Fall 2012 Leadership: Charting a Pathway Into the Unknown

Fall 2012 • A Publication of the Sisters of Charity, BVM
Leadership:
Charting a Pathway
Into the Unknown
I
Fall Two Thousand Twelve
Volume 41, Number 1
N
T
H
I
S
Seasoning
by BVMs Teri Hadro,
Mira Mosle and Kate Hendel
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Leadership in Our Times:
The Emergence of Something New
by Mary Ann Zollmann
5
Joan Fitzgerald, BVM:
Guiding Xavier into the Future
by Joan Nuckols, BVM
Managing Editor: Jody Iler
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Communication Advisory Committee:
Associate Dan Abben; Luann Brown, BVM, Lois
Dolphin, BVM; Bette Gambonini, BVM; Harriet
Holles, BVM; Mira Mosle, BVM; Mary Nolan, BVM
An Exploration of BVM Leadership
by Kathryn Lawlor, BVM
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Subscriptions: $7.50 per year, write:
SALT, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, Iowa
52003-7991, ph. (563) 588-2351, or email:
[email protected].
Margaret Mary Cosgrove, BVM:
Congregational Collaborator
by Mary A. Healey, BVM
9
SALT Briefs
SALT is published three times per year for
friends and family of the Sisters of Charity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Editor/Design: Angie Connolly
[email protected]
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New BVM Leadership Embarks
on the Road to the Future
by Jody Iler
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Change, Renewal and Grace:
A Journey into the Unknown
by Jody Iler
15
‘Faithful to the Gospel: Then and Now’
by Marge Clark, BVM
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Carmel Catholic High School:
Fulfilling the Vision of Vatican II
by Lois Dolphin, BVM
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Sister on the Hill: Carol Frances Jegen
by Jody Iler
2012 Calendar of Events
October
21 Chicago Benefactors’ Mass, Holy Family
Church
21 Celebrating Vatican II–Sharing the Vision:
Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz, “What Happened at Vatican II? Keys to Understanding the Council,” Rogalski Center, St.
Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa
November
03 BVM Alum and Friends Reception, St.
John School, Seattle, Wash.
04 Dubuque Benefactors’ Mass, Mount
Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa
16-17 SOA Watch, Columbus, Ga.
December
02 Celebrating Vatican II–Sharing the Vision:
Dr. Zeni Fox, “The Laity after Vatican II:
Collaboration in Ministry,” Clarke University, Dubuque, Iowa
14 Mary Frances Clarke’s Birthday Party,
Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa
S
S
U
E
Leadership: Charting a Pathway into the Unknown
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Mission Statement: We are the Sisters of Charity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a community of
Catholic women called to live the mission of
Jesus through our core values of Freedom,
Education, Charity and Justice.
I
In Loving Memory
20
Diamond Jubilarians
For more information, visit:
www.bvmcong.org/whatsnew_calendar.cfm
Check us out online:
www.bvmcong.org
www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
www.youtube.com/bvmsisters
twitter/bvmsisters
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On the cover: BVMs showing support for the “Nuns on the Bus: Nuns
Driving for Faith, Families and Fairness” campaign are (l. to r.) Teri Hadro,
Alice Caulfield (Alissio), Bertha Fox (Dolorose), Joanna Rettenmeier,
Judith Sheahan, Lou Anglin and Mira Mosle. They represent just one of
the many ways that BVMs embody their core values of freedom, education, charity and justice in ministry and mission. In this issue you’ll experience a firsthand look at BVM leadership and individual “leaders” in action
as their vision takes us into the unknown.
SEASONing
“Bewildered but joyful; afraid but peaceful; because you have a group of women following you
as you walk on the road to find Jesus at the end.”
BVM leadership team members are (l. to r.) Mira Mosle, Teri
Hadro and Kate Hendel.
This succinct message was one of hundreds
written by BVMs and associates to us as the new
BVM leadership Council. On the last day of our
Senate, the 3”x 5” cards were prayerfully placed
inside a handcrafted box meant to resemble the
trunk Mary Frances Clarke brought with her
from Ireland. We were instructed to read the cards
on good days and hard days, when things went
smoothly and when they were rough, so that we
would know that we are not alone.
The author of this particular message helpfully
added her starting point from Acts 4:32: The whole
group of believers was united, heart and soul. Of
interest to us is that the arrest of Peter and John
was described just prior to verse 32!
As we begin our term of office as Council, we
note that the 2012 U.S. presidential election is
entering its final stages. We can’t help but recognize significant differences between the change of
“CEO” in congregations of women religious and
in civic or political entities. Just two of these differences will serve as illustration:
The seven BVMs who offered themselves as
candidates for three Council positions did so
because they had been invited to consider offering their gifts and talents for service. The entire
congregation participated in a year-long process to
discern which gifts and talents might best be suited
to the challenges of an unknown future. Prayer and
listening for the guidance of the Holy Spirit were
primary for the candidates who spent no time trying to “knock each other out of the race.”
Secondly, the first principle in the role description of the leadership Council is “to promote the
life and mission of the congregation.” In doing
this, the Council strives to care for the physical,
spiritual, psychological and ministerial well-being
of the members, to administer the ordinary business of the congregation, and to represent the congregation to individuals and groups in church and
society. In short, the Council keeps the “home fires
burning,” leaving the members freer to engage in
the good works of the congregation.
Service, not reputation, power or ideology is
the goal. Dramatic course changes, removal of
personnel and/or putting one’s stamp on the organization occur rarely. Newly elected BVM Councils
literally stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, continuing plans and processes already begun,
interacting with members and reading the signs of
the times to determine next steps.
While the BVM Council represents the congregate public face of the sisters, individual BVMs
and associates—some of whose stories are told in
the pages of Salt—represent the heart and soul of
a congregation missioned to carry Christ’s message to others. In this issue you will meet BVMs
Marge Clark, Margaret Mary Cosgrove and Joan
Fitzgerald; learn of Carmel Catholic High School’s
50-year history of community-building based on
the principles of Vatican Council II; be offered a
peek at Mary Frances Clarke’s idea of leadership,
and see a snapshot of the inner workings of the
BVM Senate.
We hope you enjoy this issue’s tour through
BVM life. We think the title of the article by
Marge Clark says it well, “Faithful to the Gospel:
Then and Now.” The three of us are delighted you
have chosen to “walk on the road” with the BVM
community!
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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Leadership in Our Times:
The Emergence of Something New
by Mary Ann Zollmann, BVM
For the past three years, elected
leadership in U.S. Leadership
Conference of Women Religious
(LCWR) women’s congregations,
in companionship with their
sisters in community, have been
reflecting on the passage from the
prophet Isaiah: I am about to do a
new thing; now it springs forth; do
you not perceive it?
Held in that promise of newness, we
women religious engaged the customary rhythms of community and ministry
aware of their being punctuated more
and more frequently with moments that
tugged us beyond the ordinary and gave
us pause: the influence of Catholic sisters
in moving forward health care legislation
more inclusive of the poor; the power of
the “Nuns on the Bus” advocating for
a national budget mindful of the common good; the communal claiming of
our solidarity as sisters across the world
in response to the Vatican Apostolic Visitation of religious congregations in the
U.S.; the overwhelming outpouring of
support from the universal human community as we entered with integrity into
the events surrounding the Doctrinal
Assessment of LCWR; and, the approach
of the 50th anniversary of Vatican II with
our ever-deepening realization of the cost
and necessity of living true to its call.
The accumulation of these events and
communal attentiveness to their meaning
is bringing about a new self-consciousness
on the part of women religious. We are
clarifying and claiming our identity as the
charismatic face of church and society,
luminous with a love that permeates and
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transcends institutional bounds. And,
even as we know ourselves better, we are
experiencing wholehearted affirmation by
so many of the laity who resonate with
our ethic of relationship, compassion and
justice. Religious communities as a whole,
religious life as a life-form, is being perceived as exercising a necessary and quite
extraordinary office of leadership in our
world and in our church.
