July-August 2010, Vol. XXX, No. 6

Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters

Convent of the Holy Spirit – Techny, Illinois 60082-6026

We are the petals of the daisy of

love and in connecting

with one another, we find our

ultimate connectedness to God.

Dr. Richard Johnson

WWWW hat are you doing this Summer?

Here we are in the embrace of

summer. Summer is a happy

time—nature tells us so. The sun

shines abundantly, the flowers and trees blossom,

the ducks swim and care for their young, the crops

grow and bear fruit. Typically we also enjoy more

leisure and time out in nature. Summer is for more

than just work. We take our vacations, make our

retreats, celebrate jubilees, and reconnect with

family and friends. Summer is more than a happy

time; it is a space for renewal, wholeness and

balance. It is meant to refresh our attitudes and

bring more color and vitality back into our per-

sonal and communal journey.

Hopefully, whatever we are doing this summer, it

is lessening the strain and increasing our connect-

edness with the important people in our life.

Lessening the strain: All work and no play can

make us very dull people. We need to carry our

attention away from our work and de-stress our-

selves. We live best from a balanced perspective

and it is here that we also find God. When we are

stressed we are disconnected and ignorant. We

forget our breath and think everything, including

ourselves, is overly important. The Chinese

proverb says it well: “Tension is who you think

you should be, relaxation is who you are.” Taking

some leisure time gives us back balance: it helps

us stand straighter, gives us a truer sense of self

and reconnects us to the positive flow of energy

within and without.

(continued on page 2)

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(continued from page 1)

Increasing your connectedness: Summer is also a time of rebuilding ties with family and

friends and enjoying others. This gives a sense of wholeness and meaning. When we are

deeply connected to others we realize how much love and goodness there is in our world and

we look for it and find it more and more. It drives away fear and self-absorption. Connected-

ness creates all kind of life giving energies to flow in and through us. Dr. Richard Johnson

uses the daisy as a symbol of connectedness. In the daisy all the petals overlap and form a

perfect circle of connectedness as they connect to the center. “We are the petals of the daisy

of love, and in connecting with others we find our ultimate connectedness with God.” ( Dr.

Richard Johnson).

So let’s enjoy the summer, lessen our stress and strain, increase our connectedness and then

return to our communities with enthusiasm and vitality for one another and for mission.

Sr. Carol Welp, SSpS

Once again, the Holy Spirit Missionary

Sisters and the Divine Word priests and

brothers gathered together to celebrate their

jubilarians. This year, the annual event was

hosted at the Holy Spirit Convent by the

Sisters. A moving and spiritual liturgy was

celebrated in the chapel. It included music

by Fr. Ed Peklo at the piano and cantors Sr.

Leonette Kaluzny and Fr. Adam

MacDonald and was enhanced by the beauty and grace of liturgical dancers. Following

the renewal of vows, the Provincials blessed

and distributed to the Jubilarians colorful

crosses, which were made in El Salvador and

bore the inscription on the back, “Precious is

the life given for mission.” After Mass, all

those present were treated to wonderful dinner,

during which there was much camaraderie

and laughter. A good time was had by all,

especially we hope, by those who were

celebrating the special occasion of their

significant years of vowed and priestly ministry.

Joint Jubilee

July 17

Above, scenes from the Jubilee

liturgical celebration.

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Sr. Xavieriana Ngene returned from Indonesia

full of new vitality on July 25. Sr. Edel Deong

will follow on August 15 and Sr. Yuliana Meno

on August 20. Sr. Graciela Castro will return from Argentina to St. Kitts on August 4.

Sr. Dinah Marie Aguirre left to begin her prepa-ration for final vows in Australia on July 9. The

tertianship is in Sydney and Sr. Dinah Marie has

five companions also preparing for their final

vows.

Sr. Gretta Fernandes left for India for a month’s leave on July 8.

Sr. Pat Snider was able to return to Antigua after recuperating for seven months from her crushed

heel. She and Sr. AnnIta Walsh left on July 15.

Sr. Miryan Inés Céspedes Cañete sends loads of greetings from Steyl. She is enthusiastic for the

Spanish Tertiate experience and finds it renewing

and helpful. Her group has chosen for its motto:

“Drink from my own well and feed myself from

my SSpS roots.”

