W E S T M I DW E S T L E A D E R S H I P T E A MNorita Cooney, RSM, President

Judith Cannon, RSM

Judith Frikker, RSM

Michelle Gorman, RSM

Sheila Megley, RSM

Kathy Thornton, RSM

W E S T M I DW E S T A D M I N I S T R AT I V ES TA F F AT S AC R E D H E A RT C O N V E N T

Theresa Baldus-Kokontis,Administrator

Melissa Pence, Development Office

Jessica Stephenson, Sister Support Services

DONOR RELATIONS AND MISSION ADVANCEMENT

SISTERSMary Corkery, RSM

Judith Meyers, RSM

Mary Lou Podzimek, RSM

Shari Sutherland, RSM

Kathy Thill, RSM

Mary Cephas Wichman, RSM

Direct address changes to:

Mercy WorksSisters of Mercy

West Midwest CommunitySacred Heart Convent1125 Prairie Drive NE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402-4737

Mercy WorksMercy Works is published by the Cedar Rapids Development Office of the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community. The West Midwest Community has over 800 members and 500 Mercy Associates and is part of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, a religious order of over 4,000 members, founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831 by Catherine McAuley.

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West Midwest Community Opens Ministry Office

On May 1, the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community opened its Ministry Office in the Community’s central administrative site in Omaha, Neb.

Sister Kathy Thill, RSM, will oversee the operations of the West Midwest Ministry Office as Director of Ministry. Sister Kathy, in conjunction with the Community Leadership Team, is responsible for creating, facilitating and directing support structures and processes to enliven, engage and mobilize ministry in the West Midwest Community. She will work with Mercy ministries and Sponsorship Councils in their emerging and ongoing realities by providing a variety of services and resources including: coordinating and integrating the planning and implementation of ministry within the West Midwest Community, coordinating support services and facilitating resources.

“Ministry is the core of who we are as Sisters of Mercy,” states Sister Kathy. “I am delighted and excited about this position. I look forward to working with the West Midwest Community as we appreciate the richness of our ministries, confront the challenges, and envision and plan for the future.”

Sister Kathy was previously program director for the House of Mercy in Waterloo, Iowa, and serves on the West Midwest Spiritual and Social Outreach Sponsorship Council.

Sister Kathy is joined in the Ministry Office with Cheri Cody, Ministry Support Manager. Cheri will work closely with Sister Kathy by providing managerial and organizational support to the ministry office, the ministry funds and ministries throughout the West Midwest Community. She will provide support, resources, and limited consultative services for ministries and sponsorship councils in their emerging and ongoing relaties. She will also be responsible for developing and fostering grantee relationships, providing technical assistance and other services to support ministry organizations.

Cheri first was employed by the Sisters of Mercy in 2003 as Executive Director of the McAuley Ministry Fund for the former Omaha Regional Community. She was responsible for research, design, development and implementation of the structure and process of the McAuley Ministry Fund and managed the grant making process.

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Spring Network Meetings Bring Community Together

Sister Marilyn Ward (center) welcomes Sister Monica Marie Reichmuth (left) and West Midwest Community Leadership Team Member Sister Michelle Gorman (right) to Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids during the Spring Consultation Network Meeting.

Sisters and Mercy Associates in the West Midwest Community gathered at 11 locations from March 27 to April 18 for Spring Consultation Network Meetings.

The meetings opened with a prayer, written by the newly appointed West Midwest Prayer and Ritual Committee. The prayer honored 95 faithful women who are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year as Sisters of Mercy. The day continued with reports from the Administrative Leadership Team and the progress of their work for the West Midwest Community.

Some of the recent activities highlighted included: the design of positions for the West Midwest Ministry Office; selection of a senior archivist and retirement director; establishment of the communications office; discussion of structure for development activities; meetings with the West Midwest Justice and New Membership Teams; communication with conveners of the 11 network meeting sites; and conference calls with personal contact sisters.

The meeting agenda continued with group discussions, review of the Community goals survey taken by the Sisters, Justice Team presentation on actions to reduce Carbon Footprint and the election of conveners or site leaders for future Consultation Network meetings. Sister Laura Reicks, RSM, was elected as convener for future Consultation Network meetings at the Cedar Rapids area site. Sisters gathered at the Cedar Rapids Consultation Network meeting ended the day with a liturgy celebration and dinner.

Consultation Network meetings are held twice a year to help connect and give updates to Sisters and Associates in the West Midwest Community. Over 60 Sisters and Associates across the West Midwest Community gathered at Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids for the Spring 2009 meeting.

Sister Veronica Gorman (left) and Sister Betty Carr (right) were among the 60 Sisters and Mercy Associates who attended the West Midwest Spring Consultation Network Meeting in Cedar Rapids in April.

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The Arch - Building Life in Community

Since April 2008, Sister Vicky Arndorfer, RSM has ministered to people with developmental disabilities as a full-time live-in assistant for The Arch in Clinton, Iowa. The Arch is a L’Arche Community, a non-profit organization providing Christian-based homes for people with intellectual disabilities.

