FEBRUARY 2023
VOL. XXVIII, NO. 3
How has your life changed since becoming an Associate? By Dan Heckel, OSUA
n a Nov. 29, 1981, letter to the Ursulines Sisters, Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan – who then served both on the Leadership Council and as chairwoman of the Formation Team – spoke of a “new hope taking shape in our hearts” – the beginning stage of launching an Associate program. The Formation Team was asked to work on goals and objectives for an Associate program. This is how Sister Rose Marita described the potential program to the Sisters: “An Associate is a person (man or woman) who wants to be associated with the mission and spirit of the Ursuline Community, who wants to share in the community’s ideals, goals and challenges, but who does not wish to profess canonical vows or promises in the congregation. Associates live their own lifestyle, share communal prayer experiences, community workshops and celebrations, communication, hospitality and work of ministry in some way. The Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline Associate Program is a mutual belonging,
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Sister Fran Wilhelm, right, visits with Associate Maria Galles in 2004. The two once worked together at Centro Latino.
individually designed, which can be revised or terminated by mutual agreement.” In the fall of 1983 – 40 years ago this year – Sister Fran Wilhelm was named the first director of the Associate program. In her first letter to the Sisters on Oct. 24, 1983, Sister Fran said this: “We hope to keep the program as unstructured as possible, in order to move freely with the Spirit as it takes its own form around the gifts of both the Associates and the MSJ Ursulines. It is open to both men and women who are seeking affiliation with us in any of several levels of involvement.” The program has been tweaked over the years, as its
Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan pins Randy Shelby’s lifetime associate pin on him during Associates and Sisters Day at Mount Saint Joseph in 2013.
leadership has transitioned from a handful of Sisters to lay Associates. But the core of being an Associate has never changed – it remains a “mutual belonging … guided by the Holy Spirit.” As we celebrate 40 years of Ursuline Associates in 2023, perhaps it’s time to push the reset button. As we at Maple Mount have tried to bestir our Associates after the isolation of Covid, some Associates have wondered if they are expected to take on some group service project, or commit to attending more meetings. We think great things can happen when Associates and Sisters gather, and we know your communities have many needs that our Associates
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