September/October 2015 PNN

News Notes
PROVINCE
SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CARONDELET AND ASSOCIATES ST. LOUIS PROVINCE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
Jesus wanted to show us his heart as the heart that loved so deeply.
Pope Francis
INSIDE THIS ISSUE

13
4-5
Province News Notes is a

publication of the Sisters of St.
Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis
Province. Its purpose is to promote
dialogue and unity within the
St. Louis province and to keep
members informed on those
subjects that promote community
and ministry.
We welcome your submissions!
Submit articles and photos to
Sarah Baker at sbaker@csjsl.org.
**Materials are subject to editing
and will be published at the
discretion of the editor.
FOCUS ON FUTURE
ASSOCIATION
Sister Mary Flick reflects

on two summer meetings
that focused on future
imaginings and action
for the Sisters of
St. Joseph.
Learn more about our

featured associate,
Cathie Braasch, who
serves the dear neighbor
at Nazareth Living Center
as a social worker.
22-23
CSJ EVENTS
Check out our new
section featuring
upcoming events and
past happenings along
with news from Liturgist
and Associate Mary Kay
Christian.
CONTENTS
Province Leadership News...................................................................................3
Focus on Future................................................................................................. 4-5
Congregation News......................................................................................... 6-7
Around the Province.............................................................................................8
Acts of Chapter.....................................................................................................9
Corporation & Council.......................................................................................10
CSJ News........................................................................................................ 11-13
STAFF
Sharing of the Heart...................................................................................... 14-15
Jenny Beatrice
Editor
Archives.......................................................................................................... 16-17
Sarah Baker
Jenny Beatrice
Graphic Design
Necrology: S. Agnes Marie Baer.......................................................................19
Susan Narrow &

Print Shop Volunteers
Production, printing and mailing
Jenny Beatrice
Jane Behlmann, CSJ
Madeleine Reilly
Proofreading
Necrology: S. Helen Rottier................................................................................18

Necrology: S. Frances Virginia Cholet..............................................................20
Necrology: A. Deborah Diane Marino.............................................................21
CSJ Events...................................................................................................... 22-23
Back Cover..........................................................................................................24
ON THE COVER: LOVE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOR

In honor of Pope Francis visit to America, the CSJ Congregation
collaborated on an advertising campaign with America magazine sharing
our mission of love and neighbor without distinction.
Among his very powerful statements during his speeches, Pope Francis
recognized the significant presence and contributions of women religious
in the Church and the world. Calling himself a bit feminist, he said that
sisters always respond quickly to the front lines of trouble.
The church thanks you for this. It is a beautiful witness.
Page 2
September/October 2015 PNN
Province Leadership Team
2014-2019 Province Leadership Team: Sisters Rita Marie Schmitz, Marilyn Lott, Mary Margaret Lazio,
Linda Straub and Maureen Freeman.
Invitation to Change
by Sister Mary Margaret Lazio

We commit ourselves to simplify our lifestyles through specific,
measurable actions regarding water, climate change, food
consumption and waste, taking into consideration local realities
and concerns. Congregational Chapter, 2013.
At our August assembly, we began a year-long province
focus on Communion Within the Earth Community. Our
gift and our challenge as members of the family of Joseph is
to actively engage in building relationships that continually
reflect Gods great love for all persons, for all of creation. In
doing so, we must ask ourselves, What I am being invited to
change in the here and now?
The word change is powerful in that it invites me to reflect
and then to act. I must be willing to enter that deep, still,
mysterious place of quiet within my heart and allow Divine
Light to illumine the way forward. In the midst of darkness,
I must trust that grace will show me the way. The path I
choose will be illumined as I journey.
This is not easy for me. It requires a discipline to be willing
to stay in the moment, patient, waiting, confident that I
will know the next step and will know when to take it. I am
invited to be still and to be ready to move.
I am coming to understand, perhaps at a deeper level, that I

must cultivate a spirit of openness and a spirit of gratitude.
Openness to what is yet to be made known. Gratitude for
what has already been revealed to me. Both of these require
me to be receptive, even to embrace change.
The Mystery of Transformation is what each of us
committed to participate in individually, communally and
in our expression of mission. As I continue to ponder the
question of what I am being invited to change, I am more
deeply aware that I must let go in order to take in. I believe
that I must hold myself in a stance of open hands, letting go
while at the same time remaining in a position of accepting
what is offered.
As we contemplate together our chapter call, may we
prayerfully consider what we are invited to change. Together,
we pray in solidarity with all persons as we strengthen our
communion within the earth community.
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in
the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness
all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we
may protect life and beauty Encourage us, we pray, in our
struggle for justice, love and peace.
A Prayer for Our Earth, Pope Francis, Laudato Si

Page 3
FOCUS ON FUTURE
Summer Meetings Focus on Imagining and Action

by Sister Mary Flick
demographics of the congregation with

particular attention to those affecting the
newest sisters. Reminding us that numbers
do not determine our future, she shared
with us pieces of our reality:
By our next congregational chapter in
2019, sisters over age 70 will outnumber
those younger than age 70, by a ratio of
10 to 1, with no province or vice province
having more than 20 sisters under age 70.
By the 2025 chapter, only Peru will have
more than 10 sisters under age 70.
Sisters Mary Flick, Patty Johnson, Clare Bass, Sarah Heger and
Amy Hereford in the arms of St. Joseph during Seeding our Future.
Seeding Our Future

Albany July 30 - Aug. 1
Seeding Our Future in the life of the Carondelet
congregation was the purpose of a three-day conference
at the Albany motherhouse for 33 vowed members of the
congregation, age 62 and younger.
Sisters Sarah Heger, Amy Hereford, Patty Johnson, Clare
Bass and I entered into our time for reflection and facilitated
discussion on our lives together as we imagined the look and
direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
A sharing of hungers and hopes provided a good
introduction to our time together as we named some of the
essentials of our lives: our personal gifts, our insights as to
creations greatest hunger today, and our deepest longings for
our future together as CSJs.
Sister Miriam Ukeritis of the Congregation Leadership
Team presented Some Signs of Our Times, aka the
Page 4
This sobering piece of reality led to

further reflection and discussion. During
an evening exercise called, Council of
Future CSJs, we were invited to imagine
ourselves 10 years from now, speaking
with our present-day selves. In four openspace sessions, we looked at deepening
relationships, the unity of the congregation,
vocation/formation and the current
demographic reality.
Eleven of our sisters from Peru were present, bringing

the blessing and challenge of inter-cultural exchange and
a second language to our conversations. In response, one
group proposed a monthly, bi-lingual Sharing of the Heart
online.
We claimed our voice as an emerging group (as encouraged
by the Acts of Chapter) and developed a document
proposing a means by which we can step up and take
responsibility for our part in the future of the congregation.
This includes the request that our distinctive voice be
heard at the table, particularly when issues are discussed
that directly affect our cohort and our future, and that the
ministry of vocation and formation be entrusted to our
cohort as well.
Our facilitator, Charlene Diorka, SSJ (Philadelphia),
summarized what lies beyond our discussion. We are
different, yet much unites us in the heart. All of us are
leadersand courageous followers. We have been deepening

our relationships since our earliest gatherings more than a
decade ago. The question is: how will we stay connected?
Leadership Alumnae Gather