L’Arche was founded by French-Canadian, Jean Vanier in Trosley-Breuil, France. Vanier was introduced into the world of persons with cognitive disabilities by Dominican Father Thomas Philippe, who served as a chaplain of a small institution for men. Father Thomas suggested that Vanier begin something new as there was a great need for homes and workshops for people with developmental disabilities. Vanier took it upon himself to take action and opened his home to two gentlemen with intellectual disabilities on Aug. 4, 1964.

Word of Vanier’s work spread and more people arrived calling for a greater need to establish more homes for core members (those with disabilities) and assistants (those who live and work with core members). Vanier would call his communities L’Arche, French for “the ark” a word symbolizing diversity, refuge and hope in Christian and Jewish traditions. Today, men and women with and without developmental disabilities share their lives together in 133 L’Arche communities in 35 countries throughout the world. Vanier states, “At the beginning of it all, there was a call revealed to me through Father Thomas. L’Arche was not my project. It was God’s.”

In the early 1970s, Sister Marjorie Wisor, OSF, a Clinton Franciscan was introduced to the L’Arche vision and attended retreats and presentations by Vanier. During one of the presentations, Sister Marjorie asked Vanier if she could work at the Trosly community during the summer. After 10 weeks in Trosly, Sister Marjorie felt the need to provide a L’Arche presence in her own community. Sister

Marjorie began her mission by naming the L’Arche Community in Clinton, The Arch; establishing a board of directors and searching to fund the project. The First Presbyterian Church in Clinton made it possible for The Arch to get started providing the first house for core members and assistants to live. Ten years after Vanier founded the first L’Arche Community, The Arch opened its doors in Clinton on June 5, 1974.

The Arch continues to occupy the home owned by the First Presbyterian Church along with two other homes all within a few blocks in the Clinton neighborhood. In addition, core members also live in six apartments in Clinton. A total of 19 core members are served through The Arch in Clinton supported by approximately 22-25 live-in and staff assistants who live their lives in community with the core members. The administrative operations of The Arch community are supported by the community leader, community coordinator, office manager, administrative assistant and an eight-member board of directors.

The mission of The Arch is to create homes of welcome, to appreciate the unique gifts of each person and to respond to each one’s needs. The community tries to live simply and in peace with each other and their neighbors. Housemates in each Arch community are paired by their interests and how well they get

Sister Vicky Arndorfer observes as a core member knits in The Arch home.

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along with each other. Core members share household duties such as making dinner for members in the house. Menus for each house are carefully planned to ensure a well-balanced and nutritional meal. Core members and assistants also participate in other activities together such as praying, playing board games, reading books or watching television.

Sister Vicky lives in an Arch home with another live-in assistant and four core members. Core members in the house range from 22 to 50 years of age. Two core members have lived in the Arch community for 28 years while the most recent core member moved in just over a year ago. Each member is responsible for duties around the house such as preparing dinner, taking out the garbage, walking the house dog or tending the garden. Live-in assistants, like Sister Vicky, provide support to core members in and outside the home. For instance, she assists core members in her house with their household duties and is certified to distribute medication to core members when needed. As a live-in assistant, Sister Vicky is also responsible for logging core members’ activities throughout the day. The documented contact hours are necessary for The Arch to be reimbursed by HCBS (Home and Community Services) Waiver.

Some of The Arch core members spend a portion of their day working at Skyline, a sheltered workshop which provides contract work with area employers. Other core members participate in Skyline Day Rehabilitation Services, a day program filled with activities such as bowling, cooking, and arts and crafts. In the late afternoon, core members return to

their homes to continue to live life in community. In addition to the daily activities in each house, the entire Arch community gathers twice a month for celebrations of each others' birthdays and anniversary since arriving at The Arch. Birthdays are celebrated with a potluck dinner and cake. Anniversaries are commemorated as part of a monthly prayer service. Arch community members also participate in trips for L’Arche regional gatherings and in Special Olympics. “L’Arche focuses on building community and enriching spirituality in addition to giving quality service,” says Sister Vicky. “That is why I am attracted to it. So far this is a very life-giving experience.”

Sister Vicky sees many similarities with her work at The Arch and life as a Sister of Mercy. Catherine McAuley and Jean Vanier were both visionary people who saw a need in their community, she says. McAuley opened the House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Dublin to care for the poor, sick and house and educate children and young women. Vanier saw a need to offer a place for people with developmental disabilities to live in communities. Both the Sisters of Mercy and L’Arche were founded to address needs in their local community, but later their missions were found to be desired in other areas and their works have spread worldwide. Finally, the Sisters of Mercy and L’Arche focus on living life in community. In his book, Community and Growth, Vanier states, “Community is a place where people can live truly as human beings, where they can be healed and strengthened in their deepest emotions, and where they can walk towards unity and inner freedom. As fears and prejudices diminish, and trust in God and others grows, the community can radiate and witness to a style and quality of life which will bring a solution to the troubles of our world.”

