UrsulinesSummer 2008

Volume 6, No. 3

www.ursulinesmsj.org

Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint JosephFreeing and Nurturing Women and Children

New Ministry in Jamaica

Spiritual Direction Institute

Brescia STARS

Ursuline Associate Program Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Dear Friends,It all started with the Second Vatican Council. Well, that’s not exactly right — it really started with the many disciples who followed Jesus, it continued through the days of the early Church, and it has waxed and waned throughout the history of Christianity. I’m talking about the empowerment of the laity, the theme of this issue. Vatican II just reminded us of the call of the laity to be holy, to serve, and even to lead. In founding her community in 1535, Angela Merici created a structure that empowered laywomen to live holy and productive lives outside of the cloister or the bond of marriage. Angela told her Ursuline daughters to change with the times. What do you think she would say about the fact that in 25 years our Associate program has grown to include more than twice as many lay and clerical Associates as we have vowed members? She would say “Yesssss! Empower them!” And we watch in amazement and gratitude as our Associates eagerly embrace and further her charism and the mission of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.I know Angela would beam with approval over the second Spiritual Direction Institute just coming to a close, and on a third one about to begin at Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. The Institute has empowered laypeople, as well as sisters and clergy, to feed the spiritual hungers of our world. And what about the fully accredited Lay Ministry program at our other sponsored ministry, Brescia University? Check our Ursuline Web page for the link to Brescia’s Web site to see how this program is credentialing and empowering the laity. We live in marvelous times! May the Holy Spirit bless each of you, and may the Pentecost fire empower each of you to spread the Good News to those whom you serve.

Michele Morek, OSUCongregational Leader - Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

U r s u l i n e s A L I V E

From our Congregational Leader

Ursulines Alive is published by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Maple Mount, Ky. Three issues are published each calendar year.

EDITORS: Director of Mission Advancement/Communications ........Dan Heckel Communications Specialist/Graphic Design ......................Jennifer Kaminski Communications Specialist/Web Design ...........................Tiffany Orth MISSION ADVANCEMENT STAFF: Director of Ministry Development ....................................Sister Suzanne Sims Director of Mission Effectiveness ......................................Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan Director of Spiritual Formation .........................................Sister Marietta Wethington Director of Ursuline Partnerships ......................................Marian Bennett, OSUA Administrative Assistants ...................................................Melanie Sears Christi Bowman

OUR MISSION

We, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph,

sustained by prayer and vowed life in community,

proclaim Jesus through education and Christian formation

in the spirit of our founder, Saint Angela Merici.

OUR PURPOSEFreeing and Nurturing Women and Children

OUR CORE VALUES

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In this issueUrsuline Associate Program ................3The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph celebrate 25 years of welcoming Ursuline Associates

2008 Jubilarians ....................................7

Spiritual Direction Institute .................8Third class of Mount Saint Joseph Spiritual Direction training program set to start in October 2008

Obituaries ...........................................10

Brescia University STARS ...................10

Sisters, Associate Explore Jamaica .....11

Soli Deo Gloria ...................................12We rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God

Sister Michele Morek

ServiceEmpowermentJusticeContemplative PresenceSpirit of Angela

•••••

CONTACT USUrsuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

8001 Cummings Road Maple Mount, Kentucky 42356

270-229-4103Fax: 270-229-4953

info@maplemount.orgwww.ursulinesmsj.org

The call of the laity to be holy and serve

Cover: Ursuline Associate Bonnie Marks, left, and Sister Michele Ann Intravia, center, meet a resident of Our Lady Help of Christians nursing home, run by the Missionaries of Charity, during a March 27-April 2 visit to Jamaica. Also in attendance were Ursuline Sisters Kathleen Kaelin, Martha Keller, Betsy Moyer, Jacinta Powers, and MonicaSeaton. Bonnie called the trip “the most spiritual journey” she had ever taken.

