continued on next page Ursuline Newsletter 4045 Indian Road, Toledo, OH • Vol. 43 No. 7 • August 2019 “Living in holy relationship, a contemplative presence in an ever changing world.” Reflections from Sr. Sandy 65th Jubilee Celebration You are invited to celebrate with Sister Regina Smith & Sister Beth Hemminger at the 11 a.m. Liturgy on Sunday, September 8, 2019. Dinner following. Please RSVP to Val by August 23 rd if you plan to stay for the dinner. I recently finished reading On the Brink of Everything, by Parker Palmer. As I get closer to receiving my Medicare card, the subtle “Grace, Gravity, and Geng Old,” aracted me. Instead of “reading,” I should say, rather, that I “prayed” the book which is a deep meditaon on life. Not conversely, I have recently been surrounded by death on many sides. I do not say surrounded as in the sense of ambushed, but more in the sense of a call to accompany. As I write this, two friends sit in waing with dying parents. Their frequent updates become part of my daily prayer. To one, unable to get to her father’s side the moment she received word, I suggested that her father, conscious or not, understood because the work of her hands which made her too exhausted to safely travel unl the next day, was also the work of his hands and his giſt to her. Just this week, we received word that a woman who came to Rahab’s Heart had died aſter surgery. When she came to us, a vicm of untold trauma, she could barely pronounce her name, showing up with one boot, one shoe, and one glove on a cold winter night. When she leſt us suddenly over two years later, she was bright, cheery, and a proud mother and grandmother, reunited with her family. One of her daughters, overcome with deep grief, threw herself on the coffin, wailing and sobbing, “I need you, Mom.” The other three volunteers and I soſtly spoke words of comfort to her. “I know you need your mom,” I said to her. “Whenever you need her most, just know you will feel her.” Tearfully, she nodded her head in understanding. If we do not appear to know it on the surface, we know it deep down that not only do we accompany the dying, but that they also accompany us through this journey of loss that becomes all too common in our later years. While I sat with our own dear Mary Lou, a few days before her death, she began sharing what to me on the outside of her experience, seemed like a dream, but to her, on the inside of it, was very real. In the context of a job interview, she was asked to share her life publicly, both her moments of pride and her moments of humility. In the end she turned it down because given two choices of life span, she chose the one closest to her. By that, she witnessed to me the humility of saying “Yes,” to her death in the now and not the pride of a “No,” by clinging to something beyond her grasp. She said “Yes,” to the now, to the moment. With that, she fulfilled her “job” descripon in the present me. The tles of Parker Palmer’s first and last chapters are: “The View from the Brink: What I can See from Here,” and “Over the Edge: Where We Go When We Die.” In the first, he takes a posive twist of being on the brink, poinng out that instead of falling or failing, we might be “on the brink of flying free, or discovering something of beauty, or finding peace and joy.” He talks about inner life findings that have surprised him, some of them humbling and all of them life-giving. Fourteen years his junior, I can relate to that. As I “circular file” all the friendly reminders
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Ursuline Newsletter4045 Indian Road, Toledo, OH • Vol. 43 No. 7 • August 2019
“Living in holy relationship, a contemplative presence in an ever changing world.”
Reflections from Sr. Sandy
65th Jubilee CelebrationYou are invited to celebrate with
Sister Regina Smith & Sister Beth Hemmingerat the 11 a.m. Liturgy
on Sunday, September 8, 2019.Dinner following.
Please RSVP to Val by August 23rd if you plan to stay for the dinner.
I recently finished reading On the Brink of Everything, by Parker Palmer. As I get closer to receiving my Medicare card, the subtitle “Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old,” attracted me. Instead of “reading,” I should say, rather, that I “prayed” the book which is a deep meditation on life. Not conversely, I have recently been surrounded by death on many sides.
