Grassroots Church - Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Winter 2009 • A Publication of the Sisters of Charity, BVM
Grassroots Church:
Parish Ministry
Local Jubilee Celebrations
T
SALT is a quarterly magazine published for
friends of the Sisters of Charity, BVM.
Editor: Mira Mosle, BVM
Design Editor: Angie J. Connolly
Communication Advisory Committee:
Mary Pat Haley, BVM; Mary Martens, BVM;
Sara McAlpin, BVM; Joan Newhart, BVM;
Mary Jeanne Stopper, BVM; Betty Voss, BVM
Subscriptions: $7.50 per year, write: SALT,
1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 520037991, ph. (563) 588-2351, or email: rbechen@
bvmcong.org
Internet Address: www.bvmcong.org
Email Address: [email protected]
Calendar 2009
April
19 St. Mary HS Alumnae Luncheon, Hilton,
Oak Lawn, Ill.
25 Intercongregational Associates Day,
Sinsinawa, Wis.
26 Immaculata HS Alumnae Luncheon,
Chateau Ritz, Chicago
May
3 Mass of Resurrection for Friends, Family
of Deceased BVMs, Mt. Carmel, Dubuque
16 BVM Associate Picnic, Salem, Ill.
August
2 Golden Jubilarian Celebration, Mount
Carmel
September 13
Diamond Jubilarian
Celebration, Mount Carmel
Wanted:
Your Feedback on SALT
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N
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UR
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4 Parish Ministry Today,
Its Joys and Challenges
by Helen Garvey, BVM
5 SALT Briefs
REN
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f
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6 Being Church
by Anne Buckely, BVM
8 Multiplicity of Cultures
Enrich Parish Ministry in California
by Julie O’Neill, BVM
9 Ministry with Seniors in the
Sunny South a Perfect Fit
by Colleen McGinnity, BVM
10 Good Stigweards Abound in
Northwest Parishes
by Deanna Carr, BVM
12 We Remember...
by Marion Murphy, BVM
14 175th Jubilee Celebrations
14
Chicago Celebration an Experience of
Mutual Affection
by Margaret Geraghty, BVM
15
Southwest Celebration Resounds
with Praises of the Children of Mary
by Mary Clare Sweeney, BVM
16
Southern California
Celebrates Jubilee Year
by Mary Jeanne Stopper, BVM
17
San Francisco:
A Glorious Jubilee Celebration
by Karen Conover, BVM
18
Quad Cities Celebrates
Long History, Active Ministry
by Margaret A. McGinn, BVM
20 See the Snow
Reward: A publication even more fo-
On the cover: Bagpiper Bob Clark leads a celebratory
S A L T MAGAZINE
E
3 Seasoning
by BVMs Mary Ann Zollmann,
ma n
mann
Mira Mosle and Teri Hadro
roo
Stapled in the centerfold of this issue
is a brief reader survey. Your response
will help us learn what you would like to
read in SALT and how you would like to
receive the magazine.
cused on the interests of you, our friends
and family.
T
N
Grassroots Church:
ING the WAT
S
S
Parish Ministry; LocalOJubilee Celebration
Can you spare a few minutes to let us
know how SALT can better serve you?
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L
C
Mission Statement: As Sisters of Charity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are called
to participate in the mission of Jesus. Our
choice of ministry is in keeping with our
BVM mission: being freed and helping others
enjoy freedom in God’s steadfast love. BVM
Constitutions, No. 10
B
S
ER
Winter Two Thousand Nine
Volume 37, Number 2
A
march from Holy Family Church at the conclusion of the
175th Jubilee liturgy in Chicago on Nov. 1. Bob is the
nephew of V. Joan Peebles, BVM.
T
S
SEASONing
Dear SALT Readers,
This issue of SALT invites us into reflection on the
meaning of church: What is church, who is church,
where is church?
Recalling a childhood game of creating a church with
our hands may provide an entry-point for tracing our
unfolding journey of understanding church. In this
game, we interlaced our fingers, pointed them downward and connected the tips of our thumbs while
saying, “Here is the church.” Then, taking our two
forefingers, we raised them to the words, “and here
is the steeple.” And finally, turning our wrists so that
our fingers were visible, we concluded, “Open the
doors and see all the people.”
As we enjoyed this childhood game, we undoubtedly
held images of the church as a building, a holy place
that we frequented on Sundays. Our images of church
may have carried the sound of beautiful music, the
sight of light catching the gold of the tabernacle, the
smell of incense, the feel of a comfortable and predictable rubric.
Then, without completely letting go of those images,
we grew spiritually and theologically and so did our
understanding of church. In the spirit of our childhood game, we responded to the invitations of Vatican II; we “opened the doors and saw all the people.”
In the following pages, we meet the church of the
people and are taken to the holy places beyond buildings and walls where church happens.
We are drawn into church that occurs around the
tables of Parish Council meetings where dedicated
persons plan creative community-building events
and design realistic budgets.
We delight in a church that happens when religious educators and children discover together the
God alive in them and among them.
We give thanks for the church present in home
visitors who, as they carry the Body of Christ to
the ill and elderly, are themselves the very Christ
they carry.
We are in awe of a church that, through compassion made real in human outreach, makes room
for people of all cultures and economic status; for
families traditional and non-traditional; for those
imprisoned in jails and confined by constricting
understandings of God’s love.
We rejoice in a church that, thanks to the unique
and varied gifts of many ministers, gathers for festive jubilee celebrations, for Eucharistic liturgies
where word and music become full-hearted praise,
and for simple meals in a soup kitchen.
We celebrate a church that, thanks to sacramental
ministers, companions its members all their lives
long from birth and Baptism, through Communion
and Confirmation, to death and dying into new life.
We acknowledge a church that builds and repairs
houses for the poor and that restores and renovates hearts in need of healing and reconciliation.
We celebrate a church that permeates the life of
our whole universe and whose ministry of stewardship extends to tending the whole living ecosystem.
Reading the articles that follow, we pause for awhile in
sacred places of goodness and mercy, justice and reconciliation, joy and celebration, tenderness and care,
hope and love without bounds. We give thanks for a
church that lives and breathes in the power and inspiration of human lives; we touch the living God.
And, perhaps we smile at the recognition that a
simple childhood game leads us into a profound adult
truth revelatory of how church is, indeed, created:
“Open the doors and see all the people.” May you be
inspired by the people you see in these stories and
find yourself among them.
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
3
Parish Ministry Today,
Its Joys and Challenges
by Helen Garvey, BVM
Amy Kistner, OSF and Ann Quinn,
OSF await a delivery truck in Campton, Ky. Later, in driving rain, they will
unload huge boxes of school supplies
sent to this Appalachian parish from a
sister parish in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Father Tom Farrell, pastor of the Newman Center at the University of Kentucky, sipping coffee in Panera Café,
thinks long thoughts as he ponders
next Sunday’s homily.
Barbara Powell, a lay minister, at St.
Brigid’s Parish, Westbury, N.Y., listens
as she and other staff members imaginatively plan the agenda for one more
meeting.
What do these folks have in common? What drives them to delivery
trucks or Panera Café or to agenda
meetings? What is their story?
These are parish ministers, ordinary
people, women and men, rural and
urban, lay, religious and clergy. They
exist in relationship. They serve our
parishes with extraordinary fidelity, day
after day, week after week, meeting
after meeting. They preach, plan, heal,
mediate, teach, organize, write, worry
about the budget, respond to needs, and
fall on their knees.
In addition to these regular labors,
ministers occasionally hear a call to
extraordinary public witness. Who
would have thought that Mary McCauley, BVM (Mercedie), administrator of
St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, Postville,
Iowa, would have made the front page
of the New York Times?