Chicago July 16-17
Honoring the past, acknowledging the present and
imagining the future of religious life was the work of 99
women religious who gathered at a leadership alumnae
conference, July 16-19, at St. Xavier University in Chicago.
I joined Sisters Sandy Schmid and Patty Johnson in
representing the St. Louis province and its participation
in the Leaders as Leaven initiative of the Federation of the
Sisters of St. Joseph. We gathered with alumnae of the
six national leadership development programs for women
religious and associates, representing 28 congregations from
15 homelands. The conference was made possible, in part, by
a grant from the GHR Foundation.
As part of early conference planning, 359 graduates of the
six programs were surveyed to solicit how such a gathering
could best serve them. The majority who responded
expressed a desire to strengthen relationships among us and
build networks, to determine what supports we need going
forward and to engage in creative visioning for religious life.
We were clear that we did not need a presenter, but skilled
and capable facilitators to guide our discussions. We were
not disappointed. Facilitators Debbie Asberry and Mary
Ann Zollmann, BVM, set the context for our days and
deepened the conversation with questions that cut to the
heart of our experience.
Early on, Debbie Asberry shared with us Theory U and
told us that systems emerge out of a body to meet particular
needs. They are created, grow, mature, and, in time, decline
and decay because they no longer serve the original intent.
In the period of early decline, there are those in the system
who put fixes into place with hopes that the system will
continue to serve. But there is a small number of way
finders who say there has to be another way. It is important,
Debbie said, for these way finders to find each other, so that
together they can midwife the new. In this middle space,
what was is gone, but what is coming is not yet clear. It was
evident to us gathered that it was from this middle space
that we spoke in both our small and large groups.
One of the first questions we were invited to personally

reflect on was: what aspects of the current expression of
religious life are no longer relevant? Having named this
reality, we were invited to share what we desire and what we
are passionate about, and to remember what compelled each
of us to enter religious life. This naming process enabled
us to grow in our awareness of our individual calls and our
current reality, and to set the stage for further imaginings.
It is clear, our facilitators voiced for us, that the
communities of the future will be steeped in the prophetic
and spiritual traditions of the life forms that existed in
the past, but will be relevant to the needs of the 21st
century. Aloud, they spoke what we know: religious life is
between life and death. Then they fanned the embers we
had acknowledged, saying, Courageously, we must name
what is dying so we can allow new life. More than once, the
group voiced that we are not our institutions and must let
go of those that stifle the Spirit rather than unleash it. One
description offered during the open mic session gave a new
look at a current worldwide image. A participant described
women religious today as being sleeper cells around the
globe, ready to act when needed. We are global in heart and
spirit.
We, as a group, agreed that it is not yet clear where we are
going, but we are not going back. As our time together
wrapped up, we were reminded that religious communities
started with conversations about the signs of the times, then
did something about it. We encouraged each other to take
responsibility for the relationships formed during our days
together, and to build regional networks as well as networks
to continue the conversation around issues and topics we
surfaced, and to keep the conversation going on Facebook
and Twitter.
It was clear that the way finders had found each other and
something more was being created. A quote from human
rights activist Arundhati Roy that was shared often by the
facilitators during our gathering seemed an apt send-off:
Not only is another world possible,
She is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.
Page 5
Congregation
Partnering with New Eyes
Advocating for Penal Reform, End to the Death Penalty

by Sister Barbara Moore
This is the final piece in a series of

congregational articles from our CSJs of
African-American descent.
Congregational Chapter 2013 calls us
to partner with new eyes, based on
specific beliefs, the mission of Jesus,
the importance of mutuality and joint
activities with others for systemic
change. In response to the call, we
commit to educate ourselves in order to
transform our world view and to walk
with the marginalized and especially
those who live in poverty.
The Call for Systemic Change
Systemic implies that something is
embedded within and spread
throughout, affecting a whole system,
group, body, economy, market or society.
Page 6
Educational, economic, health, political

and penal systems are a few that come
to mind, particularly in light of specific
challenges and concerns at this time
in our country and our history. As a
congregation we might focus on one or
two systems where we might be able to
make an impact.
Follow the Bishops Lead
During the month of April, the Catholic
Bishops of Missouri wrote an open
letter to the governor, attorney general,
justices of the Missouri Supreme Court
and members of the Missouri General
Assembly expressing their grave concern
with the rapidity and number of
executions in recent months.
The bishops identified concern about
racial disparity, inequity of sentencing,
inadequate defense counsel and

inclusion of those with documented
cases of mental illness or life-long
intellectual disability. They stressed
that the death-penalty sentence is
flawed. I thought that the letter of the
bishops was timely and courageous.
Abolishing the death penalty is an issue
about which we have been advocating
for years. I began to do more research
about the involvement of our bishops
and found a statement made by the
United States Catholic Bishops in 1980,
speaking out against the death penalty
because of the value and dignity of
the human person. In addition, they
addressed the profound legal, ethical,
moral and religious issues surrounding
this practice.
Pope Francis Speaks

On March 20, Pope Francis, in speaking with members of the
International Commission Against the Death Penalty, stated
that capital punishment is cruel, inhuman and an offense to
the dignity of human life. Capital punishment is the opposite
of divine mercy, which should be the model for our legal
systems.
Michelle Alexander, a civil rights litigator and legal scholar,
authored The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness. Alexander discusses race-related issues specific
to African-American males; however, she acknowledges that
discrimination and repression also exist among other people
of color and socio-economically disadvantaged populations.
Injustices Addressed
Too often we read about persons being released from
prison, having served many years after being falsely accused;
several of those released had been on death row. With the
emergence of DNA and many organizations such as the
Innocence Projects, Spence Forensic Resources, Truth in
Justice, injustices are being addressed and persons have been
exonerated.
Work for State Changes

There are 18 states that have abolished the death penalty
including Hawaii, Minnesota and New York. Thirty-four
states still have the death penalty including California and
Missouri.
Need for Effective Partnering
Through the years, there have been numerous partnerships
formed to address racial, religious and societal issues. Some
were more successful than others. Many, if not most of
us, have participated in these partnerships. When the
partnerships have a clear focus on the common good rooted
in religious of civic motivation, this fosters social cohesion
and understanding, encourages cooperation and promotes
collaboration.
Now is the Time
Perhaps the time is now to join with our bishops and others
to bring about much needed change in our penal system to
include abolition of capital punishment in keeping with a
consistent ethic to respect life from conception to natural
death. Silence is not an option. Let us act and encourage the
Congregational Leadership Team to make public statements
on the justice issues that plague our penal system in the name
of the congregation.
St. Paul Sister Named 2016 National Womens

History Month Honoree
Sister Mary Madonna Ashton, CSJ has been named a 2016 National Womens
History Month Honoree. The 2016 theme established by the National Womens
History Project is Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women
in Public Service and Government.
Mary Madonna Ashton, CSJ
Sister Mary Madonna, at age 92, is the oldest living recipient to be honored
and only the second woman religious (Sister Aloysius Molloy, OSF, honored
in 2007) to be honored since the project began in 1980, explained Molly
Murphy MacGregor of the Womens History Project (NWHP). NWHP is
a clearinghouse providing information and training in multicultural womens
history for educators, community organizations, parents or anyone seeking to
expand their understanding of womens contributions to U. S. history.
While Mary Madonna has been invited to receive her award in Washington,
D.C. next spring, the event falls on the Feast of St. Joseph. Well have to
see, said Mary Madonna of the D.C. invitation. And I love being with my
community on our feast day.

Page 7
Around the Province

From a Summers Eve to a Cemetery Update
by Sister Shawn Madigan (with Sister Judy Miller)
The home phone rang on a summers eve, just a week after

moving to Green Bay from the Twin Cities. I picked up the
phone after identifying myself. A pleasant voice caller said,
Hello, Shawn. Are you planning on being buried up there
in Green Bay?

I had not spent much time idling over such a question. So I
asked the caller, Is there some rumor circulating in St. Louis
that I am on the way out so to speak? Or is there some other
reason you want to know my burial intent?

