitude.

In a 2020 interview, Sister Denis expressed extreme joy and gratitude for a few people in her family converting to Catholicism, including her parents, and her brother, who was killed in World War II. Her faith has had a profound impact on her life, and she pursued a religious life very intentionally. “I have had many joyful days and some hard days, like other people, but I have been happy being a religious, and I thank the Lord for His many blessings and for giving me a long life.”

Sister Mary Denis is the daughter of the late William and Elizabeth Owens West. She was also preceded in death by her brothers: Ernest, Charles, Leeman, Lawrence and James West. She is survived by her sister-in-law Jean (James) West, nephew Michael (Beverly) West, niece Lynn (Stephen) Cook, several great-nieces and great-nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.

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.

Note: there is no Taizé service in July 2024.