NEWS NOTES ARCHIVES

Notre Dame's `Sister Act'
When Patient Dies, Her Job Begins
Celebrations Honor St. Julie Billiart
Holy Family Celebrates Jubilees
At 104, Sister's Act Hard to Follow
Notre Dame Sisters Mark 50 Years in Arizona
Speech Came From The Heart  
Notre Dame Sisters Mark 50 Years in Arizona   
Speech Came From the Heart
Sisters to Celebrate 250th Anniversary of Founder's Birth
Foundation Gives Grants in Eight Tri-state Counties
Parish Profile:  St. Stephen the Martyr
Sister Honored as Chaminade-Julienne Distinguished Alumni
Pastoral Office for Catholic Schools Established
Offering Women Support
Simplicity Key to Sister Agnes Immaculata's 102 Years
Nativity Sets Continue Sister's Legacy
Chaminade-Julienne Nun is Soul of School 
Sister Composed School's Joyful Noise
Sisters Find Habitat a Blessing
Sister Carmen Turns in Badge for Religious Life

Notre Dame's `Sister Act'
Dugan & Meyers, Schuster, Eagle Realty deliver $9M Reading facility

By Andy Hemmer, Staff Reporter
The Cincinnati Business Courier
11/23/01

Sister Colette Didier wears many hats, not counting the veil.

Sister Didier is a project director with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Catholic order with roots in Namur, Belgium, that operates a high school in Reading and has 240 nuns working throughout Ohio.

At the Sisters of Notre Dame, Sister Didier's roles are many, from confidante, teacher and friend to business-world roles such as construction manager and organizer of a capital campaign for building improvements and scholarships.

Sister Didier may also be one of the few nuns in Greater Cincinnati who have also toiled as a development liaison, financial expert and architectural assistant.

Through the efforts of Sister Didier and many others associated with the sisters, the $9 million, 81,000-square-foot Mount Notre Dame Health Care Center, a facility for the order's ill and elderly nuns, was recently unveiled on the East Columbia Avenue campus that's also home to Mount Notre Dame High School.

A trio of local companies from the private sector collaborated with the sisters of Mount Notre Dame: the builder was Dugan & Meyers Construction Co. of Blue Ash, the architect was Michael Schuster Associates Inc. of Cincinnati, and the commercial construction agent representing the sisters was Rick Hildal, director of construction with Eagle Realty Group in Cincinnati.

Each played a crucial role in the development of the facility, which wrapped up this past summer.

The new 80-bed facility is divided 50-50 into independent and assisted living facilities. The designs of both sections integrate the need for both communal and private space, said Dan Dugan, vice president of Dugan & Meyers Construction. It also helps the sisters continue to live their religious vocation.

"The chapel and oratory are handicapped-accessible and there are many rooms -- lounges, living rooms and activity rooms -- where the sisters can gather for conversation and community activities," Dugan said.

Not only will the new center cater to the ecumenical and social needs of Notre Dame's own, it'll also be their home.

"This isn't just a retirement center. It has unique features that aren't always found in the usual retirement center," Sister Didier said. "There's a little more common space for the sisters to meet. We have a small chapel and access to a much larger chapel. This is what they'll need for their daily lives."

Previously, the group's 80 nuns lived in another multiuse building on the campus that includes many interconnected buildings. Once the move to the new facility is finished, as well as other residential configurations, the old building will be renovated into residential and office uses, including a library, museum and archival space.

"We figure the old building's still serviceable for about 30 more years," Sister Didier said.

The architect of Mount Notre Dame Health Care Center said he had to first understand what the sisters do before he could find a solution in terms of bricks and mortar.

"Our goal was to create a building which would support the mission of the sisters," said Rick Tripp, lead architect with Michael Schuster Associates. "Religious communities have a different way of operating. Our challenge was turning a `traditional' health center concept into a home health care concept that promotes their tradition of community centeredness."

"Our philosophy of care is one in which each sister is encouraged to be as independent as possible," said Sister Donna Wisowaty, health care administrator. "We operate from a wellness model."

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur once served downtown Cincinnati parishes in Over-the-Rhine and the West End before moving to the suburbs in the 1860s. A group of nuns started the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Belgium in 1804, moved to the United States in 1840 and soon thereafter erected what Sister Didier said was the first convent in America on a Sixth Street site that now holds the world headquarters of Procter & Gamble Co. The sisters' world headquarters is in Rome.

The sisters will be expanding themselves with the new facility, adding about another 15 nuns. Their efforts will also benefit students at the high school.

"When we started the capital campaign, our goal was $6 million. The plan was to not only get dollars for the health care center but for other initiatives and scholarships at the high school," Sister Didier said.

Marty Schirmer, project manager with Dugan & Meyers, said the challenges faced by his firm were nothing but a memory once the facility took shape.

"Witnessing their joy has certainly been the high point of this project," Schirmer said.

