When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

Transcription

SUMMER 2011
Volume 15, Number 1
Moving always towards profound love of God
and love of neighbor without distinction
“When I let go
of what I am,
I become what
I might be.”
~ Lao Tzu
SUMMER 2011
Volume 15, Number 1
Challenge is published by the St. Paul
Province of the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Carondelet.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Challenge of Mission ..................................................................... 3
The Invisible Power of Love.................................................................. 4
Paradox and Providence....................................................................... 6
Letting Go and Letting God:
The Life-Long Mission of Sister Marie Smith, CSJ ................................ 8
Why I Came and Why I Stay ............................................................... 10
Building the Dream at Carondelet Village.......................................... 12
“Is,” a poem by Ellen Murphy, CSJ
with commentary by Ann Redmond, CSJ........................................... 14
Awards and Honors ............................................................................ 15
In Search of the Divine ....................................................................... 17
Prayers Please!.................................................................................... 18
Comments and correspondence,
including letters to the editor, should be
addressed to:
Challenge
1884 Randolph Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105-1700
To request a change of
address, please call:
651-690-7033
In Loving Memory............................................................................... 19
Province website:
www.csjstpaul.org
‘Letting Go’ Is a Challenge
Editors: Meg Gillespie, CSJ,
Ann L. Thompson, and many wonderful
proofreaders. Design: Kelli Morey
Challenges behind us and challenges ahead! It’s a time of change,
letting go, and embracing what’s to come.
Masthead art created by:
Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province, will be
celebrating many anniversaries in 2011 (more about these special
events in the next issue of Challenge), but we don’t want to simply
“look back.” We want to look ahead to all that the future may bring!
Photographers: Meghan Davy, Andy
King, Brian Mogren, Don Pitlick, Sister
Catherine Mary Rosengren, CSJ, Jan
Zitnick and others.
To that end we have designed, with the gifted assistance of artist
Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ, a new masthead for this issue of Challenge.
And, after much discussion about the publication’s name, a small group
of committed Sisters, Consociates, and staff agreed to add some
context to the title Challenge: Taken from our founding documents,
we have added Always moving toward profound love of God and
neighbor without distinction.
The initials CSJ stand for
the Congregation of St.
Joseph and are used in
this publication to identify
individuals, ministries,
and issues associated with
the congregation. The
congregation has provinces
in St. Louis, St. Paul, Albany
(New York), and Los Angeles, with vice
provinces in Hawaii and Peru.
In this particular issue we are focusing on what it means to “let go
of”—but without forgetting, not ever!—what we hold dear in order to
“go forward” into a bright and secure future.
2
Opinions presented in this issue
reflect those of the writers and do not
necessarily represent an official position
of the St. Paul Province of the Sisters of
St. Joseph of Carondelet. Permission
must be obtained to reprint articles
appearing in Challenge.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province
SUMMER 2011
The Challenge of Mission
As Sisters of St. Joseph our
purpose, the reason for which we
were founded, is to respond to
the challenge of Jesus: “Love one
another as I have loved you.”
By Sister Virginia Webb, CSJ
Moving always
towards profound
love of God and
love of neighbor
without distinction.
Continuing Jesus’ mission in the
world demands that we minister
in ways that encourage ourselves
and others to recognize and
defend those who have been
marginalized and disenfranchised.
We are invited by our Constitution
and other CSJ documents, our
traditions, and our history to live
and serve the neighbor in ways
that facilitate the liberation of
all people. We work to alleviate
conditions that cause poverty,
suffering, discrimination and
oppression.
The St. Paul Province of the
Sisters of St. Joseph carries out
this mission by establishing and
promoting ministries allowing
each person, without prejudice, to
understand and experience that
she or he is loved by God and
deserving of respect.
Through the course of our 160
years in what is now Minnesota,
we have done many diverse
works. You may be aware of
some. Some may be a surprise
to you. We are very aware that
alone we could not carry out our
ministries, and we have always
invited people who are not vowed
members of the community to
collaborate with us in our mission.
This publication, Challenge, with
its descriptor: Moving always
towards profound love of God
and love of neighbor without
distinction (a phrase taken directly
from our founding documents)
reflects on the ways we, as Sisters
of St. Joseph of Carondelet and
Consociates, understand Jesus’
directive to love. It is not always
easy. It is frequently a challenge.
Yet, as Christians, it is perhaps
the most important thing we are
called to do.
