URSULINE
A PUBLICATION OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF LOUISVILLE • SUMMER 2021
Continuing the Legacy of Spirituality and Service
in this issue:
Reaching Across Boundaries
SERVING ON THE BORDER
On the cover L to R: Ursuline Sisters Carol Reamer (Toledo), Kathy Neely and Yuli Oncihuay (Louisville) traveled to El Paso, Texas, in May to serve refugees at the Casa del Refugiado. Their story of reaching across boundaries is on pages 4-5.
A PUBLICATION OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF LOUISVILLE
Inside this issue Part three of our social justice series (pages 6-10) focuses on stories of our Asian connection, from China in the 1950s; to the Tran family, 1980 Vietnamese refugees; to present-day sponsorships of two Dominican Sisters from Vietnam.
SUMMER 2021 CONTENTS 3 Reaching Across Boundaries: From the Leadership Circle 4–5
Accompanying Those At The Border
6-10
Called to Be Prophetic Women of Hope, Part Three: Asian Advocacy
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What Is An Associate Companion?
Peruvian Journal: Solidarity and What 12-13 Unites Us 14-15 AMC Spirituality: Two Questions Answered By Love Planned Giving: Ursuline Associate 16-17 Relationships Led to Legacy Gift In Memoriam: Sisters Regina Marie 18-23 Bevelacqua, Dolores Hudson, Colette Kraemer, Georgia Jean Kruml, Raymunda Orth and Sarah Stauble 24 Chapel Fund Update MISSION ADVANCEMENT OFFICE
ELLEN McKNIGHT Director of Development and Planned Giving
KIM BRADLEY Coordinator, Database Management/ Donation Processing
Louisville Ursuline Sisters Carol Curtis (left) and Janet M. Peterworth (right) joined Sister Anna Pham, O.P., (center) for a Mass celebrating the Lunar New Year on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, at St. John Vianney Parish in Louisville.
COMMUNICATIONS/PR OFFICE
KATHY WILLIAMS Director, Communications/Public Relations DOME Editor, Art Direction and Graphic Design DOME CONTRIBUTORS
BAY BALTES SISTER AGNES COVENEY ELLEN MCKNIGHT GINNY SCHAEFFER KATHY WILLIAMS SISTER SUE SCHARFENBERGER KAREN HEILERS Proofreader SISTER MARTHA JACOB Congregational Historian
LAUREL WILSON Archivist Some of the Tran family in front of St. Joseph Hall, Ursuline campus, 1980
FROM THE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
Reaching Across Boundaries When was the first time you learned a lesson, deep in your heart and soul, about reaching across the boundaries of race and culture? When I was a novice, Sister Clara Fehringer (novice director), encouraged my involvement with the Tran family, refugees from Vietnam living in a house on the Ursuline campus. For that year, I became a homework tutor for the teenage daughter, Hen (pronounced Han). The large Tran family brought to mind my large family, especially the joking rapport of teenage brothers and sisters. I realized that I could appreciate and respect the differences, like culture, language and food, but also see what tied us together in the larger human family.
Finally, to highlight one other piece in this DOME, the Peruvian Journal beautifully describes how the people of the Santa Angela Merici school, parish and their wider circle of friends practiced solidarity with
In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth. –John Oxenham This hymn came to my mind as I reflected on this issue of the DOME. You will see in these pages the themes of inclusion and reaching across boundaries. There is the story of the ministry at the U.S./Mexico border at Annunciation House in El Paso. This is not only about the way Sisters Yuli Oncihuay, Kathy Neely and Carol Reamer gave hospitality and respect to the guests seeking asylum and a better life, it is also about how they received graces and insights during their month of service. Long before the recent call for respect toward our brothers and sisters who are Asian-Americans and Pacific islanders, the Ursuline Sisters stretched beyond the usual racial and ethnic boundary lines. On these pages, you will see how the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville accompanied Chinese students at Ursuline College and years later sponsored the Tran family upon their arrival here as refugees from Vietnam. As in the Angela Merici Center reflection in this issue, we are constantly called to widen the circle when we consider Jesus’ questions: Who is my neighbor? What does the Gospel call us to do for and with our brothers and sisters?
Javier and Miguel, sons of Dominga Sernaque. They show us how to be neighbor to the people who need our neighborly concern and our action. Remember this as you consider how you can practice welcome and inclusion, how you can act in solidarity with people who are different or who live on the other side of an old boundary line: In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth. –John Oxenham
Sister Agnes Coveney, OSU Councilor, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville DOME | SUMMER 2021
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WITNESS AND MINISTRY AT THE BORDER
Accompanying Those At The Border BY KATHY WILLIAMS
Peanut butter sandwiches, one set of clothes and a pair of shoes.
a bus or plane ticket that allows them to get to a more permanent destination.
This is what the guests of the Casa del Refugiado of Annunciation House, a temporary shelter in El Paso, Texas, are given when they leave this brief sanctuary and continue on their way to cities across the country to families and friends who will sponsor them.
This past spring, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious sent out a call for Catholic Sisters to volunteer at the border. So, in May, three Ursuline Sisters set out for El Paso to serve for one month at Casa del Refugiado: Louisville Ursulines Yuli Oncihuay and Kathy Neely, and Toledo Ursuline Carol Reamer. The three had lived and worked together for decades in Peru, and having felt so supported by the Peruvian people in their ministry there, they wanted to “offer that same welcome and support to our brothers and sisters coming to our borders here in the United States,” according to Sister Yuli.