Following the tragic immigration
raid in Postville, Iowa, 1200 Jews and
Christians traveled to Postville to protest
this injustice. Speaking to these pilgrims,
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Mary proclaimed, “This is a call to be
faithful to our American and religious
values. This is a call to stand in unity
with our Hispanic brothers and sisters.”
The Environment
Extraordinary and ordinary ministry
exists in a context, an environment.
What is the environment of parish ministry? First, the ministers themselves,
overwhelmingly lay women, are far
more diverse than they were even a few
years ago.
The National Pastoral Life Center
reports that about 32,000 lay people
(professionally titled Lay Ecclesial Ministers) work in professional pastoral
capacities at two-thirds of U.S. parishes.
That figure does not include teachers and administrators at Catholic
schools and parish support staff such as
secretaries, janitors and bookkeepers.
The numbers of sisters and brothers
serving in parishes is diminishing.
Beneath the data is a new reality—the strong endorsement of the baptismal ministry of each Christian—lay,
religious or clergy. In their 2005 statement Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the
Lord, the United States Bishops affirmed,
“Lay Ecclesial Ministry has emerged and
taken shape in our country through the
working of the Holy Spirit.”
Edward Hahnenbery of Xavier
University recently observed that Lay
Ecclesial Ministry is the fourth great
ministerial wave of the church, following on the tradition of monastic movement, the mendicant orders and the
founding of women’s religious communities in the 19th century.
Just as the monastics and mendicants complemented the rise of communities of women religious, so too in
our time, monastics, mendicants and
women religious welcome and incorporate the new gifts of the lay ministers.
Complementary to the diversity of
parish ministers is the multiculturalism
of the parish itself. Visit parishes in Los
Angeles and hear 20 or more languages
spoken. Attend festivals in Chicago and
dance with Irish or Italian or African
music. Kneel in the beauty of Our Lady
of Ostrobrama Church in Cutchogue,
Long Island, N.Y., and remember the
struggle of Polish Catholics to be part of
the Catholic Church in America. Think
about the participating in the Walking
Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Czestochowa
in Doylestown, Penn.
Trends
Besides the cultural diversity of parishes and the strength of lay ministry,
other key elements of the environment
include:
Involvement of parishioners in all
phases of parish life through parish
councils, finance councils and other
major boards,
Expanding justice ministries, including mission trips,
The increasing attention to prison
ministry and ministry to the aged,
Parish re-organization and new staffing patterns due to emerging roles
of laity and religious, shifting demographics and the shortage of priests,
Conflict between the proponents of
Vatican II theology and pre-Vatican
II theology (both in staffs and among
parishioners),
Variety in the reality of family, with
Lay Ecclesial Ministry has emerged and taken shape in
our country through the working of the Holy Spirit.
—United States Bishops
The National Pastoral Life Center reports that about
32,000 lay people (professionally titled Lay Ecclesial
Ministers) work in professional pastoral capacities at
two-thirds of U.S. parishes.
blended families, single parent families, gay members,
Remnants of the sexual abuse scandal,
Rite of the Christian Initiation of
Adults (RCIA) as foundational to parish life,
Overworked priests and parish staffs
due to the significant decrease in the
number of ordained priests,
Increase in the number of Catholics, but also the rise in the number
of “cultural Catholics” who rarely
attend Mass,
Focus on youth ministry.
Times of Joy
Living in this environment, parish
ministers experience joy and challenge.
Responding to an informal survey, ministers identified the following source of
deep joy: sharing people’s lives, walking with them through various states
of spiritual growth, sacraments, annulments, and sickness.
One minister asserts, “Joy comes to
me when I see people’s eyes light up
with interest, awareness, and/or joy
when talking, learning, discussing, sharing about God.”
Another strong source of joy is the
wonder of the full participation of the
community in a spirit-filled liturgy. Listen to one priest’s description of liturgy.
I experience joy in the midst of a
spirit-filled liturgy when a wonderful
variety of ministers fulfill their roles
and play their parts, and when the
assembly itself is singing and participating with enthusiasm and fervor.
If I feel inspired in preaching and
feel that, by the grace of God, I am
able to fulfill my role as presider in
a decent manner, I am all the more
grateful and energized. It seems to
me to be a graced event.
In addition to sharing people’s lives
and the joy of Sunday liturgy, ministers appreciate a spirit of collaboration
among other ministers, clear goals
mutually decided, justice work, marriage preparation and companionship
with the sick and aged.
The Downside
As in every life, the joys of ministry are balanced with challenges. Not
surprisingly, tensions, unclear expectations, rigid attitudes, power struggles,
overwork and trying to keep everyone
happy, staff, and parishioners rank high
on the list of difficulties.
There is a marked concern about
seemingly unnecessary administrative
work and a focus on law rather than
life. One parish administrator expresses
strong feelings:
I am challenged in my faith and
energy when I see the church
becoming more and more “law oriented” thereby stifling the spirit in
hearts of women that love God and
want to share their gifts with others.
This frustration increases when
ministers encounter parishioners with
shallow values, and when they confront
their inability to meet the needs of
people. “It is heartbreaking to deal with
those who come for help,” explains one
pastoral associate.
In the midst of these challenges,
ministers spend most of their time on
faith formation, preparation, planning,
administrative tasks, meetings and organizing events.
Most of their work is unseen, unexciting and unannounced; but the joys
of the Sunday liturgy, the beauty of the
faith journey and the response to justice
happens in parishes because someone
unpacked the boxes, pondered at Panera
and planned the next RCIA meeting.
These are parish ministers,
heralds of our faith.
About the author: Helen Maher Garvey, BVM
served for ten years as Director of Pastoral
Services for the Diocese of Lexington, Ky. She
is now a consultant to parish leadership teams.
Briefs
Mary Christine Athans, BVM
(Christophil) has authored an
article in the most recent issue of
New Theology Review. Entitled
“Judaism and Catholic Prayer:
A New Horizon for the Liturgy,”
it draws on her personal experience and scholarship to trace the
retrieval of the Jewish roots of Catholic liturgy at
Vatican II, and shows how this knowledge can
foster deeper appreciation of the Jewish people,
engage more respectfully in dialogue with them,
and enhance personal prayer.
BVMs Teresita
Poulin and Kathleen McGrath
(Johnine) were
publicly acknowledged and praised
for their dedicated
service to Catholic
Charities of Santa Rosa, Calif., at a recent Fund
Raising event in which over 400 people attended.
Teresita was on the Catholic Charities for eleven
years as a director working with homeless families.
For the past six years, she has volunteered with their
immigration program, helped at their food bank, and
mentored women with children who are recovering
from drug addiction.
Kathleen has served as food service director of
the Family Support Center and the Rural Foods
Project. She is now food services and safety coordinator of the Center, which is a 138-bed shelter
for homeless families.
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
5
Being
CHURCH
by Anne Buckley, BVM
“Being Church”
engages BVMs Dee
Peppard, Betty Bowen
and Ann Kathleen
McDonnell in the
Chicagoland area.
Betty Bowen, BVM checks on senior parishioners.
Suburban Church Life
Dee Peppard, BVM (Dolores Mary) is
in ministry at St. Raymond de Penafort
parish in Mt. Prospect. It is, indeed, fulltime ministry, involving adult formation, general parish presence, liturgical
involvement (homilies), presentations
to a variety of parish organizations,
involvement in the parish structure
(commissions, etc.), one-on-one meetings with parishioners. This is what
ministry in the Chicago area looks like:
full, rich, diverse, responsive.
Having worked for many years as
a Field Advocate for the Archdiocesan
Marriage Tribunal, Dee now puts that
experience to work as parish minister, companioning people through the
annulment process. She stresses that
annulment means neither that your
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children are illegitimate nor that a
divorce excludes one from receiving the
Eucharist.