This role of publically confirmed
leadership is not something we women
religious have intentionally sought; rather
it has come upon us by virtue of the credibility of our presence, the truthfulness
of our voice, and the authenticity of our
action. In a social, political and religious
climate characterized by

narrow definitions of faith and reli-
gion, women religious exude a life of
holiness with the single requirement
that no one be left out;

fierce competition and polarizing rhet-
oric, women religious persistently seek
unifying dialogue respectful of diverse
perspectives;

willingness to compromise honesty for
the sake of success, women religious
are committed to truth-telling no matter the personal or communal cost;

the impetus to stand out by stand-
ing apart, women religious choose to
stand with, weaving national, global
and ecclesial communities bonded by
sisterhood;

the failure to connect poverty and
unjust social systems, women religious
live the link ministering among the
poor and advocating for systemic
change.
Recognizing these qualities as representative of the hopes of so many, it is up
to us as religious leadership communities to initiate with the laity networks of
social, political and spiritual partnerships
energized by the spirit so contagious
among us at this moment. What would
be the implications if we, lay and religious
together, created in every part of our globe
communities of leadership committed to
living the qualities presently so respected
in us women religious? From what we perceive now the fostering of such communities may be the next invitation emerging
out of the newness.
Seeing the whole of religious life as
one of public leadership positions the
elected leader at the service of primary
leadership: that of the community itself.
A living symbol of the community, the
elected leader is called to embody day in
and day out, in the ordinary and extraordinary, the leadership qualities required in
our time. In her being, she reflects back
to the community the significance of its
socio-ecclesial mission, inspires the community with the passion for leadership,
engenders the courage to be true, and
makes visible the joy of doing so.
Having recently completed 12 years
in elected leadership, I celebrate the
personally transformative experiences of
those years, the enduring gift of lifelong
membership in the BVM leadership
community, the grace of participation in
emerging networks of leadership, and the
delightful promise that God will continue
to do new things in us.
About the author: Mary Ann Zollmann, BVM
(Clement Mary) served for 12 years in leadership to the BVM community.
Photos courtesy of Xavier College Prepatory.
Dynamic, visionary, organized, bringing out the best in
all, willing to change to meet
new needs, living a prayerfilled life and demonstrating a
great sense of humor—these
qualities epitomize Principal
Mary Joan Fitzgerald, BVM
(John Raymond) throughout
her 50 years of service to the
students, faculty, parents,
alumnae and friends of Xavier
College Preparatory in Phoenix, Ariz.
XCP school spirit abounds with BVMs (l. to r.) Joan Nuckols, Joan Fitzgerald and Lynn Winsor and the
Xavier Gator Mascot.
Joan Fitzgerald, BVM:
Guiding Xavier into the Future
by Joan Nuckols, BVM
Joan Fitzgerald, BVM receives a check
from the student council who raised
$2000 through “Buck-A-Jeans Day”
fundraisers to support the new Chapel of Our Lady and Founders Hall.
In 1962, Joan arrived at Xavier in
Phoenix to teach Spanish. Over the years,
in addition to teaching, she accepted the
challenges of treasurer, vice principal, and
since 1974, principal.
“Sister Joan’s leadership in secondary
education has been one of vision, always
keeping goals, mission and signs of the
times primary as she leads Xavier College
Preparatory into the 21st century,” states
Lynn Winsor, BVM, who has worked
with Joan for more than 35 years.
During these years, the school has
tripled in size from 400 to nearly 1,200
young women. There are 23 advanced
placement classes as well as 43 dual enrollment classes offered in conjunction with
Rio Salado College.
Joan was the first principal in Arizona to introduce a community service
component as part of the curriculum for
all students. This emphasis on service is
encouraged in all clubs, activities and athletic teams.
This past year Joan spearheaded an
international studies program enabling
Xavier students to participate in the world
community through academic studies and
service; witness Catholic beliefs through
service and worship; learn about, understand, experience and appreciate other
cultures; embrace similarities and differences, becoming more appreciative and
mindful of God’s bounty; and welcome
students from other countries to Arizona
and the Xavier community.
Xavier continued to grow over the years
with the addition of an activity center,
home economics building, new classrooms
and library, counseling and finance offices,
sports field, performing arts theatre complex, Virginia Piper Science Center, Founders Hall and Chapel of Our Lady.
According to Xavier’s Finance Director Barbara Bond, “Sister Joan provides
outstanding faith-based leadership and
support over all aspects of the school and
specifically in the area of finance. There is
a strong emphasis on providing financial
aid to more than 42% of the student body,
making Xavier accessible to all qualified
students in spite of economic status. Her
strong financial management has resulted
in a solid financial position for the school
and the ability to complete the beautiful
Founders Hall on time and on budget.”
The stained glass windows that Sister
Joan knew firsthand as a member of the
first class of the Scholasticate at Wright
Hall, a former BVM residence in Chicago, now grace the new Chapel of Our
Lady at Xavier.
Fitzgerald continued on p. 6.
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An Exploration of
BVM Leadership
by Kathryn Lawlor, BVM
Celebrating the dedication of the Chapel of Our Lady
are (l. to r.) John and Chris Powers, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Rita and Tony Powers, and Joan Fitzgerald, BVM.
“We shall not cease exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.”
—T.S. Eliot
Fitzgerald continued from p. 5.
Many alumnae return to teach or work
at Xavier. Alumna Vanessa (Running)
Manzella, class of 1989, speaks for many
alumnae as she reflects, “As my principal,
Sister Joan was firm and fair—a quiet,
strong leader of Xavier. While teaching
under the guidance of Sister Joan, she is
both compassionate and one of the most
forward-thinking people I have come to
know. She has revealed even more of her
business savvy skills within my administrative work with her. Make no mistake—
Sister Joan runs this school like a tight
ship—steering Xavier full-throttle into the
future of higher Catholic education.”
There is a definite sense of community
at Xavier that reflects Joan’s leadership.
According to Tony DiStefano, a theology
teacher at Xavier, “Family concerns are
treated by Sister Joan with great care and
respect, making Xavier far more than a
place to come to work. Since I came here
in 1998 I have experienced, in a variety of
ways, how the talk about Xavier as a closeknit community is hardly just talk, but an
accurate reflection of how people treat one
another here.”
The BVM core values of freedom,
education, charity and justice thrive in
the rapidly growing city of Phoenix and
will continue for many more years, thanks
to Joan’s leadership these past 50 years.
According to Mrs. Polly Fitz-Gerald,
alumna and director of advancement,
“The longer I’m here the smarter Sister
Joan gets!”
About the author: Joan Nuckols, BVM has
taught at Xavier College Preparatory for 31
years and is currently vice principal for academics and campus minister.
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An exploration of the dreams and demands of the times define BVM leadership styles. It began when a small circle
of friends recognized Mary Frances
Clarke’s qualities for advancing its vision
of a religious community. The vision grew
into the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and for nearly 180 years it
has continued to identify who would
lead in “a community life of union with
Jesus Christ, strengthened by openness
to his Spirit and fidelity to a common call
to minister to others.” (Constitutions, 3)
Over 300 extant letters and notes testify
to the reasons Mother Clarke was chosen.
She encouraged a community life through
collaboration, consultation and support. As
sisters exercised the ministry of education
along the western frontier, she trusted their
pragmatic way of achieving it.
Mary Frances Clarke viewed her role as
one of promoting the members’ confidence
and self-reliance. In an 1885 letter she gently challenged sisters to find their resources
within themselves and within God, “I hasten a few words to relieve all your anxieties.
Do not be uneasy, rely on God, whose aid
is never denied to those who ask it. Tell my
dear Sisters I hope to hear that they as well
as yourself have had your last cry. It consoled
BVM Leaders
Following Vatican Council II
me to hear . . . that you were all well and
doing your best. Leave the future to God.