Sister Didier said she likes wearing new hats.

"My job was to do the conversation, to be the communication connection between the sisters, the architects and the construction company," she said.  

Notre Dame's `Sister Act' -- Courtesy of bizjournals.com/cincinnati
Link provided courtesy of bizjournals.com/cincinnati. iCopyright Clearance License 1.1644.512624-5164

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When patient dies, her job begins
Nun consoles the families

By William A. Weathers
The Cincinnati Enquirer
10/01/01

As Sister Anne Ralston makes her rounds through the intensive care wards at University Hospital late on a Thursday night, a colleague jokingly greets her with the moniker, “The angel of death.”

Sister Anne takes no offense. It's a fairly good description of one aspect of her job as a social worker in the Corryville hospital's Office of Decedent Affairs.

Sister Anne is a grief counselor for relatives of people who die at the hospital — from fetal and neonatal deaths to deaths from long illnesses, vehicular crashes and acts of violence.

“I get called for every death in the hospital” during my shift, says Sister Anne. “I was actually on duty the night Timothy Thomas came in. I met his mother and consoled her.”

Mr. Thomas, 19, was unarmed and fleeing police when he was shot to death April 7, sparking days of civil unrest in Cincinnati.

In addition to helping notify and console distraught relatives, Sister's Anne helps to expedite the completion of death certificates, inquires about tissue and organ donations, and autopsy consent, and assures a body is taken to the morgue.

“She's wonderful with the families and the nursing staff,” says Miete Koob, a staff nurse in the neurosurgical intensive care unit.

As Sister Anne returns to her office from her rounds just after midnight, the message light is flashing on her telephone. She learns an elderly cancer patient has died.

Sister Anne immediately goes into action. She checks with the doctor and learns he has already notified the family of the death before she makes her call.

“I'm just sorry to hear the news about your (relative),” Sister Anne begins her conversation.

She then asks the relative whether the family wants an autopsy, would like the deceased to be a tissue donor, and if the family has made funeral arrangements.

Sister Anne ends her conversation by saying, “Is there anything I can do for you? I'll give you my phone number.”

In this case the family members decide not to come to the hospital at the early morning hour. When relatives do come in or are there when their loved one dies, Sister Anne must be prepared to deal with a wide range of emotions.

“The way people grieve — you never know,” she says. “You get those who are very emotional to the point you have to help them to the floor because they're going to pass out; and you get those who are very stoic. I've had people wail when their 97-year-old grandmother dies.

“Once I had someone who told me to leave them alone — but that's the only time.”

How does she cope with dealing with death night after night?

There have been more than 2,500 deaths at the hospital since the decedent affairs office was created in October 1998.

“I have pictures of my (24) nieces and nephews up there (on the wall of her small office),” says the 45-year-old social worker. “If I need a break, I just come in here and sit down.”

But, clearly, it takes a certain type of person to do this job effectively?

“It has to be someone that's comfortable with this and knows how they feel about death,” says Sister Anne. “I think it's part of the natural way of life. We're all going to die. I'm quite comfortable that some day I'm going to die... I think there's life after this. I think my spiritual life helps.”

Sister Anne entered the Sisters of Notre Dame [de Namur] convent in Columbus in 1980 and earned a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies at the University of Dayton in 1986. She worked 10 years as a chaplain, including stints at a hospital in Utah and Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, before begining her present job in March 1999.

When Sister Anne was preparing to start her job in the decedent affairs office she was told she would be working rotating shifts with her colleagues.

But she volunteered to work straight night shift (11:15 p.m. to 7:15 a.m.) to avoid having to constantly adjust her body clock.

How does Sister Anne prepare for her job each night?

“I pray for a quiet night,” she says. “It doesn't happen usually. My next prayer is that I be effective as I can for the members.”

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Celebrations Honor St. Julie Billiart

By Eileen Connelly, OSU
The Catholic Telegraph
8/10/01

ARCHDIOCESE - Two hundred and fifty years after her birth, the faith and example of St. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, continue to inspire people.  The Sisters of the Ohio Province, along with Sisters of Notre Dame serving throughout the world and other followers of St. Julie, have been celebrating her life and legacy in honor of the 250th anniversary of her birth on July 12.

Born in Cuvilly, France, in 1751, Julie was deeply religious from an early age and especially enjoyed teaching others about God.  As a young woman, she was left unable to walk or speak, traumatized by poverty and violence.  Yet despite her afflictions, Julie's faith and her desire to serve God remained strong.

She was moved to establish a religious congregation after experiencing a vision of Sisters gathered at the cross.  In 1804, along with Françoise Blin de Bourdon, a noblewoman with whom she had become friends, and several other young women, Julie consecrated herself to God - the first Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.  The women dedicated themselves to the education of the poor and the formation of teachers.  At 53, Julie was miraculously cured of her paralysis and dedicated the remainder of her life to spreading the goodness of God.