Dee also works with RCIA (Rite
of Christian Initiation for Adults) and
CHRP (Christ Renews His Parish),
as well as several prayer and service
groups.
“In all my ministry,” Dee says, “I
really try to call the best out of each
person. I also try to companion people
as they grow in an ‘adult faith.’ I believe
that together we can and will find new
ways of being church.”
Ministry to
Ill and Elderly
Betty Bowen, BVM (Florence
Therese), who just celebrated her
Golden Jubilee, has been in the minis-
tries of teaching and nursing all of her
adult life. For the past five years, Betty
has been part-time Pastoral Minister for
St. Mary’s Parish in Evanston. A good
portion of her time is spent calling
parishioners who are sick, in the hospital or in rehabilitation centers.
There are also visits to parishioners
in the local hospitals and then, following their release, visits at home with an
opportunity to receive Communion. A
thoughtful touch in the visit is bringing
a copy of the church bulletin, thereby
helping to keep the homebound connected to parish events, people requesting prayers, and other information.
At a nearby nursing pavilion, Betty
alternates with other ministers in conducting once-a-month Communion services. In addition, there are quarterly
Masses at three other facilities in Evanston and yearly anointings of the sick in
which the ministers assist.
Caring is the operative word. Betty
will call family members if something
is drawn to her attention, encouraging them to have their relative seen
by a doctor; sometimes, if more care is
needed, a social worker will be notified.
To pull all of this together and strive
to meet the parishioners’ needs, there
are, of course, the inevitable and necessary staff meetings twice a month.
“This is about all I can think of
at this time,” says semi-retired Betty
Bowen—hesitantly. One thing she does
add is at the heart of her service: “I certainly enjoy my work and can hardly
believe it is over five years now!”
Triple BVM
Presence
At Queen of All Saints
Basilica in Chicago, three Sisters each celebrated 60 years
as BVMs. In various capacities
they minister to the parishioners there.
In retirement BVM Ann
Kathleen McDonnell has
become “more and more
involved in parish life,” Father
Wayne Prist, the pastor, asserts,
“and does so much to enrich
the community by her gracious
presence, energetic talent, and
gentle spirituality.”
“Queens,” as the parish is
familiarly known, has 42 ministries; eight of these are the core
of Ann’s ministry, although, she
points out, “there are threads
of time that relate to others.”
One of her central ministries is to the
homebound for whom she prepares volunteers “who bring the Body of Christ to
the body of Christ.” Thirty-six women
and men take turns visiting and another
eleven who visit a nearby care center.
Prior to her “retirement” ministries,
Ann Kathleen was deeply involved in
education as teacher, principal and
consultant for the Chicago Archdiocesan schools. “Ironically education
entered into my life again when our
alderperson invited us to become
involved in a mentoring program for
third graders,” she said.
Dee Peppard, BVM participates in Washing of the
Feet on Holy Thursday.
“Love of reading is fostered by linking one adult with one child, reading
one book at a time. The children represent over 20 different languages. Over
seven years of involvement, the children have added much color and joy to
the adults giving of their time, energy
and encouragement.”
Partnering in pastoral ministry with
Ann is Eileen Anglim, BVM (Rose Francis), who visits the sick and homebound
several days each week. Queen of All
Saints’ pastor elucidates the nature of
Eileen’s gift to the homebound when he
says, “She has a great, generous heart
that makes people feel at home.”
Josephine Roche, BVM (Thomas
Kathryn) has ministered to the homebound parishioners at Queens, but is
currently spending most of her days
lovingly ministering to just one Queen
of All Saints parishioner, her own sister, Madeline, who is recovering from a
stroke.
No doubt it would be true to ascribe
Ann Kathleen’s words to all of these
women: “God blesses me with the grace
to continue His work, touching people’s
lives.”
About the author: Anne Buckley, BVM (St. Edwin)
is a supervisor at Wright Hall, Chicago.
Ann Kathleen McDonnell, BVM (front right) prepares to travel with senior volunteers. BVM Eileen
Anglim is in back row, cener.
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
7
“It is probably true to say that there is no generally accepted role description of Pastoral Associates. We are the non-ordained members of the pastoral staff who minister
in ways that allow some of the pastoral needs to be met.” —Maureen O’Brien, BVM
Multiplicty of Cultures
Enrich Parish Ministry in California
by Julie O’Neill, BVM
The three Pastoral Associates interviewed for this article are serving in
very unique and different parishes in
California.
Sue Alconcher, BVM, a native of the
Philippines, came to St. John the Baptist Parish in Milpitas (near San Francisco) in 2006.
Maureen Sheehan, BVM (Wenefride), a
native of San Francisco, has been serving for the past 2l years at St. Simon
and Jude Parish in Orange County
(Southern California).
Maureen O’Brien, BVM (Matteo),
another native of San Francisco, is
currently at St. Teresa of Avila Parish
after serving nine years at Church of
the Visitacion and its mission church,
Our Lady of Guadalupe, all in the
immediate San Francisco area.
At St. John the Baptist Parish, Sue was
initially “surprised to find that 90% of the
parishioners are Filipinos or with Filipino
ancestry.”
Within the boundaries of the city of
San Francisco, Maureen O’Brien was NOT
surprised to find that her parish located
on Potrero Hill (lovingly called Goat
Hill by old-time city dwellers) is rapidly
changing to include those involved in the
large medical research complex being
constructed along with housing for 30,000
new residents.
Meanwhile, 500+ miles to the south,
Maureen Sheehan notes that her parish
is “rapidly changing from a mostly Caucasian population to one that includes second and third generation Vietnamese and
Filipino households.”
St. Simon and Jude Parish is HUGE
(4700 households) while St. Teresa of
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Avila Parish is quite small (200 people
on a Sunday).
Maureen O’Brien’s position is
listed as “half time,” but everyone
who has ever been in parish ministry
realizes how the tasks to be completed frequently have no regard for
the motion of the hands on the clock!
Both Sue and Maureen Sheehan
are “full time” and all three agree that
“being a Pastoral Associate is filled
with challenges and blessings.” “The
latter make the former worth the
effort!” says Maureen.
Work with
Adults and Children
If one were to attempt to create a
chart of the various roles each of the
BVMs fills in her parish, the similarities would be more striking than the
differences. All three experience great
joy when “collaboration among parish leaders results in programs and
processes that elicit greater lay participation and leadership.” (Maureen
Sheehan)
Faith formation of children and
adults is the major role of Sue and
Maureen O’Brien, while working with
liturgical ministers is one of the most
time-consuming tasks of Maureen
Sheehan.
At her parish, Maureen Sheehan
experiences special fulfillment when
she is able to “assist persons to work
successfully through the annulment
process.” Both Sue and Maureen
O’Brien enjoy walking with families
through the Baptismal preparation
process.
In the area of sacraments, Maureen O’Brien presides at Communion
Services when the pastor is not available and Maureen Sheehan finds special
joys planning both “communal celebrations of Reconciliation—which free persons to appreciate God’s steadfast love”
and “life-giving liturgies in which the
Assembly is fully engaged.”
Challenge
For Sue, one of the challenges of
her ministry is the very flexible enrollment of students which necessitates the
ordering of books and materials at the
last minute.
In Maureen O’Brien’s case, one of
her challenges is creating a balance
between the needs of the long-time
parishioners and the younger neighbors
who will probably only be in the area
until they move into homes closer to
industries that will provide them with a
job that has a future.
For Maureen Sheehan, the limited
BVM Susan Alconcher (l.) participates in Rite of
Election at the parish.
Ministry with Seniors
in the Sunny South a Perfect Fit
by Colleen McGinnity, BVM
Today, I minister in San Antonio
Parish in Port Charlotte, Fla., primarily
with a different demographic group: the
elderly—a good fit for a woman in her
’60s! Our area of Florida is filled with
retirees and their needs are different
from those of young families.