Cover photo taken by Sister Jacinta Powers, OSU

Sister Michele Morek, OSU

25Throughout the history of the Ursuline Sisters of

Mount Saint Joseph, there have been laypeople who closely identified with the mission and spirit of the

Ursulines. However, there was no formal way for them to connect to the community. That situation changed in 1983 with the creation of the Ursuline Associate program, which celebrates 25 years this year. Twelve women and men were approved as the first associates. The program has since grown to include almost 400 associates who seek a deeper experience of union with God through communion with the Ursuline Sisters. “It is important to have Ursuline Associates because the call comes from God, not from us,” said Sister Marietta Wethington, director of spiritual formation for associates. “The first Ursulines lived in families, not in community. In some ways, we are returning to Saint Angela’s original intent.” The role of associates is becoming increasingly important. At a June 9, 2007, meeting for sisters, associates, and staff, the following goal was announced by the Leadership Council: “Wherever our members and associates minister, we will be recognized as leaders in addressing poverty of body, mind and spirit, especially in women and children.” Sister Michele Morek, congregational leader, says two of the Council’s goals are strengthening relationships between associates and sisters, and increasing the number of associates who are actively involved in the mission of the community. “By that we don’t mean ‘working for us,’ but rather, working side by side with us in living the Gospel, and in finding new and deeper ways to live the charism of Angela together,” she said. Associates mutually share in the mission and goals of the Ursulines through nonvowed, noncanonical commitment. These men and women can be married, single, widowed, or divorced or members of the clergy. While maintaining their own lifestyles, they can participate in various spiritual, social, and ministerial community events. “Many times in and out of chapter sessions since the late ‘60s, the dream, the idea, as well as a possible design of an associate program, surfaced,” said Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan, chair of the formation team that instituted the associate program. The groundwork started in 1981 “because of what seemed to be a more specific call from people interested in being part of our family,” she said. Sister Fran Wilhelm, who had been directing charismatic renewal in California, returned to the Mount to reopen the prayer house and to direct the new associate program. “The second Vatican Council put so much emphasis on what laypeople could do for the church. (Associate) programs

Continued on page 43

Eddie Prunty carries the Bible to the altar on April 25, 2007 at a Mass at Mount Saint Joseph, where he and his wife, Melinda, made their first commitments as Ursuline Associates.

By Jennifer Kaminski, Mount Saint Joseph Staff

Ursuline Associate Program turns 25

Above: Serafina Mesnier, Sister Rita Scott (back), Gary Mesnier, Carol Hill, Sister Mary Matthias Ward (back), Violet Hamilton and Mary Jo Dodson participate in the 2007 Associates Day commitment ceremony in the chapel. Twelve candidates made first commitments and 13 made lifetime commitments. LEFT: A 1989 associate commitment ceremony in the chapel

Sister Rose Karen Johnson pins a lifetime commitment associate pin on Judy Sims at a ceremony on Associates and Sisters Day in July 2007.

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ASSOCIATES From page 3

Ursuline Associates Carolyn Baseheart, left, and Jeanne Lamastus, center, join Sister Emma Ann Munsterman in the gym to price items for the yard sale booth at the 2006 Mount picnic.

RIGHT: Ursuline Associate Pauline Goebel unpacks picnic volunteer T-shirts in 2007.

sprang up all over,” Sister Fran said. “We wanted to give them support in their work and ministry.” Six Ursulines have served as associate program directors: Sister Fran (1983-92); Sister Mary Lois Speaks (1992-96); Sister Elaine Burke (1996-98); Sister Marita Greenwell and Sister Marie Bosco Wathen (1996-2002), and Sister Marietta (2004-07). Two associates have served as directors: Cecilia McEldowney (2002-04) and Marian Bennett (2004-the present). McEldowney felt the program “kind of began itself” because of the large numbers of Mount Saint Joseph academy graduates and former sisters who still wanted an affiliation with the Mount. “They have a sense of being called. You would be amazed at how many of the associates are servants (e.g., teachers, nurses, volunteers),” she said. “They look for an outlet to serve. They want to walk alongside the sisters and participate in that mission.” Associate program director Marian Bennett agrees. “Being an associate helps us to recognize and nurture our need to serve others,” she said. “This partnership of sisters and associates is growing to be a strong force to serve the world’s needs.” McEldowney, who now resides in Ohio, has a sense of pride in belonging to the program. “Because I’m an associate, I feel like I’ve been to these places where associates go, such as Jamaica. You support them in your prayer.”