According to Sister Carol Diemunsch, director of development for the order, St. Julie's example remains significant today, not just in the lives and ministries of the Sisters, but for all who follow her.

"She just has so much to offer no matter what your walk of life," Sister Carol said.  "She was a woman who knew how to love.  She loved people, and she loved God and radiated God's goodness.  She could take the humanness of life and see God's work in it."

"Her charism is still very significant," agreed Sister Claire Foley.  "Her message is one of being able to recognize God's goodness in all the events of our lives whether challenger or positive.  This is always a timely message."

Another important piece of St. Julie's legacy, said Sister Carol, is "her ability to think beyond the box.  She founded the order when other orders where monastic and with the idea that it wouldn't be limited to one diocese."

St. Julie's vision is reflected today in the international flavor of the order, she explained.  At present, there are more than 2,000 Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur serving in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.

The influence of the foundress touches young lives here in the archdiocese.  As part of St. Julie's birthday celebration, the Sisters sponsored an essay contest for seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students at Notre Dame-sponsored schools.  Students were asked to prepare essays based on their insights into St. Julie's life, and winners were chosen from each grade level.

On July 1, the Sisters gathered at Mount Notre Dame High School in Reading with friends, alumnae, parents and staff in honor of St. Julie.  Approximately 350 people gathered in the school gymnasium for a Mass, which began with a presentation featuring quotes from Sisters, students and laywomen attesting to how St. Julie has been an influence in their lives.  Other celebrations in the archdiocese included liturgies at St. Helen Parish in Dayton July 8 and St. Julie Billiart Parish in Hamilton July 22.

The celebrating and rejoicing continued as local Sisters joined a group from around the world to celebrate St. Julie's birthday in Cuvilly on July 12.  Notre Dame Sisters representing each congregation participated in the joyful entrance procession at a Mass held at St. Eloi Church, the site of St. Julie's baptism. As part of the liturgy, eight Sisters from Nigeria made their final vows - meaningful, said Sister Carol because of the new life, faith and hope the women represented.

Sister Carol feels a very personal connection to St. Julie because she believes that it was through the saint's intercession that she was cured of cancer in 1992.  At that time, she promised St. Julie she would lead others on pilgrimage and has since taken five groups.  Earlier this year, Sister Carol was devastated by news of a second cancer diagnosis; however, she recently learned it has been resolved.  This latest trip "had special meaning to me," she said.  "It was a time of thanksgiving."

Marjorie Reigelsperger, who was educated by the Sisters in high school and has supported their mission through the years, said, "I marvel at how such a humble woman could accomplish so much and how far reaching her ministry has become."

Tom Siemers, who served as co-chair for the congregation's capital campaign, and was also taught by the Sisters, said he was struck how St. Julie's vision is carried out today.  "The Sisters are still dedicated to what she began," he said.  "Everything they do reflects their feelings for St. Julie and calls her to mind."

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Holy Family Will Celebrate
Teachers' Special Jubilees

The Catholic Telegraph
8/10/01

DAYTON DEANERY - On Sunday, August 19, Holy Family Parish in Dayton will recognize the anniversaries of three Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who have taught in the parish school and have been active in other parish ministries.  The recognition will be the focal point of a reunion for Sisters of Notre Dame and for past and present lay educators, parishioners and students.  The event will include a celebration of the Eucharist at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the church hall.

Sister Mary Louise Keller is celebrating her 60th year in the order; Sisters Frances Mary and Marguerite Schoenung are celebrating their 50th year.

"The piety, humility and dedication of these three extraordinary women exemplify the characteristics of the hundreds of Sisters who have taught East Dayton children during 92 of the 94 years of Holy Family School's existence," said Tony Ciani, longtime parishioner.  "Thousands of children have benefited from this teaching and/or reinforcement of Christian, Catholic values and of knowledge fundamental to the formation of their secular lives."

Sister Mary Louise entered the community in 1941 at Mount Notre Dame in Reading.  She taught at numerous Catholic elementary schools before going to Holy Family School where she served as librarian and teaching aide until her retirement at Holy Family School in 1988.  For a part of this period at Holy Family, she also served as a caregiver to her mother.  She remains an active member of Holy Family Parish, conducting a Bible study class, teaching GED students and tutoring children in reading and math during the summer.

Sisters Frances Mary and Marguerite entered the community together in 1951, at Mount Notre Dame.  They taught in various Catholic elementary schools for a combined 99 years until their retirement at Holy Family School in June 1999.

"Sister Frances Mary was famous for a technique for teaching math that included cheers from the students and also for a science song," he said.  Sister Marguerite taught at Holy Family School for 33 years and both were active in the parish, cleaning the church for many years Friday evenings before going home to Cincinnati to support family members.