The guests, as they are called at the shelter, otherwise known as migrants, asylum seekers or refugees, come from many countries: El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Mexico, Haiti and Jamaica, to name a few. Most are fleeing their homes due to economic hardship, domestic violence or, for many, the gangs in their country. Gangs, usually run by drug cartels, will kill young men if they don’t join their gang, or kill their family members in retaliation. Many of them end up being deported back to their home country to face the extreme poverty, violence or other situation they were fleeing. The fortunate ones make it to a border shelter, such as Casa del Refugiado (the House of the Refugee). They arrive by bus from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, usually wearing a uniform of light grey pants, a dark blue shirt, flip flops and sometimes an ankle bracelet for monitoring their movements. Over a hundred refugees arrive at Casa del Refugiado daily. Staff and volunteers register them, feed them and give them lodging for the short time that they are their guests, usually 1-3 days. The volunteers also contact their families who will provide
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Sister Kathy said that everyone had a story, and no two stories were the same. Sister Carol said that there were a lot of children, often with just their mother, as the men are often detained at the border. The mothers, many of whom are pregnant when they arrive at the shelter, make the agonizing decision to continue on without their husbands. Mealtimes are meant to be family time at the shelter, but often, Sister Yuli said, you would see the children crying, then saying over and over, “Daddy, we miss Daddy.” Sister Yuli told the story of one very young child who was terrified to come into the “clothes closet,” where the families are allowed to pick out one set of clothes. He was fearful and would cling to his mother, sobbing. In talking with the mother, Sister Yuli discovered that this mother and child had spent three
days in a refrigeration truck to get to the border. The child was traumatized, as were many others, Sister Yuli noted. She worries that the children will not receive the therapy that they need to overcome all of the trauma they have gone through. Sister Yuli, a native Peruvian, was “a presence to the families. Her heart is bigger than she is,” said Sister Kathy. Sister Yuli wanted to just gather all the children up and protect them, she recalled. Sister Yuli said, “It’s like the story of The Little Prince—little by little, you cultivate your friendship with them, just like the Prince did with his rose.” Growing up in Tiffin, Ohio, Sister Carol developed her love for immigrants and helping them in the sixth grade! Her religion teacher asked her to come visit with migrant farm workers in the farm fields that summer. When asked why she continues to work with refugees, Sister Carol replies simply, “Because I can’t not do it. It’s been in my blood since I was young.” Sisters Kathy and Yuli tell of a Mass held at Pentecost at the shelter. When Mass had ended, Sister Yuli, in true Peruvian fashion, began dancing and singing songs with everyone. For one of the songs, Letra A que tú sabes (Oh, You Don’t Know), Sister Yuli changed a word in each verse to include all the countries represented by the people present: Oh, you don’t know, what happened in Damascus, what happened. It was the Holy Spirit, Oh! Oh, you don’t know,
what happened in my life, what happened. It was the Holy Spirit, Oh! Who poured Himself into me. Oh, you don’t know, what happened in Guatemala, It was the Holy Spirit, Oh! Who poured Himself into me. Oh, you don’t know, what happened in Nigaragua …El Salvador …Haiti …Brazil …Mexico …Ecuador …Venezuela …Costa Rica It was the Holy Spirit, Oh! We “don’t know what happened” in any of these countries, exactly, to cause the crisis at the border, according to Sister Kathy, who states, “We need to work to understand the causes and work on the roots of these causes.” Sister Kathy continued, “It is a human situation. I see humanity as a global community. We have room in our country to share with our global sisters and brothers. Their presence and their different cultures enrich us as a nation. The refugee families are coming to our borders because of the present difficult situations in their countries. Why did Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt? They were simply trying to save their child, Jesus, like these parents are simply trying to save their children.”
DOME | SUMMER 2021
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Called to Be Prophetic Women of Hope, Part Three: Asian Advocacy BY KATHY WILLIAMS
This is the third 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.”
1948: A Connection With China The year is 1948. It is three years after World War II and one year before our ally from that war, China, became a communist country following its own civil war. Reverend John T.S. Mao, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Nanking, China, has asked the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville for scholarships for two girls from China to attend Ursuline College. The request is granted, according to General Council minutes from March 6 of that year. In 1950, Father John Moore, a Maryknoll missionary, requested that the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville give another Chinese girl a full scholarship and room and board. And so, it continued for years—scholarships given to girls from Korea and China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, as the Ursulines saw that there was so much need for girls in those countries to be educated. During a period of strained or non-existent relationships between the United States and these countries, the Ursulines found a way to make a difference and reach out to those on the margins.
Julia Ung Ng, UC Class of ’55
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Julia Ung Ng was living in a small village in China in 1951 when Father Moore befriended her and her family. He asked Julia what her future plans were. She replied that her dream was to go to college in the United States, but her parents had lost so much in the war and could not afford to send her. Father Moore arranged for her to receive a scholarship, and as Julia says, “The day I received my scholarship letter was the happiest day of my life. To this day, I am so grateful.” As she had to travel by boat rather than a plane due to lack of funds, Julia didn’t arrive on campus until October 1951, after the semester had already started. She then spent Christmas on campus as the only student in the dorm since she had nowhere else to go. Julia said, “I was so homesick
Jady Ung, UC Class of ’58 and Jeanie Ung, UC Class of ’61 in their dorm
Mary Kwan, UC Class of ’55
CALLED TO BE PROPHETIC WOMEN OF HOPE and cried, but the Sisters were so nice to me. On Christmas day they decorated my table in the dining room, and many visited me in my room with gifts. It was so touching. I am grateful not only for the education they gave me, but also their love.” After graduating in 1955, Julia married a young man from Hong Kong whom she met while in college, and they moved back to Hong Kong. Her husband had a large architecture firm there and became vice chairman of the Chinese stock exchange. Julia herself had a very successful career in her own stock brokerage firm. Julia’s sisters, Jady and Jeanie, also received scholarships to Ursuline College. Sister M. Raymond Carter, the dean of Ursuline College at the time, worked quite diligently on behalf of the students from Asia in regard to visas and funding. Julia remembers Sister Concetta Waller as her favorite professor, and they stayed in touch for many years, along with Sister Angelice Seibert, Sister Martha Jacob and several others. Julia has two children and now lives in the United States. She has been a faithful friend and generous donor to the Ursulines and many other charitable organizations. Dr. Mary Kwan, a native of Hong Kong, was a war refugee when she met the Maryknoll Fathers in China. She became a Catholic in 1945, and she, too, with the help of Father Moore, received an Ursuline College
scholarship. She arrived in 1951, not knowing any English, and graduated in 1955 with degrees in chemistry and biochemistry. Mary then moved to Chicago to help St. Therese Catholic Mission open a Chinese school in Chinatown. She taught classes there in the evenings and attended graduate school at Northwestern University during the day. Mary graduated from medical school, specializing in internal medicine. Dr. Kwan provided medical care for the poor for more than 30 years in Chicago and then in Houston, Texas, and became an advocate for the rights of all to affordable health care. In 2002, she was awarded the Angeline Award, which recognizes a woman who reflects the charism of St. Angela Merici and the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. In 1984, Dr. Kwan also helped her niece, Chung-Sue Kwan, obtain an education from Sacred Heart Academy and Bellarmine College (now University), thus carrying on the Ursuline tradition of a Christian education. In a letter to the Ursulines she wrote, “God’s love and gospels have spread throughout many states and countries because the girls were touched by you and your examples while earning their education.” DOME | SUMMER 2021
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CALLED TO BE PROPHETIC WOMEN OF HOPE
Called to Be Prophetic Women of Hope, Part Three: Asian Advocacy, continued 1980: The Tran Family arrives in Louisville from Vietnam In 1975, following the end of the Vietnam War, and with Cambodia and Laos also falling to communist forces, a steady stream of refugees began pouring out of all three countries. By 1978, the exodus of the “boat people,” as they were called, climbed into the hundreds of thousands. They made perilous journeys across open water, many dying in the process, to try to reach safety in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian countries. After a United Nations conference in July 1979, Western nations agreed to resettle the boat people into their own countries. In a letter dated August 6, 1979, to Ursuline Leadership, Sister Clara Fehringer and Sister Elaine Eckert stated that, “There is a present-day world situation where we as Ursulines have another opportunity to demonstrate in a very real way gospel values. …Hundreds of thousands of refugees are wandering about the earth seeking a place to settle, looking for someone to take them in. As a means of responding to our call to teach Christian living, we would like to recommend that the Ursuline Community sponsor a Vietnamese refugee family.” When Dinh Tran, his wife Le Le, their nine children, Hen (17), Ngoc (15), Duc (14), Chau (13), Qui (11), Tai (9), Loc (6), Thanh (5) and Thao (3) and his brother Thoi, arrived in Louisville on March 13, 1980, they found a greeting committee of several Sisters who drove them to their new home, St. Joseph Hall, on the Ursuline campus. The house had been cleaned and beds had been prepared for all. Sister Clara remembers that, “We were so worried about finding a bed for everyone, but I think all the children ended up together because they were used to sleeping together at the refugee camp.”