I have no fears, so long as you are working
unitedly, but that He will aid as in the past.”
After Mother Clarke’s death in 1887,
the Rule which had received papal
approval in 1885 defined the leadership
style of the congregation’s executives. The
letter of the Rule became the divine will
which flowed downward from a God who
was at the apex of a pyramid. The sisters,
numbering over 300, chose their next
leader from a list of three names as possible candidates. Because the majority had
witnessed Mary Gertrude Regan as the
go-to sister for managing daily events during their novitiate on the St. Joseph Prairie farm, they elected her as their leader.
Gertrude’s experience as treasurer and
superior of the Motherhouse made her less
mindful of the individual sister and more
mindful of the community as a whole.
Gertrude saw her leadership role as
providing for the needs of an institution
and for her its greatest need at that time
was financial stability. The sisters supported themselves and the Motherhouse
community through their ministry of
teaching in parochial schools. By opening a greater number of schools, Gertrude
increased the income. The bishops’ directive of the 1884 Council of Baltimore that
every parish provides a school fostered
Roberta Kuhn
1967–1972
Joan Kelleher Doyle
1972–1980
Mary Frances Clarke
Gertrude Regan
Cecilia Dougherty
her goal. When she relocated the Motherhouse to a farm on the outskirts of
Dubuque near transportation routes, Gertrude more easily launched educational
institutions along railroad tracks and
rivers. During her 12 years in leadership,
she arranged for the opening of 40 new
schools, doubling the number the congregation had started since its foundation.
As Gertrude’s successor, the members
envisioned a more personal touch and
turned to Mary Cecilia Dougherty. She
had been novice director for 18 years and
knew many of them well. Helping the
sisters in their teaching ministry was her
greatest concern.
Cecilia’s leadership provided for
advanced education and teacher preparation. Circumventing the lack of women’s
higher educational institutions, she
arranged mentoring within the community through summer classes and curriculum workshops which led to a uniform
BVM school system.
Ascension Lilly, following Cecilia,
brought the experience of a parish school
teacher to her leadership. She discovered
that Rome’s directive for the congregation
to be divided would test these experiences.
Instructed to form provinces because
of the increase in membership, Ascension
grappled with ways to lead “a community
life of union” geographically and administratively. Her familiarity with the isolation
of teaching in frontier schools and her
acquisition of political acumen from working with diocesan authority pyramids were
strong influences. She divided the congregation so all provinces would have bases
in Chicago and Iowa. Then she arranged
that the provincials would be appointed
Mary Frances Shafer
1980–1984
Ascension Lilly
Isabella Keane
Gervase Tuffy
by the general council instead of elected by
the province members. Her leadership preserved the union by tightening its bonds.
As musician and artist, Mary Isabella
Keane added panache to her leadership. She systematized the training of the
novices and introduced college courses
in the novitiate. Isabella led in advancing
the prominence of the BVM schools by
improving the architecture of its buildings. Her greatest achievement was a
skyscraper college which she designed and
built along Chicago’s shoreline.
Isabella’s costly projects forced her successor, Mary Gervase Tuffy, to become a
no-nonsense leader as she struggled during
the Great Depression to pay for Isabella’s
creativity. During her second term Gervase
agreed that the congregation could afford
to open schools in the segregated South for
African American children.
Battered by the Depression and the
Second World War, the sisters looked for a
leader with an understanding heart. They
found her in Mary Josita Baschnagel,
who stressed the importance of relationships within the community and within
BVM ministry. She wrote to the sisters,
“Before our students we stand for the love
of God and of humanity; but to them we
express that love only in our relations with
them and with one another. The religious
whose affection for all her sisters is apparent, who truly loves the children under
her charge, who shows an individual
kindness to their parents in the problems
of life, who . . . follows her former pupils
with sympathy for their trials, with solicitude for their loyalty to God—that religious is the one who attracts . . . the girl
who would follow Christ.”
Helen Maher Garvey Dolores Marie McHugh
1992–2000
1984–1992
Joellen McCarthy
2000–2008
Josita Baschnagel
Consolatrice Wright
Josita’s restoring the sacredness of
relationships foreshadowed Mary Consolatrice (Helen) Wright’s leadership.
She responded to the directives from the
Second Vatican Council to all religious
congregations. Consolatrice led renewing
the charism of Mary Frances Clarke and
directing BVM ministry to meet the signs
of the times. During her second term,
the congregation returned to its original
government based on dialogue, shared
responsibility, consensus decision-making,
and servant leadership.
The title of “Mother General,” which
would have been an oxymoron to the
original members, no longer identified
congregational leadership. Roberta Kuhn
assumed the title of president and shared
leadership with two vice presidents, Joan
Doyle and Adele Henneberry. Their
first letter to the sisters stated, “The role
you have entrusted to us to lead the congregation is one of love and service. Aware
of the charismatic gifts of the Spirit in
which all members participate, we accept
our duty to listen so that we may speak.”
For the past 45 years, seven presidents
and their vice presidents have been faithfully leading BVMs according to the
vision and values that they have together
determined. Leaders consistently surface
who meet the standards for “a community
life of union with Jesus Christ, strengthened by openness to his Spirit and fidelity
to a common call to minister to others.”
About the author: Kathryn Lawlor, BVM (John
Laurian) is the author of From There to Here: The
Sisters of Charity, BVM from 1942-1972. She is
a teacher at the Roberta Kuhn Center, Mount
Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa.
Mary Ann Zollmann
2008–2012
Teri Hadro
2012–present
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Margaret Mary Cosgrove, BVM:
Congregational Collaborator
by Mary A. Healey, BVM
When she was BVM treasurer, Margaret Mary Cosgrove was
active in the National Association of Treasurers of Religious Institutes
(NATRI); her service there led to her being recruited by related organizations. (Always the reward of good work is more work.)
Now she serves on the board of directors
of Resource Center for Religious Institutes
(RCRI), a nonprofit corporation which
provides or directs members to financial
and legal resources. It was formed when
NATRI and the Legal Resource Center for
Religious Institutes (LRCRI) merged. RCRI
includes treasurers, finance officers, attorneys, accountants and leaders of religious
institutes and societies of apostolic life in
the United States and Canada. Margaret
Mary earned her designation as a CPA
(certified public accountant) as well as an
MBA (master of business administration)
degree.
Currently she is on the planning committee for the November 2012 four-day
RCRI National Conference at which its
members will attend sessions on civil and
canonical legal issues, finance, investments, human resources and facilities
management.
Margaret Mary will lead the session
on “Navigating the RCRI Investment
Policy Checklists: Tools to Help Lay a
Solid Investment Foundation.” Investment policy checklists assist religious
institutes in developing investment policy
statements which govern how their investments are managed. They often include
socially responsible guidelines and environmental, social and governance criteria
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for their investments. They may describe
the risk tolerance of the religious institute
and other factors to safeguard the capital.
Companies known to abuse the natural
environment, have unfair labor practices,
or make objectionable products usually
are disqualified. Of course, BVMs and
many other religious congregations do
buy minimal amounts of stock in certain
firms which fail those standards, so they
can present shareholder resolutions in
order to influence policy.
Margaret Mary also is a consultant for
the National Religious Retirement Office
(NRRO) which helps religious congregations plan to reduce retirement costs. The
office is funded by the annual December
collection for retired religious. Two consultants assigned by NRRO and a team
from the religious institute, one each from
leadership, finance and health care, cooperate to identify the issues facing the religious
institute and work toward solutions that
will significantly reduce retirement costs.
The NRRO consultants visit the institute’s headquarters, attend a workshop with
the leaders, survey their present arrangements, provide guidance, make recommendations, and then have monthly conference
calls with the leaders. If necessary, they
make more visits. Margaret is pleased when
a congregation with whom she worked for
three years, while they sold their motherhouse and built a smaller modern facility,
achieved large savings.