Isabel Crenshaw of Hawesville, Ky., was invited by Sister Elaine to become one of the very first associates. At that time, Crenshaw was a secretary for Immaculate Conception School in Hawesville where Sister Elaine was principal. “I always enjoyed being around the Ursuline Sisters,” Crenshaw said. “I wanted to do things for the sisters.” Crenshaw, who had an aunt and a cousin who were Ursulines, also worked at the Mount for a time. At present, she meets monthly with Hawesville area associates to pray and socialize. Her contact sister and former Immaculate Conception co-worker, Sister Martha Keller, also tries to attend. “We go out to eat, have prayer services, play games,” Crenshaw said. Ursuline Associates reside in several states as well as Argentina, Chile, and Nigeria. One served in Jamaica for the past three years. Some were invited by Ursulines who ministered in those areas. Others are connected to the community through relatives. A few are former Ursulines. The greatest number of associates live in Kentucky, while sizable associate groups also reside in Memphis, Tenn.; Belleville, Ill., and in St. Louis and other parts of Missouri, as well as in California and New Mexico. Being an associate “helps us to realize we don’t have to leave home and familiar surroundings to do God’s work,” Bennett said. Some sisters and associates in certain cities or regions meet on a regular basis to pray and reflect on Christian teachings such as the writings of Angela. Often food is brought and shared. “Sisters don’t realize the impact they have on the laity at these meetings,” McEldowney said. “The formation or spirituality experience” is the primary component of the meetings, Sister Marietta said. “It is for these kinds of experiences that associates have come to the program. I find in them a real hunger and desire for God. My role is to

Pictured above: Associate Lorraine Luken, Dodi Farmer, Sister Diane Marie Payne, Associate Coreen Moore, Erv Moore, Sister Dolorita Robinson, Sister Elaine Burke, and Associate Jean Steffen. They were preparing potato salad for the Mount picnic in 2005.LEFT: Associates Brenda Semar and Carol Hill sort books in the Ursuline library in May.

help them discover ways God is already present in their daily activities.” The formation program manual is being revamped to be “more meaningful, interesting, and user-friendly, so that any of our associates or sisters could feel comfortable running a small local gathering,” Sister Michele said. Jeanne Lamastus of Rockfield, Ky., said her associate experience changed her life because that’s when her prayer journey began. “It always makes me feel calm to talk about it. Life took on a whole new meaning for me,” she said. Lamastus described the first time she visited the Mount for a healing retreat and ended up acquiring a spiritual director – Sister Fran.

Before becoming an associate, Lamastus had not thought much about her prayer life. Now she says morning prayers as the sisters do. “It really made my spiritual life better. So much healing has gone on in my life,” she said. “I feel like my faith journey grows every day.”

She pointed out that the sisters have helped her overcome medical problems and surgeries. “I’ve known in my heart that the sisters’ prayers pulled me though. I could feel them praying for me. They have visited me at home. They have been so good to me,” she said. Jeanne’s husband, Randy, is also an associate. After being invited to become an associate, a candidate completes a written application. The candidate can choose his or her contact sister, or one can be assigned. Candidates go through a period of discernment. Focusing on such themes as a call to holiness, the life of Angela, and Ursuline history and spirituality, a person discerns God’s call to become an associate. “Candidates should note that it is a commitment led by the Holy Spirit; a commitment to the vision of our ministry and sharing in it, and a pledge to a deeper relationship to God and community,” said Sister Mary Lois Speaks, a founding member of the associate advisory board since its inception in 2005. At the temporary commitment ceremony, a candidate publicly commits to live out the Ursuline charism in his or her life. For the next three years, the candidate has goals that revolve around prayer and Ursuline mission and ministries. Then a candidate and the community choose whether to pursue a lifetime commitment. If they agree, an associate is “pinned” at a special ceremony. When people make their associate commitments, sisters who are present proclaim in part, “Recognizing that lay women and men, from the time of Saint Angela, have played important roles in our Ursuline history, we welcome

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them into our extended membership.” Associate Ada Bader of Campbell, Mo., was invited to join the associates by Sister Carol Shively, who at that time (1988) was principal of the same school where Bader was a cook. “We became really good friends as soon as she came here. We still keep in touch,” Bader said. She believes prayer is her primary purpose as an associate. “We all pray for everyone else,” she said. Associates who want to help at the Mount do so in many ways. Betty Boren and Risë Karr, both of Hopkinsville, Ky., painted benches one summer. Henderson associates helped infirm sisters write Christmas cards. Grayson County associates made crafts for the sisters to sell. Mother and daughter Susan and Suzanne Reiss helped decorate the chapel for the holidays. Hundreds volunteer at the annual picnic. Others provide clerical help. “Without a doubt, friendships developed,” said Sister Elaine about her time as associate director. “They were no longer strangers but friends to me and to each other. They gave of their time and talent, and they also brought along some real good treats!” An annual Associates and Sisters Day allows associates to come together to renew friendships and to be enriched spiritually by speakers and a liturgy. This year’s event is scheduled for July 19. In the earlier years, “we tried to establish a web of friendships among more associates and sisters” instead of limiting personal contact between one associate and one sister, Sister Mary Lois said. These efforts included hosting parties and initiating pen pals between sisters and associates. Lamastus echoed the feelings of many Ursuline Associates. “When I see the entrance to Mount Saint Joseph on the hill,” she said, “I think of home.” n