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I often tell people that I was sponsored by a group of Sisters that accepted us as their family and welcomed us into their home. —Thao Tran Bianco
CALLED TO BE PROPHETIC WOMEN OF HOPE Schools for the children were found. Health insurance and other needs were some of the many details with which the Ursuline Sisters assisted the Tran family. English lessons and daily tutoring by the Sisters soon followed. The Sisters found employment for Mr. Tran as a groundskeeper on campus and Mrs. Tran worked for many years as a nursing assistant at Marian Home, also on the Ursuline campus. It was truly a group effort on the part of the Sisters! Le Le and her second oldest son, Tai, who is now an engineer, described a journey that began in 1978 with their family fleeing Vietnam on a small boat crowded with 360 people. Several people onboard died during the harrowing journey from lack of food, and the passengers had no choice but to put their bodies into the ocean. Le Le says that she and her husband, Dinh, made the decision to leave their homeland and make this harrowing trip for freedom and a better life for their children. All nine children, the parents and their uncle miraculously survived the trip and landed in Indonesia, where they lived in a refugee camp for a year. Catholic Charities connected them with the Louisville Ursulines, and Le Le says that “Every day, I say ‘thank you, thank you’ to the Ursulines. I teach my children to remember that they gave us the life that we now have.” Thao, who is the youngest child, said, “I am a neonatal nurse in critical care, and I went into the medical field due to the inspiration of my mother working at Marian Home. She was the reason why I wanted to go into nursing and help people.” She shared one of her fondest memories: “Year after year, on Christmas Eve, the Tran family was invited to Christmas Mass, and afterward, going down to the cafeteria and eating cookies and having eggnog. The Tran family is so thankful for what the Ursuline Sister have done for us. I often tell people that I was sponsored by a group of Sisters that accepted us as their family and welcomed us into their home.” Of their time on campus, Le Le remembers Sister Mary Lavinia Lesousky and Sister Clara Fehringer. She
cannot remember all the names of the Sisters, but she says that she always remembers the campus and what the Sisters did for her. Tai remembered that the Sisters divided up all the duties that included getting the children to and from school, tutoring assistance and making sure that the family had what they needed. Tai said “it was amazing” how the Sisters managed everything. Tai says that getting presents at Christmas from the Sisters and being taken out for ice cream were two special memories for him. Tai said, “We will never, never forget the Sisters. They are always in our hearts.”
2014–present: Continuing the Asian connection with Vietnamese Sisters In 2014, Nancy Reynolds, a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, approached her friend, Sister Lynn Jarrell, who was at the time president of the Louisville Ursulines, with a request. For the past fifteen years, Sister Nancy’s community had helped several Vietnamese Sisters obtain their bachelor’s degrees from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
College. Would the Ursulines be willing to host one of these Sisters, Theresa Nguyen, a Dominican Sister of Tam Hiep, and assist her in getting her master’s degree from Bellarmine University? Sister Lynn, who was serving on Bellarmine’s board of trustees at the time, says, “I approached Dr. Jay McGowan, then president of Bellarmine University, about a scholarship if the Ursulines would handle all of her living expenses, and he agreed.” DOME | SUMMER 2021
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CALLED TO BE PROPHETIC WOMEN OF HOPE
Called to Be Prophetic Women of Hope, Part Three: Asian Advocacy, continued So, in 2015, Sister Theresa came to live with the Ursuline Sisters in the Motherhouse for three years while she earned her master’s degree in communications and a certificate in spiritual direction. Sister Janet Marie Peterworth, who followed Sister Lynn as president, said, “It was an enriching experience having Sister Theresa with us. Not only did we enjoy her as a person, but we also enjoyed her introducing us to Vietnamese food and customs. Theresa was a hard worker and generous with her time in teaching some of us basic computer skills, tending flower and vegetable gardens, and helping with household chores. Sister Theresa has a place in all of our hearts.” Sister Theresa said it was so providential that she arrived at the same time as Sisters Carol Curtis and Mary Theresa Burns, who had come a week before from the Carmelite monastery in Louisville, which had closed. When Sister Yuli Oncihuay came from Peru to study English for a year, Sister Theresa and Sister Yuli became great friends. People were surprised that they could get along so well when they couldn’t speak each other’s language, but Sister Theresa reflects, “When the hearts speak to each other, that is the real language.” Sister Theresa said, “I was so overwhelmed with their love. Their love has enriched my life in many, many ways. I feel so blessed to have been a part of that community.” Sister Theresa even planned an internship with the Sisters so that she could help with the move of the offices from Brescia Hall to the Motherhouse, to give back for all that she had received. Sister Theresa added, “When I had to say goodbye, one very important part of my life was with them.