Their retirements in 1999 ended a 92-year tenure for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at Holy Family School, leaving their legacy and mission to be pursued by lay educators.  They serve as caregivers to a niece while continuing educational activities in Cincinnati, including summer school and tutoring.

All Sisters of Notre Dame, past and former educators, parishioners and students of Holy Family are invited and encouraged to attend the recognition/reunion.

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At 104, Sister's Act Hard to Follow

By Eileen Connelly, OSU
The Catholic Telegraph
4/6/01

ARCHDIOCESE - A dedicated educator and woman of deep faith, Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Agnes Immaculata Guswiler has lived what she describes a wonderful life - a life that has passed through three centuries and has been centered on her relationship with God.  Sister Agnes recently celebrated her 104th birthday, making her the oldest member of her congregation.

Born Agnes Guswiler on March 16, 1897, she is the oldest of six children and was raised in the Cincinnati suburb of Madisonville.  Thoughts of religious life came early.  As a student at St. Anthony School, she was taught by the Sisters of Charity and recalls being "very taken with them."

Sister Agnes' vocation was further inspired as she walked to school one morning through a field.  A feeling just came over her as if "God was calling me," she said.

She went on to attend high school at Summit Country Day School where she was strongly influenced by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.  "I just liked the way they did things and the way they lived their lives."

After graduating from the Summit in 1916 (she is the school's oldest living alumnae), she was ready to enter the convent right away but respected her father's wishes to wait a year.  She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in October 1917, studying at Trinity College in Washington, D.C., earning a bachelor's degree from Xavier University and a master's from Notre Dame University.

During a teaching career that spanned 45 years, Sister Agnes served in assignments which included Notre Dame Academy in Hamilton, St. Mary High School in Utica, Illinois, St. Joseph Academy in Columbus, and Mount Notre Dame High School in Reading, Ohio.  She also spent 10 years as the dean of women and an associate professor at the University of Dayton.

Teaching was a ministry that Sister Agnes clearly loved, so much so that, when the weekend came, "I got so lonesome for the students and couldn't wait for Monday to come."

Her former students remember Sister Agnes' dedication to this day, including Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Carol Diemunsch.  As a student at Julienne High School in Dayton, she had Sister Agnes for American Literature and describes her as a "born teacher and a born storyteller."  "She was just an outstanding teacher and made everything interesting," Sister Carol said.

From her teaching ministry, Sister Agnes went on to serve the Sisters of Notre Dame as the community archivist for the Ohio Province, a position she held until 1992.  Maintaining the order's records and conducting research was fascinating work, said Sister Agnes, who, on occasion, still serves as an archival consultant.

A highlight of Sister Agnes' time in ministry was her volunteer work with female prisoners at the Cincinnati Workhouse from 1966-83.  Nicknamed "Sister Las Vegas" by the guards, she visited the women weekly, leading bingo games and praying with them.

The ministry was meaningful to Sister Agnes due to a long-time interest in the African-American community and culture.  A majority of the women at the workhouse were African American, she said, and through working with them, she "learned more about the misery of life than I could have ever believed."

Today her ministry is one of prayer, which includes daily Mass.  "I still must get into the chapel and spend time with Jesus," Sister Agnes said.

And at the center of it all has been her relationship with God, which, she said, "has meant everything."

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Notre Dame Sisters Mark
50 Years in Arizona

By Lisa Edington
The Catholic Sun
2/15/01

On the hottest day of August 1950, five Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from Cincinnati, Ohio, stepped off the train in Phoenix to start a new school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glendale.  The temperature was 120 in the shade, the hottest day on record in 50 years, and the sisters were dressed head to toe in heavy black serge habits.  Upon arriving in Glendale, they discovered that few, if any, of their students spoke English, and the sisters didn't know a word of Spanish.

These might have seemed like daunting circumstances to many, but the sisters simply rolled up their sleeves and began their ministry, teaching as best they could by day and learning to speak Spanish by night.

The order's sisters have been serving in Arizona ever since, and on February 3, they were honored with a Mass and reception at Mount Claret Center, the second of three anniversary celebrations under the banner "Growing God's Goodness in the Desert 1950-2000."

Bishop O'Brien celebrated the first of our 50th Jubilee Masses in October, at Our Lady of Guadalupe chapel in Glendale, where our service to the people of Arizona first began," said Sr. Ruth Ann Bange, SNDdeN.  "The Mass at Mount Claret celebrated our work with the people in the Phoenix area and the Valley," she continued, "and our third celebration will be May 21 at St. Bartholomew in San Manuel.  We really like to celebrate, and we want to share our joy with as many of the people we have worked with as possible."

Another reason for carrying their Jubilee celebrations into 2001 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of their foundress, St. Julie Billiart, on July 12 this year. 

The original sisters who served in Glendale also began religious formation in the smaller farming communities in the west Valley, teaching the children of the migrant workers.  Their ministry reached into Phoenix and the surrounding communities, to the nearby reservations, down to San Manuel and Yuma, and into Sonora, Mexico.