SUMMER 2011
3
The Invisible Power of Love
May 22, 2011, saw three tornado touchdowns
in the metro area, with the north side of
Minneapolis particularly hit hard. Even with
homes and businesses in shambles, basements
flooded, and debris and downed trees
everywhere, the residents of this hard-hit area
came together to overcome their hardship. The
author of this story lives in North Minneapolis.
Photos courtesy of Brian Mogren
At 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, rotating wind moving at 130 miles
per hour, caught folks in North Minneapolis by surprise. A freight train
sound awakened nappers and alerted game watchers as they saw trees
whizzing by windows and heard the impact statements the wind made
on their homes, cars, and neighborhood.
People had nothing to say of what the wind snatched from them or
destroyed, nor did the uprooted trees, nor those who homed in the
trees such as birds and squirrels. For some, it was over in a matter of
minutes. For those “begotten of the Spirit,” it was just beginning.
Andrew pointed to his home.
by Sister Mary Hasbrouck, CSJ
“Mine is the second on the block. I’ve only had it for a year. The roof
is badly damaged, chimney gone. Fortunately, I got my son and wife
to safety before the windows smashed with such force that hundreds
of pieces of broken glass implanted in the wall across from them. My
family just missed being the target! As soon as I saw they were safe, I
ran as fast as I could to my parent’s home. They live three blocks over.
Their house hadn’t been touched; they were safe. I am so blessed;
everything that matters is safe. The rest can be fixed.”
John, picking up debris from his yard, was filled with gratitude. “I can’t
say enough for the city. They are taking down the uprooted and fallen
trees.” Pointing to the one leaning on his house, he continued, “This
would cost me $800 minimally. I don’t have that kind of money. The way
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SUMMER 2011
The wind blows where it will.
You hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it
comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone
begotten of the Spirit.
John 3:8
I look at this is seeing the glass half full, not half empty. This is going
to bring jobs to the neighborhood, workers will eat in restaurants,
some will stay in hotels, and our neighborhood will get a much needed
renovation.”
Young Titus had returned to the old neighborhood to see how the two
houses he had lived in had withstood the storm. While the damage to
them was minimal, he couldn’t get over the tree loss. “ Things can be
replaced and repaired, but the trees, some over a hundred years old
are gone. They sheltered me in my years on the Northside.”
Along the way, neighbors were gathered around grills cooking meat
before it would spoil without refrigeration. They gathered strength from
each other as they shared stories of just where they were when the
storm struck.
A young man came to my home looking for any kind of work where he
could pick up a few bucks. His goal was to earn $16 so that he could
house his wife and son at a hotel for four nights, at $4 per night. This
would give him time to work on his damaged house. When he saw me
tear up, he put out his arms. “Give me a hug, we’re all in this together
and we’ll get each other through.”
He was right; in the aftermath of the storm we were one. Not only those
living within the Northside, but the thousands who came in to help, to
support, to feed, to hug, or to be with. Theirs were the open arms that
eased the pain of loss and made it possible to let go.
A child learning to walk and an old person losing the ability to walk
frequently let go only when something is within reach to grab hold of,
a chair, a railing, or outstretched arms. Something akin happened on
the heels of this tornado. The “awe experience” of the storm gave way
to the force of the Spirit, the creative energy of love. Those who could
let go of belongings were those who could surrender to the embrace
of the Spirit. A personal sense of Presence within connected with that
seen in others, with family members and neighbors, even those who
previously were strangers.
Walking through the neighborhood, talking with folks on the days that
followed gave evidence to that “numinous” Presence.
SUMMER 2011
5
Paradox and
Providence
By Ann L. Thompson with
Consociate Jackie Bohrer and Douglas Koch
Jackie: Douglas was a custom commercial cabinetmaker who eventually started his own business as a general
contractor. After he made the Paschal candle stand for our community, I commissioned him to create one
for my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary. Douglas and I saw each other on Sundays for 10 years, and then I
moved back to St. Paul to be closer to family after my mother’s death.
Douglas: When our pastor died of cancer, Jackie came out for the funeral. I had been diagnosed with ALS
about six months earlier, and Jackie was surprised that I could not hug her because I could not lift my arms.
But we talked and I told her that I was planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India and Europe. I had been
given 3-5 years to live, so I decided to go to the place that had the oldest world religions of Hinduism and
Buddhism. I ended my business, gave away and sold many of my building tools and left for India. One of my
ALS friends in Oregon told me, ‘You have to claim what you believe when you are faced with death,’ so I set
out to figure out what I really believed about God.