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Even now in Vietnam, I tease that I don’t know where I belong—I have three communities: the Dominicans, the Sisters of Providence and the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. The Sisters of Providence gave me the foundation, the Ursuline Sisters gave me the wings.” Sister Anna Pham, also from the same community as Sister Theresa, is currently being sponsored by the Ursulines and is living with Sister Janet Marie Peterworth at the Chatsworth Apartments in Louisville. “Sister Anna is a shy, young woman,” Sister said, “and a serious student. She has grown to know and cherish all the Sisters who live in an intentional community here at Chatsworth. Like Sister Theresa, she has introduced us to Vietnamese food and a bit of the language. I hope that whatever is next for her, she can look back on her experience with us with joy.” Sister Anna says that the Ursuline Sisters are so friendly, and she has learned so much from them. She is entering her second year in a bachelor’s program for theology at Bellarmine and will either return to Vietnam to serve her community there or join some of her Sisters who minister to Vietnamese families in two parishes in Arkansas and Texas. Sister Anna said, “The Ursulines give me a lot of courage to help other people, and I am so grateful for this opportunity.” Sister Theresa, who is now back with her community in Vietnam serving in leadership and communications, states, “The Ursuline Sisters cannot go to Vietnam to serve, so we are representing them there. Wherever I go, I am so proud to say that I studied with the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville and the Sisters of Providence. I am a witness for them to the people of Vietnam.”
ASSOCIATES
What Is An Associate Companion? BY BAY BALTES
The Ursuline Associate Community has continued a pattern of gradual growth over the past five years. We currently have a total of more than 200 members in North America and Peru, South America. Each of our members had a companion who walked with them during the formation process and was there when the initial covenant was signed. In the beginning years, companions were generally Sisters, but as the number of Ursuline Sisters has grown smaller, many more Associates are becoming companions to candidates. The relationship between the candidate and companion extends beyond the formation process. Audrey Truax and her relationship with Eula Couto is a case in point. Eula came to the U.S. on a visa from India. She joined Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Louisville and met Audrey. Audrey was her companion throughout the formation process to become an Ursuline Associate. Audrey describes Eula as a very outgoing person who made many friends in the parish. She lived in Louisville for a number of years but eventually made the decision to return to India to be with her family. Even though separated by a great distance, she and Audrey have remained in touch with each other. Audrey feels that she learned a great deal from a person who came from a very different culture than her own. Eula, she says, became like a member of her own family. Theresa Butler has been a companion to several current Associates—Emily Mosby, Dottie Lockhart, and Regina Leitner—and feels that the role of
companions has evolved over the years because the number of Sisters has decreased. She describes the companion process as one of guiding the candidates through formation and then maintaining an on-going relationship with them once they are full-fledged members of the Associate Community. The main role, Theresa believes, that a companion should fill is to help candidates become familiar with the charism of St. Angela. Another function for the companion is to help candidates become familiar with other members of the Associate Community and to encourage them to attend Associate gatherings. I have also had the privilege of serving as a companion to two Associates—Peggy Cummins and Rory Polio. Peggy is a lifelong friend whom I invited to join the Associate Community, and when Rory decided to become an Associate, I volunteered to be her companion. I found the process of companioning both women to be very fulfilling. It has deepened the friendship I already had with Peggy and has led me to a new friendship with Rory, who recently volunteered to serve on the Associate Advisory Board. As we look to the future, the companion piece of the formation process will become even more important as the Associate Community carries on the Angeline charism: “a contemplative love of God, leading to an openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others.” Being a companion to new Associates is an important part of being active in the Associate Community, as it is a wonderful way to engage new members both spiritually and socially. DOME | SUMMER 2021
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PERUVIAN JOURNAL
Solidarity and What Unites Us BY SISTER SUE SCHARFENBERGER
As I write this, I am feeling like it is chapter 2 or maybe 3 of previous Peruvian Journals. The themes keep weaving themselves together, even from the corners of creation to the center. So, I want to share a story. You may recall our asking for prayers for Miguel Tenorio Sernaque. He is a teacher at Saint Angela Merici School, and the brother of Javier Tenorio Sernaque, about whom I have written in previous journals. Javier and Miguel are sons of Dominga Sernaque, a staunch defender of human rights and an active participant in the founding Christian community since the early days of the parish with Sisters Lee Kirchner and Martha Staarman in the 1960s.
and entertain with folk music, and then pass the hat to get donations. For many years, he supported his young family that way. The doctors say that now, the reason Miguel is still alive is that his lungs were used to being stretched and exercised by the musical instruments, and so they avoided collapsing even under the strain of COVID. He is not yet out of the woods, but he is still resisting the virus.
Dominga died a few years ago, and this story is not really about her, but about Miguel and Javier who, indeed, learned much from their mother. Miguel is struggling into the fourth week with the coronavirus. The doctors do not know how he is still alive, but they say he is a fighter.
Javier is also a teacher in our school, but more than that, he is the person everyone goes to when there is a problem, a difficulty, or when they just need something done. Javier has been an intercessor during this time of the pandemic for many families who have been in need of prayers, oxygen, or financial support. He is a connector and someone you just cannot say “no” to when there is a prayer vigil to be organized, a collection taken up for someone to get the oxygen they need, or simply to help provide food for a family that has no income at the present.
As a young man, Miguel would step up into the local buses and vans and play the quena or zampoña
Javier has been making the daily hourlong trip to the hospital to get the doctors’ daily reports and provide
L to R: Miguel as a young musician, portrait and playing music at a recent celebration
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the medicines that are necessary for Miguel. When friends of Miguel offered to do a fundraiser (a chicken dinner) to help with the cost of medicines, Javier invited the teachers and a few friends to help out by purchasing the meal. We were to pick up the purchase on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the local park when Javier would arrive with the prepared meal. As I approached the park, I saw a group of about 20 people waiting on the corner. I realized they were parents, teachers, former students. They were organized into small groups and one of the groups was collecting the money for the meal. As we were chatting, more people arrived. Families. Former students, friends who had participated years ago in our parish groups, and friends of friends. Javier arrived with more than 100 dinners that were quickly distributed— a testament to his great organizational skills. Solidarity, I thought. That’s what we do well. Many of us learned it together. Some of us learned it from Dominga. It’s in our genes—Javier’s, Miguel’s, and this huge family we call “La familia de Santa Angela Merici.”