The Western Kentucky Ursuline Associates group gathers in Sid Mason’s home on May 9. They meet on a quarterly basis. Pictured, seated on floor, Sister Marietta Wethington, Sid Mason, Marian Bennett. Seated, second row: Ruth Metschuleit, John Wood, Risë Karr, Betty Boren, Pat Sullivan, Sister Mary Jude Cecil, Sister Teresa Riley. Standing are Pat Wilson, Sister Karla Kaelin, Elaine Wood, and Mike Sullivan.

Interested in becoming an Ursuline Associate? Contact Marian Bennett at 270-229-2006

associates@maplemount.org

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U r s u l i n e s A L I V E

LEFT: Sister Angela Krippendorf (Roman Union Northeast Province) speaks as Kathleen Condry (Paola,

Kan.) listens at the North American Ursuline Leadership

Conference on May 9-11 at Mount Saint Joseph.

The Ursulines met in February to reflect on the principles of “Our Consecrated Life.”

ABOVE RIGHT: Sister Maureen Griner explains the “Good

to Great” process to a group of priests

and the bishop - all Ursuline associates - on Feb. 27.

LEFT: Sister Alicia Coomes, left, and Sister Jane Miriam Hancock received

the blessed oils for the Mount

Saint Joseph Chapel at the Chrism Mass in

Owensboro on March 18.

LEFT: Sister Marie Joseph Coomes, Sister Joseph Angela Boone, Sister Michele Morek, and Sister Alicia Coomes sing during Blessed Mother Parish’s 60th anniversary liturgy in Owensboro on May 3. Fifteen Ursulines also sang the “Magnificat” as a prelude to the liturgy. There has always been an Ursuline presence at the parish.

GOOD TO GREAT

GREEN ENERGY ROADSHOW

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

The Kentucky Green Energy Roadshow only made four stops in the state this spring, including Mount Saint Joseph on April 5.

The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph invite you to consider naming our community in your will. Your support

will enable us to enhance and further our mission of freeing and nurturing women and children. Call 270-229-4103

CHRISM MASS

NOTE: In the Spring 2008 Ursulines Alive, we honored our friend, Father Alcuin Greenburg, O.S.B., for his annual donation of our Paschal candle. We later learned with sadness of his death. We ask for God’s eternal blessing for him.

URSULINE SOCIETY

At the closing of the May 7-9 Ursuline Society meeting at Mount Saint Joseph, the sisters blessed and “sent forth” community leadership ending their terms of office. Ursuline Society members represent five religious communities in Ohio, two in Kentucky, and one in Kansas.

SONGS OF JOY

S u m m e r 2 0 0 8

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LEFT: Sister Angela Krippendorf (Roman Union Northeast Province) speaks as Kathleen Condry (Paola,

Kan.) listens at the North American Ursuline Leadership

Conference on May 9-11 at Mount Saint Joseph.

The Ursulines met in February to reflect on the principles of “Our Consecrated Life.”

To purchase your Quilt Club membership for only $20, call 270-229-4103, ext. 278

Annual Quilt Club drawings begin Oct. 1, 2008. Order tickets now to get 12 chances to win!

2008-09 Quilt Club Memberships

Sunday, September 7, 2008 Award-winning barbecue:

Chicken, Mutton, PorkServing 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Grand Raffle Prize $3,000

Silent AuctionBooths - Crafts - Games

For the Benefit of Retired Sisters

Volunteers Needed! Call 270-229-4103 Li

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e N

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The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are busy making beautiful quilts. A new quilt is raffled each month.

You can get 12 chances to win a quilt with our “Quilt Club” annual memberships.

PICNIC

38th AnnualUrsuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

Picnic and Barbecue BenefitMaple Mount, Ky.