Jackie: Having dated for many years and deeply discouraged that I might never meet a person to share my
life with, Douglas sent me an email from India that read ‘I wish you were here or I there.’ I’m thinking, ‘What is
he talking about?’ As we exchanged more and more emails, I realized that he had wondered for many years
about a deeper friendship with me and, now that ALS had entered his life, he had been given the freedom
to ask the big questions around hopes and desires. The first email from Douglas was in the spring and when
I asked him about his plans for Holy Week in Europe, he answered ‘Every day is holy’ and something about
his passionate heart really spoke to me. I thought to myself, here in the face of death, he was finding hope
and humor and great courage. When I imagined him typing emails to me at internet cafes using one finger, I
wondered if the whole thing was a miracle.
Douglas: From India I went to Europe and wanted to spend time learning more about the history of
Catholicism. In Assisi there is a fort at the very top of a hill. I decided to hike up the hill. At the top, with
my one bag over my shoulder, I experienced a small miracle just for me. While I laid on the grass to relax in
the middle of the day, I saw that the moon was out. The clouds, though blowing pretty fast, never covered
the moon. It was as if the moon was pushing the clouds away just for me. During those moments I had an
important insight. ‘There is one God, although we call God by many different names.’ I might as well stick with
the faith that I was given at birth, so I chose in that moment to claim Catholicism, for it was my home!
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SUMMER 2011
Jackie: One-hundred-and-twenty emails and six weeks later, Douglas
came from Madrid to St. Paul and spent a week with me. It was rather
providential that it was the week that I became a CSJ Consociate
and his first email came the morning after an incredible St. Joseph
Feast Day celebration. There was so much providence. During this
time Douglas was deeply concerned that entering into a permanent
relationship with him would bring too much grief and loss for me. I
realized that no one can really decide how love will come to them.
I knew that life was precious, and Douglas had reminded me often
that each day was holy. I wanted to trust God’s providence and
exercise faith. However, I found myself often stuck in anticipatory grief,
wondering if I could survive loving Douglas and then letting go of him.
Yet, I was compelled to love anyway and trust that God would take care
of us. We were married the following spring and it was a day of great
joy and celebration.
Douglas: There are a lot of things that we cannot do together because
of my disease progression. With ALS slowly all the body’s motor
neurons die to the point where I will not be able to move anything
but my eyes. We can’t bike, swim, ski or hike together. Today, we can’t
take walks either, for I am in a wheelchair and most of my body does
not move. The most painful loss for me is letting go of my dream of a
successful remodeling company. And, after 25 years of woodworking,
I was pretty good at it. I have had a lot of time to think about dying.
Through all of this, I consider myself lucky because I have more time
than most people with ALS to die without any regrets. I was given
three–to–five years to live and the worst part of this is that I will miss my
adult children, my family and Jackie. Yet I believe that someday all of us
will be together. Our faith teaches us this truth. I want to be prepared
so that I can die without stress, regret or worry.
Jackie: Douglas and I work on our marriage like everyone else
but everything is really compacted together. I have had to let go of
planning big trips and celebrations and just accept the beauty of
each day. It feels like we are taking 30 years of marriage and stuffing
it into seven or eight. It can be really intense and painful at times, but
there is more joy in sharing my life with Douglas than I ever thought
possible. A year after our wedding, my sister Barbara died, and her
children and husband moved across the country, leaving us with a big
hole in our lives. Barbara’s death stopped me in my tracks and made
me really wonder how I will survive Douglas’ death. Sometimes I resist
keeping my heart open, and I have learned that there is so much grief
that comes with clinging. So we both try and work on gratitude and we
often talk for hours about all our blessings. ALS has been a paradox
in our lives. Without it I don’t think that we would be together. God’s
providence has been abundant.
Douglas Koch, suffering with
ALS, read this poem,
“Fully Alive” at his wedding to
Jackie Bohrer. It is reprinted
with permission from
Dawna Markova;
www.dawnamarkova.com.
I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or of catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my
significance;
to live so that which comes
to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which comes
to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.
SUMMER 2011
7
Letting Go and Letting God:
The Life-Long Mission of Sister Marie Smith, CSJ
By James B. Mulrooney,
freelance writer
“Letting go and giving up. I’ve always thought there’s a fine line
between these two,” says Sister Marie Smith, CSJ, as she reflects on her
65 years as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. By no means has Sister
Marie ever given up.
