From the Leadership Circle

I would love to hear how your family celebrated this second Easter in a pandemic. The Easter season is such a beautiful time of the year with the lush, gentle-colored foliage, the warmth of the sun, and longer days.

I have a deep love of the sacred triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday—the latter being my favorite. How can one forget the beauty and drama of the ritual of Holy Saturday: coming into a darkened church, the golden glow of hundreds of candles spreading light, readings of our salvation history that inspire and challenge and encourage, the blessing of the water and baptism followed by confirmation and Eucharist? My heart beats with intensity at the mere thought of this celebration.

Remembering past Holy Saturdays, I recall a proud dad carrying his son to the baptismal water with a baby bottle in his suit pocket, an image of real life. Another family of parents held twins with three older sisters in tow. When the name of one of the twins was called, the mom looked down, and following a prolonged pause, admitted, “I’m not sure which is which.” About five years ago my family gathered to celebrate the baptism of my great niece. Her big brother was then three. Someone asked if pictures could be taken. The response was a resounding “Yes!” Father said this moment needed to be remembered, and pictures were the best way to share the memories. Our family was called, the waters of baptism were poured, and my nephew commented…“no, not Amen. But yucky.” Father picked up on his comment and said, “Yes, baptism is sometimes yucky and we get messy. That will happen in life, just as it did with Jesus.”

At baptism we were immersed into the life of Jesus and challenged to go and do as Jesus did. Remembering these stories, I often wonder about the footsteps of these children. The first two sets of children are adults. By now they have experienced the messiness of life as they follow in Jesus’ footsteps. My eight-year-old nephew will continue growing into the beauty and challenge of baptism. He, too, has a supportive community to help him move through the yuck. In our Ursuline constitutions, there is a beautiful introduction, “All creation receives the call to holiness, ‘Be Glory to the only God.’” The Ursuline Sisters believe and live this statement out in every way possible. It is so woven into the fabric of our lives that we wear a cross inscribed with “Soli Deo Gloria.” Whatever we are able to do, and to be, we are giving God glory. We stand in the footsteps of Jesus as he gave glory to the Creator. With all Christians we try to achieve in diverse ways perfect harmony in creation and among all persons in Christ. Guides for this journey are all around: the proclamation of scripture each week; working at a food pantry; standing in solidarity with the disadvantaged at the borders, checking on elderly neighbors. Jesus’ teaching is always consistent, no matter the audience. His message is always focused: “Love God, love your neighbor.” With Jesus there was no division between his words and his actions. Messy? Absolutely. Doable? Totally. We can live into our baptismal call, no matter how messy or yucky it may seem. Jesus showed us the way. There will be slips and slides, lack of agreement on how to feed the hungry, warm the poor, love the stranger, welcome the refugee. As baptized women and men we have no choice but to get up and move. Let your words and actions stand strong, and stand together for support. And when life gets messy or yucky because you stood up for something or someone, just know this is part of God’s plan. It’s the way Jesus walked the earth.

Called to Be Prophetic Women of Hope, Part Two: Loving Our Neighbor

1975: Christian Help, Inc. is founded in Morgantown, West Virginia

In 1972, Sister Thecla Shiel arrived in Morgantown to serve as principal of Saint Francis de Sales Elementary School. Another need appeared at her door. One by one, people from this area in Appalachia’s coal country knocked, seeking help with emergencies—food for their children, help to pay rent, to get the electricity turned back on, for a coat, for shoes so their children could go to school, etc.

Soon, Sister’s duties as principal were interrupted by these visitors asking for help, and the school’s office space was filling up with donations from generous benefactors. Something had to give. Sister Thecla wrote, “Christian Help clientele and the school office clientele did not mix. [I] gave the principalship into the competent hands of Sister Dolores Hudson. I did continue to teach full-time.”

According to The UnionPost, Morgantown’s newspaper, Christian Help “evolved from an adult discussion group which was addressing the subject of social doctrine in the church. ‘We were considering what Christians

should be doing.’” When the group discovered there were needs that were not being met, they established a board of directors, and Christian Help, “a storefront emergency charity service,” opened on March 25, 1975, on University Avenue. Responding to the call to put her social responsibility into action, Sister Thecla became the volunteer director of Christian Help.

