In this issue of the DOME, we celebrate the 500th anniversary of St. Angela Merici’s pilgrimage to Rome, which coincides with the theme of this Jubilee Year, as declared by Pope Francis: Pilgrims of Hope. For our cover, we created an image of St. Angela as an Italian woman (which she was!) on a pilgrimage, walking in nature, staff in hand. The colors and style of the artwork give her the look of a spiritual superhero—calm, yet determined in her quest.
About this issue
In this issue, you will read about the sacred journeys of St. Angela Merici, and how we are all called forth to be on our own spiritual journey. You can pilgrimage virtually with St. Angela—look on our back cover to see how to do so.
You will read about how Santa Angela Merici School in Peru is joyfully celebrating its 60th anniversary, while acknowledging environmental and economic concerns in their country. Our leadership team is preparing for the 2026 Chapter, and a former student lovingly remembers his tutor. Our Associates are making plans for the future. Sister Antonine Biven is now with our Lord, and is surely holding a heavenly concert, accompanied by the angels.
Our four jubilarians are celebrating their 70th and 60th anniversaries, each with their own unique vocation story. Their ministries are as different at they are— serving as principals, opening a school for at-risk youth in Louisville, working with the deaf community, and serving the poor and marginalized in West Virginia.
The charism of the Ursulines is alive and well in their love of God and continued service to others.
—Kathy Williams, editor
DONATION INFORMATION
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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.
SPRING 2025 CONTENTS
On The Cover/About This Issue
Charting the Sacred Journey: St. Angela Merici’s Pilgrimages of Faith
18-19 Ursuline Associates of Louisville: Embracing Our Future with Hope 20 Remembering Sister Andrew Heesacker
In Memoriam
Walking with Angela
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 AGNES COVENEY
SISTER CAROL CURTIS
LAURA ROSS
SISTER SUE SCHARFENBERGER
LISA STEINER
KATHY WILLIAMS
WILLIAM A. ZAPP
SISTER JEAN ANNE ZAPPA
LAUREL WILSON
Archivist
KAREN HEILERS
Proofreader
Angela, Pilgrim of Hope
Imagine yourself on a pilgrimage in 1500s Italy—wouldn’t you want Angela Merici to be among your companions? It seems to me as I continue to read her counsels and legacies, her rules and prayers, that Angela had a deep and compassionate knowledge of human nature. What others have written about her, including our own Sr. Martha Buser, speak of how other good people of faith were drawn to her, especially the women who were her close friends. The men in Angela’s circle also saw her wisdom and drew strength from her witness of faith. It was Antonio Romano who went with Angela on her pilgrimages to Mantua and the Holy Land.
Even though we are unable to travel back decades to journey with Angela, we can walk the steps of our daily lives with her. I feel that in my daily life, in these times, I truly need Angela’s sense of hope. Perhaps you need an infusion of hope, too. This hope in her heart and soul was likely similar to the hope defined by Pope Francis. He said in his December 11, 2024, general audience, “For Christians, hope is not an empty word, or a vague desire of ours that things may turn out for the best; it is a certainty, because it is founded on God’s fidelity to his promises. This is why it is called a theological virtue:
because it is infused by God and has God as its guarantor.” (Catholic News Service, December 11, 2024)
Angela so often tells us of God’s fidelity; she tells us to turn to Jesus, learn from him and his teachings. This is the source of Angela’s firm, unshakeable hope.
The last chapter of Martha Buser’s book, Also in Your Midst, is titled, “Angela: Woman of Hope in Dialogue With Her Times.” So, let’s walk on our life pilgrimage with Angela. Let’s bring to this pilgrimage of ours the hopes and fears about the times we live in. We’ll listen to the promptings of the Spirit. With Angela as our companion, we’ll be people of hope in dialogue with our times.
In this issue, we also celebrate our jubilarians, whose spiritual journeys echo Angela’s own pilgrimages of faith, embodying her compassionate spirit and unwavering hope.
We celebrated Catholic Sisters Week March 8–14! See the back cover for more details or visit: https://ursulinesisterslouisville.org/walkwithangela/
Our jubilarians ( Top to bottom): Sister Janet M. Peterworth in 1975, Sister Ruth Ann Haunz in 1974, Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht in 1973 and Sister Rita Wigginton, 1980s
Sister Agnes Coveney, OSU Councilor, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville
Charting the Sacred Journey: St. Angela Merici’s Pilgrimages of Faith
BY SR. CAROL CURTIS
“Who would valiant be…” John Bunyan’s poem, “To be a Pilgrim,” could almost be taken from the Prologue of Saint Angela’s Rule. In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis invites the global church to a Pilgrimage of Hope. By a fitting coincidence, this year also commemorates the 500th anniversary of St. Angela’s Pilgrimage to Rome and begins the decade leading up to the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Company of St. Ursula in 1535. For the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, this year marks the midpoint of our Laudato Si’ journey toward integral ecology. In all our journeys, whether as the synodal church, the Ursuline family, or the Earth community— however eager or anxious we may be about where we are heading, the first concern of pilgrimage is the collectio—how we come together.