GREEN ENERGY ROADSHOW

Ursuline Sisters celebrate Jubilees of religious profession

Sister Mary Elizabeth Krampe

50 years

Sister Clarita Browning60 years

Sister Jane Irvin Hancock60 years

Sister Luisa Bickett60 years

Sister Claudia Hayden40 years

Sister Mary Eileen Howard

60 years

Sister Lennora Carrico70 years

Sister Rose Theresa Johnson

60 years

Sister Darlene Denton25 years

Sister Margaret Ann Zinselmeyer

40 years

Sister Amelia Stenger40 years

Sister Joseph Adrian Russell

75 years

Sister Jamesetta Knott

60 years

Sister Rose Karen Johnson

50 years

Sister Rose Emma Monaghan

75 years

Sister Mary Louise Knott

60 years

Sister Mary Renee Monaghan

60 years

Sister Vivian Marie Bowles

50 years

Sister Mary Sheila Higdon

60 years

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

The Kentucky Green Energy Roadshow only made four stops in the state this spring, including Mount Saint Joseph on April 5.

Twenty Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph who are celebrating jubilees this year have dedicated 1,105 years of service to God’s people. The jubilarians were honored April 6 at Maple Mount and will also be honored during community days in July.

25th

Sister Ann Patrice Cecil

50 years

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50th

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70th

200

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Sister Mary Cabrini Foushee

U r s u l i n e s A L I V E

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T hey arrive every three months with their bags packed, hoping to learn how to become better companions on a journey. The suitcases are for

their immediate needs -- the journey lasts a lifetime. These are the members of the second class of the

Spiritual Direction Institute at Mount Saint Joseph. In July they will have completed a commitment they began in October 2006 to become spiritual directors in their communities. This October, a new group will arrive to start the process.

Spiritual direction is about helping someone on his or her journey with God. It’s a path that three Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph have been on for years, and they continue to companion with those who learn from their example.

“I got started in the 1980s when some younger sisters started asking for help,” said Sister Marietta Wethington, now director of formation for Ursuline Partnerships. “Sisters were asking, ‘Will you walk with me through my journey with God?’”

Sister Ann McGrew has been a spiritual director since 1985, when she was asked to be novice director for the community, and found the same skills were needed, she said.

“If you’re a parish minister, people come to you for guidance,” said Sister Ann, who is a council member with the Ursuline Sisters, and serves part-time as a parish minister. “We’re all on a faith journey, walking with people who realize God wants to communicate with them. They are looking for someone to lead them toward that.”

Sister Elaine Burke, who has been a spiritual director since 1991, said parish priests don’t have the time to do spiritual direction.

“Priests are in pastoral counseling rather than spiritual direction,” she said. “Pastoral counseling is short term, taking a problem that needs attention. Spiritual direction is long term, to help them develop or deepen their

relationship with God.”It was a request by priests to receive training that led to

Mount Saint Joseph beginning the program. “About 2001, there was a grant possibility with the

Lilly Foundation for sustaining pastor excellence,” said Sister Amelia Stenger, director of the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. Listening sessions were set up across the Owensboro diocese with ministers of various faiths.

“They wanted spiritual direction training,” Sister Amelia said.

The Center did not get the grant, but decided to offer the training as a regular program. Sisters Ann, Marietta, and Elaine, as well as Michele Thomas of Bowling Green, Ky., had received their training at different places, so they pooled their expertise and worked with Sister Amelia to create the program.

“We wanted to have something different, so we included the spirituality of Angela Merici, and we made it Monday-Friday, because that’s when ministers could come,” Sister Amelia said. “The first class had 13 participants.”

One of those was Martha Little, a pastoral associate at Sts. Joseph and Paul Catholic Church in Owensboro, Ky. She had a deep desire to get spiritual direction training for years, but never thought it would be possible.

“The first part of the session helped me so much spiritually,” she said. “There are no words to express it.”

Being with the Ursuline Sisters at Mount Saint Joseph made the training special, she said.

Spiritual Direction Institute helps members prepare for a journey

Sister Marietta Wethington, right, meets with class member Fran Smolen in the Madonna Room of the Mount Saint

Joseph Conference and Retreat Center in April. The two were discussing Smolen’s record of a conversation that she as a

director had with a directee.

By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph Staff

FAST FACTS ... Next Spiritual Direction Institute • Classes are held for five days, Monday-Friday, every three months for two years at Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. The first week is Oct. 13-17, the last week is a retreat July 5-9, 2010.• The deadline to apply is Aug. 1, 2008. The cost is $995 each year for the program, $385 a week for each week of lodging, for a total of $2,535 each year.• For more information, contact Kathy McCarty at (270) 229-0200 ext. 413 or kmccarty@maplemount.org Visit the Center Web site at www.msjcenter.org.

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Spiritual Direction Institute helps members prepare for a journey

“The sisters are such a wonderful group of ladies, and the Mount is such a holy place,” she said.

Current class The reasons why members join the class vary. Some

are doing spiritual direction now, but want the confidence the training brings. Others are planning to start a career in spiritual direction, or see the need for the training in their current vocation.