I do not say surrounded as in the sense of ambushed, but more in the sense of a call to accompany. As I write this, two friends sit in waiting with dying parents. Their frequent updates become part of my daily prayer. To one, unable to get to her father’s side the moment she received word, I suggested that her father, conscious or not, understood because the work of her hands which made her too exhausted to safely travel until the next day, was also the work of his hands and his gift to her.
Just this week, we received word that a woman who came to Rahab’s Heart had died after surgery. When she came to us, a victim of untold trauma, she could barely pronounce her name, showing up with one boot, one shoe, and one glove on a cold winter night. When she left us suddenly over two years later, she was bright, cheery, and a proud mother and grandmother, reunited with her family. One of her daughters, overcome with deep grief, threw herself on the coffin, wailing and sobbing, “I need you, Mom.”
The other three volunteers and I softly spoke words of comfort to her. “I know you need your mom,” I said to her. “Whenever you need her most, just know you will feel her.” Tearfully, she nodded her head in understanding.
If we do not appear to know it on the surface, we know it deep down that not only do we accompany the dying, but that they also accompany us through this journey of loss that becomes all too common in our later years. While I sat with our own dear Mary Lou, a few days before her death, she began sharing what to me on the outside of her experience, seemed like a dream, but to
her, on the inside of it, was very real. In the context of a job interview, she was asked to share her life publicly, both her moments of pride and her moments of humility. In the end she turned it down because given two choices of life span, she chose the one closest to her. By that, she witnessed to me the humility of saying “Yes,” to her death in the now and not the pride of a “No,” by clinging to something beyond her grasp. She said “Yes,” to the now, to the moment. With that, she fulfilled her “job” description in the present time.
The titles of Parker Palmer’s first and last chapters are: “The View from the Brink: What I can See from Here,” and “Over the Edge: Where We Go When We Die.” In the first, he takes a positive twist of being on the brink, pointing out that instead of falling or failing, we might be “on the brink of flying free, or discovering something of beauty, or finding peace and joy.” He talks about inner life findings that have surprised him, some of them humbling and all of them life-giving. Fourteen years his junior, I can relate to that. As I “circular file” all the friendly reminders
Reflections from Sr. Sandy, continued
from insurance companies wishing me a very early happy birthday, I have begun scheduling quality time with friends I have not taken time for in recent years. I do not want the next time we see one another to be at the funeral of one of us.
In his last chapter, Palmer quotes St. Benedict’s precept that instructs the monks to “keep death daily before one’s eyes.” Palmer has come to understand this through the words of Benedictine Brother David Steindel-Rast: “the finality of death is meant to challenge us to decision, the decision to be fully present here, now, and so begin eternal life. For eternity rightly understood is not the perpetuation of time on and on, but rather, the overcoming of time by the now that does not pass away.”
In one of her recent Global Sisters reflections on Benedict’s steps of humility, Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister said, “It is humility, not pride, that makes us fearless. Once we ourselves have admitted who we are in the secret places of our hearts, who is it that can diminish us?”
It is now two days later, and my friend’s father has completed his journey this side of life. As I sat in prayer this morning with my candle casting shadows, I saw in one of the images what appeared to be a veiled woman bent over in mourning. And I remembered it is the feast of Mary Magdalene. I asked what message my active imagination was meant to bring me today. The answer came in these words: “Mary experienced the Risen Lord!”
When our loved ones near death humbly admit who they are and have lived fully in the now, they gift us by their witness not of their diminishment, but rather their fulfillment. It is up to us whether we store that gift away for later and possibly forget it, or open it now while still on the brink and let it guide us in our own journey over the edge. I am reminded of a roller-coaster just sitting on the brink at the very top. I have not taken such a ride in quite some time. But my recent prayer through Palmer’s book and the humble witness of the dying make me want to open my eyes to the full view, raise my arms, and as I fly free over the edge, gleefully shout, “Wheeee!”
Holding the World in Prayer
Holding the World in Prayer will take place Monday, September 9, at 1:15 p.m. in the Ursuline Center Chapel. Sr. Margaret Anne Carstensen and Associate Janet Helfrich are planning the Holy Hour and the theme is “Native American Appreciation of the Earth.”