Her work with religious congregations
brought Margaret Mary an invitation
to the board of directors of Great Lakes
Advisors, Inc. (GLA), which works with
religious institutions of all faiths, not
for profit organizations, some for profit
clients, pension plans, and other socially
conscientious investors. Currently she is
director of client services for GLA, which
means she oversees the investment portfolios of 80 congregations and advises them
on how to use their funds to best reach
their goals. Margaret Mary is excited for
the opportunity to share her expertise
with others who have concentrated on
different ministries.
Like most BVMs, Margaret Mary
began as an elementary teacher and
pursued a graduate degree in education.
When Mary Justa Sheehan, BVM, longtime treasurer and controller at Clarke
University in Dubuque, Iowa, looked for
an assistant, Margaret Mary was recommended as intelligent, energetic and interested in finance. In 1975, Justa invited her
to Clarke where she worked various jobs
in the business office to become familiar
As Director of Client Services
for Great Lakes Advisors,
Inc. (GLA), Margaret Mary
Cosgrove, BVM advises
congregations on how to
use their funds to best reach
their goals.
with the whole operation. Then in 1976,
the Clarke catalog lists her as assistant
treasurer. In the middle of that year Justa
became ill; Margaret Mary became acting treasurer and continued until Clarke
hired a “permanent” replacement while
she went to the University of Iowa for an
MBA in finance. Returning to Clarke in
1980, Margaret Mary taught in the business department for seven years, moved to
Loras College to teach for nine years, and
chaired the department at both schools.
Chosen as BVM treasurer in 1996,
Margaret Mary held the position 12 years
and became known and respected among
religious in that field. In her last term,
Margaret Mary hired Laura Reicks, RSM
as associate treasurer, and in June 2008,
the new BVM leadership team appointed
Laura as treasurer. Selecting a sister of
another congregation for the job was not
an innovation; Mary Michaeleen Gibbons, BVM, a former BVM treasurer,
became treasurer for the Franciscans in
Wheaton, Ill. Competence is the big consideration.
More and more, sisters are reaching
across congregational boundaries to cooperate. In 2012, the “Nuns on the Bus”
tour organized by NETWORK, a social
justice lobbying organization sponsored
by sisters in Washington, D.C., demonstrated this. Maybe it introduced the idea
to some people, but it has been happening
for a long time. Margaret Mary Cosgrove,
BVM is one of thousands of sisters sharing her talents for the good of others.
About the author: Mary A. Healey, BVM
(Michael Edward) lives at the Mount Carmel
Motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, where she
serves as a volunteer.
When American sisters 56 years ago obeyed a Vatican directive to form a national organization, now known as Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), some already had
experienced collaboration with sisters of other congregations in education or health care
organizations. The LCWR brings them together regardless of ministry and has led to formation, sometimes with male religious, of other organizations targeted at problems they
all face.
SALT BRIEFS
BVM Rose Mary
Meyer (Sebastian) was one of
almost 700 volunteers assisting
more than 14,000
“Dreamers” who
registered for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee
Rights (ICIRR) DREAMRELIEF Day
at Navy Pier in Chicago, Aug.
15, 2012. DREAM Act-eligible
students can apply for relief
through “deferred action” which
temporarily eliminates the possibility of deportation and offers
hope to young adults by providing a work permit. As director
of Project IRENE, an initiative of
the Leadership Conference of
Women Religious in Illinois, Rose
Mary also networks with ICIRR to
pass immigration bills in the state
legislature.
Lingen Technology
Commons, a new
technology-rich
learning space at
Clarke University
in Dubuque, Iowa,
has been named in
honor of Clarke Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs
Joan Lingen, BVM (Ramone
Mary), Ph.D. Joan has served
in various roles at Clarke for
the past 44 years and has been
instrumental to Clarke’s progress.
The honor came at the request
of Joan’s classmates in the Clarke
Class of 1961, who have significantly supported this project and
chose to honor Joan. A blessing
and ribbon-cutting ceremony for
the new commons was held Aug.
29, 2012.
BVM Associate
Nancy Van Anne of
Greeley, Colo., will
be honored Oct. 6,
2012, as an “Outstanding Woman
Xavier College Preparatory’s new Chapel of Our Lady in
Phoenix, Ariz., is adorned with the stained glass windows that
were taken from the BVM retirement home, Wright Hall, in
Chicago. The Sisters of Charity, BVM sold Wright Hall in 2010
to Loyola University Chicago. The legacy of Wright Hall continues at Xavier, a school where BVMs have taught since 1936.
of Weld County” at a fundraising
gala for “A Women’s Place” (a
shelter for abused women and
children). A biography that will
be read at the event notes that
this former educator, “through
her quiet, unassuming but fierce
leadership worked to bring
equity to a male dominant environment, always advocating for
women—in athletics, on the faculty, and in leadership positions.”
Nancy continues to be an active
force for good in her community,
church and the BVM associate
program.
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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9
The new leadership team (l.
to r.) Second Vice President
Kate Hendel, President Teri
Hadro and First Vice President Mira Mosle join in
song at the installation ceremony in the Motherhouse
Chapel at Mount Carmel.
Teri Hadro, BVM
New Leadership Embarks
on the Road to the Future
by Jody Iler
The Sisters of Charity, BVM gathered in the Motherhouse Chapel at
Mount Carmel in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, July 22, 2012, for the installation ceremony of the newly elected leadership team.
After the closing of the BVM Senate 2012, President Teri Hadro, First
Vice President Mira Mosle and Second Vice President Kate Hendel were called
forth for affirmation and blessing in their new leadership roles by the congregation and guests. Outgoing President Mary Ann Zollmann was thanked and
honored for her selfless service in leadership for the past 12 years. A miniature
replica of the trunk belonging to Mary Frances Clarke, containing “Words of
Wisdom” from BVM sisters, was presented to the new leadership team.
The installation ceremony is the culmination of a congregation-wide process which began much earlier, in January, when BVM community members
sent letters of invitation to potential candidates asking them to consider service in leadership. Sixty-five sisters reflected on the invitations they received.
In March, nine sisters accepted their invitations and participated in a discernment weekend at Mount Carmel. Seven sisters decided to continue as
nominees in the process and went on to prepare for the April 2012 Senate of
Elections. Teri, Mira and Kate were ultimately selected by the community.
The new leadership team represents a congregation of 460 BVMs. Over 90
of these sisters are active in ministries in 21 states and three foreign countries:
Ecuador, Ghana and Guatemala. Approximately 160 of the 360-plus “retired”
BVMs volunteer full or part-time, or work part-time, reflecting the spirit of
“BVMs who keep on keeping on.”
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Born in St. Paul, Minn., Teri Hadro entered
the congregation in 1965. Her early ministries
include teaching junior high and secondary school
and serving as BVM communications commissioner. After receiving her master’s degree in zoology (genetic counseling) at Rutgers University, Teri
spent 21 years ministering as a genetic counselor at
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine,
the University of Chicago, and Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Teri has served as BVM senator and regional for
the Great Lakes Region and on many boards and
committees both within and outside the congregation. She feels that she incorporates a collaborative, inclusive and responsive style of leadership
as demonstrated in her past four years as BVM
second vice president. Reflecting on her new role as
president, Teri says, “Although there are many challenges for religious congregations and their leadership teams, it is a privilege to have the opportunity
to serve at a time in our history when intercongregational collaboration is celebrated and sought
after. No leader ever does the tasks alone and we all
know that together we are more than the sum of
the individuals who work together.”
Kate (Catherine E.) Hendel, BVM
Mira Mosle, BVM
Dubuque native Mira Mosle entered the
congregation in 1965. With a master’s degree in
journalism and mass communications from the
University of Minnesota, Mira taught secondary
school English and journalism for 12 years before
entering the communications field as director of
the office of communications for the diocese of Des
Moines, Iowa—a position she held for 10 years.