At first, the center struggled because it did not have financing, but generous donors soon responded. Volunteers arrived to help, and clients continued to increase. Many needs were served. Now, Sister Thecla was teaching “what Christians are called to do,” both in the classroom and in action at Christian Help. After several busy years, Sister Thecla retired in 1982 due to health reasons. Sister Thecla stated, “I loved the opportunity to teach Christian principles in the school and to put them into practice at Christian Help.”

BY SISTER MARTHA JACOB AND KATHY WILLIAMS

This is the second in a series on the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville’s history of being pioneers on issues of social justice and outreach. They are women who follow Catholic social teaching in both words and action. This stems from their charism, which is “a contemplative love of God and a resulting openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others.”

1982: Change in Leadership at Christian Help in Morgantown

In 1982, Sister Mary Brendan Conlon followed Sister Thecla as volunteer director of Christian Help. Under her direction, the ministry continued to grow. Clients were treated as friends. Information concerning citizenship, financial obligations and health care were offered, as well as meeting emergency needs. When Sister Brendan resigned as director of the Morgantown location in 1994, Christian Help was well established.

Today, Christian Help of Morgantown’s mission is the same as in 1975. The present executive director, Coleen Lankford, assures us that the mission continues,

Sister Brendan Conlon in the food pantry at Christian Help, Kermit

“respecting all persons, trying to remove barriers, and meeting all individuals where they are.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was serving an average of 110 clients per day. Year-round it works with social workers, and partners with other agencies.

1994: Christian Help expands into Mingo County, West Virginia

In 1994, Christian Help of Morgantown opened a satellite center in Mingo County, West Virginia, with Sister Brendan as the first director. Sister Brendan felt called to begin anew in some area where there was much need and fewer resources than in the Morgantown area.

Christian Help gave $5,000 to the Mingo County center as startup money and the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville allowed Sister Brendan to serve, without a stipend at first, in order to help the agency get established. Christian Help II was incorporated on April 17, 1996 and a board of ten people, representing six area churches, took charge of its mission. The call to serve others was spreading, and more people were answering.

ABLE families, a partner, founded in 1995

Christian Help II soon had a partner. Ursuline Sister Janet Marie Peterworth was named the first director of ABLE Families (Affirming, Believing, Learning and Empowering), a project sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Its mission: “to confront the causes of poverty and consequently, strengthen poor families by helping them to make concrete changes in their lives.” It opened its center on the second floor, above Christian Help. Sister Janet Marie retired from the directorship in 2010, after 15 years of service. Some of her achievements included launching adult literacy programs, computer training and afterschool programs. In 2010, ABLE’s board announced the creation of the Sister Janet M. Peterworth Scholarship Fund, which provides funds to help a local resident afford a college education.

In December 1997, Christian Help and ABLE Families were informed that the small frame building they were occupying on Highway 52 was to be razed as part of the Mingo County flood control project. Finding a place to rent failed, and the boards of the two agencies decided to build a joint

ABLE Families (Affirming, Believing, Learning and Empowering), a project sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Its mission: “to confront the causes of poverty and consequently, strengthen poor families by helping them to make concrete changes in their lives.”

CALLED TO BE PROPHETIC WOMEN OF HOPE Called to Be Prophetic Women of Hope, Part Two: Loving Our Neighbor, continued

headquarters in the town of Kermit, just north of their original location. Christian Help in Kermit grew rapidly, serving some 700 families in its first two years. In addition to providing emergency food and assistance for utilities, medicines, home repair, rent, gasoline, diapers, etc., clients shopped for clothing, toys and other items in a pleasant, well-arranged facility.

In 2007, Sister Brendan responded to a vital need of the low-income, rural population by beginning a “demand-response” transit service. Through grants and the donation of two vans, 291 individuals who had no means of transportation were able to visit doctors, dentists and meet other needs. The vans made 5,154 trips that first year. Christian Help continues to seek grants and donations for this costly, on-going and much-needed service.