After a chuckle, the person told me she had been
commissioned to see if there were sufficient burial plots
around the province to house the living (well, eventually
dead) members of the province. I assured her that when the
occasion for burial presented itself, I would not really care
where my ashes were buried, so Green Bay would be fine.
Then the next request came. Could you call the others in
Wisconsin and see where they want to be buried? Knowing
the other five sisters in Wisconsin, I was sure they would not
be any more vigorous or picky about burial sites than I was.
However, I did make the proper inquiries with the result
that was predicted. Since some of us were already registered
organ donors, skin donors, etc., we six are an economical lot
since Wisconsin allows three cremains in one plot.

Five years later, it was another summer day and another
related question. Could Sister Judy Miller and myself
check on the CSJ plots at Allouez Cemetery (in Green Bay,
Wisconsin) to see if there was need for upkeep. Judy was
sure that would be easy since 30 years ago, she went to one
of the burials of a CSJ and recalled that one of our plots was
under a small tree. Needless to say, in 30 years small trees
become big trees and look like every other hundred trees in
the general area.

Succumbing to reasonableness, Judy went to the Allouez
Cemetery office for a map of wherever we are located. Lo
and behold, we have two different sites in two different
places in the cemetery. Following that cemetery so-called
map was like looking for some buried treasure. Where is Siri
when you need her?

Page 8
Well, at last, both sites were found so we made our own

mental maps hoping to find each site again when we workers
had our necessary equipment. Site One definitely needed
our assistance. One of the stone markers indicated a 1908
burial. Imagine Wisconsin winters and then imagine what
a century can do with fungi, black mold, acid rain, snow
and sleet, and hot moldy summer days. So you can see what
our large cross marker, St. Joseph and the sunk down stone
markers looked like with all that mix settling on everything.
But never say die! Off to Home Depot we went for
necessary advice and materials to make things looking like
new again. Clearly, much of our work would have to be
done after the paid cemetery workers went home. Then the
unpaid workers could begin in earnest.

With some bits of challenge, the sunken stones were raised
with new dirt placed underneath them for the next century
of wear and tear; the large cross and Joseph were patched
up and then resprayed with cement and hammered RustOleum. Two nice bushes were planted to mark the spot. The
old site with its markers was now revitalized and the names
of our sisters on the cleaned stone markers were once more
able to be read.

The newer site needed far
less repair. However, after
hours, the unpaid duo
showed us how to fix this
site. By now the process
was second nature so this
cleanup was most efficient.
This second site received
some small bushes to
mark our spot or plot.
All names on the stones
are now readable again.

Since there are some extra
plots, fell free to contact The monument that marks
the new CSJ section of the
Province Leadership
Allouez Catholic Cemetery
if you would like to be
and Chapel Mausoleum in
placed in Packerland soil. Green Bay.
We have room for you!
Focus on Earth
Communion Within the Earth Community
Calls to Action: Water
We commit oursleves to simplify our lifestyles through

specific, measurable actions regarding water, climate
change, food, consumption, and waste, taking into
consideration local realities and concerns.
Congregational Chapter 2013
Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who
lack access to drinking water, because they are denied the
right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity.
Pope Francis, Laudato Si
Our commitment to uphold the sacredness of creation
and the dignity of our dear neighbor is expressing itself
in new ways through our ministry in Gulu, Uganda,
with a growing focus on water purification efforts.
In February, Associate Carolyn Henry, an analytical
chemist, went to Gulu to test community well water
during a 12-week stay.
As providence would have it, while the trip was being
planned, the province developed a relationship with an
organization called Water with Blessings that provides
water purification kits and education to village women
around the globe.
Above: Volunteers Chassity Menard and Sarah Jiminez

work with Sisters Nancy Marsh and Kathleen Eiler to
crochet socks for the filters.
Below: The motherhouse community blessed Sisters Patty
Clune and Pat Murphy in a Prayer of Sending on Sept. 9.
Sisters Patty and Pat left for Gulu on Sept. 14 to work as
water filtration teachers.
Carolyn brought her expertise and 26 kits to Gulu,

where she met with the Gulu district water officer and
collected samples. She identified bacteria in about 1/3
of the samples.
She informed the authorities and was surprised they
took no action on the contaminated wells, leaving it
up to the residents to solve the problem. And thanks
to Water with Blessings and our collective efforts, they
have the tools to do so.
The entire province showed its support at the August
Assembly, raising $2,751, enabling us to buy 45
filters. Crocheted socks to keep these life-giving filters
protected, were made and donated for these 45 filters
plus another 160 for other Water with Blessings
projects.

Page 9
CORPORATION & COUNCIL

APRIL MINUTES
Council
JULY MINUTES
Corporation
Accepted
Minutes of the Province Council
Mtgs. held April 20-21
Corporation
Accepted
Minutes of Board of Directors of the
Corporation Mtg. held March 30
March 2015 Financial Statements
Approved
Summer Program for Hispanic
Youth, St. Philip the Apostle
Parish$2,500
Marie Joan Harris Scholarship Fund,
Avila University$25,000
Mary Carol Anth Scholarship Fund,
Fontbonne University$25,000
Rita M. Schmitz Scholarship Fund,
Fontbonne University$25,000
SJA Chapel$5,000
SJID Unrestricted Gift
$100,000
Council
Accepted
Mtgs. held March 30-31
Approved
Patrimony Requests (2)
Education Requests (2)
MAY MINUTES
Corporation
Accepted
Corporation Mtg. held April 21
April 2015 Financial Statements
Approved
St. Matthews Annual Dinner
Auction$1,000
Ignatian Spirituality
Project, Company of Grace
Induction$1,000
Water with Blessings$5,000
Romanian Sisters of St. Basil$500
SJA Board Members
Page 10
May/June 2015 PNN
Approved
Sabbatical Request (1)
Updated
Sponsorship Agreement Review
Mtg. w/Linda Markway, Voc-For
JUNE MINUTES
Corporation
Accepted
Corporation Mtg. held May 19
May 2015 Financial Statements
Approved
Fiscal 2016 Province Budget
North Grand Neighborhood
Services Anniversary Celebration &
Reception$500
Marion Weinzapfels Ministry in
Gulu$5,000
SJAs 175th Anniv. Book$2,500
Ratification of St. Josephs Academy
Action
Council
Accepted
Mtgs. held May 18-19
Approved
Updates
Elder Care Study Group
Design Team
Senior Ministry
Communications-Public Relations
Accepted
Corporation Mtg. held June 22, 2015
June 2015 Financial Statements
Approved
CRSS Motown Revue$5,000
Franciscan Missionary of Assisi
Bldg., Convent, Preschool,
Zambia$3,000
The Fields at Wellsprings Farm,
2015-16$900
Little Sisters of the Poor
Donation$100
Cancer Support
Community$1,000
G.U.L.U. Immersion Project,
Fontbonne Univ.$2,000
S. Marie Joan Harris as NLC Board
of Trustee Member
Council
Accepted
Mtgs. held June 22-23
Approved
Travel Requests (2)
Education Requests (2)
Updated
SJID
Co-Director on Association
Interview Process
CSJ News
Order of the House
By Sister Kate Filla
Four Imagine If gatherings held in 2014 flowed from

ideas that emerged during the St. Louis Province Chapter
meetings (December 2012 to January 2014). Some women
at those Imagine If meetings focused on developing a process
for sharing the Order of the House. These sessions are open
to all vowed members and associates and are held quarterly.
The third meeting was held June 21. The gathering opened
with prayer followed by time to listen to one another about
the movement of God in our lives. After several rounds
of sharing in twos, the large group reassembled and time
was given to surface the common threads we heard in our
conversations and what are we being called to in our mission
of unifying love.
Among the responses:
We are sustained in Gods love.