We often picture Angela in her different life roles as teacher and founder. Yet, portraying her as a pilgrim with staff in hand seems to best capture the dynamic
We often picture Angela in her different life roles as teacher and founder. Yet, portraying her as a pilgrim with staff in hand seems to best capture the dynamic energy of her charism.
energy of her charism. Her spirituality is light-footed, animated by the Holy Spirit, and liberated by her trust in God alone and in His divine providence. While it’s not surprising that a 16th century thirdorder Franciscan would go on pilgrimage, for Angela it marks a distinct period of her mature life, a decade (1522-1532) marked by five pilgrimages. Mapping her travels shows her remarkable strength and courage, and these pilgrimages also reflect an inner journey of discernment that led to the first formal steps toward founding the Company of Saint Ursula in 1535.
Angela’s first pilgrimage was to Mantua in 1522, where she visited the tomb of the Dominican tertiary, Blessed Osanna Andreasi. The second was her dramatic pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1524. This difficult voyage was filled with dangers and complicated by a mysterious physical blindness. Yet these physical challenges only reflected the depth of her spiritual experience: seeing the holy places with her soul’s eyes and extended prayer while kneeling at Calvary. Angela’s holy year journey to Rome in 1525 was her third pilgrimage. Unlike her other pilgrimages where she traveled with friends, Angela was simply one among many faithful pilgrims led by two priests.
In addition to the opportunity to gain the Jubilee indulgence, Angela wanted to visit the holy relics. From early childhood, she had been inspired by the early martyrs and the catacombs beneath Rome, which symbolize the communion of saints in the Church. Angela expresses her deep respect for the Early Church in her Counsels: “Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many saints....” Yet we hear her own lively faith as she continues: “...under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life!”
While in Rome, she providentially encountered Piero della Puglia, the papal chamberlain who had traveled with her to the Holy Land; he arranged for her to have an audience with Pope Clement VII. Having heard of her profound faith and good works, the pope invited her to stay in Rome and work in its charitable institutions. Sensing with growing clarity that her mission was in Brescia, Angela declined. Although she had originally been sent to Brescia in
In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis invites the global church to a Pilgrimage of Hope. By a fitting coincidence, this year also commemorates the 500th anniversary of St. Angela’s pilgrimage to Rome and begins the decade leading up to the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Company of Saint Ursula in 1535.
Charting the Sacred Journey: St.
Angela Merici’s Pilgrimages of Faith
Continued from page 5 1516 to comfort a widow, Catherine Patongola, she had remained there, continuing her good works, for almost a decade. Affirmed in her ministry, she returned to Brescia with a growing sense of mission. Angela had been filled with the apostolic spirit.
Pope Francis, in his letter “Spes non confundit” (Hope does not disappoint), which proclaimed the 2025 Holy Year, describes it as a time of genuine,
personal encounter with Jesus, the “door” of our salvation and our hope. Themes of freedom, forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration, and solidarity motivate the Jubilee journey of prayer and penance. Despite the challenges we face as we travel, we experience hope and joy through the eternal presence of the Holy Spirit in the pilgrim church. The Holy Father writes of our
journey of faith, like Angela, crossing borders as if they no longer mattered. In our turning to God, justice and mercy embrace; in our return home, we are to live out that grace with others.
For centuries, pilgrims to Rome have gathered in the welcoming embrace of St. Peter’s Square. In 1525, however, the old 4th century basilica had been torn down (reflecting the Church in crisis). The new building was under construction but would not be completed for another century. In 1527, the Sack of Rome by the armies of Charles V threw the city into chaos and decimated the population. Accounts of the devastation would have reminded the people of Brescia of their own city’s brutal sack by the French in 1512.
In these dangerous and troubled times, you will find no other recourse than to take refuge at the feet of Jesus Christ; and to pray and get others to pray, that God not abandon his Church, but reform it as he pleases....
It was to beg God to grant peace in her wartorn country that Angela made her first pilgrimage to Varallo (1528–1529). Shortly after returning to Brescia, the threat of an attack led her to take refuge with the Gallo family in Cremona (1529-1530).
Angela writes from experience in her 7th Counsel: “In these dangerous and troubled times, you will find no other recourse than to take refuge at the feet of Jesus Christ; and to pray and get others to pray, that God not abandon his Church, but reform it as he pleases....”
Angela’s practices of fasting and vocal prayer prepare one for inner conversion and contemplation. Similarly, the commitment of time, energy, and resources for pilgrimage is a blessed withdrawal from other activities, opening us to new spiritual insights. As significant as Angela’s decade of pilgrimage is in the timeline of the Company of St. Ursula, the unfolding of her calling is even more profound when
The pilgrimage of life reminds us of the importance of hospitality, for each of us to be a refugio, supporting others on the journey, as we may, unknowingly, entertain angels.
seen in the context of her deepening relationship with God. She herself radiated God’s presence. Gabriele Cozzano, secretary of the Company, observed: “Her words were earnest, powerful and gentle, and uttered with such compelling graciousness that everyone had to admit, ‘God is here.’ ”
Whether our journey is charted on medieval parchment or a digital screen, Pope Francis reminds us that pilgrimage is lived out in unexpected encounters. The pilgrimage of life reminds us of the importance of hospitality, for each of us to be a refugio, supporting others on the journey, as we may, unknowingly, entertain angels. The pilgrim also becomes an ambassador of good will, as heard in an African greeting to a stranger: “The people of what place greet us?” This fleeting crisscrossing of lives creates a network of sharing and concern, a broader sense of the common good.
Hope travels with Love and Faith as companions. Angela urges: “Be happy, and always full of charity, faith, and hope in God.” Returning to Varallo in 1532 on her last pilgrimage, Angela was accompanied by twelve companions, as well as her host, Agostino Gallo, and his sister, Ippolita. At the shrine of Varallo, a fresco at the Grotto of the Lord’s Tomb shows Angela among the holy women at the tomb.