After months of planning for redoing the old house

in Rogers Park, we started packing, moving and

selling things some six weeks ago. July 22 was

the final moving out date for us. With the big

storage unit filling our yard and a crew of six

young and strong men transporting the furniture

out of the house, starting on the third floor, I

scrambled to clear out my room on the first floor.

We are camping out in Grayslake for the time

being, trying to bring order into the chaos of boxes

and bags and more boxes. We hope to feel at home

soon, even if some disorder remains, since the

house is so much smaller than our former living

space. Soon we will call the new house "home"

and we hope to spend a good year there in peace

and harmony!

Sr. Agathe Bramkamp

Sr. Marcina Stawasz has been transferred to the Techny community. She will continue to live

and study at CTU

Sr. Angelica Chavol has been transferred to the Techny community. She and Luciana Namgung

Hyeju from Korea will be studying ESL at Lake

County College.

Sr. Maria Burke has been assigned to the Techny community.

Sr. Rose There Nolta has been appointed Juniorate Directrress as of September 2010. We

thank her for accepting this assignment and Sr.

Yuliana Meno for her love and accompaniment of the Juniors over the last three years.

Three new local leaders will be installed in

August: Sr. Graciela Castro in St. Kitts on

August 15, Sr. Kristina Jawa Lajar in Epworth

on August 17 and Sr. Margaret Hansen in Techny on August 19.

Sr. Leonette Kaluzny will not be going to Memphis. She will be helping at Franciscan

Outreach, where she is urgently needed.

Sr. Stela Maris Martins will join the

community in Grayslake while Sr. Uloma Akpa

does her novitiate apostolic experience in

St. Kitts.

The address in Grayslake is:

350 Mitchell Drive

Grayslake, Illinois 60030-1432

Telephone: 847-223-6007

Comings and Goings

Moving Event (cont.)

New Address!

Transfers, Appointments and

Installation

Moving Event

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Joal Dasilva Kefi, Sr. Genoveva da Costa

Amaral’s grandfather, died in Timor at the ripe old age of 103 years and left 53

grandchildren.

Fr. Ken Feehan, our SVD confrere, died July 26 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in

Boston. Ken had been struggling with

cancer for some time.

Howard Tranel, brother of Sr. Betty, died also on July 26. He had been longing to be

together with his deceased wife, Lillian.

They are both happier now.

Srs. Mary Antonia Rademacher,

Angelinda Stoetzel, Dolores Marie Kuhl,

and Arnolda Chang were all hospital

during the past month and Sr. Martha Fass

was taken to the emergency room. They

are doing better and are in Techny.

Sr. Terisse Zosso suffered from a hematoma. She was hospitalized and

now is in Abington for rehabilitation.

Sr. Rose Martin Glenn had foot surgery and is still recovering patiently in her

wheelchair in Maria Hall.

Sr. Catherine Mueller has a hairline fracture in her upper leg. She will need

three months off her leg in Maria Hall and

then some therapy.

Sr. Mary Winkler had a heart attack on July 31and was taken to the hospital where

a stent was put in. She is hoping to return

to the Convent soon.

Sr. Marie Celine Clarkin fell and broke her hip and wrist. She is scheduled for

surgery on her hip August 4.

For Your Prayerful

Remembrance

Heavenly

Gathering

Sunday, July 25, residents from Fox Meadow

joined the Sisters at the Convent for what has

become an annual get-together. A casual

supper of pizza, salad, wine and soft drinks

was served in the courtyard, buffet-style, with

ice cream sundaes for dessert. The weather

can’t always be counted on to cooperate for

this event, but this year it was exceptionally

nice — warm, but not too hot, with plenty of

sunshine. Residents and Sisters are always

delighted to see each other and to catch up on

news of the neighborhood. A committee of

residents assembled by Sr. Leonette

provided the food, while the Convent

contributed the drinks and dessert. Lively

conversation took place at the outdoor tables

and all agreed it was a lovely afternoon.

Some of the Fox Meadow residents and Sisters

who came to the courtyard to enjoy the food and

good company, including (top photo)

Sr. Leonette and the committee who organized the festivities.