For three years, Mira worked part-time on the marketing/production staff of Iowa Religious Media
Services while serving part-time in parish and
campus ministry at Drake University. She became
the director of communications for the BVM congregation in 1993 and remained in that position
until 2008.
Mira has served as a BVM senator and has extensive committee and board experience both within
and outside the congregation. She has been first vice
president of the community for the past four years.
Mira stresses collaborative, inclusive and transparent processes of input and discussion, helping move
the community “toward its preferred future.” Of her
next four years in leadership, Mira reflects:
Leadership in today’s religious congregations
has been described as a responsibility to “fan the
flame and tend the embers.” This image captures
the sense of energy and passion for mission that
continue to be the hallmark of our congregation
and of our privilege to help strengthen that flame
as we respond to the needs of God’s people. At the
same time, religious life is in the midst of tremendous change, and we are called to gracefully let
go of the past as we embrace and create a future
responsive to God’s transformative power in us.
Kate Hendel was born in St. Louis and entered
the congregation in 1963. Music has been an
integral part of her ministries, beginning with her
elementary and secondary school teaching years in
Chicago and Phoenix. Since 1981 Kate has been at
Clarke University in Dubuque, where she has served
on the faculty, as chair of the music department, and
as director of general education—and in her most
recent position—as dean of adult and graduate studies since 2001. She holds two masters degrees (music
and theology) and has a doctorate in music education from Louisiana State University.
Kate has served on many committees within
the congregation and is involved in numerous
committee/board/volunteer experiences outside the
BVM community. An emphasis on team work that
reflects the best interests of the
whole describes her approach to
leadership. Kate shares:
As I look forward to this first
year in serving the congregation
on the leadership team, the theme
of the summer 2012 LCWR
Occasional Papers, “Mystery
Unfolding,” captures my lived
experience. Mystery can be exciting when one seeks to discover
what is unknown; it can be elusive when each facet of an issue
needs to be examined for its piece
of the truth; and it can be evocative as one summons the courage
to move forward when the path
is less than surefooted. My new
work with the Mount Carmel
Continuing Care Retirement
Community and other internal
cultures are augmented by the
external challenges associated with the (LCWR)
doctrinal assessment—each unfolding, each exciting and elusive, each evoking dependence upon
God’s Spirit as guide on this new pathway.
Together the new leadership team will share
their commitment, love and unique talents for
the good of the BVM community, as they move
forward into a new era, remembering always the
words of Mary Frances Clarke: “May you leave the
future to God and have no fears, for as long as you
are working unitedly God will aid you as in the
past.”
About the author: Jody Iler is the communications
specialist at the BVM Center, Mount Carmel.
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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11
The assembly raises their arms in unison for a vote at the Senate.
Change, Renewal and Grace:
A Journey into the Unknown
by Jody Iler
Grace is in the Struggle
embodied the theme of the 38th
Sisters of Charity, BVM Summer
Senate, held July 17–22, 2012, at
the Best Western hotel in Dubuque,
Iowa. Over 200 BVMs and associates
gathered for faith sharing, prayer,
song, reflection, discussion, decisionmaking and celebration, marking the
six-day biennial event.
BVMs Susan Coler and LaDonna Manternach check their messages during a Senate break.
Veronica Higgins, BVM (Rosine) listens
intently to a Senate speaker.
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Sisters not able to be present viewed
each day’s events via video streaming on
their home computers, while those at
Mount Carmel watched the closed circuit
television channel, allowing the entire
community to be part of the process as it
unfolded in real time.
The essence of history is change, often
accompanied by challenging times. BVMs
have experienced and met this constant
in their own history, maintaining their
religious community identity, charism
and mission even as they embrace change
with vision and creativity. As the assembly
gathered for this year’s Senate, new and
inevitable changes beckoned, changes that
clamor to be addressed.
Kathleen Mullin, BVM (Robert Mary)
led the Senate’s opening ritual, reminding
the assembly of the difficult decisions that
once had to be made by Mary Frances
Clarke and the founding sisters, just as
the current Senate assembly would dare to
address and consider difficult topics in the
ensuing week.
BVMs and associates reflected on
the Senate theme by sharing stories of
grace and struggle in their own personal
journeys. A miniature trunk, modeling
the one that belonged to Mary Frances
Clarke, was presented to the assembly.
“Words of Wisdom” offered during the
week by community members were placed
in the trunk for the newly elected leadership team: President Teri Hadro, BVM;
First Vice President Mira Mosle, BVM;
and Second Vice President Kate Hendel,
BVM. (See p. 10.) The trunk was presented to the team at the leadership installation ceremony July 22 at Mount Carmel
Motherhouse Chapel.
In her keynote speech Helen Maher
Garvey, BVM (Robert Joseph) referenced
the critical issues now facing religious
sisters and the Catholic Church in this
tumultuous time of scrutiny by the
Vatican, asking, “Where is grace in this
struggle?” She noted that though struggles
change over time, they remain ever present, just as the accompanying grace
remains constant.
In talking about that particular
moment when something may have
“snapped” for women religious, Helen
asked BVMs to recall when that moment
might have been for each one of them,
and what new possibilities may have
emerged as a result. She emphasized that
grace and the love of God will continue
to help the community to think and act
anew as they look to the future.
For Deanna Marie Carr, BVM (Bernita), Helen’s keynote provided an image.
“I will continue to associate that image
(‘something snapped’) with the Summer Senate of 2012 and with my life as a
BVM. Since 1959, my life has been like a
sheet of ‘bubble wrap’ years—of struggle
and change, renewal and unifying problems—and the grace prevailed, over and
over again.”
Over the next several days, BVMs
attended to the details of the congregation
and its vision for the future, addressing
topics related to finance, development,
land and buildings, fund guidelines,
grants and BVM outreach. Margaret Geraghty, BVM (St. Cabrini) noted, “It was
encouraging to me that our focus for the
future continues to include a very definite
outward reach to those in need.”
Outgoing President Mary Ann Zollmann (Clement Mary), together with
new President Teri and First Vice President Mira joined to present Team Talk,
“Mission in Our Times: Story-lines and
Dreaming Tracks.”
Comparing the Senate to a “watering
hole in the desert,” Mary Ann described
how stories “reconnect us with our
embedded wisdom and trigger memories
as we ride the ‘dreaming tracks,’” lending
direction on what to do next. She noted
that the story-lines link to Mary Frances
Clarke’s affection and love, shaping BVM
mission of “being freed and freeing others
in God’s steadfast love.”
Teri explained that BVMs are missioned to follow Jesus, by enfleshing the
BVM core values and attending to those
in need, whatever that may require. “We
are at a new moment in our history in
which the very understanding of ourselves
as women religious is being questioned
within our own church.” She emphasized
that BVM mission needs to be articulated
in the context of the present day, yet
imbued with an understanding of the past
and how it has brought BVMs to the present, showing them “what it means for us
to be women of mission in our times.”
Mira discussed how “our communal
story from the beginning is one of moving
into unknown territory, ‘wading into the
untested and unclear.’” She noted the prevalence of interest in spirituality today, an
increasing movement toward polarization
of church and society, and the importance
of collaborative, not authoritative, leadership—incorporating dialogue and diversity.
BVM Diane O’Donnell (Joanella)
reflected on the Team Talk challenges and
keynote address, saying, “Truly things
are snapping, leading us to new ways of
responding to God’s call for BVMs as we
walk into the future with the confidence
that the spirit of Mary Frances Clarke has
instilled in us. The examples of her courage and strength as she faced the many
struggles in life became graces for all of
us.”
As an observer at the Senate, BVM
Margaret Zimmermann (Jamesella)
shared that the highlights for her were the
keynote address and Team Talk. “Both
presentations set a calm, reassuring and
hopeful atmosphere,” she said. “Time for
morning faith sharing added a prayerful
tone . . . I experienced the community
spirit of all ‘working unitedly.’”