Following her near-death experience in Cremona, she began planning for the Company in earnest. As the contours of the Company of St. Ursula were taking shape, did Angela remember the martyrs’ pilgrimage which united St. Ursula and her companions? In consultation with her companions, she would draft
the Rule: just three years later, on November 25, 1535, the Foundation itself was established when its charter members signed their names. Together, the Company embarked on a communal pilgrimage of hope which continues today, through historical changes, crossing continents and oceans, bridging divides, serving as peacemakers since 1535. Throughout every age, Jesus Christ remains our refuge.
Every pilgrimage must begin from where we are. “What does the Lord our God require of us but only this: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic 6:8) Angela repeatedly encourages us to be creatively attentive to changing times and circumstances. Pope Francis echoes the call of Vatican II for Christians to read the signs of the times, that we may discern the invitation of grace. “May the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope,” which does not disappoint, Spes non confundit (Romans 5:5).
Confident in the love God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Angela encourages us to go forward willingly, and continues alongside us in our journey, helping us with her prayers. Christ’s own desire and prayer to the Father, that where “I AM,” they may be also, draws and sustains us in our journey. Angela unites her Last Legacy with His: “We want to see you in our midst in heaven, for the Lover of us all wants this too. And who is there who can resist him?”
Buen Camino!
Our 2025 Jubilarians
Sr. Rita Ann Wigginton, circa 2000
Sr. Janet Marie Peterworth, 1988
Sr. Ruth Ann Haunz, 1972
Sr. Paula Kleine-Kracht, 1994—2001
Sister Janet Marie Peterworth, 70 years
BY LAURA ROSS
At the spry age of 88, Sister Janet Marie Peterworth refuses to slow down. “Retirement is not a word in my vocabulary,” she laughs. She remains active writing homilies for St. William Church, serving on nonprofit boards, publishing articles in the National Catholic Reporter, and fundraising for flood victims in West Virginia.
Sister Janet’s journey began as a student at St. Columba Parish in Louisville’s West End and later at Ursuline Academy, where she developed deep respect for the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville who taught her. “I had great respect and admiration for them,” she explains. “I knew they were special teachers. That was the hook for me. I wanted to be a teacher.”
While earning a bachelor’s degree from Ursuline College, she taught at Our Lady of Lourdes in 1958, followed by St. Joseph in Butchertown. She then was sent to Pittsburgh to study at Duquesne University, and finished her master’s degree at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. “I absolutely did not want to teach high school,” she laughed.
“So, of course, that’s exactly where I was sent.” She taught at Bishop Walsh High School in Cumberland, Maryland.
Called back to Louisville in 1967 as Vatican II emerged, Sister Janet served on the Ursuline Sisters’ leadership team and as director of education. During school integration in the 1970s, she volunteered to teach at Central High School in Louisville before becoming principal at St. Joseph’s.
Inspired by the 1975 pastoral letter “This Land is Home to Me,” Sister Janet moved to West Virginia, serving as a pastoral associate at St. Theresa Parish in Morgantown. She worked with immigrants and residents in economically distressed areas. In 1977, Tug Valley in southern West Virginia experienced a major flood that devastated the area, and at the request of the bishop, Sister Janet found herself working as a disaster counselor.
In the early 1980s, she moved to Columbia City, Indiana, to serve as pastoral associate at St. Paul of the Cross Parish. When the pastor died suddenly, the bishop asked her to run the parish—a significant challenge as a woman in church leadership. This experience fueled her advocacy for expanding women’s roles in the Church.
I’ve ministered in rural parishes; I’ve taught children and adults and guided them in their faith. I’ve fought for social justice. None of that would have been possible without the Ursuline Sisters in my life.
Sister Janet served on the Ursulines’ leadership team from 1984–92, and helped set up the incorporation of Ursuline Campus Schools (now Sacred Heart Schools) during this time.
Returning to West Virginia in 1993, Sister Janet became the first executive director of ABLE Families in Mingo County. She was tasked with confronting the systemic causes of poverty, including lack of education—and she implemented adult education programs and expanded services for children. In 1994, Sister Brendan Conlon became director of Christian Help in Mingo County, which was an organization that provides emergency assistance for medical bills, utilities, rent, and food. “We worked together beautifully for 20 years down there,” she recalls proudly.
In 2014, Sister Janet returned to Louisville to serve as president of the Ursuline Sisters until 2020. In 2019, the Ursulines transfered ownership of the Ursuline campus and buildings to Sacred Heart Schools.
Reflecting on her life’s journey, Sister Janet says, “If I hadn’t joined the Ursuline Sisters, I’d probably be sitting somewhere on a front porch rocking a couple of great grandbabies now. The Ursuline Sisters provided me with higher education, allowed me to travel throughout the United States, as well as to Peru and El Salvador, and I taught in Germany for a semester. I’ve ministered in rural parishes; I’ve taught children and adults and guided them in their faith. I’ve fought for social justice. None of that would have been possible without the Ursuline Sisters in my life.”
“It makes me very proud that we’ve made the impact on Louisville that we’ve made,” she says. “Knowing that you might’ve made some kind of difference in their lives—I’m just so proud of it all.”
A legacy for a lifetime, indeed.