Born in 1926, Sister Marie grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota. Her
mother died when she was only eight months old. True to the promise
he had made to his Catholic wife, her father raised their six children in
the Catholic faith.
With her father’s approval in early 1945, Sister Marie enrolled at the
College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. While she doesn’t recall anyone
ever broaching the subject to her, the thought of becoming a Sister
gradually came to her as she observed the Sisters’ happy, faith-filled
lives. After professing her final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph in 1948,
Sister Marie taught at Catholic elementary schools in the Twin Cities,
Southern Minnesota, and Jamestown, North Dakota.
By Sister Marie Smith, CSJ
If your convictions are strong,
the Lord will strengthen you
and give you extra backbone.
– Sister Marie Smith, CSJ
In 1959 Sister Marie was invited to join the work of the Sisters of St.
Joseph in Japan, a mission for which she had volunteered four years
earlier. Her two brothers had fought in the Pacific during the war and
one had accompanied the fire bombers over Tokyo. But neither of her
brothers ever expressed his opinion about what she should do. On the
other hand, her three sisters “thought I was crazy to go to Japan,” she
recalls.
“But I had a strong conviction I was supposed to go, and that my vow
as a Sister of St. Joseph meant I should be open to doing whatever I
was called to do,” Sister Marie observes. “While I didn’t see myself as
a great adventurer,” she says, “[this mission] turned out to be the great
adventure of my life.”
For the first year and a half she was in Japan, Sister Marie studied
the Japanese language every morning and every afternoon. Learning
Japanese “was a challenge and a lot of hard work,” she says.
In 1959 the Sisters of St. Joseph opened St. Joseph’s School for Girls in
the city of Tsu, several months before Sister Marie arrived. Throughout
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SUMMER 2011
Tsu there were bomb craters and
other signs of the devastation of
war. Most of the people were very
poor, and the economy was just
beginning to recover. For nearly
35 years, Sister Marie taught
English as a second language to
Japanese students at St. Joseph’s.
“I always knew that we, as
teachers, were planting the seeds
of faith, which might not bear fruit
until long afterward,” Sister Marie
explains. “When I would later
hear back from former students
that they and their families had
been baptized, it was like a shot
in the arm.”
different. I was an Englishspeaking American Sister who
wore a black habit and had blond
hair and blue eyes.” But Sister
Marie explains that she came to
understand that “our differences
are our gifts to each other.” She
adds, “I eventually realized that
I couldn’t change the things that
make me unique, and that was
okay.”
Looking back on her more than
half-century teaching career, Sister
Marie is enthusiastic and positive.
“I always enjoyed teaching and
had pretty good rapport with my
students,” she says. “We Sisters
established respectful, kind of
mother-daughter relationships
with our students in Japan, and
they would confide in us.”
During her years of service in
Japan, Sister Marie says, “I
never felt shunned, especially
after we changed our religious
habit.” But to help her fit in,
“I’d just be friendly.” She points
to her Catholic upbringing and
the education she’d received
from the Sisters at the College
of St. Catherine. “I was always
proud to be a Catholic and to
do church work as a Sister of
St. Joseph,” she notes. “If your
convictions are strong, the Lord
will strengthen you and give you
extra backbone.”
Living and working in a different
culture was challenging, Sister
Marie admits. “In my early years
in Japan, I felt I was different
and that bothered me,” she
remembers. “Of course, I was
In 1994 health issues forced Sister
Marie to contemplate leaving
Japan. “I wanted to return to the
St. Paul Province when I could still
be of service,” she explains. “I
think my decision to volunteer for
the mission in Japan was a letting
go of my country, my family, and
my friends, but I think it was also
God’s calling.”
“Returning to America was
another letting go and in some
ways a harder one,” she observes.
“I can remember driving down
the road that led from the school
and seeing the kids and Sisters
and others I’d grown to know and
love and wondering to myself
if I’d ever see them again.” As
it turned out, Sister Marie was
to visit her beloved Japan three
times in the years that were
ahead.
From 1994 until 2002, Sister Marie
taught English to immigrants
living in a poor neighborhood of
Minneapolis, many of whom were
abused women with little or no
education.
Today Sister Marie is living in
retirement at Bethany Convent in
St. Paul where she occasionally
serves as receptionist, welcoming
guests at the front desk.
She still is letting go and letting
God—and loving it.
SUMMER 2011
9
Why I Came and
Why I Stay
By Sister Diane Hunker, CSJ
Sister Diane Hunker, CSJ, is a pastoral associate at Holy Spirit Parish in
St. Cloud, Minnesota. She ministers to those who are homebound, sick
and dying, and to their families.