Then there is Diana Matthews, of Knoxville, Tenn., who wanted to see where the experience would lead her.

“I’m not sure what will happen on the other end,” she said. “I want to prepare and be open when the opportunity comes.”

She was invited to a “busy student retreat” on a university campus because she’s been identified as part of the Spiritual Direction Institute.

“It’s not just learning and getting a job,” Matthews said. “They’re trusting us to be part of their God story.”

Sister Linda Jackson, OP, a Dominican sister who’s been a campus minister at the University of Dayton (Ohio) for five years, said she’s learned much about being a better listener, and of developing unobtrusive questions that can help people go deeper into their stories.

“It’s an opportunity to see God at work in the lives of other people,” Sister Linda said.

Melanie Odom-Groh is an ordained minister in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, in Louisville, Ky. She helps those 62 and older understand God’s presence in their lives.

“I’m working with people in their 90s who are still discovering that,” she said. “We all know we’re going to die. What are we going to do between now and death and what role will God play in that?”

She said she was welcomed despite being from another faith.

“Spiritual direction is truly an ecumenical experience, across denominational and traditional lines,” Odom-Groh said. “It’s interfaith like few other things are.”

Randy Shelby, from Paducah, Ky., worked in long-term care for 17 years, but his company closed in June 2007. “I always had a desire to help people grow spiritually,” he said.

The Spiritual Direction Institute has helped him gain an appreciation for prayer.

“We don’t just attend Mass, it’s a religious experience,” he said. “We do have a spiritual connection with God. He’s not up in heaven, he’s right here with us.”

The Ursuline Sisters aren’t just instructors in the institute – Sister Julia Head is a member of the class.

“Most all of my life related to ministry has dealt with the academics and dynamics of catechetical and liturgical formation,” she said. “The realization of a loving relationship with God and with Jesus has slowly developed over the years. To attend to that loving relationship whole-heartedly, it seemed to me that being formed as a spiritual director would be a great path to take.”

Challenges and benefitsKevin Karl, a former

diocesan priest and a spiritual director in Louisville, was one of the instructors for the class in January. He warned the participants to make sure they are allowing those who they direct to have their own journey with God.

“If someone’s theology is different from mine, and I don’t like it or am uncomfortable with it, am I trying to change their theology?” he asked. “You have to let God have the main relationship,” he said.

It’s a normal reaction for spiritual directors to doubt if they have what it takes to lead others, Karl said.

“I tell people, ‘If people of God are calling to you, they are seeing something in you you don’t see,’” he said.

“The biggest concern of spiritual directors is, ‘I’m going to say the wrong thing, or not ask the right question,” Karl said. “God is in control, so allow yourself to forget that.”

The sisters who are spiritual directors say their rewards are hard to put into words.

“It’s an awesome thing to companion people on that deep inner journey, to help them discover what God is doing in their life,” Sister Marietta said.

“I’m helping people unlock that window to God,” Sister Ann said. “It’s hard to take credit as a spiritual director, it’s God’s work.”

“If we didn’t realize it’s the work of the Holy Spirit, we probably wouldn’t stay in the ministry,” said Sister Elaine, who serves as coordinator of the spiritual component of the Ministry Formation Program at Brescia University. “We grow in our prayer life.” n

2006-08 Spiritual Direction Class: Front (l-r), Sister Marietta Wethington, OSU, the Rev. Melanie Odom-Groh, Sister

Elaine Burke, OSU. Row 2, Sister Amelia Stenger, OSU, Sister Ann McGrew, OSU, Sister Julia Head, OSU, Diana Matthews.

Row 3, Father Tom Kirkendoll, GHM, Fran Smolen, Randy Shelby, Sister Linda Jackson, OP, Rusty Weitzel.

S u m m e r 2 0 0 8

Sister Eileen Mullen, 95, an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph, died March 12 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 78th year of religious life. A native of Fortuna, N.D., she was an Ursuline Sister of Belleville, Ill., before the merger of that community with the Ursulines of Mount Saint Joseph in October 2005. Sister Eileen was an educator for more than 50 years in Illinois, Missouri, and

North Dakota. She also served on the Leadership Council of the Ursuline Sisters of Belleville. She was one of eight children, and her parents were pioneers and homesteaders. Sister Eileen enjoyed crocheting, reading, and listening to music. She was an investigative person, who always wanted to know the “why” and “how” of everything. She was very devoted to the Focolare movement, which stresses to make God first in one’s life and to love one another.