"Some of our sisters have also spent summers in areas of Central and South America, to assist in development programs or provide religious education for the poor of those countries," Sr. Bange said.

Broad influence
There are now 17 Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur ministering in Arizona.  Over the years, and additional 52 sisters served here.  Their congregation has seven provinces in the United States, as well as four European countries, five South African nations, two in South America, one in Central America and Japan.

St. Julie founded the order in France in 1803.  One of her favorite sayings was "Our hearts must be wide as the world," and her sisters have certainly proved that to be true.

Sr. Elizabeth Bowyer, SNDdeN, provincial of the Ohio province, reflected on the sisters' work in Arizona during the Mass at Mount Claret.  "God has truly blessed our mission in the Southwest.  We've been privileged to serve among all cultures and economic levels, working side by side with the people of God," Sr. Bowyer said.

"There are few, if any, geographic frontiers left in our world; now the frontier is that of collaboration, working on partnership to build a just world where all can share equally in God's creation and live as one, as Jesus calls us to do."

Sr. Bowyer called the new millennium the "age of the laity," stating that priests and nuns have laid the foundations of the Church in many areas and that the people must now come forth to build it up.  To that end, the Notre Dame Associates are lay associates, men and women, single or married, who join with the sisters in prayer and service, making annual promises to continue their commitment to that partnership while living their daily lives in the world.  The sisters currently have 16 associates in Arizona.

Heinz Bingener attended the celebration Mass with his family because they have been so impressed with the sisters and the variety of ways in which they serve.

"We came to know the sisters through their work at Mount Claret, but they are really everywhere throughout the diocese," said Bingener.

The sisters teach in public and parochial schools, serve as hospital chaplains, serve in several diocesan offices, work on reservations and with migrant workers' families, and work in leadership development for Habitat for Humanity and in Native American and Hispanic communities.  They also work in formation programs for parish ministry leaders and the diaconate.  The sisters have served in 23 parishes over their 50 years in Arizona.

"The sisters are doing great work.  They are very close-knit and joyful in serving God and his people," concluded Bingener.

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Speech Came From The Heart

In My Life column
The Cincinnati Enquirer
1/26/01

Sister Ann Kurre, 87, is officially retired yet busier than ever.  She writes dozens of letters every year to friends or strangers in need of encouragement or just a kind word.  Her brief but stunning speaking career lives on in memory only.  "I'm a better letter writer," she says.

"You were great!"

Those three little words were big to me.  As a shy person, public speaking was never of much interest to me.  Not in all my life.  Not until someone asked me to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for our new residence at Mount Notre Dame.  I was 86 at the time.

The Sisters of Notre Dame in Reading launched a $6 million capital campaign last year to fund educational programs, scholarships and the construction of a new health center.

To this day, I don't know why I said yes to Sister Carol Diemunsch's invitation to speak.  She knew I was inexperienced.  Her advice was to "say it from the heart."

Writing came easily
Easier said than done.  Yet once I began writing, it flowed from me.  I just told how I felt when I saw huge machines clawing down Marian and Pius halls, the homes I had known and loved for so many years.  I told of the joy I knew in those places and of the community between its residents.  I told how grief turned to joy when I saw our new building going up.

As these feelings and reflections began taking shape, I knew the inevitable would soon be here.  Practicing for the first time with Sister Carol, I held the speech tightly in my white-knuckled hands, thinking it would calm my fears.

Nerves a wreck
I never looked up during the whole delivery, and when done, I knew another practice session was in order.  Sister Carol sat a few feet from me, not one speck of joy on her face.

"You read that speech as though we weren't going to feed you for a week if you missed one word," she told me.  "Please try to look up, and show the donors you're happy that they are here."

After many more attempts, my nerves were still a wreck.  The day came though, and on the morning of my speech, I prayed.  I wanted the Lord to speak through me, and I think he did.  I made my way to the podium, my arthritic knees shaking and the paper still clutched tightly in my hands.  The crowd was large, 100 people or more.

I managed to look up at our guests, all of whom were smiling at me, and I instantly smiled back.  The ice was broken, so I began.

I told them all about my former home at Mount Notre Dame, about how much I loved them, and about the excitement I felt looking at our new home.  I even told them things that weren't on my sheet.  My knees had stopped shaking, and before I knew it, the speech was coming to an end.

In all my years, I have never received such applause.  It was overwhelming.  Many of the sisters came up to hug me.  The architect of the new building congratulated me.  One of the donors even told a sister he wished I could write his speeches.

But of the praise I received, one piece was more meaningful than all the others.  I might have been a nervous wreck in the beginning, but Sister Carol did not give up on me.  She knew I could do it, and it was her three whispered words that are so dear to me even know.

"You were great!"