Please come pray with us. All are welcome.
September ReflectionAudio Conference on CD
Date: September 14, 2019 Time: 11 a.m. Place: Chapel and TV in Resident Rooms
Topic: “Jesus of Nazareth” - Pattern for Our Living - Part 4
Presenter: Rev. Joseph Tetlow, S.J., Ph.D.
Rev. Tetlow is considered one of the world’s leading experts on Ignation spirituality.
Associate News by Sarah Abts
Recent Events: Presentation of Associates’ Report to the Sisters’ Assembly on June 13. I enjoyed seeing so many Sisters gathered and appreciated their interest and questions.
A few actions were suggested: • use name tags at Associate/Sister gatherings so that Sisters can get to know new Associates. Work on getting better acquainted.• include our Legacy Statement in the Newsletter.• ask Associates to participate in Ursuline Center liturgies as Eucharistic ministers and lectors. Any volunteers should talk to Sr. Mary Jo Szpila, 419-536-9587, ext. 366.
Our Legacy Statement was written by Sisters and Associates in 2016. NACAR (North American Conference of Associates and Religious) liked it and adopted it to highlight characteristics of Associates. See our Legacy Statement below:
The Ursuline Sisters of Toledo send forth the Associates to live out their sacramental call by embodying the living charism of St. Angela Merici, entrusting them with spiritual leadership and empowering them to creatively sustain the legacy upon which the Ursuline Sisters and Associates are mutually founded.
A few facts from the report: The Toledo Ursulines have 136 Associates; 35 of these are in the Bakersfield group started by Sr. Claudia Holtz. Of the 101 others, about 63 are active in visible ministry and communicate with Ursulines at least occasionally. Many Associates participate primarily by praying, using the Communications Tape and newsletter to stay informed of the community’s concerns, but we do not have separate categories of Associates, such as Prayer Associates and Companion Associates.
In the last year, we have added six Associates: Elaine Heyne, Judy and Leonard Polcyn, Roberta (Berta) and Jerry Folmar, and Joan Cousino. Three others are candidates, two of whom are ready to set the date for their commitment ceremony, probably in September. In the last year, guidelines for choosing dates for commitment ceremonies have emphasized setting dates far enough in advance that Sisters and Associates can support the candidates by attending and so that Tracy can be properly notified of extra people at meals. We also want to avoid making liturgies too long or complicated.
Barb Torio and I have continued as Co-coordinators of the leadership team. The leadership team has not been
meeting as such, however. We have Associates who take responsibility for planning certain events and inviting others to help. We are still praying for the Holy Spirit to invite some people to take named leadership positions and to have some business meetings so that our All Associate meetings can focus more on prayer and new projects. Perhaps the Holy Spirit has been working in us, helping us see various ways we can find friendship among Ursulines and direction to carry out their legacy.
At the ice cream social on July 14, we acted to get better acquainted and enjoy a sweet treat. Those gathered chose the ingredients for their ice cream treat from a menu, and Associates filled those requests and brought them to the tables. The idea of using menus for requests worked well and will be used again!
In the NEAR FUTURE, August 10, plan to attend the Sisters/Associates Picnic following the 4 p.m. mass at the Center. This is a great opportunity to make some new friends as well as to catch up with old friends. Feel free to shift from table to table and introduce or meet people who may be new. Sadly, I will not be able to attend this year due to conflicting vacation plans, so I am counting on all those in the area to attend the mass and picnic and meet our goal of getting better acquainted.
I am thrilled to be able to participate in this year’s Talent Show on Saturday, September 28, since I missed it last year. Pat Bercher is coordinating participants, so call, email, or talk to her if you want to risk showing off your pizzazz. We will need people in the audience, too, so there is a role for everyone!