The Senate session on the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
expanded on the challenge of what it
means—not only for BVMs to be women
of the church in these times—but for all
women religious in America, the world
and within the entire Catholic Church. In
answer to the question, “What opportunities do you see for women in the church
in the place of tension?” BVMs offered
insights and wisdom for the new leadership team to take to the LCWR Assembly
in St. Louis in August.
Victoria Smurlo, BVM (Marie Stephen)
shared these reflections: “I’m trying to put
Elizabeth Avalos,
BVM (St. Augustine) and Nancy
McCarthy, BVM
(Josephine Mary)
sport red “BVM
Volunteer” t-shirts
they earned from
a BVM service trip
this past spring to
Milwaukee.
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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13
BVM Amy Golm sets
out the chest modeled
after the one belonging
to Mary Frances Clarke,
to be used for “Words
of Wisdom” for the new
leadership team.
Sue Rink, BVM
(Michaela), (l.), and
former BVM Tina
Stretch enjoy the
social hosted by the
development office.
Following liturgy, guests enjoy reconnecting at the evening social and dinner.
together in my head and heart all that is
going on here these days. For me, these were
full days of processing what is our (and that
of all women) place in the church as well as
our hopes and challenges.”
On the last full day Initial Membership Coordinators BVMs Kathy (Kathleen
Marie) Carr and Lou Anglin discussed the
evolution, philosophy and many outreach
efforts of initial membership in today’s
changing world. They noted that statistics
show a trend among many young “emerging” adults; they seem to lack commitment and interest in organized religion,
but do embrace spirituality, love, peace,
diversity and volunteering for causes.
The assembly participated in a question and discussion process focusing on
membership and the future, with the
following questions posed by Kathy and
Lou: “What has shaped us in the past?
What is our current reality? What are we
moving toward?”
That afternoon, the three outgoing
Associate Coordinators, BVMs Elizabeth
Avalos and Nancy McCarthy, and Associate
Elizabeth Fitting, led the assembly in a short
prayer. Associate Mary Ann Krems gave a
presentation focusing on the BVM charism,
which lies at the core of association.
“Attending the Senate was truly a gift
for me,” Mary Ann shared. “Being asked
for our ideas with a table of faith-filled
women and hearing reflections about the
challenges sisters are facing, I truly sensed
the spirit at work with a gentleness and
confidence that ‘all will be well.’ I am
blessed to be an associate.”
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Associates, too, are moving into the
future as they live the questions of a new
age. Elizabeth Fitting led the assembly in
table discussion regarding the day’s presentations, asking, “What form do you
envision the vowed member and associate
relationship taking in the future?”
After attending a liturgy celebration,
the evening featured a gathering where
approximately 75 former community
members and BVMs, associates, guests
and friends enjoyed a social and dinner
hosted by the development office.
As the Senate drew to a close on
the morning of July 22, gratitude was
expressed to the many people who helped
to make it a success. A prayer and gather-
ing of the “Words of Wisdom” for the new
leadership team officially closed the Senate,
while the song, “Infinite Grace,” reflected
the assembly’s theme coming full circle.
The morning session concluded with
a prayer to Mary Ann Zollmann for her
past 12 years of leadership service to the
congregation—marked by her life of contemplation and simplicity, her ministry
of inclusive leadership, her witness to
the importance of relationships, and her
invitation to live the Gospel through the
BVM Constitutions.
About the author: Jody Iler is the communications specialist at the BVM Center, Mount
Carmel.
BVMs Teri Hadro (l.) and Mira Mosle (r.) share a poignant moment with outgoing President Mary Ann
Zollmann, BVM (Clement Mary).
‘Faithful to the Gospel:
Then and Now’
by Marge Clark, BVM
Forty years ago, Marge Tuite, OP and
other sisters working in social justice,
energized by the Vatican Council and the
call for renewal uniting the spirit of their
founders with the signs of the times,
invited others to a “Sisters’ Conference” at
Trinity College in Washington, D.C., Dec.
17–19, 1971. Forty-seven sisters, including BVMs Monica Cahill and Helen Cashman and former BVM and now associate
Joanne Crowley Beers, joined together to
establish “a national network of religious
women to effect national and local social
policy questions.”
Top: NETWORK’s Director Simone Campbell, SSS
(center) and Lobbyist Marge Clark, BVM (l.) visit
with the Dubuque, Iowa, Food Pantry Director Lynn
Mary Wagner, PBVM, to talk about how potential
funding cuts would hurt area residents who rely
on the pantry’s service. Below: Simone gives encouragement to Tia, who tells the crowd how Maria
House, in Dubuque, has provided her and her two
children a home while she completed high school.
With the help of Maria House she is back on her feet
and is preparing to move into her own apartment.
Monsignor Geno Baroni assisted and
took initial leadership in the meeting; by
the second day he stepped aside, giving
space to the sisters to exert their own leadership in planning.
Carol Costen, OP, offered a motion
that the sisters create a “network” of sisters
engaged in political action and education.
The motion passed and a steering committee was named, who wrote a statement
of purpose for “The Network”: a Catholic
leader in the global movement of justice
and peace.
A new “women-led” style of leadership was embraced to provide a model for
women to strengthen their leadership in
two overwhelmingly male-dominated arenas: the Catholic Church and the federal
government.
The initial issues focus, which emerged
in September 1972, was communicated
through the first NETWORK newsletter. They included: international poverty,
congressional reform, minimum wage,
childcare, consumer protection, the environment, farm worker rights, healthcare,
opposition to war, prison reform, tax fairness, welfare reform and women’s rights.
As this core continues, the weight given to
each issue changes as global and national
situations change.
Early on, NETWORK instituted
internship programs to educate sisters
on issues and in advocacy techniques.
This education has morphed to include
a year-long associate program, part-time
internships, and presentations around the
country, and has grown into the NETWORK Education Program (NEP), a taxexempt 401(c)3, which operates alongside
the NETWORK lobby.
Since its inception, NETWORK has
taken leadership in response to the needs
of the times. In 1978, NETWORK flexed
its muscle, taking an active role in the
establishment of the National Consumer
Cooperative Bank and the Full Employment Act, and lobbied tirelessly for the
Equal Rights Amendment. Senator Ted
Kennedy recognized NETWORK’s
emerging political clout: “Leadership is
a critical factor, but not just leadership
from our elected officials and a revival of
American leadership abroad. It must—
NETWORK continued on p. 18.
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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15
A CCHS student reviews her schedule with Mary Sattgast, BVM (Mary de Porres).
Photo courtesy of CCHS.
Carmel Catholic High School: Fulfi
by Lois Dolphin, BVM
The year 2012 is being celebrated as
the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. Pope
John XXIII convened the Second Vatican
Council on Oct. 11, 1962, to “open the
windows of the church to let in some
fresh air.”
In a local church in Mundelein, Ill.,
the fall of 1962 was significant as well.
Carmel High School for Boys opened in
September 1962, followed a year later
by Carmel High School for Girls. The
two schools, sponsored and staffed by
the Order of Carmelites and the Sisters
of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
respectively, were co-institutional, sharing
a common campus.
Carmel Catholic High School
Celebrates 50th
In her homily at the liturgy opening
the year of celebration, Aug. 21, 2011,
then congregational President Mary Ann
Zollmann, BVM declared:
At the heart of Carmel is a contagious relational dynamism, an open
invitation for people to draw close
to one another. Testimonies from
students, alumni, faculty, staff and
parents;Statements on the website;
the video of Carmel at the Threshold;
messages from the president; minutes of board meetings; accredita16
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tion reports—all point to family or
community as Carmel’s identifying
characteristic.
CCHS: Community and Family
The history of the school, “We Are
Carmel,” published for the 50th anniversary, reports that a great sense of community—nurtured and promoted throughout
Carmel’s formative years—has helped the
school continue to grow and thrive.