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Sisters to Celebrate 250th
Anniversary of Founder's Birth

The Valley Courier
1/26/01

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are pleased to announce the inauguration of a year of celebration in honor of the 250th anniversary of foundress St. Julie Billiart's birth.  The Ohio Province of the Sisters of Notre Dame is headquartered in Reading, Ohio.  The Sisters are an important presence in many Archdiocesan parishes, schools and other ministries.

Events will be held throughout 2001 to honor this occasion.  Special Masses and celebrations will be held in parishes affiliated with the Sisters of Notre Dame in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Chicago and Phoenix in the coming months.  On July 12, the actual date of Julie's birth, people from around the world will gather in Cuvilly, France, her birthplace, for the festivities there.

The Sisters are also sponsoring essay contests to honor St. Julie in several parochial schools in Ohio, Chicago and Phoenix.

"The year of celebration is a wonderful opportunity to invite people to join the Sisters of Notre Dame in our mission of proclaiming God's goodness and God's special love of the poor," said Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn, Director of Mission Advancement for the Sisters of Notre Dame, Ohio Province.  "We are so pleased to be able to share these celebrations to honor our foundress and our heritage."

"Saint Julie continues to touch the lives of so many people, even 250 years after her birth.  Her message, one of love for the poor and a desire to share God's goodness with all the people, is as relevant as it was in her time.  That is the miracle of the saints," added Sister Barnhorn.

St. Julie Billiart was born in Cuvilly, France on July 12, 1751.  All her life, she was driven by the desire to make known to all the goodness of God.  She became a catechist at a very young age.  At age 22, she was stricken with paralysis, but continued to teach about God, despite her disability.  Though she was persecuted for her beliefs during the French Revolution, she retained her unshakable confidence in the good God.

On February 2, 1804, Julie founded the Sisters of Notre Dame, an order of women religious dedicated to education, particularly for poor women and children.  After 22 years of paralysis, she miraculously regained her ability to walk and actively worked to establish schools and convents throughout France and Belgium.

St. Julie died on April 8, 1816, only 12 years after founding her order.  She was canonized on June 22, 1969.

More than 10,000 women have dedicated their lives as Sisters of Notre Dame in the 200 years since the Congregation was established.  Today, more than 2,000 sisters serve across the United States and in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

For further information about upcoming celebrations, click here.

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Foundation gives grants in
eight tri-state counties

The Catholic Telegraph
1/26/01

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation made grants totaling almost $800,000 to 28 organizations in its eight-county tri-state service area in the fourth quarter of 2000.

The grants strengthen communities in the region by improving chances for children through school-based health care, arts programs and drug abuse prevention; encouraging greater efficiency for nonprofit organizations through technical support and regional cooperation; supporting organizations' capital needs in repairing and upgrading facilities; and helping provide transportation for environmental education and senior programs.

Among the organizations in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati benefiting from these grants are the Christian Ministries Center at Old St. George in Cincinnati for renovation and preservation of the old church, Congregation of Divine Providence toward expansion of Moye Center, Genesis Men's Program and the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur toward their Choices for Children Program.

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Parish Profile:  St. Stephen the Martyr

By Laura Troiano
The Catholic Times
12/24/00

When the Greek-speaking widows complained that they did not receive daily food and alms, the apostles decided to ordain deacons, a new order of ministry, to help tend to the needs of the community.  St. Stephen was the first chosen to become a deacon.  He received power and grace through the imposition of hands and the prayer of the apostles.

Yet, he did not limit his service to works of charity.  He also preached the Catholic Faith with zeal and "worked great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8).  His feast day is December 26th.

Today, the parishioners of Columbus St. Stephen the Martyr Church, 4031 Clime Road, continue that tradition of great wonders and signs among the people which had been initiated by their namesake.

Joliet Franciscan Sister Mary Ann Creely is parish minister.  Though Sister Mary Ann has only been at St. Stephen since September, she is quite familiar with the parish.  Thirty-five years ago, Sister Mary Ann was the old St. Stephen School's first principal.

"I'm very impressed by the parish," she said.  "Though the school has closed, I'm very proud to be part of the history of the parish.  There is a strong prayer life here.  Parishioners are involved in knowing and praying for the sick.  If somebody is sick in the parish, everybody knows.  They help the needy too, with Christmas baskets and clothing drives."

But many things have changed since the 1960s when Sister Mary Ann was at St. Stephen.  Though Marianist Father John Bakle serves as sacramental minister for the parish, there is no pastor at the church.  Instead, Notre Dame de Namur Sister Anne McCarrick is the pastoral administrator for St. Stephen.  She has served in that capacity for six years.

"With Sister Anne being administrator, it has given people of the parish an opportunity to be involved greatly with ministry of the parish," said Sister Mary Ann.  "I'm proud to be a part and see where the Church is going spiritually and practically.  Lay people are recognized for their abilities, and their suggestions and ideas are being heard."