In relation to the theme of “Letting Go,” I am reflecting on the question of, “Why I came and why I stay?”
Good questions deserve reflection. During this springtime, it gives me a chance to go into my inner well… my
interior spring and see where my reflection takes me.
As I think back on my very early years, when people asked me why I would want to be a Sister, my response
was always, “I fell in love with my first grade teacher and wanted to be just like her.” I laugh when I answer
that way, but it is the truth. I entered the convent in Superior, Wisconsin three weeks after my fifteenth
birthday—very young and very immature—and ready to do whatever I was asked or told.
The first little ripple on the waters came when Vatican II “opened the windows” in the mid and late 60s
and my Sister-companions started leaving. That gave me some anxieties, and I began questioning myself.
After many months of fear and much prayer, I knew what I wanted to do. I was able to say to myself, “I did
not come for them, and I am not leaving for them.” Peace was restored, even though the situation was still
difficult.
I had been a teacher for 13 years, and although I loved the children, I had always wanted to be a nurse. I
finally had that opportunity, changed careers and practiced nursing, until I had back surgery in 1977. While
challenging, I experienced so many blessings at this time that I would never be sorry for my choices in life.
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Good
questions
deserve
reflection.
In 1986, along with my Superior community, I made the choice to join with the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Paul.
Opportunities then arose for me to get my degree in theology at the College of St. Catherine, after which I
went to Duluth for two years for clinical pastoral education. It was a life-changing event for me. I worked as
chaplain and director of spiritual care in long-term-care, loving every minute of it.
As much as I loved it, I felt something in my ministry was lacking. I wanted to do more for the residents to
provide spiritual opportunities for them. My desire to work in a parish was calling me strongly. One morning
I opened The Catholic Spirit, St. Paul’s Catholic paper, and found an ad for a pastoral associate at Holy Spirit
Parish in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Within two weeks I had an interview, was told I had the position, and on December 15, 2001, I moved to my
new home, starting work on December 17. My ministry is among the homebound, sick and dying. It can be
very difficult and painful at times, especially as the terminal cancer parishioners reach the end of their journey.
Yet it is a blessing and gift for me to be on that journey with them and with their families.
It is this gift of being with people on this journey that I will always be grateful for, and I thank God daily for the
gifts this journey offers and for the many blessings I’ve experienced through my vowed life as a Sister of St.
Joseph of Carondelet.
SUMMER 2011
11
In December 2010, Bethany Convent Sisters hosted a luncheon for the Carondelet Village construction workers. These fellows are rushing in from the
cold to enjoy the warmth and good food of the Bethany Convent dining room. The construction workers and the Sisters had a wonderful time!
Building the
Dream at
Carondelet
Village
by Jan Zitnick, CSJ Communications
Department, and Margaret Belanger, CSJ,
Coordinator, Carondelet Village
“The first thing I am going to do is build a home for our older Sisters.”
These words were spoken in 1952 by Sister Bertha, as she assumed
the responsibility of Provincial Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Carondelet, St. Paul Province. And build it she did, the beloved Bethany
Convent, a healthcare and retirement facility that has served older
Sisters well for 57 years.
However, the Bethany building, located at the corner of Fairview and
Randolph Avenues in St. Paul, had become structurally outdated and
could not be renovated; in 2005 the Sisters began praying, dreaming,
discussing, and researching. They wanted a changing model for senior
care. And so Carondelet Village became their dream.
Soon Carondelet Village will nudge Bethany aside and take the old
building’s place. The $60.4 million project is being built in partnership
with Presbyterian Homes & Services and is on track to be completed in
2012. The complex will include 259 new senior housing units consisting
of 149 independent-living apartments, 46 assisted-living units, 19
memory care units, and a 45-bed skilled-nursing care center.
This fall the first Sisters will be moving into their new home at
Carondelet Village. Other Sisters and members of the general public
will join them as apartments become available when Phase II of the
construction is completed in early fall 2012.
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SUMMER 2011
Carondelet Circle
One of the forward-thinking decisions when planning Carondelet Village was to include an integrated services
center, named Carondelet Circle, that offers wellness and holistic services. Opportunities exist for medical
services, spiritual and educational development, physical and recreational therapy, enrichment programs, and
a variety of dining options. These services are open to Sisters and residents of the Highland-area neighboring
community.
Many of the Sisters who have decided to live at Carondelet Center have selected their units and are eagerly
awaiting the move into their new home. Soon there will be spaces available for lay women and men of all
faiths.