Now my days are filled with bringing communion to the sick and elderly
homebound parishioners as well as to
those in assisted-living facilities or nursing homes. I oversee a large pastoral
ministry program of 70 ministers who
every week bring communion to or visit
over 125 people within our parish.
Many in the nursing homes are no
longer able to receive the Body of Christ
in Holy Communion, but I regularly
remind the ministers that, because
of our presence to them, these frail,
elderly, confused men and women have
received the Body of Christ through our
smiles, hugs, and comforting words—
and we have received the Body of Christ
from them, as well.
Another aspect of my ministry is
helping families plan funerals for their
loved ones. We have over 50 funerals a
year in our parish. I meet with families
and together we choose music and readings; we talk about ways they can be
involved in the liturgy as pall bearers,
lectors or bringing up the gifts at the
offertory. Here in Florida many people
choose cremation and do not have a
wake so at a funeral we invite one or
two family members or friends to share
a remembrance.
My favorite part of meeting with
families to plan a funeral happens
when I say to them, “Now, tell me
about your mom/your dad/your husband/your son.” Sometimes slowly,
sometimes quickly the stories come
tumbling out.
In my experience families are eager
to talk about their loved one. We laugh
and cry together and healing begins
to happen. In the end I think most
families feel that the funeral is truly a
celebration of the life of someone they
love very much.
Sometimes there is no family to
meet with. The person who has died
has outlived all their family and friends,
including people in the parish who
would have known them. In my first
year here we had two funerals where
only the pastor and the parish secretary
knew the person.
To meet this need we initiated a
new ministry, the Arimatheans. (The
name comes from Joseph of Arimathea
role for women in our church continues
to be a strong challenge. She rejoices that
the structure of the homes in her area
guarantees that the parish will always be
oriented to households with children.
In the case of St. Teresa’s, a parish with a long history of social justice
efforts, Maureen O’Brien hopes to give
new life to the social justice programs
and develop a much-needed grief ministry program.
Sue has confidence that the support
of the pastor and parochial vicars, along
with the caring parishioners, will make
it possible to proceed into the future
with great strength.
In summary, Maureen Sheehan
declares unequivocally: “There is no
place in the universe that I would prefer over this community of faith!”
In similar fashion, Sue credits the
“friendship and support of our BVM sisters and congregation” as an accolade.
Maureen O’Brien rejoices that she
“finds myriads of opportunities to
engage in various types of adult educa-
When I was younger and ministering
in parishes in the upper Midwest and
on Long Island, N.Y., parish ministry
meant working with children and
young families. I was involved in faith
formation programs, teacher training,
adult education, baptism prep classes
for young parents, etc. All of this was a
good fit for a woman in her 30s and 40s.
BVM Colleen McGinnity reaches out to a bereaved
family member.
who took Jesus’ body for burial.) I tease
the Arimatheans that they are “professional mourners,” but we take their
ministry very seriously.
Their presence at funerals is a witness that this person was a valued
member of our parish community. If
there is no family or when the family is
very small, the Arimatheans are a great
source of comfort and support.
In addition, I am the coordinator of
the RCIA in our parish and work also
with the separated and divorced of our
diocese. My days are filled with many
interactions with parishioners and
people in the community. It is these
encounters that give me life and joy.
For me, the parish is where the church
is most alive and well.
About the author: Colleen McGinnity, BVM (Rose
Maureen) brings her nursing skills and pastoral
presence to her Florida ministry.
tion as well as opportunities for being
educated BY our people!”
There is no doubt in this writer’s
mind that both Maureen Sheehan and
Sue would agree with Maureen O’Brien
when she added “as a BVM, it delights
me to share with others some of the
understandings that we have come to
over the years.”
About the author: Julie O’Neill, BVM volunteers
in the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
9
Good Stigweards
Abound in Northwest Parishes
by Deanna Carr, BVM
Eleven parishes and missions—25
years—ago I began serving in parish
communities. We sometimes get the
impression that pastoral leaders are
#59). A colleague nudged me and said
quietly, “He isn’t going to go away.” I
took the basket from him and passed it
guiltily to my right, barely surviving his
wilting glance.
the teachers and initiators in faith
communities.
If this is true, the reverse is true as
well! If I have come to embrace the
truths of Stewardship and to believe
that the Gospel itself is the highest
trust given us as Stewards, it is because I’ve learned this from others.
So cheers to the newlyweds, the oldlyweds, the youth and the children,
the family members and friends, the
transients and benefactors who have
helped me grow in my call to Stewardship!
At St. Gabriel Parish, Port Orchard,
Wash., one of the most chaotic aspects
of any weekend liturgy is the taking
up of the collection. Other parishes
seem to have a logical, orderly process,
choreographed by third or fourth generation ushers wearing suits. But at St.
Gabriel literally anyone can claim a basket and the process can go front to back,
back to front, side to side, hit and miss
or all of the above!
So it was that I was recently sitting
near the organ fumbling for the hymnal
at the Preparation of the Gifts when
I realized that a very small boy was
standing directly in front of me with the
basket. Intently, he looked me in the
eye holding the basket just a few inches
under my chin.
He obviously had no intention of
moving on until I anteed up. I froze
under his gaze as I had not purse nor
pocket nor my parish envelope (I am
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In Quest of The Good
Stigweard
“Stigweard” is the good old Anglo
Saxon word for the “hall keeper,” the
person responsible for taking care of
folks in a medieval manor. The Steward
oversees the vast resources of the estate
and is accountable for its management.
The little boy with the basket had the
right idea. He was looking for good
Stewardship—and not finding it!
Stewardship is an ancient term with
contemporary and global relevance. It is
of crucial importance in the life of any
viable faith community.
Expressions of Stewardship abound at
St. Gabriel Parish and at Prince of Peace
Mission in Belfair where I currently
serve. Stewardship gives special meaning
to the concept of “membership.”
“Modes of Participation” is a term
of significance for BVMs. The term
has been adapted and adopted in Port
Orchard and Belfair as unique and
surprising expressions of Stewardship
define the life of the active “member.”
St. Gabriel has co-opted “Modes of
Participation” to cover a multitude of
meanings: volunteering, praying, participating, contributing, learning, growing,
respecting, etc.
Admittedly there are still local
people who consider themselves to
be parishioners but live somewhere
beyond “Modes of Participation.” To a
greater and greater extent, however,
folks at “St. Gabe’s” and Prince of Peace
are owning the truth that we emerge
from the Baptismal waters gifted by God
and blessed with a calling; a mission.
Youth group members tackle a painting project.
Caring for One
Another
If prizes were given for such things,
first prize in Stewardship at St. Gabriel
would probably go hands down to the
youth group. Junior high and high
school students (under the aegis of our
faith formation personnel) have undertaken multiple “mission trips” to locations in the archdiocese where hygienic
face masks and rubber gloves were
often a part of the indispensable equipment needed to scrub, paint, haul away,
disinfect and otherwise sanitize.
While cleaning and stocking groceries, celebrating liturgy and sitting at
table with others, our youth have met
people old and young from near and far
who claimed a place in their hearts.
Their letters back to the parish are
always filled with such (not always
grammatically correct but always current!) expressions such as “Awesome”
and “Teary-full” and “A Blast” and “Mind
Blowing.”
Inspired by our youth I recently
found out that a parishioner at Belfair
had need of a couch and chair and in an
effort to keep pace with the prevailing
spirit of Stewardship I took the initiative
and was able to find a used set I thought
would work.
The St. Vincent de Paul folk generously agreed to pick up the used furnishings and deliver them to the needy
family. (So far so good.) On the evening
of the exchange I came home late only
to discover that through a series of misadventures my very own (very old and
quite used) couch and chair had been
taken!