Miguel died within twenty-four hours of the writing of this journal. His farewell ritual was an incredible tribute to the music he leaves in his family, his friends and his students.
Another Story It is five days now since the runoff elections for the president of Peru. No definitive tally yet, but the difference between the two candidates is not even 1%. But the one with fewer votes is already calling “fraud.” Sound familiar? Many people left their ballot blank. They could not vote for either candidate, as the two candidates represent two extremes—the radical left and the radical right. The country is sorely in need of change: programs and projects that are inclusive in their scope and realistic in their offering. We need to start with those who have always been left out: the indigenous communities of the Amazon, the forgotten communities of the sierra where there is no water, no health services, and poor schools, and the suburban slums of the big cities. We need a comprehensive program that considers our natural resources as gifts to be shared rather than products to be exploited. And we need a government that is not exploited by the rich nor corrupted by the powerful—a democracy that is for everyone and stretches way beyond the ballot box. And what Peru needs is what our neighbors to the north need as well, and can we not say, our global neighbors, also? What can unite us are our efforts toward inclusivity, creating a more just society, and caring for our common home. DOME | SUMMER 2021
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ANGELA MERICI CENTER
Two Questions Answered By Love BY GINNY SCHAEFFER
When Jesus said, “Love your neighbor,” he knew your neighbor would act, look, believe and love differently than you. It’s kinda the whole point.
— From a yard sign Author unknown
Am I my brother’s, sister’s keeper? Who is my neighbor? Nearly every day, on my way into work, I am forced to confront these questions at least once, if not twice. Some days, especially if the weather is extreme, they hit me hard. “How can I sit in my climate-controlled car, with my belly full of breakfast or planning what I’m going to have for supper and not do something? How can I ignore what’s right in front of me…the need, the cry for help?” Their signs pull at me, as they are meant to, declaring the holder’s life situation: “Homeless · Hungry · Sick · Homeless Vet · Children to feed · Let’s be honest. I’m going to buy beer.” They walk up and down the sidewalk or along the median looking for any kind of signal that someone is going to give them a dollar or two. Am I my brother’s, sister’s keeper? Who is my neighbor? The images on TV break my heart and send waves of sorrow crashing through me. The numbers are staggering and nearly impossible to comprehend. Going on four million people worldwide are dead from something we cannot see, much less put our hands around. Body bags loaded into refrigerated trucks. Hospitals around the globe have been overwhelmed. People in India are begging for oxygen. Long-haulers are suffering months, perhaps years, after their initial illness. Healthcare providers stare back at us, over their masks, with haunted eyes that have seen too much suffering and death. Am I my brother’s, sister’s keeper? Who is my neighbor? Other images enrage me and my soul cries out, “What is wrong with us?” People of color are killed on
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our city streets in broad daylight. Infants, toddlers, and children are torn from their parent’s arms as they try to escape poverty, gang violence and climate catastrophes. Mobs of angry, violent Americans, fueled by conspiracy theories, storm the United States Capitol in an attempt to stop the constitutional process of a peaceful transfer of power. Gun violence kills the young and old, the innocent and the perpetrator, the bystander and the target. Am I my brother’s, sister’s keeper? Who is my neighbor? As followers of Jesus, we know the answers to these two questions: Yes, and Everyone. Jesus did not mince words about who we are to open our hearts to, reach out to, and make room for, in our lives. He did not just talk the talk, He walked the walk as well. He healed the servant of a Roman centurion—the sworn enemy and oppressor of his people—and praised the man for his faith. He welcomed women into his inner circle— a great taboo. He touched the leper— something that could get you thrown out of town and family. He engaged the Samaritan woman and the Syrophoenician mother—not only women but also “aliens” who most Jews of the day despised. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, had dinner with folks with less than stellar reputations who were frowned upon by polite society and the religious elite. How did he do it? How did Jesus stay open and welcoming to so many people with such desperate needs? Yeah, there were times when he tried to get away from the demanding crowds. One day he got into a boat and had his fishermen disciples row him across to the other side of the lake only to be met by another
ANGELA MERICI CENTER
demanding and needy crowd. He did not whine about not being able to get away for a well-deserved rest. No, the scriptures tell us that when Jesus saw the crowd, “…his heart broke [with compassion]—like sheep without a shepherd, they were. He went right to work teaching them.” (Mark 6:34) It was not guilt, grief, anger, or a sense of duty that kept Jesus energized, open and welcoming. It was compassion. It was a heart broken open by love. The reality is, we can do a lot of good things motivated by a purpose that is often self-serving and will eventually burn itself out. I reach out to welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry, to comfort the lonely so I can ease my guilt, soothe my grief, calm my anger, and feel good about myself; but it only takes me so far before I become exhausted, dried up and spent. Jesus shows us that it is love and compassion that empowers when all else fails. First, knowing in our heartof-hearts that we are each loved infinitely and without any conditions. Then, allowing ourselves to be conduits of this love, to allow it to flow through us and out to others, like the living waters Jesus promised the woman at the well, and us. Of course, this does not happen overnight, this opening to love. It is a process we call transformation, redemption, and salvation. It is grounded in prayer and intimacy between God and ourselves. It is a letting go and a growing into our true self, that self that is created in the image and likeness of God. It is the recovery of our sight that allows us to see the other as sister, brother and neighbor and to open wide the doors of our hearts and cry out, “All are welcome! All are welcome!”
Angela Merici Center for Spirituality Online Opportunities for Contemplative Prayer: A Guided Meditation A new series, Opportunities for Contemplative Prayer, is offered on the fourth Monday of each month. It is our hope and prayer that you will receive what you need and desire from this series. TAIZÉ Prayer 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. Sabbath Moments Sabbath-keeping is an ancient tradition of resting from your labor so that you might remember the gifts of God and reconnect with the Ground of your being. The theme for this year is Love. Each month we will reflect upon a different aspect of love and how we might more fully live into it.