For more information, visit www.carondeletvillage.org or call Karen Vento, Housing Advisor, 651-631-6334.
SUMMER 2011
13
“Is,” by Sister Ellen Murphy, CSJ
From THE WORLD WITHIN
Poems by Sister Ellen Murphy, CSJ
Published by North Star Press
St. Cloud, 2008; pp.98-99
Reprinted with permission
I know in my bones that “is” alone is never lost
in the zones of time. Being God’s verb, “is” welds
ephemeral with eternal, expressing the nature of love,
the movement of angels.
Whether sad or at peace I know in my heart that “is,” accepted,
pays reverence to reality, is ever confirming
all of creation in its own presence. Its recognition is
like cheers at processions of wonders and heroes; is
like bowed heads and tears when a coffin is carried.
“Is” continuously stills for me the rush of impressions;
corrects and redeems imagination’s errors, the senses’ imprecisions;
brings the clear truth home to the puzzled heart;
pervades the spirit with peace in its sadness and pathos.
At one moment “is” may reveal that a hurricane’s force
is hurling your home into the sea. Or it may be that a cell
in your body threatens your life’s blood. Or that one
dearer than life to you is in sorrow. A catastrophe asks you
to let it all be because this smallest verb, “is”
is God’s verb of freedom; is present and singular and speaks
in the third person where there is no “I,” no ego; where
each object, person, occurrence, thing—think of it!—
takes this form of the verb “to be”
with its infinite kernel; its authority.
“Is” moves our sentences into frames of light and is
implicit in everything; is like a hummingbird feeding,
staying itself in time, winging in place. Reality
is there, and reveals that the prism
is breaking the sunlight. That the tune you sing
is the melody of the hymn. That the ginkgo tree
is hung with fan-like leaves and in autumn
is gold. That beneath the willows the path you follow
is thick with dead leaves. That beauty, in truth,
is love’s reality and carries its changeless grace like an angel
through all that is. And “is”
accepts what is: the breaking and falling and clouding and dying;
the burning forest, the wounded eagle and elk. “Is”
keeps “should have” and “may be,” moods
of relentless pathos
flowing with time, dynamic, inseparable from
earth’s beauty and love.
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SUMMER 2011
Awards & Honors
Sister Mary Nicholas
Vincelli, CSJ
By Sister Ann Redmond, CSJ
Sister Mary Nicholas Vincelli, CSJ
“Is” Commentary by
Sister Ann Redmond, CSJ
Often needed spiritual advice for
me is to live in the moment, live
each day fully without concern
for the future. Sister Ellen’s poem
“Is” puts a positive spin on that
solid advice. From her I hear
letting go of worries opens me to
the wonders of each day. Along
with her many insights one of my
favorite is “corrects and redeems
imagination’s errors.”
Amazing how her poetic
explication of that two-letter
“Is” word compels me to hear
the spirit, moving in me to let
go. It’s a willingness to let go by
reflecting on an all-encompassing,
‘Is,” drawing me from the selfabsorption of the “I.”
In October 2010, Sister Mary
Nicholas Vincelli, CSJ, was
named Woman of the Year for her
contributions to the community of
Mission, Texas. Although retired,
Sister Mary Nicholas works with
Operation Hope, a group that
distributes clothes and toys to
the needy in the area. She came
to the Rio Grande Valley in 1970
and established a clinic for the
underserved in Pharr, Texas.
She also served as the director
of nursing services for Hidalgo
County Health and Human
Services.
Sister Mary Madonna Ashton,
CSJ
From left are Mike Osterholm, Sister Mary
Madonna Ashton, CSJ, Kari Colucci, and
Barbara Columbo. Mike Osterholm and his
wife Barbara Columbo endowed a scholarship
in Sister Mary Madonna’s honor. Kari Colucci is
the recipient of that scholarship.
In the fall of 2010, Mike Osterholm and his wife, Barbara Columbo,
endowed the Sister Mary Madonna Ashton Health Leadership
Scholarship at St. Catherine University. They made the donation to
St. Catherine’s Alumnae Association in Sister Mary Madonna’s honor.
St. Kate’s nursing major Kari Colucci ’11 was awarded the scholarship
October 2010.
Sister Mary Madonna, as Minnesota commissioner of health, appointed
Osterholm state epidemiologist and chief of the acute disease
epidemiology section in 1984. After a long career in the healthcare
field and many honors, Sister Mary Madonna remains committed to
providing Minnesotans with access to affordable healthcare. In January
she began to serve the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis as
Delegate for Religious.