Sister Ruth Ann Haunz, 60 years
BY KATHY WILLIAMS
Sister Ruth Ann Haunz reflects on six decades of ministry with humor: “I still think I’m 35!” Although the Ursulines were a teaching order, she says, “I never thought of entering the convent to be a teacher. It was because of my relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Growing up when women had limited career options, a pivotal moment came at her senior prom when a friend remarked, “If anybody in our group ever entered the convent, it would be Ruth Ann.” This comment prompted serious reflection. Raised on a farm in Oldham County, her parents had hoped she would follow her seven siblings’ path to marriage. Instead, at 18, she joined the Ursulines, a decision that shaped the next 60 years of her life.
Sister Ruth Ann’s journey spans diverse ministries. She taught at Sacred Heart Academy and Angela Merici High School, served as a retreat director, vocation director, and pastoral associate at St. Gabriel and St. Martha parishes.
“Parish ministry opened my eyes to a larger world. I saw every class of people and served multi-generations,” she explains. “I always described the pastoral associate position as doing everything the pastor did except what I couldn’t do because I wasn’t ordained.”
Her work with the Archdiocese of Louisville as director of Adult and Lay Ministry Formation further broadened her perspective. “It was outreach connected to all the parishes. I was helping train people who were working in parishes and mentoring them. I learned a lot about being relational and that connections were so important. ”
Today, Sister Ruth Ann manages Kids Café and the Mobile Food Pantry, both Dare to Care programs at John Paul II Parish. Kids Café provides nutritious meals and educational activities to children three days a week, while the Mobile Food Pantry distributes food to approximately 100 families monthly.
These programs face uncertainty as Dare to Care faces a significant decrease in its budget due to government cuts, affecting children’s and senior programs.
“I do what needs to be done,” Sister Ruth Ann says of her approach. “Sometimes I’m doing not what I particularly want to do, but what needs to be done.”
She also serves as a spiritual director, volunteers with refugees, and has worked with Southeast Associated Ministries and incarcerated women. She’s deeply connected to the Buechel/Hikes Point neighborhood, building relationship s beyond ministry programs.
Sister Ruth Ann attracts volunteers of all ages. “It’s not just helping these kids with tutoring and a hot meal. It’s ministering to the senior citizens who volunteer there. They minister to each other.”
What sustains her through 60 years of religious life? A deep connection to the Gospel and to Jesus Christ.
I see myself as trying to follow Jesus as a gospel woman disciple. I draw wisdom from how Jesus related to people—not how many times He addressed crowds, but how he touched people’s lives by being who He was.
“I see myself as trying to follow Jesus as a gospel woman disciple. I draw wisdom from how Jesus related to people—not how many times He addressed crowds, but how he touched people’s lives by being who He was.”
Living in uncertainty, Sister Ruth Ann finds comfort in scripture: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit,” (John 12:24) and the creation story where God created something good from chaos.
“We live in a time where we don’t know what’s next,” Sister Ruth Ann reflects. “God has been faithful all through these 60 years. Where this leads me or who I am for others will evolve, and I trust that God will walk that journey with me.”
For Sister Ruth Ann, ministry isn’t about grand gestures, but authentic presence. “My service may be simply a big smile for today, and that might be exactly what someone needs.”
Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht, 60 years
BY LAURA ROSS
Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht, who celebrates her 60th jubilee this year, grew up in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood with her German immigrant parents and several beloved siblings. She looked at a framed photo on her wall of her parents and siblings and reflected, “I look at these pictures and I say to myself: ‘This is my family. These are the people who raised me and who were good caring, Catholic people. Those are my roots.’”
Sister Paula attended St. Therese elementary school and then traveled on a city bus to attend Sacred Heart Academy for high school, graduating in 1964. Along with several of her classmates, she decided to join the Ursuline Sisters. She graduated from Bellarmine-Ursuline College with a math degree and began her teaching career at Sacred Heart Academy alongside her great lifetime friend, Sister Judith Rice.
In the early 1970s, she taught at Cardinal Newman High School in South Carolina, near the ocean, which she loved. Also at this time, there was a growing need in the United States for math teachers. Sister Paula took that cue and her growing desire to become involved in administration and received a scholarship to study advanced math at Notre Dame University. She also achieved a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Chicago.
Sister Paula has battled diabetes since childhood, and while she was in South Carolina, she became very ill. She returned to Louisville for a time and then taught at the University of Delaware for six years. She was called back to Louisville to be named the final principal of Angela Merici High School from 1980-84, when it merged with Bishop David High School to become Holy Cross High School. Closing Angela Merici was difficult for Sister Paula. “I loved that school and the young women who graduated from Angela Merici,” she said. “It was truly a school where I found families to be committed and very family oriented. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
Sister Paula served as principal of Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) from 1994-2001, and along with Sister Judith Rice and others, they built the now wildly successful International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme at SHA. It is a legacy that she is extremely proud of. She also worked closely with Nick King, former commonwealth’s attorney and state Supreme Court justice, to begin the equally important and successful King Scholars Program at SHA.
While developing these programs, Sister Paula quietly researched starting an independent, Catholic middle school
in Louisville for underprivileged urban children. Her vision found kindred spirits in Fr. Tim Hogan and Fr. William Fichteman, two archdiocesan priests who shared her passion for the Nativity-model education—an educational model that had proven successful elsewhere.