We do not separate ourselves from suffering.
We grow in awareness of our oneness with others.
We are open to differences and intrusions.
We move together to the more.
We recognize Gods presence in meetings, meals
together, daily events.
We participate with others in our efforts toward justice.
All are invited to participate in the Order of the House
meetings held at the Carondelet Motherhouse. Those not
in St. Louis are encouraged to form their own group for the
sharing. Upcoming meetings at the Carondelet Motherhouse
begin at 2 p.m. and conclude by 3:30 p.m. They are
scheduled on the following Sundays: Dec. 20, March 13 and
June 19. Sisters who may be contacted for more information
are: Clare Bass, Pat Gloriod, Teresa Horn-Bostel, Rita
Huebner, Kate Filla, Linda Markway and Monica Kleffner.
Policy: The St. Louis Province of the Sisters of St. Joseph

of Carondelet shall continue to give a monetary response to
those in immediate need.
Implementation: Needy individuals and families with
immediate needs, not including relatives.
Guidelines: Where money is given as direct aid to the needy,
a CSJ/CSJA must be personally involved or connected with
the person(s) receiving the aid. Aid to individual or family is
limited to one request per fiscal year.
The committee members will evaluate requests. After
consultation, appropriate decisions will be made.
A CSJ/CSJA who receives money from this fund is
accountable to the committee for the use of the money.
The committee, at this time, includes Sisters Lillian
Baumann and Audrey Olson with Sister Linda Straub as the
PLT liaison.
All requests should be emailed to all three sisters on the
committee and should include: the amount of money
requested, identification of person(s) with immediate need,
and an explanation of the need/use of money requested.
Golf Tournament: Thank You!
From Executive Director Patty Cassens
Thanks to all our sponsors, underwriters, players and

volunteers for helping to make the 27th Annual CSJ Golf
Tournament a special day. The tournament was held Sept.
21 at at the Westborough Country Club. View more photos
at csjsl.org.
Corporate Monetary Response

By Sister Lillian Baumann
Do you work with or know people who are in immediate

need of monetary assistance?
Sisters of St. Joseph have funds allocated yearly to help with
immediate needs entitled Corporate Monetary Response to
the Needy.
Page 11
CSJ News
Senior Ministry
Opt for Health
by Sister Bonnie Murray and Trish Callahan

Since a great number of us were school teachers, this time of
year usually has a sense of beginning anew again. With that
in mind, I want to share with you two experiences I had this
summer that may bring newness or a freshness to our health
for the season of autumn.
Several sisters spoke to me about something new in their
livescoloring books. Yes, there is a renewed interest in
coloring as an adult. 60 Minutes even featured a segment on
Adult Coloring Circles.
I have enjoyed choosing colors out of my assortment of
48 colored pencils and sitting quietly with my book of
butterflies. I have found that the experience is very relaxing,
that it releases any tensions in my body.
The health benefits go beyond relaxation, and include
exercising fine motor skills and training the brain to focus.
Because its a centering activity, the amygdala, which is the
part of the brain that is involved with our fear response,
actually gets a bit of a rest and it ultimately has a really
calming effect over time. A spiritual benefit is that of
centering ones body, mind and spirit. Everything around
me sort of floats away during my coloring time. I strongly
encourage you to give it a try.
In late August, I participated in a mindfulness workshop,
sponsored by the St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute.
The presenter, Dr. Christopher Grimes, gave an overview
of mindfulness, starting with a definition by Jon Kabat-
Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction:

paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and
nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to
moment.
Some of the benefits of mindfulness include body
regulation, emotional balance, response flexibility, insight,
empathy and intuition. We had several opportunities
during the workshop to practice mindfulness. These always
began with paying attention to our breathing. With breath
awareness, we have a repeated process where the in-breath is
always followed by the out-breath. This predictability helps
to calm the mind.
Since the workshop, I have tried eating and brushing my
teeth mindfully, and being conscious and present to each
step I take when walking up or down stairs. These practices
have slowed me down and made me more conscious of the
present moment. I have noticed that being mindful is a very
good preparation for the 10-minute contemplation practice
weve been asked to do as we discern our future direction.
Development Office Announces Name Change

From Executive Director Patricia Cassens, CSJA, CRFE
The St. Louis Province Development Office is now the
St. Louis Province Mission Advancement Office. We
will continue to support the mission and ministries of
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet by advancing the
mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph through fundraising,
Page 12
stewardship, and expanding awareness of the sisters

and their ministries. We do so by raising funds to
sustain and enhance the work the sisters perform and
invite friends, families, staff, volunteers, businesses and
foundations to partner with us.
CSJ News
Association:
Volunteer Spotlight
CSJ Messages
New & Improved
Cathie Braasch
I am honored to have
the opportunity to be a
part of the Sisters of St.
Joseph of Carondelet as an
associate. And it has been
my privilege to work at
Nazareth Living Center in
St. Louis as a social worker
for about 15 years. It is in
the skilled nursing unit
that I perform my services,
always trying to remember
that it is the dear neighbor"
whom I serve.
My responsibility is to assist the residents and their families with
their special needs, including scheduling doctor's appointments,
and transportation to and from; helping resolve family concerns,
advocating for them with genuine care and empathy; addressing
any complaints as soon as possible with understanding and
comfort.
I seek out residents who need compassion and a listening friend
during their loneliness, and we pray together. I love mentoring
social work practicum students and new employees, always
brainstorming for solutions to problems. I am certified in Healing
Touch Level I, which enables me to comfort residents in distress.
I also serve on several committeesquality improvement, ethics,
admission team, resident counsel team and palliative care team
that focuses my attention always on the dear neighbor, Nazareth
residents and their families, and seeing that they are always treated
with love.
My prayer on this journey is that my ministry be nourished with
the charism, zeal and passion I share with the Sisters of St. Joseph.
My goal is that every resident and family member feel the presence
of Jesus during their time at Nazareth, and I gladly rearrange my
work hours to accommodate them. My personal integrity as a
person of faith, combined with my professional commitment and
experience, make visible the charism of the CSJ community.
from the Communications Office

Relauched and refreshed! Be sure to
check your CSJSL email every Friday
at noon for the latest news, events,
weekly prayers and more.
New Format
Our new format is clean, simple,
and easy-to-read with shorter
announcements and more links. It
only takes a moment to keep up
with our latest news.
On the Web
Missed a weekly message or looking
for a previous one? A CSJ Message
section has been created in our
Members Only section as a resource
for announcements, links and
attachments.
Tracking Stats
We are using an e-blast system that
allows us to collect statistics such
as open and click rates, enabling
us to better serve the needs of the
community.
CSJSL Email
Havent been on your CSJSL email
in a while and need help accessing
your account? Contact Tech
Support at 314-678-0421.
Questions?
Contact Jenny Beatrice, director of
communications at
jbeatrice@csjsl.org or 314-678-0304.
Page 13
Sharing of the Heart

Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most
by Sister Jean Iadevito
Imagine that Christianity is about loving God. Imagine that

its not about the self and its concerns, not about whats in
it for me, whether that be a blessed afterlife or prosperity in
this life. Imagine that loving God is about being attentive
to the one in whom we live and move and have our being.
Imagine that it is about becoming more and more deeply
centered in God. Imagine that it is about loving what God
loves. How would that change our lives?
Marcus Borg
For some reason, I thought about Marcus Borg a few weeks
ago. I had attended a lecture given by him in Denver some
20 years ago, and had read a few of his books over the years.
So, I went online and reserved his latest book through the
St. Louis County Library.
Today, I went online to look up what Borg has been doing
all of these years. He died in January of this year at the age
of 72. Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most is his
final book.
I should have guessed that this book would be a kind of
memoir or one of those big reflections that one does later in
life. Borgs intentions are pretty clear. He wished to combine:
... the triad of memories, conversions and convictions.
Memories of growing up Christian and American more
than half a century ago, and what I absorbed then.
Conversionsmajor changes in those understandings that
have happened in my adult life. Convictionsfundamental
ways of seeing and living that are more or less settled and
not easily shaken (but are neither dogmatic nor closed to
change).
I have found Borgs books to be simple and straightforward.
In some ways, this final book combines ideas put forward in
earlier books. However, its much more than that.
In an early chapter, God Is Real and Is a Mystery, the
author develops the theme of mysticism. He describes
his own mystical experiences. I remember going into a
church in Rome and seeing the Bernini statue entitled The
Ecstasy of St. Teresa done in the baroque style. Gazing
upon the emotion and beauty of this white marble statue
Page 14
was an experience in itself. Perhaps, many of us have had

experiences where we suddenly saw things in a totally
different light, a luminosity, a sense of the more. We
experienced the Glory of God. In the words of the author,
The central convictions and foundations of this book are
that God is real and that the Bible and Christianity are the
Christian story of our relationship with God, the more,
what is.
One of the things that I like about Borg is that he makes
me rethink words and concepts. In reference to the meaning
of salvation, Borg states that Salvation is about liberation,
reconnection, seeing anew, acceptance and the satisfaction of
our deepest yearnings. Christianity at its bestlike all of the
enduring religions of the world at their bestis a path of
transformation. For me, salvation has come to mean freeing
myself from all those shouldsthose reoccurring themes
or fugues that hold me in bondage and fear.
The author belonged to the Jesus Seminar, a group of
biblical scholars who studied the historical Jesus. In a
chapter entitled Jesus Death on the Cross MattersBut
Not Because He Paid for Our Sins, Borg explains that in
the first thousand years of Christianity, the emphasis on
payment for sin did not exist. It wasnt until the 11th century
that St. Anselm of Canterbury developed the concept of
the incarnation and death of Jesus. Borg would argue that
the death of Jesus was politicalhe kept going up against
the establishment. This is not to negate the death of Jesus.
The death/resurrection mystery is about transformation
of the Kingdom of God now, as well as my personal
transformation now.
In the process of reflecting on this book, I came to a deeper
understanding of the concept of passionthe passion of
Jesus, the passion of God. In the final paragraph of the book,
Borg asks: Whats the Christian life all about? Its about
loving God and loving what God loves. Its about becoming
passionate about God and participating in Gods passion for
a different world, here and now. And the future, including
what is beyond our lives? We leave that up to God.
Live the present with passion; remember the past with gratitude
and embrace the future with hope.
Pope Francis
Happy are Your Eyes

by Sister Rita Louise Huebner
... Happy are your eyes because they see ... I tell you
solemnly, many prophets and holy ones longed to see what
you see, and never saw it. Matt. 13: 16-17
These words of Jesus have always intrigued me and, in
my later years, have taken on an ever deeper meaning.
For the past 20 years or so I have been keeping
glaucoma under control. I use eye drops faithfully, visit
my ophthalmologist four times a year, and drive with
my sunglasses. Ive had laser treatments and cataracts
removed, all with the aim of preserving my vision. And
all has been successful.
However, at times my vision is blurry or hazy resulting from
medication or fatigue. I appreciate the gift of sight, love it
actually, and I take delight in seeing a soaring hawk, a roiling
ocean, the Mohawk River Valley, a vast Kansas expanse, a
swaying oak in a storm, or the smile of a friend. Yes, my eyes
are happy when I take in these beauties.
But when Jesus says, Happy are your eyes, he means more
than physical vision. He implicitly tells his disciples that
they are gifted with a new kind of sight, a seeing with the
mind and heart. He emphasizes to his friends that they have
been given new insights into the truth by the mere fact that
they are associating with him. Many, he says, longed to see
what you see and have not seen it.
The disciples were led gradually to understand what Jesus
meant in that statement. They witnessed many blind persons
regaining their physical sight at Jesus healing: the blind
beggar who pleads, Lord, that I may see; the man born
blind who was told to go and wash; another who told Jesus
he could see persons, but they looked like trees walking.
The disciples, whose understanding was still clouded, did
not initially comprehend that these healed persons also
regained an inner vision. The two on the road to Emmaus,
for example, illustrate this lack of comprehension. Their
eyes are downcast because they are filled with sadness and
disappointment. They do not see the Jesus alongside them
because they were not looking for him. They even tell Jesus
Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set
Israel free. Only after Jesus breaks the bread and hands it to
them their eyes were opened and they recognized him.
We, too, are Jesus disciples and live with his life of grace. We,
too, have been blessed to see, to ponder the Mystery of God
among us. If we have eyes to see we can perceive that we as a
congregation are making something new. Can we see it?
Our leaders have reminded us to keep the vision of the
whole as the horizon for our reflection and the well-being
of the whole as the desired outcome of our decisions. For
this journey into newness, we carry within our hearts the
promise of Jesus ,I will be with you always, and we know
the truth of Gods loving presence through the Spirit, our
Advocate, who reminds us of all that Jesus has told us.
Sometimes, like the first disciples, our inner vision is also
blurry. However, we can help one another see more clearly
by sharing together ways to put into practice our chapter
directives. Attending to suggestions for action made by the
Ad Hoc committee on the environment is another way we
can brighten our way. Communally, we are thus keeping
the vision of the whole before us, encouraging ourselves
forward to a wider vision for the well-being of the whole.
If we listen attentively, maybe we can hear again those words
from Isaiah See I am making something new. Do you not
see it? Happy are our eyes that see ...
Page 15
Archives
Back row: Virginia Dowd, Brentwood; Kathleen Washy, Baden; S. Mary Salvaterra, Albany Province;
S. Bernadette Pachta, Concordia; S. Patricia Rose Shanahan, Los Angeles Province; Leo Catahan, Orange;
S. Marie Timmons, Eire. Front row: Lisa Gibbons, Congregation of St. Joseph (group of seven congregations);
S. Jane Behlmann, St. Louis province; S. Mary Kraft, St. Paul province. Photo by Lisa Gibbons.
Archivists of the Congregations of Women Religious

Meet for Triennial Meeting
by Sister Mary Kraft, St. Paul Province
The Archivists of the Congregations of Women Religious

met for its triennial meeting, Aug. 27-30 in Pittsburgh.
About 130 archivists were present, including the four
Carondelet province archivists, along with seven other CSSJ
archivists (pictured).
The keynote address was given by Nancy Schreck, OSF,
former LCWR president. Sessions ranged from access
and confidentiality to digitizing to future planning to
re-modeling facilities. What was most exciting was to
see so many younger women and men, recently hired by
congregations and orders, who are leading their respective
archives into the future by considering collaborations or, at
the least, raising questions about disposition of collections.
As you may recall, the Carondelet archivists submitted a
proposal to the Congregational Leadership Group in early
Page 16
2015 to begin the process for consolidation of archival

holdings at one location. The proposal was approved and
Jane Kenamore, archival consultant, was hired to visit each
archive to assess its holdings and determine its readiness
to be relocated, and to make recommendations for the
development of a common digitization plan and a common
electronic records management plan. By early October, Jane
will have visited the St. Paul, Albany and St. Louis (province
and congregation) archives; she will visit Los Angeles on
Oct. 13-15. Janes final report will be presented via Internet
connection to the archivists and CLT representative Sister
Danielle Bonetti by early January.
Plans will then be made to share the reports findings
with Province Leadership and with the Congregational
Leadership Team in February. Next steps in the
consolidation process will also be considered at this time.
Meeting Our Ancestors
Profile of an early sister who died

in the month of October
by Sister Jane Behlmann
Sister Bernard Joseph Dunne died at