Sister Charlesine Bowling, 96, an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph, died April 3 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 77th year of religious life. A native of Athertonville in LaRue County, she was an educator for 55 years. She grew up in a deeply Catholic home, where her parents prayed, sang, and played instruments with their eight children. Three of Sister Charlesine’s sisters joined the Sisters of Loretto, and one

brother became a priest in the Owensboro Diocese. She was a teacher and principal in Leitchfield and taught in Hardinsburg, Paducah, and in Nebraska. She served for over 40 years in the Archdiocese of Louisville as teacher, principal, and from 1988-2002, in outreach ministry with the Red Cross there. She tried to spread joy and peace.Gifts in memory of our deceased sisters may take the form of donations to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356.

U r s u l i n e s A L I V E

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One Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph is hitting the road to research programs that could be adapted to the Ursuline mission of freeing and nurturing women and children. Sister Suzanne Sims began her role as director of Ministry Development in January, while continuing her previous director of Development duties until May 16.

In February, Sister Suzanne visited the DeNeuville Learning Center in Memphis, Tenn., which has a mission of guiding women from all backgrounds and cultures to make positive choices for themselves and their families. March brought her to the Barrett Foundation in Albuquerque, N.M., which provides housing for homeless women and their children until the women reach independence; as well as life skills and job training or acquisition.

In early April, Sister Suzanne visited the House of Healing in Erie, Pa., a program that allows women incarcerated for nonviolent crimes to live with their children while they work

on parenting and life skills. Later in April, she visited Seton Harvest, a community supported agriculture initiative in Evansville, Ind., that divides its produce among supporters who share the risks of farming.

Sister Suzanne delivers reports on her visits to congregational leadership, and her thoughts on whether there’s a need for the Ursuline Sisters to engage in a similar ministry. Members of the public who have ideas for ministries can contact Sister Suzanne at 270-229-4103, or ssims@maplemount.org.

The Ursuline Sisters continue to seek a full-time director of Development. Contact Dan Heckel, Director of Mission Advancement and Communications, at 270-229-4103, ext. 200, or dheckel@maplemount.org.

Sister Suzanne Sims

New Ministry Development

In the Joy of Eternal Life

Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky., received $200,000 from the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph for a new initiative to ensure that adults have an opportunity to complete or further their college education. Brescia President Father Larry Hostetter announced the new program April 10 during a Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce breakfast. The program was developed to expand adult opportunities to find the right degree and format for their own unique circumstances. The name of this program is STARS - Success Tracks for Adults Returning to School. STARS will be located in the newly created Ursuline Center for Adult Education in the Admissions Building. In response to concerns from area leaders regarding the lack of college degrees within the available workforce pool, Brescia sought ways to expand access to the more than 5,000 adults in the area who have begun college but not completed it. STARS offers several ways to achieve a bachelor’s, associates, or master’s degree or baccalaureate certificate. The program will be characterized by convenience, affordability, program excellence and an adult-friendly campus so as to meet the unique needs of the nontraditional student. Those interested in the program can contact director Greg Alvey: 270-686-4252 or e-mail STARS@brescia.edu.

Sister Eileen Mullen

Sister Charlesine Bowling

Adult Learning

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Several Ursuline Sisters and one Ursuline Associate share snacks in Santa Cruz with the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, who are currently serving in Jamaica. The Ursuline Sisters’ visit took place March 27-April 2. Front row (l-r): Sister Eva, who works with individuals with HIV/AIDS, Sister Kathleen Kaelin, OSU, Sister Jacinta Powers, OSU, Sister Martha Keller, OSU. Back row (l-r): Ursuline Associate Bonnie Marks, Sister Betsy Moyer, OSU, Sister Jane Wanjiku, ASN, a nurse, Sister Agnes Mumbua Mwongela, ASN, who does pastoral church work, Sister Michele Ann Intravia, OSU, and Sister Monica Seaton, OSU.

Sister Betsy Moyer, left, Sister Kathleen Kaelin, kneeling, Ursuline Associate Bonnie Marks, center, Sister Monica Seaton, back row, and Sister Martha Keller, far right, enjoy children’s company in Jamaica.

Sisters to begin new ministry in Jamaica

Two Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph will start a new ministry in the impoverished Mandeville Diocese of Jamaica this fall.

Six Ursuline Sisters and one Ursuline Associate embarked on a fact-finding mission to Jamaica from March 27-April 2 to determine if a full-time Ursuline presence was needed. After a presentation to the Leadership Council on their findings, two of those sisters, Sister Betsy Moyer and Sister Jacinta Powers, asked the council if they could serve in Jamaica.