“How far,” I asked myself, “does
Stewardship go?” Should I own up?
Should I just cut my losses? Would the
Regional Representatives understand
why I am living in this place without
furniture?”
After a three-day ride around the
county on the back of a St. Vincent
de Paul truck, my aged furniture was
finally returned by two scowling SVdP
volunteers wheezing and heaving their
way into the apartment with the two
ton sofa-bed. There is one grease spot
on the arm of the couch. A reminder of
the fruits of excessive zeal.
Religious Education Wing; new roofs to
keep annual rainfall from staining the
acoustical tiles in church, yard work,
house cleaning.
“Giving Today, Building for Tomorrow” is the slogan for Stewardship
efforts at St. Gabriel spearheaded by
capital campaign chairpersons and volunteers, an apt description of prevailing
attitudes and motives.
Serving as Stewards
of Creation
When it comes to good ideas, the
seventh commandment at St. Gabriel is:
“thou shalt steal.” As the Sisters of Charity, BVM try to limit carbon footprints and
to respect the world and its waterways,
the local parish bulletin has shamelessly
taken a page from the BVM Center News
by including its own weekly hints and
suggestions for serving as Stewards of creation in the parish bulletin.
Stewardship of creation involves a
certain amount of ingenuity and it is fascinating to watch gardeners as they plant
to provide branches, leaves and flowers
year-round for use in the vestibules and
sanctuary. Only on the rare occasion is
there a run to the florist shop!
Most of what the parish promotes
is in the area of small “s” stewardship.
One parishioner, however, is definitely
in the huge “S” Stewardship category.
Walter R. Briggs holds the distinction of
being the only parishioner at St. Gabe’s
or Prince of Peace with an old growth
forest named after him!
Walter counts among his closest
friends a Western Red Cedar just over
ten feet in diameter and about 1,400
years old and a 1,000 year old Sitka
spruce. Walter also speaks with fondness of the marbled murrelet, the only
seabird to nest in old-growth forests. The
size of the bird’s wing does not permit it
to land normally. “The murrelet,” Walter
notes, “goes into a dive, turns upside
down, and stalls when it wants to land.”
Truth be told, my personal journey
in the ways of the Stigweard bears a
striking resemblance to the behavior
of the marbled murrelet. I, too, can go
into a dive, turn downside up and stall.
When such things happen in the future,
perhaps I will see the face of that persistent child with the empty basket!
About the author: Deanna Carr, BVM (Bernita)
is pastoral administrator of the two parishes in
Washington and a member of the BVM 175th
Jubilee Committee.
Citizens of the World
Through parishioners’ Stewardship, the world has come home to Port
Orchard each Advent with the “Work of
Human Hands” project. With the sale of
gifts from all parts of the world (gourmet chocolate to coffee, musical instruments to pottery, jewelry to textiles) the
effort helps fund crafts persons from
Bangladesh to the Philippines.
Other such efforts on the part of our
youth yield a tidy sum to help South
Kitsap County feed the hungry! It is
widely known that Father Tom, the
priest on staff, favors the Fair Trade
chocolate and has been known to exit
the church at the end of the Mass with
unseemly haste so as to reach the site
of the sale ahead of other chocoholics
who might deplete the supply!
Walter Briggs is dwarfed by a huge
old growth western redcedar on the
flat between lakes.
This redcedar has been saved from
logging and is protected by the Walter
R. Briggs Old Growth Forest Area.
Caring for Our
Material Resources
Diverse members of St. Gabe’s have
seen to repair and maintenance of parish buildings: seismic upgrade for the
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
11
FIFTY YEARS OF HEARTBREAK
Fifty years, but sometimes the heartbreak
still flames like the fire, catches
us suddenly, hot, insistent,
dangerous, daunting, and then we move
away, thankful that these moments
are only an illusion, and we remember
the ninety-two children and their
three BVM teachers at Our Lady
of the Angels School in Chicago, for whom
the fire was so close that it took
their lives, and the hundreds of others
there who suffered physically and psychologically
from that tragedy on December 1, 1958.
We gather all of these Angels
in our hearts, in our prayers
this year on their special holy
day, grateful for them and their
bravery, but pleading that such a transformation
might never happen again.
—Jane McDonnell, BVM
We Remember. . .
Holding lighted candles for deceased Sisters
are BVMs Suzanne Effinger and Dorothy
Gaffney. Meditating behind them are BVMs
Catherine McHugh, Diane O’Donnell, Mary
Martens and Mary DeCock.
Visitation of childrens’ graves at Queen
of Heaven Cemetery followed
placement of a wreath at the
monument.
by Marion Murphy, BVM
Dec. 1, 1958,
the day of the tragic fire at Our Lady
of the Angels School in Chicago is a
poignant memory for BVM Sisters,
and as the 50th anniversary of the fire
neared, they began planning ways to
commemorate the tragic day.
A committee prayerfully reflected on
the fire, and on all those who have
deeply grieved it, especially survivors,
families, the BVM congregation. This
provided a background for a Nov. 29
commemorative prayer service in
Chicago that hoped to assist in lifting
the burden of sadness from all those
still affected by the fire.
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The Fire
Our Lady of the Angels School,
staffed by BVMs since 1904, included a
number of lay teachers in 1958 and had
more than 1600 enrolled students. The
fire began around 2:30 p.m. on a cold
Monday after Thanksgiving. The fire
swept up the northeast stairwell, filling
the second floor north wing with dense
black smoke.
None of the 200 students on the
first floor were physically harmed, and
most of the more than 300 students on
the north wing of the second floor survived because of the heroic actions of
teachers, firefighters, parish priests, the
school janitor, parents and neighbors.
However, 89 students and three
BVMs, Sisters Mary St. Canice, Seraphica and Clare Therese, died that day
and three other students died later as a
result of the fire; 75 students and Sisters
Mary Davidis, Helaine and Geraldita
were injured.
The Aftermath
A goodly number of BVM sisters had
entered the BVMs from OLA and many
of their family members came to give
assistance in the hours and days after
the fire. St. Anne’s hospital staff treated
the injured with competence and compassion. Other nearby hospitals gave
care as well.
In an effort to comfort families and
share their grief, BVM sisters throughout the Chicago area visited the families, attended the children’s wakes and
did whatever they could to help. But
life had to go on: soon children would
be returning to school severely traumatized by what they had experienced. So
in the midst of their own grief the OLA
BVMs also had to begin the process of
trying to help1 heal the students as well
as resume their classes on Dec. 9.
Sister Mary St. Florence, the principal of OLA, worked with Sister Mary
Savina Schroeder, the BVM principal at
nearby Our Lady Help of Christians,
to develop schedules whereby OLA
students could attend classes there in
the afternoons. Sister Mary St. Florence repeatedly spoke of the faith, the
strength, the patience, and the concern
for each other shown by the parents.
The BVM congregation sent Sisters to replace those who had died or
been injured. By the end of January
1959, classrooms
in Cameron, Hay
and Orr Public
Schools became the
temporary school
sites. The congregation provided
Sisters so that each
site would have a
vice-principal. All
of this was done
in the manner
of Mary Frances
Clarke—”hidden
and unknown”: it
wasn’t talked about
or published; it was
just done.
A prayer service for victims of the fire marked the anniversary at Mount
Carmel in Dubuque.