In 2003, Nativity Academy at St. Boniface opened under Sister Paula’s administration. The school featured mandatory summer school sessions, provided breakfast and lunch, and offered after-school programming as integral parts of its curriculum. Sister Paula served as administrator until 2013, guided by her
Nativity Academy is a place where children who are not in the most perfect setting, but their parents really want them in a better setting, can come.
principle: “We educate these children not because they are Catholic, but because we are.”
After leaving Nativity, Sister Paula served on the Ursulines’ leadership team from 2014-2020. Today, she finds spiritual connection in her morning routine, watching the wind in the trees and birds returning each spring. These quiet moments remind her “that God is a loving God, and God has created a wonderful world, and we are responsible for that world.”
Reflecting on her work at Nativity Academy, Sister Paula sees it as “a place where children who are not in the most perfect setting, but their parents really want them in a better setting, can come.” She values having worked alongside dedicated people throughout her career in education “who were very willing to give of themselves to help those children have the best life they could get,” which she considers “truly a gift.”
Sister Rita Ann Wigginton, 60 years
BY LAURA ROSS
As a 13-year-old journalist for the St. Clement school newspaper, Rita Ann Wigginton wrote about a visiting missionary priest whose stories about working with children in Africa deeply moved her. She decided then to become a doctor and travel to Africa to care for children there. Throughout her years at Angela Merici High School, she pursued this dream diligently, working as a candy striper at the old St. Joseph’s Infirmary. “I soon realized it was not my destiny to be a doctor,” Sister Rita Ann laughs.
Though medicine wasn’t her path, her desire to help others remained at her core. After careful reflection on her experiences and connections, she felt called to join the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville.
Her teaching career began with 44 second graders at Holy Trinity School in Louisville. After teaching there for a few years, she moved to Sacred Heart Model School, teaching first and fourth grades. A transformative moment came in early 1970 when she accompanied her friend
and fellow Ursuline, Sister Barbara Bir, on visits to Sister Barbara’s family.
There, she met Jo, Sister Barbara’s deaf sister. Jo had attended public schools because Catholic schools lacked quality educational options for deaf children. This encounter prompted Sister Rita Ann to question why the Catholic Church wasn’t offering better options for deaf students. As she prepared for graduate studies, she decided to learn American Sign Language (ASL).
Sister Rita Ann shares, “I absolutely fell in love with sign language; I thought, this is the most beautiful language that ever existed. But the Church was not addressing the needs of the deaf, either spiritually or through better educational options.”
She pursued a master’s degree in deaf education at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., followed by an
additional certificate in religious education from Boston College. For more than 50 years since, Sister Rita Ann has dedicated herself to ministry for the deaf.
Her work began with the Catholic Deaf Office of the Archdiocese of Louisville, where she developed religious education programs for the deaf and honed her interpreting skills. “I interpreted for the deaf at doctor’s offices, courts, you name it,” she explains.
After five years, she moved to Toledo, Ohio, to serve as director of ministry to the deaf and blind for the Diocese of Toledo, a position she held for a decade.
Sister Rita Ann helped establish offices for deaf services and ministries, participated in national religious education workshops and conferences, and co-authored a book titled “Eye Centered.” She later worked with Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, providing deaf ministry. After four years there, she returned to Louisville as co-director of vocations for the Ursuline Sisters.
I absolutely fell in love with sign language; I thought, this is the most beautiful language that ever existed. But the Church was not addressing the needs of the deaf, either spiritually or through better educational options.
In 2000, she became director of ministry for the deaf in the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, serving for eight years. Since returning to Louisville in 2008, she has served on the Leadership team while becoming director of the Ministry Formation Program for Deaf Adults, a part-time position she held for 12 years, forming deaf adults to become lay church leaders in their respective dioceses.
“My 60 years of religious life includes six years teaching hearing children that I deeply value,” Sr. Rita Ann smiled. “I’ve been involved in deaf ministry for 50 years. Now in my second round of serving on Leadership starting in 2020, my deaf ministry has lessened to teaching an online class and volunteering as an interpreter when I can. In a way, it takes me back to the eighth grade and my calling to be a missionary. I actually did accomplish that in so many ways, and I’m very grateful. God has a really interesting way of working with us.”
On the Journey with Wisdom and Love
BY SISTER JEAN ANNE ZAPPA
The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville are preparing for their Chapter, which will be March 16–20, 2026. As our constitutions state: “The General Chapter is a representative body empowered to make norms in matters of importance to the total institute. When in session, it exercises the highest authority in the institute.”
The Chapter of 2020 mandated that the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville be committed to: “Cry of the Earth and Cry of Humanity” through social justice actions inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’; Engagement to deepen our call to Spirituality and Charism in our everyday lives; Identify necessary changes in our congregation’s governance to assist us in living our vocation of religious life.
This Chapter of 2026 will make decisions regarding our governance based on the intense study and education we have been engaged in over the last two years. We will discern the best way to be faithful to our call and vocation in the context of our reality of a smaller community of Ursuline Sisters of Louisville.
Our theme is “On the Journey with Love and Wisdom,” and we rely on our faithful God to guide us during the Chapter of 2026. We cherish your prayers for this Chapter.
The functions of a Chapter include:
• Examining the spirit of our congregation in light of the Gospel.
• The charism of Angela, and the call and needs of the Church.
• Legislating for the common good.
• Receiving input from the Sisters and the Leadership Team.
• Receiving a report on the state of our congregation.
• Making necessary changes to our constitutions.
Celebrating Our 60th Anniversary!