We will continue to offer Taizé Prayer and Contemplative Prayer Experiences virtually on the AMC Facebook page and website. To be placed on our email blast list, please email your name and email address to: gschaeffer@ursulineslou.org Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/amcspirituality Visit our website at: www.amcspirituality.org We’re on Instagram! amcspirituality DOME | SUMMER 2021
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PLANNED GIVING
Ursuline Associate Relationships Led to Legacy Gift Born in Eldridge, North Dakota, Irene Boelke attended school there until her parents moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1939, when she was twelve. She attended St. Leo the Great elementary school and Ursuline Academy, from which she graduated in 1946. She married Jake Link a year after she graduated, and together they had five children. Years later, Irene and her daughter, Karen enrolled in nursing school and became licensed practical nurses. Jake passed away in 1975. Irene taught courses in the practical nursing curriculum at the former Louisville Vocational Technical Institute. A shared interest in square dancing brought recently widowed Irene and recently widowed John Mueller together. In 1976, they sashayed into a happy union. Thus, Irene added four stepchildren, including Sister Marilyn Mueller to her blended family circle. For John and Irene, square dancing, volunteering, and family camping trips filled their days. Active and adventurous, they were searching for ways to enrich their spirituality when they spotted an ad in the Louisville Catholic newspaper, The Record, about the Ursuline Associate Call program, “Come & See.” They came, saw, and joined. In 1987, they became Ursuline Associates who engage in prayer, mutual support and service to others as lay people guided by the charism of St. Angela Merici and the Ursulines. Their enthusiasm attracted family members, and soon, being an Associate became a “family affair.” Throughout the years, Irene and John donated to many Ursuline appeals and ministries, including: the chapel renovation and restoration projects; relocation of the Ursuline Academy entrance arch from downtown to the Motherhouse grounds; the congregation’s greatest needs; the operation of the
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former nursing facility, Marian Home; the Peru Mission, and the purchase of a handicap accessible van for the Sisters. An Associate for ten years, John passed away in 1997. Widowed for the second time, Irene kept busy with her family, friends, volunteer work and participation in Associate programs, liturgies, lunches, reflection groups and projects. At the time of her passing, in February 2021, she had been an Associate for thirty-four years. Grateful for the family’s Ursuline connections and her own education, Irene remembered both the Sisters and the Associates in a planned gift for future needs.
PLANNED GIVING 1. 1946 class composite from Ursuline Academy, Louisville 2. High school photo, Ursuline Academy, Louisville 3. Wedding photo with Jake Link, 1947 4. Square dancing, a favorite hobby with Jake Link 5. American Red Cross Volunteer of the Year award 6. Seated (L to R): Sister Marilyn Mueller and Irene Link Mueller Standing (L to R): Karen Link Harris, Denise Link Corey, Grover Corey and Terese Link Bennett, 2013
What’s in Your Will?
If you have included the Ursuline Sisters, or are considering will inclusion in your planned giving, please make sure this information is on your legal documents: Corporate Name: Ursuline Society and Academy of Education Mailing Address: 3115 Lexington Road Louisville, KY 40206 Questions? Contact: Ellen McKnight (502) 515-7526 emcknight@ursulineslou.org
Recognition of Our Communications for Our Mission and Ministries From Kathy Williams, Communications Director: Associated Church Press Awards We received two Awards of Excellence for the redesign of the AMC website and for our Facebook statement on the grand jury announcement on Sept. 23, 2020, in the Breonna Taylor case. Religion Communicators Council DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards We received a Category Winner award with our video series, Walking in Love. We also received an Award of Merit for our blog post, The Great Women’s March.
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IN MEMORIAM
Sister Regina Marie Bevelacqua Sister Regina Marie Bevelacqua shared her conviction and passion for our “special brothers and sisters” in a January 4, 1968 column in The Record newspaper, in which she wrote: “There are little saints among us that go unrecognized. It is not the exterior that makes a saint but the beauty that lies within. I am speaking of our brothers and sisters [with intellectutal disabillities] who never grow up but will remain as Christ commanded us, ‘Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven.’” Her challenge to us: “I challenge you to learn one such child and you will be shown that what lies within the child is the great mark of a true Christian—LOVE!” Ursuline Sister Regina Marie Bevelacqua died on April 7, 2021, at Nazareth Home-Newburg. She was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, to the late Battista Bevelacqua and Minnie Agnesti Bevelacqua, on May 24, 1935, and named Mary Virginia. Sister Regina devoted her life to persons with intellectual disabilities. When asked, she said this special call came when she was in the eighth grade. One day she saw Donnie, one of the six-year-olds, thrown out of his class. Then she saw that he was not picked up by the school bus. She questioned why, only to be told: “He is handicapped.” She responded by working with him, and thus began her life’s mission. Mary Virginia left Donnie in 1955 to join the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. In 1965 she began teaching special education classes in the Archdiocese of Louisville. For more than 20 years, she served as principal of the Monsignor Pitt Learning Center, which later became the Ursuline-Pitt School. She also taught for one year at the Ursuline Child Development Center. Concerned that development opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities were scarce, Sister
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Regina directed the Harvest Home for women from 1986 to 1998. In 1993, she and Ms. Mary Jo Payne co-founded St. Mary’s Center in Middletown. Calling the two “Diminutive Superheroes on behalf of special people,” Bellarmine University named them to the Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2019. Sister Regina served as the executive director of St. Mary’s Center until 2020. Prior to her work with those with intellectual disabilities, she was a teacher at St. Peter, St. Ann, St. Joseph and St. Boniface schools in Louisville, and at St. Joseph School in Columbia, South Carolina. She was a Special Olympics coach for more than 50 years and played a role in the development of the first Special Olympics games in Chicago in 1968. Sister Regina Marie was selected as a Community Hero torchbearer for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay, carrying the Olympic Flame along Spring Street in New Albany, Indiana, and handing it on to the next U.S.A. runner. Sister also received a WLKY Bell Award in 2018. Sister Regina is survived by several nieces and nephews, her close friends, Mary Jo Payne, OSU-A, and Mary Ann Daunhauer, OSU-A, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.