The members of Carmel’s board of corporators include Carmelite Reverends Robert Colaresi, Bernhard Bauerle and Joseph
Atcher; BVMs Teri Hadro, Sheila O’Brien
(Mary Trea) and me, Lois Dolphin. The
board visited Carmel in March 2012 and
met with small groups of students, alumni,
administration, faculty, staff, parents,
members of the board of directors, and
personnel from feeder schools and parishes.
When asked about the strengths of the
school, each group mentioned community
first—defined in terms such as “a sense of
caring, feeling cared about, experienced by
all.” There is a spirit of mentoring rather
than competition. Students learn how to
be part of the Carmel community, the
larger civic community, a global church,
and a diverse world.
Academic Excellence a Hallmark
Carmel was named a Blue Ribbon
school of the U.S. Department of Education four times—in 1985, 1996, 2002 and
2007. Comments heard by the board of
corporators include: “Students are taught
how to learn and to freely express their
ideas” and “They are aware of high expectations and challenged to do their best.” We
heard praise for Carmel’s cutting edge curriculum and scheduling. Faculty and staff
were lauded for their dedication and their
generosity with time and help.
Students, alums and parents have great
admiration, gratitude and love for Carmel’s teachers. On the website we read:
“Our teachers hold themselves accountable to the values and principles they
espouse and to the standards the school
has set, and they teach as Jesus did—by
word and by example.”
The “We Are Carmel” history includes
“Memories for Life” quotes from alums in
each decade. From the ’60s, a former student shares: “As I found out later in life, I
was not the only one profoundly affected
by my years at Carmel. The nuns at Carmel believed in me, they liked me . . . and
they saved my life. I am the woman I am
today—a mother, grandmother, teacher—
because of those women. God bless them
all.” From the decade of the ’80s, an alum
remembers: “My teachers left a profound
influence on my life. Almost 25 years
later, I still have my core group of friends
and will always recall my years at Carmel
with joy. I am absolutely certain that Carmel helped to shape me into the person
that I am.”
Many BVMs who have ministered at CCHS gathered for the 50th anniversary celebration. They are (l. to r.) Diane O’Donnell (Joanella), Kathleen Sinclair,
Margaret Haas (St. Leonard), Pat McNamara (Jane Joseph), Carol Spiegel (Ann Carla), Regina M. Qualls, Mary Lou Caffery (James Mary), Peggy Geraghty (St.
Cabrini), Terese Rink (Lumina), Therese Jacobs (Therese Carmelle), Mary Sattgast (Mary de Porres), Nancy McCarthy (Josephine Mary), Rosalie Glanz (Victor
Ann), Margaret Mollan (Laurice) and Janet Desmond.
lling the Vision of Vatican II
Former CCHS President Mary
Fran McLaughlin, BVM (Virginia
Mary), (l.), shares a light moment
with current Carmel Principal
Mrs. Lynne Strutzel.
Catholic Identity Paramount
In 2006 the name of the school was
changed to Carmel Catholic High School.
Last spring, in the board of corporators’
listening sessions, we asked, “How do you
perceive Carmel to be a Catholic school?”
What we heard included: prayer permeates
the day; there are regular liturgical celebrations throughout the year, with students
taking active roles in the planning and
in the liturgy itself; and campus ministry
has a positive impact on students’ faith in
action—especially the required community
service.
The Christian Service program has
been in place for many years. Students are
required to donate 20 hours of service to
the community each semester. The hope is
that students, through service, will develop
a sense of moral integrity with a vision
toward social responsibility. Carmel’s overall program of faith formation strives to
inspire students to be people for others in a
Gospel spirit of freedom and love.
Some service opportunities offered
in the May/June 2012 issue of COLLOQUIUM, a publication from the office
of the president include: Big Sisters, Big
Brothers of Lake County; Camp SOAR
(Special Olympics); Holy Family Food
Pantry in Waukegan; Lake County PADS
(nonprofit organization for the homeless); and Palatine Opportunity Center/
Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Retreat opportunities are provided for
all students, culminating in the Kairos
retreat experience in the senior year. One
alum reflects, “Kairos shaped the person
I am today. It was the most memorable
experience for me at Carmel. It solidified
my faith and today, my faith is a priority.
Kairos changes everything about you.”
Leadership Continues
Founders’ Charisms
In 2006 Dr. Judith Mucheck became
the first president who was not a member
of one of the founding religious communities. Judith is dedicated to celebrating and
continuing the charisms of the BVMs and
the Carmelites. The newly designed logo
celebrates the two communities as the
tradition upon which the school is built.
Judith characterizes her leadership thus:
Leadership that empowers considers
others at the center instead of maintaining a focus on the person of the
leader. I do not believe that people
can lead alone. The effective leader
surrounds herself with people who
bring alternate strengths to the table.
Collaboration and conflict are both
essential components of good decision-making. It can get messy, but the
outcome is more authentic.
In addition to excellent administrative leadership, Carmel is blessed with a
board of directors who are tireless in their
promotion of the school. Board members
spend countless hours serving on committees, as well as attending monthly board
meetings and other gatherings where their
presence is important. The board of corporators and the board of directors gather
at a joint meeting every June.
Education has always been one of the
BVM core values. We rejoice in our sponsorship of Carmel Catholic High School
and say, in the words of the Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold, “For all that
has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.”
About the author: Lois Dolphin, BVM is a retired high school science teacher and member
of the Carmel Catholic High School Board of
Corporators. She currently lives in Chicago.
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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17
NETWORK continued from p. 15.
and will—come also from groups like
NETWORK.” (NETWORK Quarterly,
Summer 1976)
NETWORK’s strong stance for
women led to tension with church hierarchy as early as 1979, when NETWORK
stood behind Therese Kane as she called
on Pope John Paul II to “be open to and
respond to the voices coming from the
women of this country who are desirous
of serving in and through the Church as
fully participating members.”
NETWORK’s political influence has
undulated with changes in administration and congressional leadership. The
election of President Reagan presented
NETWORK with a much more difficult
role, as it brought a political agenda which
was the antithesis of NETWORK’s: deep
cuts in human needs programs, more
money for the military, and a series of tax
cuts that benefitted big business and the
wealthy. NETWORK worked against that
agenda in the 1980s; it opposes it again in
congress today.
In the 1980s the board of directors
came in tension with the hierarchy, as it
stated opposition to Father Robert Drinan’s forced resignation from congress and
“the effectiveness of Catholics working
for social justice [being] undermined by
recent papal pronouncements.” NETWORK feared that the Vatican might forbid sisters to engage in policy work.
In the 1990s NETWORK was, again,
able to exert greater political influence.
S. Catherine Pinkerton spent long hours
with Hillary Clinton on the development of a comprehensive healthcare bill,
defeated in Congress late one night by
a few votes. NETWORK’s influence
in healthcare legislation continued as
in 2010; the letter developed by NETWORK staff, signed by leadership of a
significant number of religious congregations (including the Sisters of Charity,
BVM) and the Leadership Conference
of Women Religious (LCWR), became a
tipping point in the passage of the Affordable Care Act—now law.
In this decade, NETWORK continues
to exert leadership in issues which were
the initial priorities for the organization,
particularly poverty, minimum wage,
consumer protection, opposition to war,
prison reform, tax fairness and welfare
reform.
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In 2010, NETWORK published its
third study of welfare, TANF Tested: Lives
of Families in Poverty During the Recession.
And in 2012, NETWORK staff has been
significant in the development of “Priorities for a Faithful Budget: Acting With
Mercy and Justice as One Nation Under
God” (www.faithfulbudget.org), that
counters federal budgets that support corporations and the wealthiest households at
the expense of those living in poverty.