Celebrating 60 Years
It is hard to believe, but we will be celebrating 60 years of Santa Angela Merici School this year! We brainstormed activities for the celebration, with many creative ideas emerging. We had shared photos of the Sacred Heart Schools’ timeline, and a similar idea was suggested. Each of the four study levels will focus on a particular part of our history and reenact it creatively. The second week of October will feature the principal anniversary events: the Eucharistic celebration and a dramatization of Angela’s spirit and charism with increased student participation. Most importantly, throughout our reflections is a deep appreciation for the Ursuline Sisters. Each teacher feels a special connection with the Ursulines and Angela’s charism, which is reflected in our activities, studies, and programming.
Teachers’ Retreat
We have just concluded a retreat with our faculty, and the symbol we used is that of the spiral—an ancient symbol reflecting the dynamism of the natural world and the creative movement of life and energy within it. The spiral is found in many forms, most commonly the shell.
The energy of the spiral moves toward the center and out again into expansiveness. There is a receiving and a giving. We turn inward toward the source of energy and out again to a contagion of that energy. It is what love does. Recognizing our source, we are free to share and multiply that source beyond ourselves.
We were blessed with the readings of the first days of Lent and the invitation to care first for the poor, to break the chains of injustices, to free the oppressed, to feed the poor, and to
open our homes to those without a home. And above all, to “choose life.”
The readings were appropriate because the total abandonment of government in the needs of the people is every day more evident, and people turn to violence in an effort to “survive” the brutality of abandonment. Our government structure is twisted around corruption.
Back to School
Our programming this year began with leadership training for 27 fourth and fifth-year students, including some of the most timid who became serious “future leaders.” These small steps can create ripple effects like the spiral’s outward energy flow.
We feel certain that the celebration of our 60 years will be an affirmation of who we are becoming as we move into a future of “a contemplative love of God and an eagerness to serve the needs of the other.”
Students at Santa Angela Merici School.
Economic Crisis
The economic crisis on a global level is felt in a very particular way among the already economically poor. Contributing to this is the devastation of natural resources.
The mining of natural resources has resulted in the contamination of water, leaving the earth drained of nutrients. In previous years we looked forward to the delicious mangoes produced in January and February. They are no longer the rich juicy fruit of summer. And the fifty or more types of potato are no longer the tasty vegetable that was almost always present on the dinner table.
While our fig trees are producing this year after two years of absence, we are not enjoying the abundance of fruit that we had in previous years.
As in many countries, we are dealing with drought and flooding, plagues and forest fires. We have yet to accept the
The energy of the spiral moves toward the center and out again into expansiveness. There is a receiving and a giving.
message of Laudato Si’ in a serious fashion, to hear the Cry of Earth. Natural disasters also result in humans abandoning values in a desperate attempt at survival. Evidence of this is the street violence, the gang violence, the bribery, and violent deaths. Our teachers are tasked with incorporating these realities into the curriculum so that our students and their families might develop a notion of responsibility and commitment toward the welfare of the majority.
Y la Vida Vencerá, Life Will Win Out
A group of adults who participated in our youth groups during the time that Father Felipe Zegarra was pastor at Santa Angela Merici Parish, are now organizing events and activities to
replicate some of those experiences for the current youth of the barrio. One such expression was the Week of Hope that was celebrated in January, 2025, the anniversary week of Felipe’s death. Taking a moment to “remember Felipe” we called ourselves to a renewed commitment. A timeline display of the beginnings of Carmen de la Legua and a panel discussion on what was learned and lived in those early years motivated an urgency to renew our commitments to living the gospel, creating community and responding to our country’s needs. It is in these experiences where hope is seeded, nurtured, and moves us to action. Y La Vida Vencerá (Life will win out!)
Santa Angela Merici School teachers on retreat.
¡Celebramos Nuestro 60º Aniversario!
Sí, es difícil de creer, pero este año estaremos celebrando los 60 años de la escuela. A finales de diciembre hicimos un primer sondeo de las actividades que queríamos incluir en la celebración. Surgieron muchas ideas creativas. Dado que anteriormente habíamos compartido imágenes de la línea de tiempo de las escuelas Ursulinas que cuelga en el pasillo de la casa madre, se sugirió una idea similar. Cada uno de los cuatro niveles de estudio se centrará en una parte particular de nuestra historia y la reproducirá de una manera creativa. Esto es algo que podemos compartir con ustedes más adelante en el año. La segunda semana de octubre se centrará en los principales acontecimientos del aniversario. También se realizara la celebración eucarística, y se recreara la dramatización del espíritu y el carisma de Ángela, y esta vez con la
participación de más estudiantes.
Lo que es más importante, sin embargo, y en todas las reflexiones, es un profundo aprecio por las Hermanas Ursulinas. Se podría decir que es el carril de la memoria, pero cada uno de los profesores siente una conexión especial con las Ursulinas y, sobre todo, con el carisma de Ángela. Esa conexión se expresa en el deseo de reflejar en nuestra programación de actividades, plan de estudios y actividades complementarias el espíritu y el carisma de Ángela.
Retiro de Profesores
Acabamos de llegar del retiro con nuestra facultad, y elsímbolo que usamos para el retiro es el de la espiral. La espiral es un símbolo antiguo que refleja el dinamismo del mundo natural y el movimiento creativo de la vida y la energía dentro de él. La espiral se encuentra en muchas formas. El más común es el caparazón.