In addition to the structural and functioning differences of the parish, St. Stephen is also actively involved with the growing Hispanic community in the area.  St. Stephen has a Mass in Spanish.

"It's really great to see," said Sister Mary Ann.  "They were looking for a parish where they could celebrate Mass.  Sister Anne went out to them.  There's a beautiful relationship between her and the Spanish people."

Much like their patron saint, the whole parish joined to welcome and aid those in need, especially the Hispanic Catholics.  "As a parish community, we invited the Latino community not to use our church, but to become a part of our parish," said Sister Anne.

For the Spanish Mass, parishioners pick up those who don't have rides.  Seminarians from the Pontifical College Josephinum help by teaching the children religion and by preparing them for their first Communion.  Young people are also being taught how to be servers at Mass.  There is even a youth group which meets after the Mass.  Ohio State University students have also been volunteering to teach English as a second language to about 40 people.

What makes all this possible is "the faith of the people," said Sister Anne.  "The people make it special--their care for one another.  They are very good about reaching out beyond their own need to help others--it's their spirit and generosity.  It's people that make a difference in the parish."

St. Stephen is also blessed with a dedicated parish staff.  Sister Anne said that Father Bakle "is a committed priest.  He is never too busy to take care of the needs of his parish."

Connie Nightwine has been parish secretary for about 10 years and a member of the church since its founding in 1963.  The building itself is actually a combination church and school.  She said that, with 299 families in the parish, a Parish School of Religion, a preschool program and a Knights of Columbus council, parishioners of St. Stephen are also involved with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every month as well as a summer festival.

"We adopt families every year at Christmas and help at St. Aloysius.  We have a clothing drive at Thanksgiving.  We do a mitten tree," said Nightwine.  "This year, we adopted six families for Christmas.  We give food donations, toys, Christmas gifts.  There's a special group that takes them out--goes to the houses."  The parish has also adopted three nursing homes for Christmas, where they visit and bring presents.

St. Stephen is marked by "friendliness and compassion," said Nightwine.  "It just feels like family--feels like your home."

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 Sister Honored as Chaminade-Julienne Distinguished Alumni 

On October 21, 2000, Sister Carol Marie Diemunsch (Class of 1954) was inducted in the Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School 2000 Hall of Distinguished Alumni due to her "significant impact on her community and profession."

After graduating from Julienne High School in 1954, Sister Carol entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.  As preparation for her 46 years of ministry and service as a teacher, administrator and development director, Sister Carol received a bachelor's degree from Trinity College, a master's degree in mathematics from Catholic University and a master's degree in educational administration from Ohio State University.  While teaching in secondary schools, Sister Carol became interested in involving her students in the mission of the Sisters:  to serve the poor in the most abandoned places.  Several times during the school year, Sister Carol planned trips with her students to several poor parishes in Kentucky where they assisted pastors in various ways.

It was as principal of Mt. Notre Dame High School in Reading, Ohio - where Sister Carol served for 15 years - that she developed a unique talent for planning "big parties."  During her tenure at Mt. Notre Dame, the school celebrated its 125th anniversary of continuous secondary education on the same site.  Sisters, students and staff celebrated the occasion in the gardens of Proctor and Gamble, the site of the first foundation of a Notre Dame school in America.

In 1990, Sisters of Notre Dame from all over the world attended the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the arrival of the first Sisters of Notre Dame in Cincinnati in 1840.  That commemoration - held in Reading - was planned in great detail by Sister Carol and her capable staff.

Besides her busy professional career, Sister Carol has been very involved in ministry to her community.  She was the first director of the community's Gerontology Committee.  As early as the 1970s, the group began looking at the problems of the aging religious Sisters, a passion which is still very much with her.  Sister Carol also served as a member of the Provincial Team of the Ohio Province from 1981 to 1988.

Since 1990, Sister Carol has been serving as the development director for the Sisters of Notre Dame.  At the present time, she is very involved in overseeing a capital fund campaign which will make possible a new facility for the aged Sisters, as well as provide the means to support the Sisters in their mission of education in the Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Chicago, and Phoenix areas and throughout the world.  While her role as development director demand that she spend long hours on money matters, those who know Sister Carol as a teacher, friend or donor know that never far from her heart is her great desire to help others learn of God's goodness in their lives.

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Pastoral Office for Catholic
Schools Established

By Thomas A. Russell
The Catholic Moment
9/3/00

Lafayette - Bishop William L. Higi has established the Pastoral Office for Catholic Schools.  Sister Lois Ann Meyer, SNDdeN, formerly coordinator for Catholic education in the Pastoral Office for Formation, is director of the new pastoral office.  She is diocesan superintendent of schools.

Sister Mary Karen Bahlmann, CDP, has joined the pastoral office as assistant superintendent.  With 42 years in religious life and 40 years in educational ministry, Sister Mary Karen comes to Indiana from 12 years as principal of preschool-8[th grade at] St. Thomas School in Fort Thomas, Ky., her hometown.