Most currently, NETWORK has led
the campaign “Nuns on the Bus: Nuns
Driving for Faith, Families and Fairness”
(www.nunsonthebus.org), raising up the
ministries of women religious which provide for those in need, pointing out how
these would be damaged if aspects of the
House-passed budget for fiscal year 2013
were to become law.
Congressional reform also continues
to be a value, as in each presidential election cycle NETWORK takes the lead
in coordinating 15 national Catholic
organizations in a project to educate and
support Catholic voters to consider both
candidates and issues in light of Catholic
Social Teaching. In 2008 this culminated
in the Convention for the Common
Good in Philadelphia. The 2012 project,
accessible at www.commongood.2012,
asks people to sign on to a national platform, with state-based planks (developed
by small groups across the nation), and to
share it with candidates and other voters.
Catholic Social Teaching, frequently
referred to as the church’s best kept
secret, is at the heart of the ministry of
NETWORK. The celebration of our
40th anniversary on April 14, 2012, was
themed: “Faithful to the Gospel, Then
and Now.”
And so we continue, listening for the
breath of the Spirit in the events of each
passing day. Join in the work of NETWORK at www.networklobby.org.
About the author: Marge Clark, BVM (Marie
Margaret) is a lobbyist for NETWORK in Washington, D.C. She is also one of the four sisters
who traveled across the U.S. on the Nuns on
the Bus.
3TANDINGWITHTHE0EOPLEATTHE-ARGINS
/UR'IFTTOTHE#HURCH
Maybe it’s your gift, too. Let’s talk about it!
SAVE THE DATE:
Friday, November 30 at 5 pm to
Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 6 pm
Mount Carmel Motherhouse
To register or for more details,
contact Sr. Lou Anglin, BVM at
[email protected]
or call 563-588-2351.
Sponsored by Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Dubuque Franciscan Sisters, and Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
SSister
istter oon the Hill:
Carol Frances Jegen, BVM
by Jody Iler
As the oldest in a family of five children, Chicago native Carol Frances Jegen,
BVM grew up in an atmosphere that
treasured God’s gifts of music, education
and nature. Her mother had two music
degrees and her father was a florist. “My
parents led by their example of giving and
sharing,” she recalls.
Though she knew she wanted to “be
a sister,” Carol Frances didn’t become
acquainted with the BVMs until she came
to the Immaculata HS on scholarship.
She liked the BVMs’ friendliness and
their “wonderful music department,” and
played the cello in the high school orches-
tra. After attending Mundelein College
for one year, Carol Frances entered the
BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1944.
She completed her bachelor’s degree
at St. Louis University while teaching
elementary school at St. Francis Xavier,
where she received an equally valuable
education in the world of poverty and
crime and its influence on the children
she taught. “I learned from my teaching experience in St. Louis in ways I
had never realized before,” she says. “It
is so important to know something of
a child’s background, and to know the
children’s needs.”
Carol Frances moved to Milwaukee
where she taught at Holy Angels Academy while earning her masters’ degree in
religious studies at Marquette University.
After teaching at Mundelein College for
seven years, she went back to Marquette
to earn her doctorate in religious studies
in 1968. She credits Vatican II and the
Jesuit influence for her interest in theology, and for opening the study of theology, then referred to as “religious studies,”
to women and lay people.
Carol Frances’ blessings of intelligence, insight, humility and hard work
have reaped the rewards of being a celebrated author, lecturer, theologian and
perhaps most important of all—beloved
teacher. She returned to Mundelein with
her doctorate and continued to inspire
her students with her gifts, in addition
to being chair of religious studies. When
asked about her popularity as a teacher,
she credits her students. “They were hungry to know more about their faith,” she
says. “The classroom was never boring!”
It’s hard to imagine this humble
teacher and theologian spending two
weeks in jail, but as one of the protestors
championing the rights of farmworkers
in the 1970s in California, that’s exactly
what Carol Frances did. Thus began
her work in prison ministry. “Another
influence of Vatican II,” she notes, “has
been my justice and peace ministry.” She
visited prisoners on death row in Chicago before Illinois abolished the death
penalty. To date, she still writes letters to
three prisoners.
Now living at Mount Carmel, spry
Carol Frances busies herself with visiting
sick sisters, reading, and enjoying nature
while walking the picturesque grounds of
her BVM home.
IN LOVING MEMORY
“Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not taken away.”
Please pray for the Sisters of
Charity, BVM who died
February – March 2012
Martha Grogan (Dominica)
Feb. 25, 1918 – June 2, 2012
Mary Wojnicki (Chester)
March 8, 1933 – July 15, 2012
Catherine P. O’Brien
(Catherine Patricia)
April 1, 1913 – Aug. 7, 2012
Marie Canfield (Corina)
May 19, 1927 – Aug. 15, 2012
(St.) Suzanne Judge
May 21, 1925 – Aug. 19, 2012
Alice J. Connell (Cyrilina)
April 14, 1910 – Aug. 31, 2012
M. Jeanine Moran, BVM
Feb. 26, 1922 – Sept. 6, 2012
Pauline Flosi, BVM (Paulinus)
Jan. 24, 1919 – Sept. 7, 2012
BVM Associates
Mary Therese Casey
Dec. 20, 1934 – May 24, 2012
Helen Acorne
Aug. 26, 1919 – June 7, 2012
To read a sister’s obituary/reflections, visit: www.bvmcong.
org/whatsnew_obits.cfm.
A memorial fund has been
established for the sisters. If
you would like to add to this
memorial, please send your
gift to the BVM Development
Office. For online giving, go to
www.bvmcong.org.
Therese Jacobs, BVM (Therese Carmelle), was honored to
give the invocation before President Obama’s speech at the
Alliant Amphitheater in Dubuque, Iowa, Aug. 15, 2012. BVMs
Paulette Skiba, Mary Ellen Caldwell (Eugenio), Bertha Fox
(Dolorose) and Janita Curoe helped in preparation of the prayer.
Therese says, “As I prepared the prayer I was very conscious of
the desire to praise God for the gifts of life, freedom and faith.”
FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
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Sisters
of Charity
of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Freed by Love, Acting for Justice
1100 Carmel Drive
Dubuque, Iowa
52003-7991
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Dubuque, IA
WINC
Change Service Requested
Check us out online:
www.bvmcong.org
www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
www.youtube.com/bvmsisters
twitter/bvmsisters
Immigration Reform
BVM leadership members, at the August
2012 LCWR Assembly in St. Louis, were
among 10 congregations in the Midwest
wearing t-shirts stating: “I was a stranger (an
Immigrant) and you welcomed me—
Jesus (Matt. 25:35).” The slogan was part of a
billboard campaign drawing attention to the
need for immigration reform.
St. Augustine Church and School
in Memphis, Tenn., celebrated
their 75th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 26. Under the historical
marker standd BVMs (l. to r.) Carol
Cook (Conrad Ann), Donard Collins,
Jackie Kramer (John Kathleen), Irene
Lukefahr, Maria van Werhooven
(Antonius), and Janita Curoe. The historic marker says: “In 1937 the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of Charity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary started
a church and school at 903 Walker
Avenue. . . . the church and school
were among the first in Tennessee
for ‘colored Catholics.’ . . . Nuns from
Dubuque, Iowa, served as the only
teachers at St. Augustine School
for many years. BVMs continue to
minister in Memphis today.”
BVMs celebrating their
Diamond Jubilee at Mount
Carmel on Sept. 9, 2012, are:
(first row, l. to r.) Virginia Hughes
(Flocella), Eva Sheehan, Julissa
Duggan, Kathryn Maher (Madeleine), Carolyn Weibeler (St.
Carolyn); (second row, l. to r.)
Clementine Kuhle (Lioba), Frances Loretta Berger, Jean Dolores
Schmidt and Madalyn Hogan
(Renata). (Not pictured are
Eileen Galvin [Matilda] and Mary
C. McGovern [Clemento]).
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www.bvmcong.org