Congregational Leader Sister Michele Morek and the Leadership Council announced the decision May 16. The sisters will leave for Jamaica in mid-September.

“The inner beauty of these people spiritually is transcendent,” said Sister Betsy, a licensed practical nurse and former teacher who has been administrator of Saint Joseph Villa health care center at Mount Saint Joseph since 2004. “I was moved by the people, because God is very present in them.”

Sister Jacinta has been working with the Bridge to Health program through the Owensboro Diocese since 2006, helping seniors navigate the changes in the Medicare system. She is a registered nurse, administrator and former teacher, and has made four trips to Jamaica.

The sisters do not know yet how their talents will be used in Jamaica. A letter was sent to the monsignor in charge of the diocese, but at publication time he had not yet responded. Sister Betsy has asked to work with Our Lady of Hope orphanage, while Sister Jacinta wants to work in

some combination of health care and education.Also joining the fact-finding trip were Sisters Michele

Ann Intravia, Kathleen Kaelin, Martha Keller, and Monica Seaton, and Ursuline Associate Bonnie Marks. They visited schools, a college, the orphanage, and a nursing home. Any of those places could use the help of the Ursuline Sisters, Sister Betsy said.

The Owensboro Diocese first began discussing a sister diocese relationship with Mandeville in 2001, with the first diocesan collection taken up on Ash Wednesday 2003. Sisters from Mount Saint Joseph have been going to Jamaica for about four years, and Ursuline Associate Mary Danhauer has been working as a nurse in Jamaica for three years. She will be returning to Owensboro this summer. n

Sister Mary Clement Greenwell celebrated her 100th birthday on April 22 at the Motherhouse in Maple Mount. Joining her at the celebration were nieces Barbara House (left), who is from Rhode Island, and Doris Cooper, who came all the way from Alaska for the birthday celebration. In the back row are nephew Don Clements of Curdsville and niece Eleanor Cook of South Carolina. Sister Mary Clement was born in Curdsville and joined the Ursuline Sisters in 1927. She began teaching school in 1929 and taught throughout Kentucky and in New Mexico and Missouri. As a teacher, she believed even the most unlikely learner could become a good student. She taught until 1978, when she began a ministry of outreach and tutoring at St. Boniface Retirement Center in Louisville, where she served until retiring to the Motherhouse in 1989. She’s a member of the “powerhouse of prayer” and still loves playing cards. Sister Mary Clement is one of two Ursuline Sisters who are 100 years old or older.

Sister Mary Bertha Wethington is the oldest member of the community; she turned 102 on April 24.

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Soli Deo GloriaWe rejoice in the gifts of our sisters, given for the kingdom of God

Sister Pam Mueller, campus minister at Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky., has met all requirements to be a certified QPR Gatekeeper Instructor for suicide prevention through November 2010. QPR has been compared to cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in that the three life-saving skills are easily learned: Question (Q) a person about suicide, Persuade (P) the person to get help and, Refer (R) the person to the appropriate resource. This training addresses ways to prevent suicide, such as the warning signs and clues of a potential crisis, along with prevention steps.

“Students in crisis situations often reach out to the campus minister, counselor, or other persons on campus,” Sister Pam stated. “However, it is also not unusual for them to go to peers who then seek help for their friends. I knew I could benefit from being educated in suicide prevention having been involved in a crisis this fall when a student brought a suicidal student to me.”

Sister Larraine Lauter joined the

UNANIMA International Board June 1. She replaced outgoing board member Sister Mary Lois Speaks who completed her three-year term. The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are one of 15 congregations of women religious who are members of UNANIMA, a nongovernmental organization that helps produce reports to submit to

the United Nations to shape international policies, particularly those promoting the welfare of women and children. Its current focus is the elimination of human trafficking. Sister Larraine, who is bilingual, is coordinator of Hispanic ministry for the Church of the Epiphany in Louisville, Ky. She previously directed Migrant Immigrant Shelter and Support in Owensboro.

8001 Cummings RoadMaple Mount, Kentucky 42356-9999

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Sister Roseanne Spalding, pastoral associate at Precious Blood Parish in Owensboro, is the 2008 Bishop John McRaith Catechetical Leader of the Year. This is awarded to an outstanding leader each year. Besides working in the parish, Sister Rosanne has served on several diocesan committees. In previous years, she has been a teacher and principal.