May the strength and true consolation of the Holy Spirit be in you all, so that you can sustain and carry out vigorously and faithfully the charge laid upon you. — Saint Angela Merici Prologue to the Counsels
IN MEMORIAM
“In the early hours of the morning of August 22, 1938, I was born to Calvin and Margaret Hudson in Cumberland, Maryland. I was their fifth child and second daughter; the middle child and middle girl of a family of nine. My parents named me Dolores Mae.” So wrote Sister Dolores Hudson in 1997. Sister Dolores died at Nazareth Home-Clifton on April 2, 2021. “My childhood was a very happy time. My father worked for the B&O Railroad and my mother stayed home to raise us.” Dolores attended St. Mary grade school and graduated from St. Mary High School in Cumberland, where she had been taught by Ursulines. While in high school, Dolores Mae worked at Sacred Heart Hospital to pay tuition, and she also enjoyed taking part in functions at Saint Mary Parish. Dolores entered the novitiate in July 1957 receiving the name Sister Joseph Ann, made first vows in 1959, and began teaching first grade at St. Elizabeth of Hungary School in Louisville. Next it was St. Helen School for two years, followed by Saint Peter School in Columbia, South Carolina, and then back to Cumberland to SS Peter & Paul School. “I loved the little ones and wanted to keep teaching the first grade.” She taught first grade for seventeen years. Sister Dolores earned a bachelor’s degree in education with a full scholarship from Ursuline College, Louisville, and masters’ degrees in elementary education and education administration and supervision from Frostburg State College in Frostburg, Maryland. In March 1977, her father died at age 71 of a heart attack. “I was glad I was still in Cumberland so I could help my mother with the great loss.” However, in September, she became principal of St. Francis de Sales Elementary School in Morgantown, West Virginia. Farewell to teaching first grade!
Next, she was principal of St. Vincent de Paul School in Louisville from 1984 to 1987, and then returned to Cumberland as head of St. John Neumann School until 1997. After she left that school in September of that year, a playground was named in her honor. Next, her ministry was with people at the other end of life, at the Ursuline Sisters’ licensed nursing facility, Marian Home, as coordinator of the PreRetirement Program, and then as co-coordinator for the Sisters living at the Ursuline Motherhouse. Sister Dolores liked to listen to country music and watch Hallmark movies on TV. Her favorite song was “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” She also had said that “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein was one of her favorite books. Sister Dolores is survived by her sister, Mary Margaret Wilhelm of Bedford, Pennsylvania, and brother, James Hudson of Cumberland, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates. .
Therefore, my most loving mothers, if you love these dear daughters of ours with a burning and passionate charity, it will be impossible for you not to have them all depicted individually in your memory and in your heart. — from Saint Angela Merici’s Second Legacy
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IN MEMORIAM
Sister Colette Kraemer
Sister Colette Kraemer blessed us by planning her own funeral liturgy, in which she proclaimed the love of God for each of us and the joy that awaits us for all eternity. The readings and the hymns complimented each other, expressing her life. All that was missing was her voice as we sang songs of God’s love for us.
Sister Colette Kraemer was born on March 6, 1932 and died on May 3, 2021, at Baptist Health in Louisville. Baptized Shirley Helen Kraemer, she began attending St. Elizabeth of Hungary grade school in second grade, where the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville were teaching. About that experience, she said, “The Ursuline Sisters always impressed me as being very happy, really good teachers and interested in what they were doing, so that all impressed me as a kid.” By seventh grade, Shirley had decided to become an Ursuline; by age 15, she was certain of that decision and entered a new program for high school girls that the Sisters had established at Ursuline High School in Columbia, South Carolina. Before beginning her senior year at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, she was accepted into the postulancy. The following year, Shirley became known as Sister Colette. She celebrated her 70th jubilee in 2020. Sister Colette’s teaching ministry extended over 30 years. In Louisville she taught at St. George and St. Martin of Tours parish elementary schools, and at Sacred Heart Model School, Angela Merici High School and Sacred Heart Academy. From 1997 to 2007, Sister Colette was the director of Mission Effectiveness for Sacred Heart Schools on the Ursuline campus. Sister served on the Ursuline Sisters Leadership team (1988-1996), and as director of the Ursuline Life Office and co-director of the Ursuline Associate program. She was a member of the boards of trustees of Sacred Heart Schools, Holy Cross High School, Holy Rosary Academy and Pitt Academy. In 2009, Sister
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Colette was inducted into the Holy Cross High School Hall of Fame “in recognition of her long career as an educator at Angela Merici and Bishop David high schools,” which merged to become Holy Cross High School. In 2006, she received the Francesconi Award of Integrity from Sacred Heart Schools for her contributions to SHS. Sister Colette is survived by her sister-in-law, Reba E. Kraemer, and nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates. Her “much older” brothers, as Sister Colette would lovingly refer to them, Earl and Lloyd Kraemer are deceased.
Lord, You have called us to work in Your vineyard. Thus You let us share your concern about the salvation of your people. Let us see the task You have entrusted us with, let us hear Your call in our brothers and sisters, who look to us for direction; in young people, whom we may accompany for part of their way; Inspire us and guide us, so that together we may find the paths that lead to You. — from Praying With Angela Merici Publisher: Editions du Signe
IN MEMORIAM
Sister Georgia Jean Kruml Sister Georgia Jean Kruml, formerly known as Sister Francis Marie, completed her junior year at St. Patrick High School, Sidney, Nebraska, in 1952, then traveled all the way from western Nebraska to Louisville, Kentucky, to join the Ursuline Sisters. She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in 1953. On May 15, 2021, at age 85, she completed her life’s journey at Nazareth Home-Clifton. Her funeral liturgy was celebrated on May 20, 2021, in the Ursuline Motherhouse chapel. Her journey took her many places and into many ways of helping others. She ministered to her Sisters, especially at Marian Home and the Motherhouse, in ways big and small. She made sure that doors were locked, volunteered at the visitor entrance, and helped with computer issues. Along with Sister Carl Marie Hulsewede, she accompanied Sisters to hospital emergency rooms, whatever the hour, and even directed traffic during special events at the Motherhouse and Ursuline campus. Sister Georgia Jean was the last Ursuline Sister on the faculty of Blessed Sacrament School, Omaha, Nebraska, where she ministered in the computer lab from 1977 to 1990. She also taught at Holy Name, St. Elizabeth and St. Athanasius schools and ministered to the children and Sisters at St. Joseph Children’s Home, all in Louisville. For twenty-five years, she was well-known as a drummer in the Holy Name Band of Louisville. In 2006, she received the Outstanding Adult Volunteer Award from the Kentucky Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. When asked on her 60th jubilee what was a “grace filled” memory, she answered: “I have had so many. Whether I was cleaning and cooking, caring for children at St. Joseph Home, or teaching my Sisters how to use the computer, it all comes down to this: I love helping others.”
Sister Georgia Jean is survived by her sisters, Ursuline Sister of Louisville Theresa Kruml of Iowa City, Iowa, and Cecilia Ann Kruml of Lincoln, Nebraska, and her brother, Robert J. Kruml, also of Lincoln, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates. She is the daughter of the late Francis George and Marie Mestecky Kruml. Her brother, Francis E. Kruml, died in August 2020.