Sister Vicky assists a core member with laundry.

Sister Vicky helps core members choose and prepare nutritional foods for their lunch.

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Ministry NewsAffordable Housing in Waterloo Closer to Reality

Affordable housing for low-income families in Waterloo is becoming a closer reality. Plans to build a 40-unit family townhouse development are underway in the block bounded by Newell, Mobile, Ash and Webster streets in East Waterloo.

The Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community has partnered with CommonBond Communities to develop, preserve, build and manage the housing development. CommonBond Communities is a non-profit organization based in St. Paul, Minn., whose mission is to build community by creating affordable housing as a stepping-stone to success.

CommonBond Communities secured $9.7 million in credits to build affordable housing for working, low-income families in the East Waterloo Unity Neighborhood. In May, the Unity Neighborhood gathered to discuss the architectural design for the new family townhouse development, construction bidding process, property management and tenant screening.

After the housing construction is complete, CommonBond Communities will continue to serve as property manager. The Sisters of Mercy will assist in providing on-site resident services, such as mentoring for adults and children, computer classes and employment preparation. The 40 townhouse units include: 14, 2-bedroom homes; 20, 3-bedroom homes; 6, 4-bedroom homes; and four homes of which will be handicap accessible. Each townhome will be equipped with appliances and a 1-stall garage.

Ground breaking is scheduled for the fall of 2009, with completion a year later.

Delores Hannon, RSM, Named Next President of Omaha Mercy High Sister Delores Hannon has been named the next president of Mercy High School in Omaha, Neb. Mercy High School, a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community, is a liberal arts school for girls with a college preparatory curriculum.

Sister Delores has worked in Catholic schools in the Midwest as a teacher and administrator since 1972. Most recently, she was president of the St. Edmond Catholic School System in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where she held the position since 2003. She served on the leadership team for the Sisters of Mercy Cedar Rapids Regional Community from 1995 – 2003.

Catherine McAuley Center Marks 20-Year Anniversary

The Catherine McAuley Center will mark 20 years since it opened its doors in Cedar Rapids on July 20, 1989. The Sisters of Mercy founded the Catherine McAuley Center to promote the well-being and dignity of individuals in need by providing basic education for adults and transitional housing for women.

Since opening, the organization has been able to provide services to more than 1,000 unduplicated adult learners, many of whom have gone on to pass their citizenship exam, complete degrees in higher education, earn certifications or receive skilled training that has allowed them to improve their employment and achieve greater financial self-sufficiency. The transitional housing program has provided more than 500 women with safe housing and support services as they work to achieve health and stability in their lives.

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In MemoriamWe remember the following Sisters of Mercy in the West Midwest Community who have entered eternal rest from February 15, 2009 – May 15, 2009.

Sister Elizabeth Sedlmayer, RSM March 21, 1923 - February 17, 2009 Omaha, Neb.

Sister Mary Daniel Mandella, RSM January 18, 1922 - February 25, 2009Auburn, Calif.

Sister Mary Beata Gibbons, RSMApril 25, 1910 - February 27, 2009 Chicago, Ill.

Sister Mary Patricia (Pat) Scanlon, RSM May 17, 1923 - February 27, 2009Omaha, Neb.

Sister Mary Francelyn Miller, RSM April 10, 1924 - March 1, 2009 Farmington Hills, Mich.

Sister Catherine Gallagher, RSM November 15, 1917 - March 2, 2009Chicago, Ill.

Sister Mariann (Donalda) Horning, RSM January 6, 1932 - March 12, 2009Chicago, Ill.

Sister Rita Saucier, RSM November 7, 1927 - March 19, 2009Auburn, Calif.

Sister Rita Mary Olszewski, RSM June 5, 1948 - March 21, 2009Detroit, Mich.

Sister Karlanne Hanna, RSM January 30, 1940 - March 21, 2009 Omaha, Neb.

Sister Stephanie Neumann, RSM February 13, 1927 – March 31, 2009Aurora, Ill. Sister Rosemary (Mary Marcellina) Welter, RSM October 5, 1923 - April 5, 2009 Aurora, Ill.

Sister Arlene Mary Williams, RSM January 4, 1927 - April 8, 2009 Lansing, Mich.

Sister Rita May, RSM April 23, 1925 – April 13, 2009Burlingame, Calif.

Sister Mary Stephen Cotta, RSMDecember 1, 1915 – May 5, 2009Auburn, Calif.

Sister Mary Catherine Kenny, RSM September 7, 1927 – May 5, 2009 Omaha, Neb.

Interested in leaving a lasting gift? Consider including the

Sisters of MercyWest Midwest Community as a

beneficiary in your estate plans.

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We may perceive from all our instructions that a strong and lively faith is a

solid foundation of all virtue.~ Catherine McAuley