The Congregation of the Missionary Sisters

of St. Charles Borromeo – Scalabrinians and

the Lay Scalabrinians held an open Confer-

ence on Migration on July 20, 2010, at Stone

Park, IL. This day was attended by Sr. Carol

Welp, Sr. Aprilia Untarto, Fr. Vince

Ohlinger (pictured below) and Sr. Rose

Therese Nolta. Migration was presented in various ways with the following topics: The

World Crisis: Impact on Migration;

Immigration in the United States: Post 9/11

and Economic Recession; Climate Change

and Migration: A Global Perspective and

Human Trafficking: A Global Concern,

Asian Experience. There were many

opportunities of discussing with participants

from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Singapore,

India, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the

Philippines.

On July 24, 2010 a group including Srs.

Betty, Aprilia, Stela Maris, Elwira, as well

as postulant Salud Osornio and Eva

Weisser, our lay volunteer, went to Forth Wayne, IN to get ready for the Vacation

Bible School in St. Patrick Parish. The next

day, we took turns making final announce-

ments and reminding parishioners of the

upcoming week activities. We had about 55

children age 5 through the 5th grade whom

we divided into four groups according to

age. We also were blessed to have some

volunteers from the parish community to

help us with the children. Helping with the

Vacation Bible School was beneficial to the

lay volunteers because they will be the

future religion teachers in the parish. It was

a good experience for each one of them to

learn the different styles and ways of

teaching children about parables and the life

of Jesus. Each day we reflected on one of the

parables such as the Sower and the Seeds,

the Lost Son, the Hidden Treasure, the Good

Samaritan and the Light of the World in four

different ways, through music, arts and

crafts, drama/role playing and prayer. Thank

you for giving us the opportunity to make

the Good News of God more evident in the

hearts of so many young people.

The Vacation Bible Staff

Sr. Aprilia Untarto made her second vows

on June 24 and Sr. Dinah Marie Aguirre

made seventh vows on July 4.

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Conference on

Migration

Renewal of Vows

Vacation Bible School in

Fort Wayne

YES to Civil Rights and Respect and NO to Racial Profiling and SB 1070

On July 29, 2010, community, business, labor, and religious leaders, along with youth and families,

joined local elected officials to say NO to Arizona and YES to civil rights. Sr. Rose Therese Nolta

was among those gathered at the City Hall to support comprehensive immigration reform. During the

Press Conference, city leaders revealed details on the strongest City Council resolution ever introduced

in the state of Illinois to respond to Arizona’s SB 1070.

Participants included community leaders with family members in Arizona who spoke about the effect

of SB 1070 on families and the impact of our broken immigration law. After the press conference, a

delegation delivered a scroll of 2,000 signatures asking Tom Ricketts to move the Cubs spring training

out of Arizona and to tell Bud Selig, president of Major League Baseball, to move the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona.

Youth leaders spoke about their participation in non-violent sit-ins in D.C. at several Congressional

offices last week.

People’s Resource Center Tour

On July 19, 2010, Br. Brian McLaughlin, Fr. Vince Ohlinger, Sr. Aprilia Untarto and Sr. Rose

Therese Nolta visited the People’s Resource Center in Wheaton, IL, in order to get a better idea of

what others are doing in service of immigrants. Mary Ellen Durbin, the former Executive Director, led us in a tour of the Center where we saw that the following services are provided: food pantry,

clothing connection, emergency rent and mortgage assistance, family connection, computer skills,

computer technology, adult and family literacy, job assistance, PRC Arts Studio and holiday help. It

was helpful to see how the People’s Resource Center community lived out their mission statement "to

respond to basic human needs, promote dignity and justice, and create a future of hope and opportunity

for the residents of DuPage County, Illinois, through discovering and sharing personal and community

resources."

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JPIC Issues in the News

JPIC

SSpS

USA

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Remembering My Work

at Memphis’ Shelby

County Health Department

By Sr. Dinah Marie Aguirre, SSpS

Monica Echols, RN shared with me via

e-mail an interesting update about Mary

Down, one of my first clients at the Health

Department. Monica wrote: “Mary

continues to take her HIV medicines and is

doing very well with her life, health and

work. She is currently engaged and

wedding plans have been set for June

2010.” I remembered Mary very well. This

is how I met her.