Do not lose heart, even if you should discover that you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need he will stretch out his saving hand. —Saint Angela Merici
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 to Mission Advancement Office, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, 3115 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40206, or use the enclosed remittance envelope. The check must be processed through the Mission Advancement Office for the Ursuline Sisters to generate the proper documentation you will need for your tax-deductible donation. Ursuline Society and Academy of Education (USAE) is the corporate title under which the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville do business. USAE does not include gifts received for the other corporation, Sacred Heart Schools (SHS), Inc. Gifts for Sacred Heart Academy and other campus schools are received by the SHS Office of Development and used exclusively for the schools and their programs.
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IN MEMORIAM
Sister Raymunda Orth Sister Raymunda Orth claimed that she did not choose her ministries, but that they chose her! And she responded by loving each ministry, completing 73 years as an Ursuline Sister of Louisville. A native of Evansville, Indiana, she was born on November 2, 1928, and died at age 92 at Nazareth Home-Clifton, Louisville, on May 28, 2021. Her long ministry as an educator took her into parish elementary and middle schools as a teacher of music at various grade levels, then into special education, and in later years as an assistant in the administration offices of the Ursuline Sisters, all in Louisville. Sister Raymunda also was a teacher of chorus and language arts, and then principal at West Side Catholic Consolidated Schools, St. Boniface Junior High School, Evansville, from 1974 to 1980, and teacher of grade five at St. Mary School, Madison, Indiana. Through the years she was a loyal advocate for adults with mental challenges. Sister Janet Marie Peterworth proclaimed the homily at Sister Raymunda’s funeral liturgy on June 4, 2021. It was written by Sister Sue Scharfenberger, who resides at the Ursuline mission in Callao, Peru, and thus unable to be present. Sister Sue wrote: “‘It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.’ The wisdom of The Little Prince opens for us an understanding of time. And of relationships. Jesus was good at wasting time. On the hillside with 5,000. In the home of Martha and Mary. On the road to Emmaus. “I was a young student when I took piano lessons from Sister Raymunda. That was a special time. No award performances. But I knew it was my time. Sister was wasting time with me. “And much later in my life, when I felt pretty sure that I wanted to explore an Ursuline vocation, I went looking for Sister Raymunda. She took the time to
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listen. And even beyond her official ministries, Sister Raymunda took the time with those who needed to feel like a special rose.” Sister Raymunda is survived by her sister, Suzanna Reker of Midland, Texas, sister-in-law, Frieda Orth of New Harmony, Indiana, several nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates. Several of her nieces and nephews were able to participate in her funeral Mass.
If according to times and circumstances, the need arises to make new rules or do something differently, do it prudently and with good advice. And always let your principal recourse be to gather at the feet of Jesus Christ, and there, all of you, with all your daughters, to offer most fervent prayers. For in this way, without doubt, Jesus will be in your midst, and as a true and good master, he will enlighten and teach you what you have to do. — from Saint Angela Merici’s Last Legacy
IN MEMORIAM
Sister Sarah Stauble Sister Sarah Stauble is indeed a person of kindness and faith, of compassion and competence. So reads the Citation for Honorary Degree Doctor of Humane Letters, Bellarmine University, given to Sister in 2004. Sister Sarah entered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville on July 2, 1952; she had graduated from Ursuline Academy, Louisville, the previous year. The sixth of seven children, she was born on Febraury 13, 1933, and was named Lorine Elizabeth, her mother’s name. Sister Sarah completed her journey and went home to God on Sunday, June 13, 2021, at Nazareth Home-Clifton. For over 50 years, Sister Sarah served as teacher and, often simultaneously, in leadership roles for the Ursuline Sisters. She was elected president of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville in 1992 and again in 1996, for a total of 10 years in that office. Previously she was a member of the Leadership team from 1968 to 1972, and from 1980-1988. Other positions include: a member of the Ursuline Formation Team and director of the Associate (Call) Community. Sister Sarah taught music at Holy Spirit School, St. Elizabeth School, Sacred Heart Model School, Sacred Heart Academy, the Ursuline School for the Performing Arts, Ursuline Special Education Learning Center, all in Louisville, and at St. Aloysius School in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, as well as at schools in Madison, Indiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. Her ministry in the Louisville area included: member of the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees, chairperson of the board of directors of Day Spring, Inc., and volunteer at Wayside Christian Mission and St. Vincent de Paul Open Hand Kitchen. Sister Sarah’s family members who were Ursuline Sisters were: her sister, (former Sister) Serena Stauble; her aunt, Sister Inez Staeuble; and her cousin, Sister Agnese Staeuble.
The field of music was the key ministry of Sarah. She shared her love and the joy she found in that ministry. She witnessed to the importance, the beauty, the essential reality of music in our lives and in our liturgy…. She was a gracious, gentle yet strong, faithful woman…. We are all blessed to have known her. — Sister Rosella McCormick, Reflection at funeral Mass Sister Sarah is survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as her community of Ursuline Sisters and Associates.
Be bound one to the other by the bond of charity, respecting, helping, and bearing with each other in Jesus Christ. For if you try to be like this, without any doubt the Lord God will be in your midst. You will have the protection of Our Lady.
— Saint Angela Merici, Last Counsel
To remember any of our Sisters who have died, expressions of sympathy may be made to: Ursuline Sisters of Louisville Mission Advancement Office 3115 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40206 DOME | SPRING DOME | SUMMER 2021
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FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED 3115 Lexington Road Louisville, Kentucky 40206 www.ursulinesisterslouisville.org
Our Mission Teaching Christian living is the corporate mission of the Ursuline Sisters. This ministry, cutting across socio-economic, racial and national boundaries, assists women, men and children to live more fully and to develop a personal relationship with God.
Sacredly Centered We will be concluding our 5-year fundraising campaign for the Motherhouse Chapel renovation and restoration project in December. To help us meet our $3.5 million goal, please use the special remittance envelope enclosed for your designated gift to the Chapel Preservation Fund. The chapel is the epicenter of spiritual life for the Ursuline Sisters and Sacred Heart Schools. All designated donations are board and donor restricted, and will be used for upgrades and repairs to keep this 104-year-old building in top-notch condition for years to come and for future generations to experience. Send corrections, change of address and story ideas to: Mission Advancement Office • 3115 Lexington Road • Louisville, KY 40206 (502) 515-7523 • Fax (502) 896-3913 • communications@ursulineslou.org
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