"This new diocesan office is needed because Catholics schools are increasing in number in Northcentral Indiana.  The very welcome expectation is that this will continue," Bishop Higi said.  "With growth in Hamilton County, three schools opening this year and Blessed Theodore Guerin High School on the drawing board attention must be devoted to all Catholic schools throughout the diocese.  Schools have become a major responsibility, more than one person can handle.  I welcome Sister Mary Karen, whose long professional experience will benefit the administrators, teachers, parents and students of our schools.  God bless the work of our Pastoral Office for Catholic Schools."

Sister Mary Karen said in a recent interview that she will be supervising and helping beginning teachers and beginning principals.  "I will facilitate the curriculum of all the schools, kindergarten through grade 12," she said.

Implicit in Catholic school curriculum is "the attitude and atmosphere of Catholic," Sister said.  This imbues not just religion classes, but all the subject matter in the schools, she said.

"What distinguishes a Catholic school from a public school is that we are here to introduce our youngsters to the Jesus of the Gospels.  He is presented in such a way that when our youngsters leave our schools they will be able to live by Gospel values and the Gospel message," she said.

Sister Lois Ann has been in diocesan ministry since July 1994.  She pointed out that Sister Mary Karen is especially qualified to work with beginning teachers, having been certified in Kentucky to accredit both teachers and schools.  Sister Mary Karen has two master's degrees from the University of Dayton.

The office has expanded to provide needed services, Sister Lois Ann said.  "With Sister Mary Karen coming into the office we are going to be able to address more directly the needs of teachers, which I simply have not had time to address."

Sister Lois Ann said she will continue to work with principals [and] parish school boards and hopes to increase contact with pastors.  Her work with establishing Guerin High School has been time intensive.  "I thought I had six meetings between now and the end of September [2000]; now it's 12.  That's just over this one issue, just the high school," she said.

The curriculum in the Catholic schools of Northcentral Indiana is "among the best in Indiana," Sister Lois Ann said.  "Our core curriculum is to the point where if public schools are running into trouble, Mary (Mickelson, state Director of Performance Based Accreditation) will have them call me.  We've got something very good going."

Sister Mary Karen also will facilitate standardized testing in the Catholic schools, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, ISTEPs and ACRE, which is a religious education assessment.

Sister Lois Ann describes the Catholic schools of Northcentral Indiana as a "constellation" in which principals bond and interact.  The schools in Lafayette are a "system," she said, while all the schools together, in the eyes of the state of Indiana, are a "true corporation."

"We were the first diocese to ask to be treated as a true corporation," she said.  A significant implication of the recognition is that all the schools can be reaccredited once every five years, as public schools are, instead of three or four or five Catholic schools up for accreditation each year.  This meant that the schools office was involved in accreditation processes every year.  The change "has been an important step for us," Sister Lois Ann said.

Sister Lois Ann affirms that there is indeed an awakening of new interest in Catholic schools.

"Young people are coming through who heard their parents talk about when they were in Catholic schools, but they went to public school and didn't get that," she said.

"We have young people who are concerned about much of the culture, and they want their children to have a different experience."

She spoke about "the gift of our lay staffs."  By and large they want to be there because they can talk about things that have value to them and meaning that they can't do in public school.

"It's a great time in the Church, especially this Local Church, to begin to move ahead on Catholic values and having them become so integral to our way of life," she said.

Sister Mary Karen said, "They're craving for those values now.  The public schools are beginning to teach values, but when we ask ourselves, where do we get the values, whose values are we teaching, we know whose values we're teaching.  When we ask that question in public school, they don't know whose values they are.  They can't even say it comes from Scripture or it comes from Jesus.

"Catholic schools are in some ways the future of the Catholic Church.  Often the youngsters who go through Catholic school are the ones who become very involved in the various ministries of their parish, especially the main ministries of service and prayer," she said.

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Offering Women Support

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Simplicity Key to 
Sister Agnes Immaculata’s 102 Years

 Sisters Find Habitat a Blessing

Varied welcome

Inscribed in English and in Spanish in the home's foundation are the words, "God is good."

Webmaster's Note:
The preceding is adapted from an article appearing in The Community Press, Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Sister Carmen Turns in Badge
For Religious Life

Spirited group

Infinite love

Long Association

Webmaster's Note:
The preceding is adapted from an article appearing in The Catholic Sun, serving the Archdiocese of Phoenix, AZ.

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Nativity Sets Continue Sister’s Legacy

Webmaster's Note:
The preceding is adapted from an article appearing in The Forest Hill Journal, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Chaminade-Julienne Nun 
is the Soul of School

Sister Composed School's 
Joyful Noise

Webmaster's Note:
The preceding is adapted from an article appearing in The Journal News, Hamilton, Ohio.

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