The fire also
had an effect
on school safety
prayer focusing on the children.
throughout the country. State and city
A final prayer was held at the Parfire codes were revised, fire alarm
ish Memorial Monument where the
systems were updated and sprinklers
installed.
more than 20 children are buried. The
As to rebuilding, the pastor, Msgr.
names of all the children and sisters are
Cussen, a strong supporter of the BVMs
engraved on this monument with an
and Catholic education, worked with
indication of the cemeteries in which
Sister Mary St. Florence to plan a buildthe other victims are buried. Aftering that would incorporate the best in
wards, many of the group gathered at
safety features as well as provide for
Holy Family Parish Hall to share memoexcellence in education.
ries and conversation.
On Sept. 7, 1960, Msgr. Cussen, who
Our Lady of the Angels Parish had
had always greeted students as they
always been known as a faith commuleft school, accompanied Sister Mary
nity with strong relationships among
St. Florence to welcome students to the
the parishioners. This was very evident
new OLA School built on the site of the
at the cemeteries and at the Memorial
original school.
Mass on Sunday where the congregaChanges occurred in the neighbortion of 1200 was alive with energy as
hood as families moved out and new
people gathered. This mutual support
families arrived. Some moved because
also helped to lift burdens.
of memories of the fire; others moved
Earlier, BVM President Mary Ann
because of real estate issues. The famiZollmann prayed: “Ever-living God,
lies of survivors and of those lost in the
from whom human sadness is never
fire no longer met on any regular basis.
hidden ... lift the burden of grief from
In recent years, a group named
those who still struggle to understand
Friends of OLA formed as a support for
your purpose.” BVMs will remember
each other. Their website (http://www.
and pray this always.
olafire.org), an annual social activity, and
the annual December 1 Mass, now held at 1 The concept that counseling was necessary for
Holy Family, helps keep strong the bonds
such survivors was unknown at the time; it was
among those who suffered so much.
the physical and mental devastation caused by
50th Anniversary
The public was invited to the Nov.
29 prayer service held at Mt. Carmel
and Queen of Heaven cemeteries.
After a brief prayer at the BVM burial
site, about 160 persons gathered at
the Queen of Heaven Mausoleum for
the Vietnam War that demonstrated that treatment was imperative for such sufferers.
About the author: Marion Murphy, BVM (John
Patrice) is from OLA parish, and served as principal
there from 1976-89. Her father and brother assisted
in the fire rescue efforts. She is currently in parish
ministry at Holy Family, Chicago and teaches at
Westside Employment and Education Center.
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
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175th Jubilee Celebrations
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Chicago
Celebration
an Experience of
Mutual
Affection
by Margaret Geraghty, BVM
On November 1, 2008,
Chicago BVMs marked the
close of the 175th anniversary year of the founding
of the congregation with a
Mass and celebration at the
place where it all started in
Chicago in 1867, Holy Family parish and church on
Roosevelt Road.
The BVM arrival in Chicago came just two years
after the Civil War, and
four years before the Chicago Fire. BVM ministry
began there with a cluster
of schools directed by Sister
Mary Agatha Hurley and
grew through the years to
include countless ministries
throughout the Chicago area.
The celebration was
attended by about 500 BVMs
and Associates and their
friends, families and other
partners in ministry, as well
as alumni and alumnae of
the many Chicago schools
where BVMs taught over the
years.
Ann Harrington, BVM
(St. Remi) gave the welcome
and set the context with a
reminder of Mother Clarke’s
and her companions’ faith
in God’s providence as they
crossed the waters of the
Atlantic, and later the Mis-
sissippi to establish the
congregation in Dubuque.
They truly lived the motif of
this anniversary year: Crossing the Waters, Currents of
Hope.
Dee Peppard, BVM delivered the homily concentrating how we make the
heart of God visible in our
ministries, our leadership
roles and the quality of our
relationships. Our love of
God and others calls us to be
inclusive, creative, empowering and steadfast as we
reveal the very heart of God.
Following Communion,
all BVMs, Associates and
former BVMs were invited to
stand and join in singing the
traditional BVM hym, Virgin
Mary of Mount Carmel. As
the Eucharistic celebration
was ending, BVM President
Mary Ann Zollmann spoke,
expressing the gratitude of
the congregation to all who
joined in the Holy Family
celebration.
A reception followed in
the adjacent dining room
of St. Ignatius College Prep
High School where friends
and partners in ministry,
as well as family and alums
continued to share the joy of
the day.
As Mary Ann Zollmann
had reminded us in her
words at the end of the Mass:
“In the experience of mutual
affection so present throughout our Jubilee year and so
evident here today, we have
all that we need to move into
the future with hope.”
About the author: Margaret Geraghty, BVM (St. Cabrini) is Director
of Placement for Student Teaching at
Dominican University, River Forest,
and was a member of the planning
committee for the Chicago celebration and the congregation’s 175th
Jubilee Committee.
Teri Hadro, BVM (right) greets Marianne Littau.
Greetings abound as participants exit the Jubilee liturgy at Holy Family
Church.
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BVMs Helen Gourlay (Frances Helen) and Rose Mary Meyer
(Sebastian) offer prayers during the liturgy.
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Above: Bishop Thomas O’Brien listens as BVM Barbara Fernandes offers prayers of petition during the
liturgy. Top right: Brophy Chapel resounds with the voices of the Xavier Honor Choir. Right: Associate
Virginia Shiel, Camille Donaldson and Ann Donlin visit at the social.
Southwest
Celebration
Resounds
with Praises
of the Children of Mary
by Mary Clare Sweeney, BVM
“The far West will one day
resound with the praises
of the children of Mary.”
These prophetic words of
Jesuit Brother Faye to Fr.
Terence J. Donaghoe in
1833 came full circle in
Phoenix 175 years later.
On Nov. 1, Xavier College Preparatory’s renowned
Honor Choir graced the
occasion by encircling BVMs,
Associates and friends gathered in the historic Jesuit
Brophy chapel to celebrate
the conclusion of BVM’s
175th anniversary year.
Lynn Winsor, BVM, welcomed the assembled alumnae, friends and benefactors
and traced BVM history and
the connection between BVMs
and the Jesuit community.
The liturgy was celebrated by Jesuit priests who
were educated by BVMs—
Rev. Kevin Dilworth, John
Auther and John Martin; and
friends of BVMs—Harry Oliver, SJ and Bishop Thomas
J. O’Brien. Throughout the
liturgy, the acclaimed Xavier
Honor Choir sang hymns by
BVM composers.*
Lynn traced the history of
Arizona BVMs: “BVMs have
been in the Phoenix area
since 1936 when St. Francis
Xavier grade school opened.
Within ten years, BVMs
were teaching in local parish
schools: St. Agnes, St. Matthew, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Tempe, Xavier College
Preparatory, All Saints and
Salpointe in Tucson.”
BVMs continue to minister to the people of God
in the Diocese of Phoenix.
Six BVMs live in the new
Xavier convent: Mary Joan
Fitzgerald (John Raymond) is
Xavier Principal; Joan Nuckols, Academic Vice Principal,
campus minister, and history teacher; Lynn Winsor is
Vice Principal for Activities
and Athletic Director; Eileen
Gallen (St. Eileen), part-time
Library Assistant; Lillian Lila
(Joan Loretta) volunteers
cooking and other projects.
Isabel Conchos teaches at
Glendale Community College in the Native American
Hoop of Learning program,
volunteers on the diocesan
vocation committee, and in
the Cursillo Movement.
Also serving in the Phoenix area are BVMs Barbara
Fernandes, an Instructional
Aide at St. Theresa’s school;
Ann DeLeeuw (Charles Ann),
a coder at St. Joseph’s Hospital; Mary Clare Sweeney
(Clarita), retired from Arizona
State University, and now a
volunteer in the Valley.
A reception followed the
liturgy in the new Xavier
convent. BVM Associate Virginia Bruneau Shiel recalled
how her mother, a 1922
Clarke College graduate,
was influential in encouraging St. Francis Xavier parish to secure BVM teachers.