La energía de la espiral se mueve hacia el centro y sale de nuevo en una expansión. Hay un recibir y un dar. Nos volvemos hacia adentro, hacia la fuente de energía, y de nuevo hacia afuera, hacia el contagio de esa energía. Es lo que hace el amor. Reconociendo nuestra fuente, somos libres de compartir y multiplicar esa fuente más allá de nosotros mismos.
Este retiro nos llevó a un reconocimiento y afirmación del “quién” de cada individuo y a una celebración de ese don más allá de uno mismo.
Fuimos bendecidos con las lecturas de los primeros días de Cuaresma y la invitación a cuidar primero a los pobres, a romper las cadenas de las injusticias, a liberar a los oprimidos y a alimentar a los pobres, abriendo nuestros hogares a los que no tienen hogar. Y sobre todo a “elegir la vida”. Las lecturas fueron apropiadas no
solo por nuestros días de retiro, sino más aún porque el abandono total del gobierno en las necesidades del pueblo es cada día más evidente, y la gente recurre a la violencia en un esfuerzo por “sobrevivir” a la brutalidad del abandono. Nuestra estructura de gobierno está retorcida en torno a la corrupción.
Vuelta al cole
Frente a estas realidades, nuestra programación de este año ha comenzado con la formación en liderazgo para nuestros estudiantes de cuarto y quinto año. Tuvimos una respuesta de 27 estudiantes que participaron. Algunos se contaban entre los más tímidos de la clase, pero que al final se convirtieron en algunos de nuestros “futuros líderes” más serios.
Estos son pequeños pasos, pero construyendo sobre los pequeños creemos que podemos crear efectos de onda, similares a la energía que fluye de la espiral en su movimiento hacia afuera.
Estamos seguros de que nuestra celebración de nuestros 60 años será una afirmación de lo que nos estamos convirtiendo a medida que avanzamos hacia un futuro de “amor contemplativo de Dios . . . y un afán de servir a las necesidades del otro”.
Crisis económica
La crisis económica a nivel mundial se siente de una manera muy particular entre los que ya son económicamente pobres. A esto contribuyen factores en la devastación de los recursos naturales, lo que resulta en una
La energía de la espiral se mueve hacia el centro y sale de nuevo en una expansión. Hay un recibir y un dar.
disminución en la producción de cultivos que antes se daban por sentados como un recurso natural. Y, sobre todo, la calidad de lo que se produce se ha visto claramente comprometida. La minería informal de los recursos naturales ha resultado en la contaminación del agua, dejando la tierra drenada de nutrientes.
En años anteriores esperábamos con ansias los deliciosos mangos producidos en enero y febrero. Ya no son la fruta rica y jugosa del verano. Y los cincuenta o más tipos de papa ya no son la sabrosa verdura que casi siempre estaba presente en la mesa. Si bien nuestra higuera está produciendo este año después de dos años de ausencia, todavía no estamos disfrutando de la abundancia de frutos que tuvimos en años anteriores. Como en muchos países, nos enfrentamos a sequías e inundaciones, plagas e incendios forestales.
Todavía tenemos que aceptar el mensaje de Laudato Si’ de una manera seria.
Los desastres naturales también resultan en el abandono humano de los valores en una desesperación por sobrevivir. Prueba de ello es la violencia callejera, la violencia de las pandillas, los sobornos y las muertes violentas. Y así, nuestros maestros tienen el reto de incorporar estas realidades en el currículo escolar para que nuestros
estudiantes y sus familias puedan ser desafiados al menos a una noción de responsabilidad y compromiso hacia el bienestar de la mayoría. Y Y la Vida Vencera Espero en un próximo número poder compartir con ustedes sobre este nuevo movimiento que está creciendo al menos en Carmen de la Legua. Un grupo de adultos que participaron en nuestros grupos juveniles durante el tiempo que Felipe Zegarra era pastor, ahora están organizando eventos y actividades para replicar algunas de esas experiencias para los jóvenes actuales del barrio.
Una de esas expresiones fue la Semana de la Esperanza que se celebró en enero de 2025, la semana del aniversario de la muerte de Felipe. Tomando un momento para “recordar a Felipe” nos llamamos a una renovación de compromiso. Una línea de tiempo de los inicios de Carmen de la Legua y una mesa redonda sobre lo aprendido y vivido en aquellos primeros años resulto en la urgencia de renovar nuestros compromisos de vivir el Evangelio, creando comunidad y respondiendo a las necesidades de nuestro país.
Son estas experiencias donde se siembra y se nutre la esperanza, y nos mueve a la acción. Y La Vida Vencerá!
Ursuline Associates of Louisville: Embracing Our Future with Hope
BY LISA STEINER
The Ursuline Associates are making exciting strides toward independence. On February 22, we held a planning meeting for all Associates in the Louisville area. It was a joy to be together—to pray, express our hopes and fears, and to plan our future. We found consolation in Angela’s words, “Do not be afraid of not knowing and not being able to do what is rightly required...” (Prologue to Counsels, 14). We reminded each other that we are both needed and qualified to take this step! Our pilgrimage may take us along new, unfamiliar paths, but we are confident in the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the support of the Ursuline Sisters. Our hope as pilgrims—to carry the charism in many ways—inspires and energizes us.
At our planning meeting, we shared a beautiful new logo for the Ursuline Associates of Louisville (see next page), and we updated the community on our progress toward becoming a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. We expressed gratitude to the Ursuline Sisters for gifting us with seed money to get the new organization started. We look forward to operating as a self-sustaining entity within the year. To accomplish this goal, the Guiding Leadership Team of Jane Cruthirds, Lauren Hitron and Lisa Steiner invited all community members to get involved.