Finally, I write this before attending the Ursuline Convocation in St. Louis. God’s power in our lives has been shown in two instances of death of loved ones. Sr. Mary Lou DeBauche died sooner than we anticipated, although we were glad for any suffering she was spared. Thus, three Sisters and one Associate decided they should stay in Toledo to attend her funeral services rather than going to the Convocation. Sr. Donna’s mother has been near death for a couple weeks, so her decision to go or stay has been up in the air. Sr. Donna did not want to leave and miss being with her and the family when she dies, so she also stayed in Toledo. Whether we stay to give respect to a member of our Ursuline family or go to fulfill duties and grow stronger as Ursulines, we act in God’s will and share whatever blessings we gain with the whole community. St. Angela sends her prayers with us, too! - Sarah Abts
Rest In Peace
Jeanne Wannemacher Naveau, MMC ’47 ~ April 20
Sr. M. Cletus Rymer, OSF/S ~ May 16
Elizabeth (Libby) Savage Campbell, MMC ’46 ~ May 24
Chester Krzeminski, brother of Monica Roberts, SUA ’66 ~ May 24
Mary Perkins Schlachter, sister of Sr. M. Estella Perkins, SND ~ May 28
Mary Simons Gagnet, SUA ’50, mother of Annette Gagnet Meklus, SUA ’86; grandmother of Anna Gagnet, SUA ’12; Cate Gagnet, SUA ’14; Samantha Meklus, SUA ’18 and Daley Meklus, SUA ’22 ~ May 28
Georgia Barnhiser Curtis, mother of Tom Barnhiser (Maintenance) ~ June 2
Eileen Ring First, sister of Fr. Dan Ring, Senior Status Priest of Toledo Diocese ~ June 3
Elizabeth ‘Tomi’ Demith, school secretary for many years at Calvert High School ~ June 4
John Degnan, brother of Helen Flynn, SUA ’61; MMC ’67; Mary Ann Barber, SUA ‘66 ~ June 4
Suzanne Werner Smith, SUA ’39 ~ June 6
Sr. M. Dominica Niedbala, OSF/S ~ June 6
Sr. Rose Marita O’Bryan, Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph ~ June 10
Betty Bruning Whittier, SUA ’54 ~ June 10
Dorothy Duffin Nunemaker, SUA ’45; mother of Nancy Iagulli, SUA ’68; Susan Sofo, SUA ’75 ~ June 13
Helen Karpinski, grandmother of Joelle Eager, SUA ’86 ~ June 17
Margaret Gaietto Schleter, sister of Sr. Mary Angela Gaietto and aunt of Fr. Edward Schleter, Senior Status Priest of Toledo Diocese ~ June 21
Larry Petersen, husband of Karen Kromenacker Petersen, SUA ’58; MMC ’68; Larry was the first Deacon at Gesu Church, Toledo, OH ~ June 23
Joe O’Leary, resident at Woodlands in Toledo. He attended Mass regularly at the Ursuline Center and was step-father to Ray Olczak, former Foundation Board member ~ June 26
Sr. Marcia Marie Destatte, SND, resident at the Ursuline Center ~ June 27
Grace Campbell Potts, cousin of Sr. Margaret Anne Carstensen ~ July 2
Sr. Julian Eymard Swartzmiller, Ursuline Sister of Cleveland ~ July 4
Dorothy Kohlman Watkins, mother-in-law of Jan Watkins who was employed at SUA in the Finance Dept. ~ July 5
Salvatore Cellura, father of Carissa Blagborne, SUA ’96 ~ July 9
Sister Mary Lou DeBauche, OSU
Received her eternal reward July 18, 2019
Ursuline Sister for 55 years
Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord,And let perpetual light shine upon her.