Another Associate, Ann Donlin, and Camille Lutfy Donaldson reminiscenced how
their parents were angels
of service, assisting the first
BVMs in the area.
Recalling the early days,
Cynthia Denton Hunt ’63
said, “I loved being around
the nuns and witnessing
their joyful lives. Not a day
goes by that I don’t think of
my dear friend, Sister Mary
Gertrudette.”
Mr. and Mrs. James
Palmer, echoing others,
said, “BVMs gave our six
lovely daughters a wonderful
education—for this we are
most grateful.”
Maggie Mickkelson ’51
praised BVMs for giving her a
firm Catholic foundation and
education. “They taught us
discipline!!!” she exclaimed.
Mary Burg Romine, ’51
said she “loved Xavier and
loved the nuns. It was such
a pleasant atmosphere, great
education—relaxed, fun, yet
disciplined.”
Echoes of Mary Frances
Clarke’s invitation to community and to ministry of
service continue to reverberate in the Southwest, around
the country and the world.
* These hymns by BVM composers have been compiled on CD,
“Joyfully Our Voice We Raise,”
which is available from Mount
Carmel. See order form in the
fall issue of SALT.
About the Author: Mary Clare
Sweeney, BVM volunteers in the Art
and Soul program at South Mountain. Contributing to this article: Lynn
Winsor, BVM and Associates Anne
Marie Long and Oweene Stone.
Photos by Lynn Winsor, BVM and
Anne Marie Long.
WINTER TWO THOUSAND NINE
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175th Jubilee Celebrations
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Southern
California
Celebrates
Jubilee Year
by Mary Jeanne Stopper, BVM
On November 1, 2008, 28
BVMs, eight Associates, 24
members of the clergy and
many relatives, co-workers, former students and
friends of BVMs gathered
at Holy Family Church in
Glendale, Calif., to celebrate
the founding of the BVM
congregation 175 years ago
in Philadelphia.
Mira Mosle, BVM, vice
president of the congregation, extended a warm welcome to the assembly of
about 500 people.
Some of the concelebrants of the Eucharistic
Liturgy who had BVM connections were Cardinal Roger
Mahony, graduate of St.
Charles Borromeo School,
North Hollywood; Bishop
Joseph Sartoris, graduate of
Holy Family School; Bishop
Gerald Wilkerson, nephew of
deceased BVM Carlos Keeler;
Msgr. Gary Bauler, graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes
School, Tujunga; Fr. Paul
Hruby, graduate of Holy
Family School.
Therese Fassnacht, BVM,
as cantor, added her beautiful
voice to the heavenly singing
of the Holy Family choir.
Especially memorable
was the musical rendition of
the Litany of the Saints by
Therese and Bette Gambonini, BVM West Regional, as
well as two hymns composed
by Sister Rafael Bird, BVM:
“Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel” sung after Communion
by the BVMs and Associates
and “Praise Be To Thee, O
Lord” sung at the end of
Mass.
Bette, in her closing
remarks, expressed appreciation, in the name of the BVM
congregation, to the participants in this inspiring event
for their partnership with us
through the years.
The BVMs had much to
celebrate, having ministered
in Southern California for
83 of those 175 years. Beginning in 1925 with the staffing
of Holy Family School, the
Sisters continued to establish schools in the area: St.
Philip’s, Pasadena, 1927;
St. Brendan’s, Los Angeles,
1928; St. Robert Bellarmine,
Burbank and Incarnation,
Glendale, 1936; Holy Family
Girls’ High School, Glendale,
1937; St. Charles Borromeo,
North Hollywood, 1939;
Bishop Diego Garcia High
School, Santa Barbara, 1940;
St. Bernard, Los Angeles,
1941; Bellarmine-Jefferson
High School, Burbank, 1944;
Assumption, East Los Angeles, and Our Lady of Lourdes,
Tujunga, 1950; St. Anne’s,
Santa Ana.
Among the various ministries in which BVMs in Southern California are currently
working are elementary, secondary and higher education,
health care, archdiocesan
leadership, and involvement in inner-city and other
schools and parishes.
The celebration was
memorable and joyful both
during the liturgy in Holy
Family Church and at the
reception which immediately
followed in the grade school
auditorium.
BVMs and their guests
reminisced about “the good
old days” and recalled the
names of BVMs who had, in
some way, impacted their
lives.
While treating themselves
to the tasty and tempting
finger foods provided on
several tables in the auditorium, friends and relatives
examined the posters depicting BVM ministries of the
past and present displayed
around the room and talked
together while enjoying each
other’s company on this very
special occasion this first day
of November 2008, the feast
of All Saints.
About the author: Mary Jeanne Stopper, BVM (John Edward) volunteers at
Holy Family High School, Glendale,
and is a member of the Communications Advisory Committee.
Vicki Smurlo, BVM (right) visits
long-time friends Mary Lou Reid
and Ellen Carroll.
Roger Cardinal Mahony greets Mira Mosle, BVM after the liturgy.
Holy Family Church is filled for Jubilee
liturgy.
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Friendships are renewed as guests circulate.
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Mary Ann Zollmann, BVM greets Robert
Roby, father of BVM Linda Roby.
Cora Keegan, BVM greets St. Paul HS
graduate Joanna Alva Corbett and her
moather, Linda Alva.
San
Francisco:
A Glorious
Jubilee
Celebration
by Karen Conover, BVM
Over a year in the planning, the celebration of 175
years of BVM Presence and
Partnership, coinciding
with 120 years in Northern
California, came off as a
“glorious” event.
The noon Mass was celebrated at St. Paul’s Church
on Saturday, October 4,
2008 in perfect San Francisco weather with over 500
parishioners, former students, loyal alumnae, women
religious of several congregations, family members, and
friends from around the Bay
Area and beyond.
Former St. Paul pastor Rev.
Kevin F. Gaffey and current
pastor Rev. Mario P. Farana
concelebrated the liturgy.
Above: BVMs Julie O’Neill and Maureen
O’Brien lead singing. Top right: Eileen
Ramos (center), BVMs Ann Cronin and
Pat Rogers (Albertine) prepare food at
Martin de Porres House. Right: St. Paul
parishioner Helen McKenna is surrounded
by her children: Mary McKenna Shannon,
Pat McKenna, BVM Anne Marie McKenna
and granddaughter Rosheen Shannon.
The BVM story was
woven through the liturgy.
BVM President Mary Ann
Zollmann, who served as a
beloved faculty member of
St. Paul High School in the
1970s, gave an affectionate
welcome, weaving the congregational history with the
story of the Northern California missions, using the
themes of the Jubilee year.
During his wellresearched homily, Father
Gaffey provided some
congregational history and
shared some humorous personal encounters with his
early BVM teachers.
BVM Julie O’Neill’s
prayers of the faithful gave
clear insight into the vision
of our Leadership Team as
expressed last June, and
BVM Anne Marie McKenna’s
prayers for the presider
continued to weave the
three-fold theme with the
Scriptures and liturgy itself.
The liturgy was enhanced
with special music. As Karen
Cole, niece of Maureen
O’Brien, BVM wrote, “Filling
up that big beautiful church
with not ‘just music’ but with
thoughtful, heartfelt music,
lyrics and prayer is a gift.”
Another attendee remarked
on the haunting melody of
the refrain of “The Journey,”
composed for the Jubilee
year, which was woven in and
out of Mary Ann’s welcome
and then sung in its entirety
at the Preparation of the Gifts.
Another beautiful touch
was the familiar Taize refrain
of “Ubi Caritas” used at
Communion, threaded with
piano variations written by
Anne Marie on traditional
BVM hymns such as “Mother
of Mt. Carmel” and “Virgin
Mary of Mt. Carmel.”
