November 2015
VOL. XXI, NO. 2
The team who planned the group formation are, from left, Associates Martha Little, Charlotte Paez and Debbie Lanham. Next to Lanham is potential associate Linda Calhoun, Coordinator of Ursuline Partnerships Marian Bennett and Sister Mary Diane Taylor.
Several potential associates smile during the Oct. 13 formation session at Brescia University. In the first row, from left, are Barbara Barr, Nettie Noel, Nouhad Bitar and Doreen Abbott; in the back row from left are Sister Barbara Jean Head, Cindy Bornander, Ron Bornander, Sister Marie Joseph Coomes (partly hidden), Carol Rumage and Lissa Alls.
New group formation also has a history “When you get a group together, they’ll ask more Ursuline Associates in Owensboro held their first questions and have a better understanding,” Simpson group formation meeting for prospective associates said. “They also help to keep each other going to on Oct. 13, with 11 potential associates attending. associate meetings.” It’s a new venture for Owensboro, which often The Owensboro group formation grew out of serves as the testing ground for changes comments made in February 2015 by in the way the associate process works. Sister Suzanne Sims. She said she had But in this case, group formation is several people she would like to invite nothing new for some groups. to become associates, but she lacked the Sister Fran Wilhelm, who was the time to offer them individual formation. first director of the Ursuline Associates Owensboro Associates Charlotte Paez, from 1983-92, credits Ursuline Sisters Debbie Lanham, Joan Perry and Martha Maureen Griner and Margaret Ann Little began meeting April 8 to adapt the Zinselmeyer with employing group current formation process to work in a Sister Betsy Moyer, left, formation after they moved to Memphis, group setting. If successful, the details with potential Tenn., in the mid-1990s. In recent years, chats of the program will be shared with all associate Aimee McCarty. both the Muhlenberg County, Ky., group other associate groups. Group formation and associates in Kansas have used group formation, is not replacing individual formation, just making with positive results. another option available. The group formation will be “It works well as a group,” said Jean Simpson, the meeting periodically over the next several months. associate group leader in Muhlenberg County. “We Group formation has popped up in various places may have two or three people at a time. I think the through the years because of necessity. interaction is better.” Sister Fran said when the associate program Simpson, Sister Rose Karen Johnson and began, formation was one-on-one because it was Associate Lisa Day have joined together for several new. But she said there may have been instances in years to lead formation for multiple people at once. Nebraska when new associates were formed as a By Dan Heckel, OSUA
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