SUMMER 2011
15
Awards & Honors
Sister Marian Louwagie, CSJ
Sister Marian Louwagie, CSJ
Sister Marian Louwagie, CSJ, was
honored at Woodwinds Hospital,
Woodbury, Minnesota, for her 26
years as director of spiritual care
services. She came to Woodwinds
in 2000 to initiate the Spiritual
Care Department. Over the years,
in addition to direct patient care,
Sister Marian provided education
for churches, ministers and
students of various faiths. She
developed outreach programs
and led HealthEast’s participation
in the Global Health Volunteer
Program, a program that recycles
medical supplies for third world
countries.
16
Joänne Tromiczak-Neid, justice coordinator for
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul
Province, holds her JRLC award recognizing
her social justice work. Sister Isabella Ferrell,
CSJ, standing next to Joänne, nominated her
for the award.
Joänne Tromiczak-Neid
Joänne Tromiczak-Neid, justice
coordinator for the Sisters of
St. Joseph of Carondelet, St.
Paul Province, was honored
February 17 by the Joint Religious
Legislative Coalition (JRLC) with
the Lawrence D. Gibson Social
Justice Award in recognition of
her “social justice work done
in the interfaith context [that]
moves members of a community
to effective public action.” JRLC
is the largest and most inclusive
interfaith public interest group in
Minnesota. The award certificate
and medal were presented to
her at the State Capitol Rotunda.
Joänne was nominated for the
award by Sister Isabella Ferrell,
CSJ, who said, “Over the years, I
have seen her work so hard. She
is so intent on what she’s doing,
and so generous with her time.”
SUMMER 2011
Consociate Carol Gariano
Consociate Carol Gariano
At the same JRLC recognition
ceremony, Consociate Carol
Gariano and several others
representing Caring In Common,
a group of JRLC members from
the same state senate district,
accepted the JRLC Interfaith
Social Justice Community Award
for their work of building alliances
in Minnesota.
In Search of the Divine
Other available segments of
In Search of the Divine:
Program 5 features Father Jan
Michael Joncas, musician and
composer (including “On Eagle’s
Wings), and his life-changing
experience with Guillain-Barré
syndrome, Sister Ansgar Holmberg,
CSJ’s gauche (tempra) ‘art-of the
heart’, and how the power of touch
changed Sister Rosalind Gefre, CSJ.
DVD
Program 6
© 2011
For information, visit www.insearchofthedivine.org
The sixth edition of our video magazine, In Search of the
Divine, is just about ready for Challenge readers.
It features pet therapy teams Dave Kettering and his
Samoyed dog, Sasha and Becky Martini and her Lhasa Apso
dog partner Zoey. Both teams explain the Divine nature of
their work and the powerful impact their dog partners have
in offering care, love and healing to the sick. Consociate
Lisa Gidlow Moriarty talks about labyrinths as a prayer form.
Consociate Ginger Hedstrom explains the Christian history
of clowning and how the art form lead her out of the pain of
abuse. And we examine Christian and Muslim daily prayer
forms with Sister Jeron Osterfeld, OSB, and the Sisters of
St. Benedict at St. Paul’s Monastery and Makram El-Amin of
Masjid An’nur Mosque in Minneapolis.
The DVD is 28 minutes long and can also be seen
periodically on St. Paul’s cable channel 6 at 4:30 p.m. on
Sunday afternoons. To request your copies of In Search of
the Divine contact Jane Hurley, CSJ, at 651-690-7044 or
jhurley@csjstpaul.org, or by visting www.csjstpaul.org.
Program 4 features Gene Goodsky,
a spiritual advisor on the Boise Forte
Indian Reservation, Sister Charlotte
Berres, CSJ, who shared her home
with developmentally disabled
persons, Mike Hendrickson and his
mom, who tell their story of recovery,
and Sister Marian Louwagie, CSJ,
describing her journey with cancer.
Program 3 features icon writer
Sister Kate Holmberg, CSJ, a Sister
of Providence who worked to get
Mother Theodore Guerin sainted
and the man whose miracle became
part of Saint Guerin’s journey to
sainthood, and explanations of
praying with beads by a Hindu monk
and a Sister of the Visitation.