Mary is in her mid-40s and has

been HIV positive for six years. I met her

after she was discharged from THE MED

and I was assigned to work as her case

manager to monitor her continued treat-

ment for serious opportunistic infections

including histoplasmosis (fungus native in

the Mississippi delta). Her health prognosis

was very poor.

Mary’s CD4 count or T-cell count

was down to 4. A count less than 200

qualifies as AIDS. Her bone marrow was

infiltrated with fungus and had all but

stopped producing blood products.

July-August 2010

She needs a round the clock medications to

fight different kinds of infections that her body

is incapable of resisting. She was dying. She

had lost her appetite, and daily diarrhea

reduced her to skin and bones. Though she

knew about her illness and the possibility of

treatment, she had never been willing to go to a

public HIV clinic. Her reasons were varied and

a complex combination of shame, denial, and

personally rooted distrust of the medical estab-

lishment.

Over a series of

clinic visits to the

Health Department

and regular house

visits I made myself,

I was able to break

through Mary’s

defenses. We

mutually established

a certain degree of

trust and then

initiated the life-

saving anti-HIV

medications. By God’s grace the medications

worked quickly and powerfully. After three

months of intensive treatment, Mary’s appetite

returned and her diarrhea left. Over the next

year, she gained 50 pounds. Most importantly,

the HIV in her blood system was suppressed to

levels below “detectability.” Surprisingly, her

T-cell count steadily rose until it was safely

back within the normal range of 200. Finally,

our attending physician was able to stop some

of her protective antibiotics because her

immune system slowly regained its power to

protect her from common infections such as

pneumonia. Though it seemed impossible to

see her remarkable recovery in a matter of two

years, she finally returned to her work as store-

keeper at a convenient gasoline station on

Poplar Avenue.

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I will never forget the day a year after I met

her, when Mary brought in her new boy-

friend to the Health Department to meet

me. She was so happy and the ray of life is

so evident from the smile on her face. Both

Mary and I are in our 40s but when we

recalled how far she’d come, we hugged

and cried like babies. I felt so blessed to

have met, worked and developed a friend-

ship with Mary Down. (Name changed.)

According to Africa Action, at the 18th

International AIDS conference in Vienna, Austria, July 18-23, heads of UNICEF,

UNAIDS, and the Global Fund to Fight

AIDS, TB and Malaria committed them-

selves to ending HIV/AIDS forever.

Unfortunately, as the severity of HIV/AIDS

crisis only advances across African nations,

the international community is failing to

respond to the crisis with the strong

urgency that is needed. (See http://www.

aids2010.org/ )

Currently, sub-Saharan Africa holds 68%

of the world's HIV-positive people but

only receives 1% of the global expenditure on health.

The good news is that with the concerted

efforts of activists lobbying and advocating

for new legislation that addresses HIV/

AIDS, Congressman Stark introduced a

new bill, The Investing in Our Future Act

(H.R. 5783), that would impose a small tax,

0.005%, on currency transactions. The

Multilateral Global Health Trust Fund

would receive 40% of the revenue and it

would be distributed to Global Fund to

Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to support

improving medical infrastructure and

disease prevention and treatment.

Please take action by contacting your Representatives and asking them to

co-sponsor H.R. 5783 and help save

millions of lives. E-mails have been sent to

your communities regarding this bill.

HIV/AIDS remains the greatest global

threat in the world today. Most of those

affected by the disease to date are poor and

black -- reflecting a global system of apart-

heid where access to wealth and basic

human rights is dictated largely by race and

place. Africa suffers

most with this

pandemic holding

almost two-thirds of

those living with

HIV/AIDS in the

world. Since the

discovery of the

disease, over 20 million Africans have died

and UNAIDS has estimated that around

75% of all women with HIV in the world

live in sub-Saharan Africa. With this,

mother-to-child transmission is high and

pediatric HIV/AIDS worsens. Of the nearly

3 million people on treatment, only 6% are

children. Just last year 330,000 children

died of AIDS.

Prayer: Loving God, we lift up all people with HIV/AIDS. We pray for those

involved in the discovery of treatment.

Lord, protect the families of the patients and

provide finances to fund the discovery

endeavors and medical aid needed. We ask

this through Christ our Lord. Amen.