The closing remarks by
West Regional Leadership
Team members Bette Gambonini and Theresa Caluori
beautifully balanced Mary
Ann’s welcome with its
inclusivity.
The reception which followed was a feast for the
eyes, the palate, and the
heart. There were multiple
posters with historical pictures of Northern California
missions, giant blow-ups of
the photos from the 14-month
jubilee calendar, and thoughtful indications of directions as
BVM move into the future.
The wonderful spread of
finger foods seemed endless.
Helen Thompson, BVM put
together a spectacular 16page booklet of history, with
commentary about the ministry of each area BVM and
Associate.
To complete the celebration, on Saturday, November
1, two crews of BVMs and
Associates helped prepare
and serve the simple noon
meal at the Catholic Worker
Martin de Porres House of
Hospitality where recently
deceased Pat Mahoney,
BVM lived and worked for
20 years. It was good to be
among the City’s homeless
and marginated, sharing food
as brothers and sisters.
Mother Clarke and
the first San Francisco
BVMs would have been
right at home at both
events.
Karen Conover, BVM teaches
chemistry at Holy Names High
School in Oakland and shares Sunday music ministry with inmates at
the Catholic Chapel in San Quentin
State Prison.
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175th Jubilee Celebrations
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It’s reunion time for BVMs (l. to r.)
Floria Shannon, Betty Cover and
Judith Terese McNulty, and former
Alleman and St. Anne teacher Kay
O’Brien.
Gen Freund, BVM does a reading
during the prayer service.
Quad Cities
Celebrates
Long History,
Active
Ministry
by Margaret McGinn, BVM
When the BVMs of the Quad
Cities celebrated the community’s 175th Anniversary
with a prayer service and
reception at St. Paul’s, Davenport, they continued a
long tradition that stretches
back to the original found-
Davenport was a mere 250.
The Council of Baltimore had
not yet decreed a Catholic
School System, the land allotted for the venture was two
miles from town, students
were scarce, and the school
failed to prosper.
However, in 1855, BVM
Agatha Hurley returned with
a staff for a “Sisters’ School”
at St. Anthony’s. In 1859,
Margaret Mann, another of
the founding five from Dublin, established Immaculate
Conception Academy, followed in 1860 by St. Margaret’s, named in honor of the
wife of Antoine LeClaire, the
founder of the town. From
that time until today, BVMs
have been an integral part
of the parishes of the QuadCities.
ers of the BVMs and the
18
pioneer days of Iowa.
Parish Centered
When Eliza Kelly, one of
the original members, and
her companions first came to
St. Philomena’s in 1844, the
total Catholic population of
Today, only three BVMs
would be considered “fulltime.” Two Davenport natives,
Stasia Stafford and Genevieve
Freund (Leonine) live and
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work in St. Paul’s Parish.
After 23 years in 5th grade,
Stasia’s role in the school
now is more varied, with an
Academic Support Service for
Grades 5-8, along with junior
high Scripture courses.
Gen first returned to Davenport in 1968, when she
taught 8th grade and music
before becoming a part-time
parish minister. She continues that service now as a parish staff member, focusing on
the homebound, and those in
hospitals and nursing homes.
For the last 20 years, BVM
Kathleen Mullin (Robert
Mary) has served as Pastoral
Associate at Sacred Heart
Parish, Moline, where it
would be hard to categorize
her role.
Many of the parish programs fall into her domain,
such as RCIA, Adult Faith
Education, Bible Study, and
“Just Faith,” a national program of renewal designed
for parishes. The Pastoral
Care umbrella covers deaths,
funeral services, and food
for the hungry. In general,
Kathleen’s role is to facilitate, coordinate, and support
those in need.
Volunteer
Ministries
While an official directory might designate the
other BVMs of the area as
“volunteers,” one would be
hard-pressed to consider
them “retired.” Judith Terese
McNulty is just one example.
After her daily swim and
early Mass, she begins her
volunteer efforts. One parish
cannot contain her spirit, so
she volunteers at both Christ
the King and Maria Goretti,
one in Rock Island and the
other in Moline.
Any patient at Illini Hospital would have encountered her distributing
Communion, helping with
advanced directives, and
hostessing in the visitors’
lounges.
Just a few of her parish
projects include “Just Faith,”
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Donna Tobin Westemeyer shares
school memories of her recently
deceased father, Donald Tobin.
The New Spirit Singers of Sacred Heart, Moline enhance worship.
Young Singles, a Bible Study
group, a social justice group,
and the Muslim/Catholic
Women’s Dialogue.
A project of which she is
justly proud is the reorganization of the hospital Eucharistic
ministers. With the shortage
of priests, hospital visiting has
largely fallen to volunteers.
One day might find visitors
from four parishes and the
next day no one.
It was a problem crying
for organization and JT was
just the one. Now, volunteers
come daily and distribute
Communion to all who
wish. Parish affiliations matter little to the sick.
Three other small groups
round out the Quad-Cities
BVMs.
The largest Rock Island
community consists of Kathleen Mullin, Mary Wolfe
(Nicodema), Betty Cover
(William Mary) and Peggy
Keefe (Paul Leone), while
Paulina Sullivan and Catherina Walsh live at Sacred
Heart Convent.
In Davenport, Louise
Levandowski (Laurina) and
Mary Ann Ruhde (Adoratrice)
reside in St. Paul’s parish.
These Sisters continue
close ties to the parishes
where they previously
taught, participating in hospital visiting, working in parish food pantries, tutoring in
the school, helping with the
large immigrant population,
and always being available to
“say a prayer for my brother,
please.”
Since Sacred Heart Rock
Island has no resident pastor, Catherina and Paulina’s
involvement is especially
vital. They join the regular
Mass attendees to keep the
parish functioning on a daily
basis.
And once a week, they
open the convent chapel for
a morning prayer service.
Paulina’s special ministry is
sending birthday cards and
church bulletins to elderly
housebound parishioners.
Strong Connections
Any BVMs ever missioned
in the Quad-Cities would
echo the same refrain—the
people make the difference.
They are apt to inquire about
their high school teacher,
or their children’s teachers.
Donald Tobin was one of
these alums.
Just a few years before he
died last fall at 99, he wrote
his memories of St. Joseph
High School, RI, and SM Clemens, a legendary commercial teacher of the ‘30s. Her
name on an application guaranteed success. Graduates of
that era from Sacred Heart,
Davenport, never forgot SM
Bennet or SM Auberta.
Shaped by the River
One could scarcely write
of the Quad Cities without
mention of the River, the
raison d’etre of these communities. In literature, theater and song, the Mississippi
has become a major source
of Americana. Even today,
the River and its bridges
are a means of commerce,
travel, recreation, education,
culture and just plain enjoyment of its beauty.
Mark Twain describes for
us how the River constantly
changes, forming new channels and abandoning the
old. So also have the BVMs of
the Quad Cities. As schools
and parishes have closed or
merged, new opportunities
for ministry have developed.
Some Sisters have retired
or moved on, but the BVMs
of the area remain a constant
part of these communities.
As well as the River, the
BVMs “just keep rollin’….”
About the author: Margaret A.
McGinn, BVM (Daniel Anne) is a
graduate of Sacred Heart School and
Immaculate Conception Academy,
both in Davenport. She is an adjunct
faculty member at Truman College,
Chicago.
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Celebrating 175 Years of
BVM Presence & Partnership
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See the Snow
Sifting softly on a quiet current
the snow dips, descends, drops
down, dances around and down,
covers and conceals a world already
silent and silver with its cold carpet.
Just a few inches added,
building up the previous blanket,
Nature’s shroud falling from a cloud
that forms frequently in a frozen February.
We greet it with a kiss,
salute winter’s wonderland with bliss.
—Jane McDonnell, BVM
Winter at Mount Carmel.
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