AUGUST 2018
VOL. XXIII, NO. 1
ASSOCIATES AND SISTERS DAY 2018
By Associate Joanne Thompson of Paola, Kan.
Flexing our Spiritual Muscles in Heart, Mind and Spirit
pinning ceremony welcomed Joy Keller, Jeannie Foster and Kathi Skidd. Then Associate Forum panelists were asked to share how they have grown since being introduced to Saint Angela. Ron Bornander, of Owensboro, an active volunteer at his parish, said Saint Angela inspired him to drive for Father Jamie Dennis, who is blind, and take communion to the homebound. He said the daily prayer list connects him to the wider community. Stephanie Render, of Caneyville, Ky., was influenced by Sister Clarence Marie Luckett, who helped her to “unload her baggage,” and come to realize that whatever your denomination, “you are a child of God.” The love and support she received had a ripple effect and changed her life. Stephanie’s words of advice were, “If you want to feel love and acceptance that God wants you to feel, then with the Ursuline Sisters and Associates is where you want to be.” Kim Haire of Owensboro has been an Associate for one year but says she has been under the care and hospitality of the Ursulines for 50 years. Sister Cheryl is her older sister and Kim graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Kim believes that the root of the Ursuline community is hospitality and spirituality. This carried over to her home, parish and environment. Now, Kim has a broader view of Ursuline spirituality and is more aware of opportunities to grow and be challenged. “There’s always more to do,” she said. Delores Turnage shared how the Ursuline Sisters have influenced her to think about slowing down and making time for prayer. “Stop, be quiet, take time to listen to God instead of me doing all the talking,” she said. Delores summarized what all the forum participants conveyed best, in the words of Saint Angela,
The Associate panel for the afternoon session consisted of, from left, Stephanie Render, Delores Turnage, Kim Haire and Ron Bornander. They each responded to the question, “How have I grown since being introduced to Saint Angela?”
“The day gave me lots to think about and a lot of things to pray about,” Owensboro Associate Delores Turnage said about Associates and Sisters Day on June 23. Father Joe Merkt, facilitator, author, spiritual director and professor of theology, led everyone through spiritual exercises by way of reflections, meditations, thought processes and self-examination. It was rich with images, analogies and words layered with deep meaning. Each were asked to review his or her own Ursuline spirituality and its elements, signs and formation, and find what was speaking to them most directly. “What was Saint Angela saying to us? What is God saying to us?” After participants took an assessment of where they stand in their Ursuline spirituality, some shared how they felt: •“God sees me. He works in and for me. He’s not done, yet. He cares and loves me! Trust Him. Be at Peace. Hold on (to Him). Persevere, to the end.”-Nanette Foley •“God needs to be the center of my life, Associates not me and my worries.”-Doreen Abbott Phyllis • “How big is your heart?” Troutman, left, of Raywick, Ky., -Sister Cheryl Clemons and Carol Hill of • “This is wearing me out to think of all Leitchfield, Ky., the things I need to work on.” share a laugh as -Debbie Lanham they help with registration. Following the lunch, the Associate
Continued on page 2