We also recognized the need to affirm our purpose through a new mission statement, which describes who we are, what we believe, and why we choose to be in community. In the spirit of Angela, we recognize that we are unique individuals with different thoughts and personalities, yet united in one heart and one will as a pilgrim people.
New Mission Statement
“The Ursuline Associates of Louisville are a Christian non-profit community rooted in the Catholic tradition of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. The Sisters and their foundress, St. Angela Merici, continue to inspire us with the Ursuline charism: a contemplative love of God and a resulting openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others. All adult spiritual seekers who desire to follow the Gospel of Jesus and deepen their faith as part of a loving, local community are welcome to join us in prayer, fellowship, and works of justice.”
As the mission implies, one important aspect of the Associates going forward will be community building. With the Ursuline charism always at the center, we have the opportunity to become a community that can stay true to its deep roots and rich history while also
Our hope as pilgrims — to carry the charism in many ways — inspires and energizes us
reaching out in new ways to be relevant and present to our neighbors here in Louisville today. In other words, to be true Charism Carriers.
Reflecting on our February gathering, we focused on community planning for the year ahead. We created a calendar emphasizing spiritual growth, fellowship, justice through service, and our relationship with the Ursuline Sisters. We welcome your prayers and invite interested newcomers to contact us!
For more information, please email associates@ursulineslou.org or visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/UrsulineAssociates.
Associates Mission Statement
The Ursuline Associates of Louisville are a Christian non-profit community rooted in the Catholic tradition of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. The Sisters and their foundress, St. Angela Merici, continue to inspire us with the Ursuline charism: a contemplative love of God and a resulting openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others. All adult spiritual seekers who desire to follow the Gospel of Jesus and deepen their faith as part of a loving, local community are welcome to join us in prayer, fellowship, and works of justice.
Louisville Associates at a February Day of Planning and Reflection.
Remembering Sr. Andrew Heesacker
This is an account of how Ursuline Sister Andrew Heesacker played a major role in my development. I dedicate this account to this wonderful woman.
During my first three grades (1952-1954), I attended I.N. Bloom Elementary in the Louisville Highlands. After moving close to St. Matthews, I transferred to Emmet Field Elementary for grades 4-6. Immediately upon starting the fourth grade, my teacher, Miss Reager, noticed a problem and called my mother for an emergency consultation. This news shocked my mother, who claimed she had no prior awareness of my reading difficulties.
As an alternative, Miss Reager mentioned a nun who was doing marvelous work with young students who had severe reading problems. She referred us to Sister Andrew Heesacker, who ran a reading clinic at the old St. Vincent de Paul Parish School at Shelby and Oak streets. After confirming I had an average or above IQ, Sister Andrew accepted me as one of her students. It didn’t matter that we were not Catholic. For three years, I attended her small classes of just 2-3 students three times weekly during lunch breaks, with my mother driving me there with brown bag lunches.
Sister Andrew worked with me tirelessly. Remarkably, in only three years, she managed to catch me up to reading at the sixth-grade level where I should have been. This was amazing.
I owe her an enormous debt of gratitude. Without her intervention, I couldn’t have graduated college or pursued careers in banking and property management. She set the foundation for my future success.
In 1970, I visited Sister Andrew at the Motherhouse on Lexington Road and was glad I was able to thank her. Though retired and in a wheelchair, she remembered me as one of her favorite students. She was undoubtedly my favorite teacher. I somehow managed to give her a nice hug even though she was sitting in a wheelchair. That brought tears to both of our eyes.
William A. (Billy) Zapp Louisville, Kentucky
Have Jesus Christ as your one and only treasure.
—St. Angela Merici
Ursuline Sister of Louisville Antonine Biven, 96, died in the 77th year of her religious life on December 28, 2024, at Nazareth Home-Clifton. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Mildred Louise (her baptismal name) attended the former Ursuline Academy. She entered the Ursulines in 1947 at age 19.
A gifted musician, her high school classmates pooled their money together her senior year to rent Memorial Auditorium so that she could give a piano concert. On the ride home on a city bus, someone noticed her sheet music and asked, “Do you play?” Mildred Louise answered, “A little.” As a postulant, she learned to play everything from a violin to a saxophone, and while practicing the trombone, knocked her bonnet off her head with her slide!
Sister Antonine was a music teacher at St. Raphael, St. Therese, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Helen, St. Francis of Assisi and Sacred Heart Model School in Louisville, as well as St. Mary school in Jackson, Mississippi, and Ursuline High School in Columbia, South Carolina.
Sister also served as pastoral associate and music minister at St. Mary Church in Maryville, Kentucky, pastoral associate of music at St. Helen Church and director of music at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, both in Louisville.
Sister Antonine earned a bachelor of arts degree from the former Ursuline College (now Bellarmine University) in Louisville, a master of arts degree in music from Notre Dame University in Indiana and a master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University New Orleans.
She served on the Ursuline Sisters’ leadership team three times, between 1976 and 1992. She also ministered at Project Women (now Family Scholar House) and the former Marian Home.
Sister Antonine was the daughter of the late Frederick and Lillian Kleier Biven. She is survived by many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, great-grand nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.
www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org
Please visit: www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org/walkwithangela/ or scan the QR code to the left.