Nazareth Convent, Lemay, Missouri,
on October 22, 1951, in the 84th year
of her age and the 64th of her religious
life.
Receiving the habit March 19, 1888,
Sister Bernard Joseph, who had entered
from Kansas City, was named for Rev.
Bernard Donnelly, first resident priest
of Kansas City and early pioneer priest
in western Missouri. The schools that
were privileged to have her on the staff
either as teacher or directress were St.
Peters, Oconto, Wisc.; St. Leos, St.
Louis; Academy of Our Lady, Peoria,
Ill.; and Rosati-Kain High School, St.
Louis. Although she never resided
on the Fontbonne campus, she taught
English at Carondelet for the College
for over 20 years. Here, she likewise
supervised the study of the Sisters of
the province.
Always a firm believer in higher
education for women, Mother Bernard
promoted in a most vehement manner
the higher education of the Sisters.
This she knew could be attained after
Fontbonne was erected. Fontbonne
was largely at the outset the result and
effect of the interest and prayers of
educators like Mother Bernard.
It was at Rosati-Kain that Mother
Bernards true devotion resided. One
of the schools founders, she taught
English there and was coprincipal from 1912 to

1930. A large diocesan high
school staffed by the School
Sisters of Notre Dame and
the Sisters of St. Joseph,
Rosati-Kain claimed Mother
Bernards best years. She
frequently spoke to each
succeeding senior class of
the advantages of higher
education, aiming, as all
knew, at interesting them in
enrolling at Fontbonne.
Stories abound concerning
Mother Bernards great
Sister Bernard Joseph Dunne
charity, friendship,
and almost limitless
of the provincial council, serving under
understanding of her
the following Provincial Superiors:
students. Large and dignified in
Mother Columbine [Ryan], Mother
appearance and correspondingly large
Palma [McGrath], Mother Angela
in mental and spiritual qualities, she
[Hennessy], Mother Henry [Siegel],
possessed a capacity for estimating the
true worth of a person. Bishop Charles and Mother Tarcisia [Finn]. She was
a member of the first group of Sisters
Helmsing, who preached the funeral
sermon, declared, Mother Bernard was to attend the Catholic University of
America. [Necrology Report]
a great soul, a woman of deep interior
life.
Sister Bernard Joseph [Bridget] was born
May 2, 1868 in Ontario, Canada to
Mother Bernard left Rosati-Kain to
become General Councilor in 1930; on Catherine Corrigan and John Dunne.
She died of cerebral apoplexy and is
the death of Mother Columbine, she
became the Assistant Superior General buried in Resurrection Cemetery Row 2,
grave 30.
in 1935, holding that office until the
next general election the following year.
For over 25 years, she was a member
Page 17
The Hand of God Shall Hold You
Sister Helen Rottier, CSJ

(S. Joseph Anthony)
March 1, 1941 - May 19, 2015

A loving woman devoted to the service of Gods people;
a faithful friend.
Helen Rottier, first daughter born

to Alphonse and Josephine (Vanden
Heuvel) Rottier of West De Pere,
Wisconsin, grew up with three sisters
and four brothers on a dairy farm.
After graduating from St. Joseph
Academy in Green Bay, she worked
in a law office for a year then entered
the Sisters of St. Joseph on September
15, 1960. She received the habit and
the name Sister Joseph Anthony on
March 19, 1961. Her bachelors degree
in mathematics was from Fontbonne
College (1965).
From 1965-1970, S. Joseph Anthony
taught junior high in Wisconsin,
Illinois and Missouri. When S.
Helen taught at Valle Grade School
in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, S. Mary
Ann Hilgeman recalls her as joyful
and good-humored a very good
mathematics teacher In 1970-1982,
she taught at St. Francis de Sales High
School in Denver, Colorado, and then
at Denver Central Catholic where
she was successively teacher, assistant
administrator and administrator.
S. Mary Ann Figlino remembers those
Denver days: My memories of Helen
are many good ones. In particular
was her laughter, enjoying time in our
Denver community and her excitement
of making a 30-day retreat together.
S. Helen received a grant to study at
The Catholic University of America,
Washington, D.C., earning a masters
in mathematics (1974). S. Mary Ann
Page 18
Hilgeman shared a room with her

at Catholic University where they
succeeded in saving money by dining
out once a day and using a coil to heat
liquids. Their room air-conditioner
kept the produce cool and us frozen.
S. Mary Ann Potts met S. Helen
when they were living at St. Francis de
Sales Convent and teaching at Central
Catholic High. They were drawn into
friendship by the fact that each of
them had a profound experience of the
spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.
S. Mary Ann remembers that when
they would be looking for a directed
retreat, S. Helens choice was always
someplace where, if possible, there
would be a body of water. In Denver
we both found great peace and
satisfaction in teaching the poor and
ministering to Hispanic students.
Their friendship was a lasting one
that included over 40 years of living in
community together.
When Denver Catholic closed, Reicher
Catholic High in Waco, Texas, was
S. Helens next assignment as a teacher
in 1982 and as assistant principal in
1983. Her 1984-1990 assignment
as principal at St. Joseph Academy
in Green Bay allowed her creative
leadership talents to shine, bringing
the school to be acknowledged as a
Blue Ribbon School recognized by the
government for its excellence. In that
same year, she, herself, was honored as
Wisconsin Administrator of the Year
for Catholic Schools.
After a short sabbatical in Kingstree,

South Carolina, S. Helen went to
Brownsville, Texas, spending 19901997 at various schools in Brownsville
as teacher, principal or administrator.
In 1997 she became principal of
Immaculate Conception Grade School
in Rio Grande City, Texas, until 1999
when she became principal of St.
Martin de Porres, Weslaco, Texas.
In 2012 she began two part-time
ministries, teaching at Our Lady of
Guadalupe School in Mission, Texas
and doing special projects for the
diocese.
Her last contribution to Catholic
education was as special projects
coordinator in the diocesan school
office. Her work with federal programs
brought much needed funds to the
Catholic schools. She wrote grants for
science and she also helped the schools
to raise their math scores, says S. Mary
Ann Potts.
S. Helens life included rich and varied
experiences: camping, fishing, several
summers helping in an orphanage near
Tijuana, Mexico; Vacation Bible School
in South Dakota, immersion programs
in Mexico City and Guatemala; and
travels in South America and Europe.
S. Helen loved to read, enjoyed
animals, was an excellent cook and
baker, had a deep love of family, and
of course, followed the Green Bay
Packers.
S. Helen Oates with S. Mary Ann Potts
Sister Agnes Marie Baer, CSJ

November 6, 1921 - July 14, 2015
Always other-centered, warm, caring, a woman of prayer.
Sister Agnes Marie Baer was born to

Oliver Louis and Agnes (Robineau)
Baer in St. Louis, Missouri, on
November 6, 1921. She attended
Immaculate Conception Grade School,
Rosati-Kain High and Fontbonne
College. She received a degree in social
studies in 1942. Her work at the St.
Louis Public Library during college
continued until February 1944 when
she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. I
wanted so much to be a sister and to do
something for Gods people.
S. Agnes Marie taught in elementary
schools in St. Louis: Our Lady of
Lourdes (1946) and St. Teresa of Avila
(1951). After receiving a masters in
social studies from St. Louis University
(1952) and a secondary administrative
certificate, she ministered at St. Francis
de Sales High, Denver, Colorado, until
1961. That year she was sent to Regina
Mundi, to prepare for formation work.
Assigned to Carondelet as director of
postulants in 1962, S. Agnes Marie
continued that position through
1967 when she became director of
novices and postulants. One of those
former postulants/novices, Ellen
Dukes, CSJA, experienced her faithful
friendship for 50 years.
Likely leadership in formation is
not easy; I speculate that leadership
during the time of the Second
Vatican Council was akin to having
frequent whiplash. She approached
her assignment with grace and care
always.
Dodie Sudduth, CSJA, wrote: Here is