Karl Motter, father of Katie Terry, SUA ’98 ~ July 9
Mary Louise Hagan, mother of Kathleen Gunzenhaeuser, SUA ’69 ~ July 11
Sr. Rosemary Meiman, Ursuline Sister of the Roman Union, Central Province ~ July 11
Sr. Rosa Dominga Trapasso, Maryknoll Sister, a very close friend of Sr. Carol Reamer who lived in Peru for 70 years ~ July 14
Agnes Luken Kreger, MMC ’46 ~ July 15
Sr. Mary Lou DeBauche, Toledo Ursuline, SUA ’62; MMC ’73 ~ July 18
Marty Downs, nephew of Kathleen Pawlecki, SUA ’64 ~ July 19
Sr. Mildred Mae Rueff, Ursuline Sister of Louisville ~ July 20
Patricia Edwards Burzynski, SUA ’57; mother of Jodi Grana, SUA ’84 ~ July 26
Rosalyn Grothjan Pizza, SUA ‘46 ~ July 28
Dottie Lautermilch, sister-in-law of Fr. David Lautermilch ~ July 28
Rest In Peace
Upcoming Associate Events
Sisters/Associate Picnic - Saturday, August 10, 4 p.m. Mass, 5 p.m. Picnic, Ursuline Center
September All Associates Meeting - Saturday, September 14, 10 a.m. - noon, Convent Offices
Ursuline Leadership Book for Loan
We have four books, Leadership from the Heart written by Mary-Cabrini Durkin, available for loan in the Convent Offices. This book explores writings that Angela left for her successors. Mary-Cabrini belongs to the Company of St. Ursula. She leads the Company in the USA and serves on the Council of the worldwide Federation of Companies.
Sisters & Associates 2nd Annual Talent ShowSaturday, September 28, 2019
2 p.m. in the Ursuline Center Dining Room
If you would like to be in the Talent Show, please call Associate Pat Bercher at 419-478-8853.
August11 Sr. Susan Marie Scherger, SND11 Sr. Clarine Young, SND12 Sr. Janice Ann Brown18 Sr. Mary Ellen Nagle18 Sr. Eileen Marie Vogel20 Sr. Bernarda Breidenbach20 Sr. Mary Bernard Grote, VHM22 Sr. Regina Smith23 Sr. Mary Rosalee Halm, SND
September12 Sr. Estella Perkins, SND14 Sr. M. Helaine Ehrman, SND15 Sr. Mary Alice Henkel16 Sr. Nelda Chafitelli
Feast Day
Litany of Gratitude (Please respond: “We thank you, Lord,”)
h For language that enables us to talk with each other...
h For prose that gives sequence and sense to our lives...
h For poetry that distills truth into meaningful terms...
h For music that gives rhythm and beat to our lives...
h For dance that gives grace to our movements...
h For drawing that is the skeleton of all things...
h For painting that adds flesh and tone to our lives...
h For sculpture that lends substance and contour to life...
With Gratitude
Dear Sisters and Associates,
Of all the gifts I received during this time of healing from serious injuries sustained in a head on collision, the soft, beautiful Prayer Shawl made by your loving hands and blessed at one of your daily Masses has been the most comforting. You all are in my prayers just as you have held me in yours for so many weeks.Thank you so much.
Warmest Regards,Debbie Nagy Edwards (SUA ‘69)Sister of Kitty Nagy Meyers (SUA ‘74)/Ursuline Associate
oThank you to our Master Gardener and Associate Chris Soto, who works tirelessly and always with a smile and grateful heart to keep our landscaping looking beautiful and colorful!
We’d also like to express our appreciation to Bettinger’s Greenhouse for their donation of the abundant and gorgeous annuals.
Our Ursuline Center is so full of color and life! It is a joy to gaze upon the grounds and be thankful for God’s amazing handiwork!
Recycling EffortsAfter cleaning out the supply room at the Convent Offices, we have found many Ursuline Christmas postcards and cards from previous years. If you would like to have any of the postcards and cards for your use, please contact Val in the Convent Offices, 419-536-9587 or stop by anytime.
News from the UN
August 9 - International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is a day to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population and to recognize the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve the world and protect the environment.
August 23 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is a day of tribute to all those who were enslaved and their resistance, and to call to truth, justice, and dialogue between peoples.