Program 2 focuses on prison,
including interviews with letterwriter 95 year-old Sister Mary
Mark Mahoney, CSJ, Frank Wood
who served in the department
of corrections for the State of
Minnesota, and Kelly, a young
woman who is serving a life sentence
for murder. The program also
features Alpacas residing at the
White Violet Center in Indiana.
Program 1 features potter Sister
Jean Nelson, CSJ, WWII Bataan
Death March survivor Ken Porwell,
a Buddhist monk describing music
scoring Tibetan style, and peace
activist Sister Rita Steinhagen, CSJ.
SUMMER 2011
17
CSJ “Prayers Please!”
Phone App Coming Soon!
You probably have heard of “phone app,” a term
for a cell phone application. These applications are
add-ons to “smart phones” (more technologically
sophisticated cell phones), that perform specialized
functions in addition to making a phone call. Smart
phone users can download apps from a variety of
sources. If you have a smart phone and have the
appropriate app, you can use your phone to surf the
net, blog, twitter, play games, locate a friend, study
for SATs, and perform many other functions.
While there are apps for almost every category
you can think of, there are very few phone apps for
prayer requests. During the past two years, the CSJ
Congregational communications directors (Jenny
Beatrice, in the St. Louis Province; Susan Hames,
CSJ, who is the Congregational Leadership Team
liaison; Sister Mary Agnes Nance, CSJ, and Sister
Carol Louise Smith, CSJ, in the Los Angeles Province;
Sister Mary Rose Noonan, CSJ, in the Albany, New
York Province; and Ann Thompson, in the St. Paul
Province), have worked on creating a phone app
to provide a vehicle through which individuals may
request prayers through their cell phones. They were
recently awarded a grant through the John, Marie,
Joseph Whalen Foundation, Inc., to cover the cost
of designing, implementing and advertising a prayer
request phone app.
The searchable name of the phone application will
be “Prayers Please!.” The icon will be the heart and
hand in the logo for the 175th Anniversary, designed
by Marion C. Honors, CSJ, of the Albany province.
18
This app will provide individuals anywhere in the
world the opportunity to input a prayer request
and receive a response. “Prayers Please!” will be
designed to accept prayer requests as text messages
from a variety of sources, including the iPhone, iPad,
Blackberry and Android platforms.
The prayer requests will be forwarded to the
Congregational provinces in Albany, Los Angeles, St.
Louis and St. Paul. Each province will determine the
means by which the requests for prayers are honored.
For example, in the Albany Province, the requests
may be entered in the daily intention book at the
Provincial House; such intentions are remembered
each day at Liturgy. In St. Paul, the Sisters at Bethany
Convent will hold the requests in prayer.
The communication directors hope that the prayerrequest app will accomplish the following goals:
UÊÊ *ÀÛìÊ>Êi>ÃÞÊ>VViÃÃLiÊÛiViÊvÀÊ«À>ÞiÀÊ
requests, using digital media.
UÊÊ ÌÕiÊÌiÊV>ÊvÊÌiÊ-ÃÌiÀÃÊvÊ-Ì°ÊÃi«ÊÌÊ
respond to the needs of the times, part of the
essence of our mission.
UÊÊ ÝÌi`ÊÌiÊ«ÀiÃiViÊvÊÌiÊ-ÃÌiÀÃÊvÊ-Ì°ÊÃi«Ê
to a new audience.
The communication directors express gratitude to
the Whalen Foundation for the generous grant to
fund this wonderful project. The new app should be
available by the end of the summer. Watch for news
updates for “Prayers Please!.”
SUMMER 2011
In Loving
Memory
Sister Georgine Nugent, CSJ
May 13, 1931 – December 17, 2010
Sister Mary Margaret Deeney, CSJ
November 11, 1926 – December 19, 2010
Sister Anne Joachim Moore, CSJ
November 9, 1916 – December 20, 2010
Sister Mary Lois Sweeney, CSJ
February 21, 1931 – February 19, 2011
Sister Marie Diehl, CSJ
July 3, 1912 – February 21, 2011
Sister Constance Marie Defoe, CSJ
April 28, 1911 – February 23, 2011
Sister Marie Noelle Veilleux, CSJ
December 25, 1915 – March 8, 2011
Sister Patrice Neuberger, CSJ
December 11, 1925 – April 14, 2011
Sister Mary Isidore Louwagie, CSJ
June 25, 1911, - May 20, 2011
Sister Elizabeth Tobin, CSJ
August 9, 1917 – May 21, 2011
SUMMER 2011
19
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province
1884 Randolph Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105-1700
#"#'"%!)"
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When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

Transcription

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