what S. Agnes Marie taught me, Love
puts sacrifice into perspective so it is
no longer a sacrifice. She lived what she
taught.
For 10 years, S. Agnes Marie taught
or was assistant administrator in
secondary schools: Academy of our
Lady, Peoria (1968); St Thomas
Aquinas, Florissant (1970); and
Rosati-Kain, St. Louis (1973).
Throughout her five years teaching
religion at Rosati-Kain, she spent
summers in the Human Rights Office.
I just got saturated with what was
happening. I said, If youd ever find
something that you think I could do,
let me know.
In 1978, while ministering in social
work at the St. Louis Archdiocesan
Human Rights Office, S. Agnes
Marie was asked to consider doing
something for prostitutes. She visited
St. Louis judges, the Work House, the
city jail. She traveled to the Missouri
State Prison in Jefferson City and
organizations in St. Louis that worked
with the poor, particularly women.
Having learned what she could, in
1979 she became the founder and
executive director of the New Life
Style Program. Short of staff, the St.
Louis Probation System often found it
easier to send people to jail than to put
them on probation. The New Life Style
Program provided a second chance.
Understanding prostitutes and their

backgrounds is just something I
struggled to understand ...They are
people who have had very, very,
very little benefits. We would visit
them in their homes, and they had
nothing. They were trying to survive
on nothing, and they didnt have
any skills to help them get a better
job ... There is nothing uplifting in
their lives ...
S. Agnes Marie became a grant writer/
worker at the St. Joseph Development
Office (1995) until retiring (1999) to
St. Josephs Academy where she did
volunteer work until 2007 when she
moved to Nazareth Living Center.
We remember: St Francis de Sales
graduate S. Marion Weinzapfel
described S. Agnes Marie as her lifelong mentor. She always had time to
talk... She was a pillar in my life. I am
happy she is home.
S. Rose McLarney, considering
administration of a new non-profit,
Center for Women in Transition, drew
upon S. Agnes Marie's experience and
wisdom in working with the non-profit
organization she developed... She was
very supportive and encouraging to
me...
Her Le Puy Prayer Group: We will
never forget the undivided attention,
the testament of faith, and the love
of the dear neighbor that was the
essence of S. Agnes Marie Baer. We are
privileged to have known her.
Helen Oates, CSJ
Page 19
Sister Frances Virginia Cholet, CSJ

August 29, 1927 - July 30, 2015
A thoughtful caring woman filled with quiet joy

and a sense of humor
Joan Mary Cholet and her brother,

were born August 29, 1927, in
Jefferson City, Missouri, the first of
three sets of twins (and singles!) born
to Harold and Virginia (Hennessy)
Cholet. When her family left Jefferson
City for St. Louis, Joan attended
Rosati-Kain High School. She entered
the Sisters of St. Joseph September
15, 1945, receiving the habit and the
name S. Frances Virginia in 1946. She
received her bachelors degree in French
from Fontbonne and her masters
in French from Western Reserve
University in Cleveland.
always have sisters or even the same

number that they had.
For more than 20 years, S. Frances

taught elementary school: St. Anthony,
St. Louis; St. Viator, Chicago; Holy
Guardian Angels, St. Louis; St. Joseph,
West de Pere, Wisconsin; and Our
Lady of Lourdes, University City,
Missouri, where she was a teacher
and then principal. While at Lourdes,
S. Frances was chosen to be part of a
program to launch foreign language
in elementary schools, ultimately
spreading from primary classes
throughout all grades.
Completing her term of office in

1988, she spent 11 years as the vice
president of mission effectiveness for
the Carondelet Health System.
In 1969, as elementary education

coordinator, S. Frances worked with
CSJ principals hoping for clarity
around the issue that sisters abilities,
not just empty slots, should be priority
for placement. In addition a three-year
contract was created to use between
sisters and parishes, partly to enable
better future planning. Schools could
no longer assume that they would
Page 20
S. Frances was appointed to be the

director of personnel in 1976, an
appointment cut short in 1977 by her
selection as one of the two assistant
provincials to S. Mary Catherine
OGorman. In 1984, she herself was
selected to be the provincial superior.
Sisters Joan Haas and Anne Kelly
were her assistants. During this time
the Development Office was set up
at Carondelet; pastoral planning with
Cassian Yuhaus began, and the 1986
Sesquicentennial was celebrated.
S. Maryellen Tierney, describes

S. Frances as a woman of gentle spirit
and wisdom remembering the ways
she made sure that the philosophy,
mission and vision of the Sisters of
St. Joseph was present in all of our
hospitals.
CSJ Care, founded by S. Ann
Chamblin to minister to the elderly at
home, welcomed S. Frances in 2000.
Volunteer ministry became her next
choice in 2009 until she retired to
Nazareth Living Center in 2011.
It was my privilege to serve as
province treasurer during Sister
Frances Virginia's term ... She was
extremely supportive ...
S. Paulette Gladis
Frances was truly a delightful person.

Always quietly low key, she allowed her
quiet, wonderful humor to light up any
group in which she found herselfher
presence always seemed to influence for
the better as she brought her joy to any
conversation, any gathering.
S. Ida Robertine Berresheim
For years Frances organized an annual
get-together for our reception...She
kept us together!

S. Ruth Burkart
During our free time at
Congregational Chapter, Frances was
most willing to partake in activities ...
paddling a canoe, bike trekking, etc.
One thing I found amusing was the
aftermath of a bike spill she endured.
When I went to be of assistance
picking her up, I discovered the stuff
I thought was hanging bloody skin
turned out to be nylons. Who wears
nylons underneath shorts?!
S. Shawn Madigan
Throughout our time in leadership
each of us would receive a card and
personal note from [Frances] letting
us know that we were remembered in
thought and prayer. You can imagine
how nice that was, the smile, the
warmth that came from those periodic
messagessomeone who had been in
our position now holding us in prayer.
S. Mary Kay Hadican

Helen Oates, CSJ
Deborah Diane Marino, CSJA

June 23, 1951 - July 31, 2015
Dedicated to serving others and faithfulness to God
Deborah Diane Marino was born

in Kansas City on June 23, 1951.
Deborah, or Debby, as most people
called her, grew up in a loving and
generous household. Her parents, John
and Melva Marino raised Debby, her
sister Marcia, and her two brothers,
Mike and Greg with a strong Catholic
faith.
Debbys education began at St. Pius
X Catholic Grade School in Mission,
Kansas, followed by St. Teresas
Academy in Kansas City. It was her
experience at STA that changed
Debbys life forever.
After high school, Debby went on to
Saint Mary College in Leavenworth,
Kansas, where she received degrees in
math and education. Debby followed
her hearts inspirations, first when her
love for mathematics led her to become
a high school math teacher.
Debby began her dream career as a
high school math teacher, but she then
felt a stronger tug as she answered the
call to enter the religious life with the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in
St. Louis.
During her years with the Sisters
of St. Joseph, Debby ministered in
several places: Reicher High School,
Waco, Texas (1983-85); Aquinas High
School, Augusta, Georgia (1985);
St. Joseph Hospital, Kansas City,
Missouri (1985-86); Clearwater,
Florida (1986); Montara, California