Hibakusha Remember the HorrorAugust 6 and August 9 mark the 74th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. An estimated 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on August 6 and another 80,000 died three days later in Nagasaki. Many more suffered for several years before succumbing to their injuries. Others died later as a result of radiation exposure.
Pope Francis has been an outspoken critic of nuclear proliferation and has repeatedly called for the creation of a future rooted in moral values and an ethic of solidarity.
The Hibakusha Rebellion, named for the survivors of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima or Nagasaki in 1945, is a global campaign to encourage nation states to join and eliminate their nuclear weapons and thereby liberate the world from the threat of nuclear annihilation.
Happy BirthdayCalendarAugust
2 Sr. Clarine, SND4 Clem Bellemore7 Bob Manion Susan Alexander Leonard Polcyn8 Sharon Stern Bea Kotz Deb Bercher9 Shirley Eiseman11 Fr. David Lautermilch 12 Betty Welch17 Beth Hafner18 Pauline Broadway19 Sr. Mary Vernon Bick, SND21 Helia Corral22 Katherine Sarver25 Sr. Mary Rosalee Halm, SND27 Kathy Torchia 28 Sr. Kenwyn Steger Arlene Regan Alice Watson29 Coletta Allen JoAnn Richards30 Joan Cousino
September2 Jim Henahan6 Sr. Estella Perkins 7 Sr. Janice Ann Brown Sr. Kathleen Padden10 Gail Foreman13 Sr. Beth Hemminger15 Anne Duvall16 Sr. Nelda Chafitelli20 Sr. Stephanie Helfrich Dan Quinn21 Therese Cooper23 Sr. Mary Alice Henkel Sr. Rita Mae Johns Carolle Grmela24 Pat Bercher Phyllis Swalgin26 Bonnie Krochmalny27 Sally O’Connell28 Geri Gray29 Ann Marie Duquette30 Sr. Carol Reamer
August 201910 Sisters/Associates/Residents Picnic following 4 p.m. Mass 13-16 National LCWR22 Anointing of the Sick during Weekday Mass28-29 Council Meetings
September 20192 Labor Day - Convent Offices closed8 65th Jubilee - Sisters Beth and Regina, 11 a.m. Mass/Dinner. Please RSVP by August 23.9 Holding the World in Prayer, 1:15 p.m., Chapel14 All-Associate Gathering, 10 a.m. - noon, Convent Offices14 September Reflection, 11 a.m., Chapel and TV in resident rooms24-25 Council Meetings25 Maumee Bay Picnic26 Community Input/Update, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., Supper at 5 p.m. (Sisters Only)28 Talent Show, 2 p.m., Dining Room30 - October 4 RCRI (Resource Center for Religious Institutes)
October 20195 Sing Along, Cider & Donut Party for Residents, Sisters and Associates, 2 p.m., Dining Room 6-7 LCWR Region 618 LCWR Sub-region18-21 Retreat with Rev. John Lehner, OSFS 20 Feast of St. Ursula - 11 a.m. Liturgy/Dinner (vows, commitment, missioning) Sisters and Associates21-22 Council Meetings
November 201920 Community Input/Update, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., Supper at 5 p.m. (Sisters Only)20-21 Council Meetings22 OMA Art Show, 6 - 8 p.m., Dining Room27-29 Thanksgiving Break - Convent Offices closed
December 201911-12 Council Meetings12 Foundation Day celebrating 165 years - 4:15 p.m. Vespers followed by Special Reception (Sisters/Associates/Residents/ Staff/Board Members/SUA)16 Advent Penance Service - 1:15 p.m.24 Christmas Eve - Mass at 4 p.m. followed by Supper24-Jan. 2 Christmas/New Year Break - Convent Offices closed
January 20201-2 Convent Offices closed20 MLK Day - Convent Offices closed23-24 Council Meetings26 Feast of St. Angela, 11 a.m. Mass/Dinner/Presentation - details to follow (for Sisters and Associates)