Sister Mary Brendan retired as executive director of Christian Help, Mingo County in 2009. Since then, Franciscan Sister Therese Carew has served as its director.

Project Women: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in Louisville, 1994

A meeting was called by the Leadership Conference for Women Religious (LCWR) Sub-region 6, at the Executive West Hotel in November 1994. The task was to respond to a study of ministry of women religious in the United States conducted by the national office of LCWR, called, “Deep Roots, Wide Hope.” Approximately 300 women religious in the Archdiocese of Louisville attended this day, which was sponsored by Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, O.P.

In March 1995, Sister Anne Mary Lochner, with the support of Ursuline president Sister Sarah Stauble, called together a group of Catholic Sisters who had indicated an interest in support of the plight of disadvantaged women. This group of sixteen women represented six different religious congregations: Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine of Siena (now Dominican Sisters of Peace), Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Sisters of Loretto (now Loretto Community) and the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville.

Many meetings and much networking ensued, along with an in-depth study of services currently offered within the archdiocese. By December, these Sisters had called together a board of directors, applied for their 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, and filed their articles of incorporation. They had the beginnings of a program to support single, homeless mothers obtain a college degree.

Sister Anne Mary, who served as the first executive director, stated, “Our six orders had such a tradition in education and had worked on social justice issues in Louisville and central Kentucky since the 1800s. Our gift has always been to go where there is a need.”

Each community donated seed money and lent their expertise and community connections to open the first group of apartments in the fall of 1996 at 1935 West Chestnut Street, which they named Sophia Center. Sophia means “wisdom,” which was quite appropriate as Project Women was dedicated to furthering the education of disadvantaged women.

Project Women assisted women in crisis and their children by offering educational programs,

counseling and housing which allowed them to take possession of their lives as they grew spiritually, psychologically and intellectually. In addition to being enrolled in job training, a GED program or college, the women were required to be involved in programs such as child development, parenting skills and money management. A social worker met with the women and children on a regular basis.

A few years later, Project Women moved to the former Ursuline Motherhouse and Ursuline Academy (renamed The Cloister Apartments) at 806 East Chestnut. Project Women’s offices and a computer lab for participants were housed there as well. Participants were enrolled in Jefferson Community College, Spalding University and the University of Louisville. Tuition was paid by Project Women until the mothers could qualify for Pell Grants. The participants were required to work 20 hours a week, and government assistance covered food and necessities. Clothing came from donations. The participants were able to live at the apartments until they graduated.

Felecia, a former participant, came to Project Women’s attention when she was homeless with four

children and trying to escape domestic abuse and poverty. In a 1996 interview with Leslie Scanlon of the Courier-Journal, she said “I couldn’t find any openings anywhere…. I think this was just God-sent.” Sister Clarellen McGinley, O.P., a social worker, who worked with Felecia, said, “I have been very interested as a woman in helping other women. Especially battered women and children have been a pressing issue with me…I’ve been given the gifts I’ve been given to be voice to the voiceless.”

The caring and nurturing at Project Women paid off with many successes, including graduates with master’s, Juris Doctor, and medical degrees. One woman worked at night to earn her degree. In 2000, Jennifer, a mother of two, spoke of her many challenges at a Project Women fundraiser—leaving an abusive spouse, overcoming her parents’ rejection, having no job skills, and then becoming a dean’s list student in college.

Sister Anne Mary reflects, “I always admired the women and their children who were part of Project Women. They had drive and dedication and were able to balance what seemed to me six lives. It was strong determination that stirred deep within their spirit and motivated them toward their goal, and I loved them for their resolve.”

In 2008, Project Women became Family Scholar House, and that organization is continuing the work that was started by these six communities of Sisters in 1994 who saw a need and strived to meet that need, lifting so many women and children out of poverty. Special thanks to Laurel Wilson, our archivist, with research for this article.

Next in the series: Part Three (Summer 2021 DOME)