(1986-87); St. Cronan Parish,
St. Louis (1987-89).
After 14 years as a sister with the CSJs,
Debby decided to leave the community
and begin a new life as a layperson in
Alabama. Debby shared a home with
her good friend Robin Smitherman,
who had also left the Sisters of St.
Joseph.
Having never left the spirituality and
charism, both Debby and Robin later
became CSJ associates. Debby wrote
in her associate application form of her
desire to be more connected with the
CSJ community, and to remain closer
to the heart of the Community of St.
Joseph.
She also shared that she realized a
strengthened relationship with God as
a result of a serious medical condition,
and she had a greater appreciation for
those who suffer and for the sufferings
Christ underwent for us all. Debby
was one of the founding members for
the Fairhope Associate Community.
Debby spoke with her family often
about how much Fairhope and the
surrounding communities in Baldwin
County had become a true home
for her. With her interest in serving
others, Debby found her niche as the
membership director at the South
Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, her
most favorite job.
Debby also found much joy in her

parish, St. Margaret of Scotland in
Foley, Alabama. At Debbys funeral, her
sister Marcia spoke of how much she
was spiritually fed at St. Margarets
with the wide variety of ministries that
were available. Debby sang in the choir
and lead the rosary. She also loved the
beautiful windows at St. Margaret.
Debby is remembered for her
dedication to serving others her whole
life and her faithfulness to God. She
was also a big fan of the University of
Alabamas football team, the Crimson
Tide.
Marcia explained in the eulogy that
Debby had a habit of saying Are you
sitting down? before sharing good
news. With the familys relief that
Debbys suffering and pain was over,
Marcia closed the eulogy and tribute
to Debby and said, Are you sitting
down?
She then asked everyone to respond
with the good news that we all know:
Debby is in heaven. That was the
practice run. Marcia then asked
everyone to respond again, for real:
Are you sitting down? Debby is in
heaven!
Roll Tide.
Amen.
Kay Komotos, CSJA
Page 21
CSJ EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
SOURCE & SUMMIT
by Associate Mary Kay Christian,

province liturgist
This spring was busy in the chapel with the
Earth Mama concert and the sisters retreats
as well as the 60th Jubilee Mass. The summer
brought another Catch the Fire concert and
the Province Assembly.
We entered the season of fall with a
wonderful concert by Sara Thomsen and a
one-woman play about the life of Dorothy
Day at the end of September. In October
we will once again celebrate Founders Day
with Mass. Finally, in November our annual
All Souls Day Mass and the Associates
Thanksgiving Celebration will bring us to the
close of Ordinary Time and into the season
of Advent.
LITURGY CALENDAR
October
7
Midday Prayer 11:45 a.m.
14
15
Founders Day Mass 5:00 p.m.
21
28
November
2
All Souls Mass 11:00 a.m.
4
11
18
22
Associate Thanksgiving Mass 10 a.m.
24
Page 22
EARTH MAMA (top)

Joyce Johnson Rouse spread her
joy of the earth through song in the
Holy Family Chapel on April 17.
SARA THOMSEN (middle)
Singer-songrwriter Sara Thomsen
was blessed by the audience
members during her concert that
celebrated the Year of Consecrated
Life.
HAUNTED BY GOD (left)
Lisa Wagner-Carollo gave a
resounding performance and truly
brought Dorothy Day to life in her
one-woman show Haunted by God:
The Life of Dorothy Day on Sept. 27.
SAVE THE DATES

Founders
Day
Celebration
ST. LOUIS
Thursday Oct. 15
5:00 p.m.
Holy Family Chapel
Join us for liturgy and
dinner. RSVP by Monday,
Oct. 1 to 314-481-8800 or
motherhousersvp@csjsl.org.
Pictured:
Mother Celestine Pommerel
Stoking the Fire of Resilience

with Cathy Modde, CSJA
Saturday, Oct. 17
9-11 a.m.
Carondelet Motherhouse
Explore spiritual sources of resilience
and ways to fan the flames of the
resilience within (even if it feels like
just a little spark) to stay strong and
bounce back in hard times.
Cost: $16
Register by Oct. 12 to
314-678-0307 or mrenkens@csjsl.org.
KANSAS CITY
Doing Ordinary Things with
Extraordinary Love
with Sisters Becky Holley &
Mary Jo Logan
ALL SOULS
EUCHARISTIC
CELEBRATION
Monday, Nov. 2 at 11 a.m.

Holy Family Chapel
In celebration of All Souls, the Sisters
of St. Joseph of Carondelet will
remember your deceased loved ones.
If you would like to join us for
Eucharist and refreshments,
RSVP on or before Nov. 2 to
314-678-0326 or qkelley@csjsl.org.
MISSOURI CHORAL
SOCIETY IN CONCERT
Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m.

Holy Family Chapel
Back by popular demand, the Missouri
Choral Society, a community chorus
from St. Charles will perform a
variety of selections celebrating the
Christmas season.
Admission is free.
To learn more about the MCS, visit
missourichoralsociety.com.
Saturday, Oct. 24
9-11 a.m.
Avila University,
Whitfield Center
Sisters Becky and Mary Jo celebrate
Jean Vanier, founder of LArche
international communities through
stories, songs and the message of
LArche, challenging the world one
heart at a time.
Cost: $16
Registration: Visit csjsl.org/events to
register online and learn more about
the event.
LEARN MORE AND VIEW OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS AT CSJSL.ORG.

Page 23
LEADERSHIP CALENDAR
October
2-3
Fontbonne Alum Weekend (RS)
5-7
Heartland Federation Mtg., St. Paul (MF, ML,

RS, LS)
8
LCWR Breakfast (ML, RS, LS)

Wine & Chocolate Event (ML, LS, RS)
10
Sectional Mtg. (RS)
10
Associate Leadership Board (LS)
12
Development Advisory Council (ML)
15
Executive Committee, SJID (MF)
15
Founders Day Mass & Dinner (RS, LS)
16
Mission Integration Committee, Fontbonne (MML)
17
Linger Over Breakfast (LS)
17
Fontbonne Board Mtg. (MML)
17
Sponsorship Task Force Mtg. (MML, RS)
19-20 Carol Zinn, SSJ (MML)
19
Elder Care Study Group (ML, MML)
22-23 Council/Corporation Mtgs. (All)
31
Mass for Consecrated Life, Archdiocese of St. Louis

(ML, MML, RS, LS)
November
2
PCRI Mtg. (MML)
2
All Souls Mass (RS, LS)
3-5

3-8
6
7
9
9
12
12
14
14
16-17
18
19
23
26-27
LCWR Region X Mtg., Carondelet

(MF, MML, RS)
Federation Leadership Assembly, Albany (ML, LS)
Cardinal Ritter Senior Services Benefit (MML, RS)
Sponsorship, Phase II (MML, RS)
Agenda Committee Mtg. (MF, ML)
SJA Board Mtg. (RS)
LCWR Breakfast (MML, RS, LS)
Executive Committee, SJID (MF)
Government Committee Mtg. (LS)
Avila University Celebration (RS)
Council/Corporation Mtgs. (All)
Investment Managers Mtgs. (All)
SJID Board Mtg. (MF)
Elder Care Study Group (ML, MML)
Thanksgiving Break, Office Closed (All)
December
1
Dept Head Mtg. (All)
6-26 Gulu (ML)
8
Nazareth Christmas Party (MF, MML, RS, LS)
10
LCWR Breakfast (MML, RS, LS)
10-11 Avila Board Mtg. (RS)
14-15 Council/Corporation Mtgs. (MF, MML, RS, LS)
SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CARONDELET 2015
THURSDAY, OCT. 8 . 6:00-8:00 P.M.

CARONDELET MOTHERHOUSE
$30 per person
For more information and to register/pay online, visit csjsl.org.
NEXT ISSUE: November/December PNN & Directory Changes
Submission Deadline: Nov. 10 Publication Date: Dec. 1
For a complete PNN schedule, visit Members Only at www.csjsl.org.
Page 24

September/October 2015 PNN

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

September/October 2015 PNN

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

News Notes

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Province News Notes is a

Sister Mary Flick reflects

Learn more about our

Sharing of the Heart...................................................................................... 14-15

Necrology: S. Agnes Marie Baer.......................................................................19

Susan Narrow &

Necrology: S. Helen Rottier................................................................................18

ON THE COVER: LOVE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOR