On June 27, more than 170 Ursuline Associates and Sisters gathered at Mount Saint Joseph to close the 25th anniversary year of the Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline Associates. With

this closure, the associates and sisters embarked on an exciting new adventure: celebrating the future. Together we prayed and reflected on the ingredients needed to celebrate the future in its fullness.

We began with prayer focused on the melding of three communities

– the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Belleville, Ill., and Paola, Kan. – into one community. Our prayer was a celebration of our strengths, gifts, and commonalties, and an expression of our gratitude as we move into the future. Soils from the various associate communities, our own “lands of Angela,” were brought forward and mingled as a sign of our unity. Members of the three communities turned and watered the soil, and planted three sprigs of a vine from the birthplace of the Ursulines – Brescia, Italy. How do we celebrate the future as Ursuline Associates and Sisters? Mary-Cabrini Durkin, our featured speaker and author of “Angela Merici’s Journey of the Heart,” addressed that question by pointing out that we’re living Angela’s future. In the 16th century, Angela’s life and words encouraged all types of people to embrace their future. In the same way, Angela invites us, her daughters and sons, to celebrate our future. If we look to Angela’s relationships with God and others, we will discover in Angela a model for our own future: ever-deepening relationship with God, with one another, and service to our world. To help us know Angela better, Mary-Cabrini addressed four areas: Angela as a Throne for God, Glowing with God; Angela as a Cultivator of Relationships; Jesus and Angela: Love Flowing Outward; and Celebrating the Future. Mary-Cabrini’s presentation focused on the ingredients needed to nourish life both within our Ursuline circles and in the world beyond ourselves. Mary-Cabrini quoted Gabriele Cozzano’s description of Angela as “a throne for God,” a blazing furnace

of God’s love. Her whole purpose for being was to embody God and manifest God to the world. In her presence people were compelled to say, “God is here.” To celebrate a future, we must seek the grace to live as a throne for God, to manifest the One who must be first in our hearts and our lives. We must tend the fire of our own intimacy with God, and not be shy about letting that light shine. Mary-Cabrini noted that Angela was a farmer; working in her vineyard, she learned to hope in a life-giving future. She cultivated relationships with people from all walks of life. The future will not exist unless we invest ourselves for it and one another. To celebrate the future, Mary-Cabrini encouraged us to be farmers, to cultivate as Angela did, and to treasure and celebrate the goodness within ourselves and others. Mary-Cabrini reminded us that we are called to serve, to put God first and pour out

VOL. XV, NO. 1AUGUST 2009

By A. Karen Siciliano, OSUA

Associates & Sisters Day 2009: Celebrating the Future!

Continued on page 2

‘We will discover in Angela a model for our own future: ever-deepening relationship with God, with one another, and service to our world.’

Left: Associates Paul Gray and Barbara Goldsmith of Memphis talk during Associates and Sisters Day June 27. ABove: Mary Ann Schilling, of Hancock County, Ky., pins a Mount Saint Joseph Associate pin on Harriet Jack, of Paola, Kan.

Page 2 Associate Update August 2009

ASSOCIATE UPdATE is published four times a year for the Associates

of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356-9999

Phone: 270-229-2006 • Fax: 270-229-4953Web site: www.ursulinesmsj.org

E-mail: associates@maplemount.orgDirector of Mission ADvAnceMent/coMMunicAtions: dan HeckelDirector of ursuline PArtnershiPs: Mrs. Marian Bennett, OSUA

Director of sPirituAl forMAtion for ursuline PArtnershiPs: Sister Marietta Wethington, OSU

Director of DeveloPMent: debra Noble coMMunicAtions/GrAPhic DesiGn: Jennifer Kaminski

ADMinistrAtive sPeciAlist/Web site: Tiffany Orth ASSOCIATE MISSION STATEMENT

We, the associates of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus through the

actions of our everyday lives. We commit ourselves to living the charism of Saint Angela Merici in union with and in support of the Ursuline community of Mount Saint Joseph.

continued from frontCELEBRATEour lives for others. We must serve with respect and lead by example. To celebrate a future, like Angela, we must ground ourselves in the Gospels and seek there the inspiration for our service in the world. To celebrate our future, Mary-Cabrini encouraged us to hope, pray, share, and serve as Angela did. Angela invites us to cultivate the vine she planted nearly 500 years ago in Brescia. Let us, associates and sisters, continue to “turn the soil” in hope and confidence. n

Letter from the director...

ASSOCIATE AdVISORY BOARdMarian Bennett, OSUA, Ursuline Partnerships director

Sister Maureen Griner, OSUMartha Little, OSUA

Sister Nancy Murphy, OSUCarol O’Keefe, OSUASuzanne Reiss, OSUAMike Sullivan, OSUA

Sister Marietta Wethington, OSU, Spiritual FormationMichael Ziegler, OSUA

Mary-Cabrini Durkin, author of “Angela Merici’s Journey of the Heart,” was the keynote speaker at Maple Mount June 27.

Bishop emeritus John McRaith, left, an associate, speaks with associate tom Payne.RIGHt: Stephanie Render, a new Grayson County associate, looks at spiritual books being given away on Associates Day.

dear Associates and Friends,The celebration of our 25th year is past.Associates and Sisters day 2009 has come and gone. Now we face the future together. On Associates and Sisters day, Mary-Cabrini durkin said, “We are living Angela’s future.” That future is our world today. A theme for the year 2009-2010 is CHARISM. What is charism? What is Angela’s charism? How do we live it? How do we embrace it? Where do we begin? Our desire as associates is to grow each year, to explore the call of our baptism to holiness. The Partnerships staff is designing a 12-month program of study and action. All of you will have the opportunity to study newly developed formation materials. In addition, a resource library of supplementary enrichment programs will be available upon request. Another theme this year is LEAdERSHIP. We think it’s appropriate to share the responsibilities of leadership, so we’re looking for leaders of regional groups to serve a two-year term, with a chance to be chosen again for an additional two years. In pursuit of this goal, we will provide opportunities to develop leadership skills and to enhance formation and spiritual growth through leadership training. Enriched and emboldened by Angela’s guiding spirit and firm conviction, we are poised at another beginning. As we end the past, and begin the future, let us pray to Saint Angela to guide us forward to celebrate our future together.

Mrs. Marian Bennett, OSUA, director of Ursuline Partnerships

The board supports the director of Ursuline Partnershipsin planning and executing associate goals and activities.

August 2009 Associate Update Page 3

Seven Ursuline Associates made their lifetime commitments on June 27 at Maple Mount. first row, from left, Michael Ziegler, Martha Little, Chris Denniston; back row, Sue Scott, Ruth Bittel-Nunez, John Little, and Bonnie Adams.

Associates from Paola, Kan., made lifetime commitments as Associates of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph June 27. first row, from left, Janice Lawless, Lu Sheehan, Doris Rommelfanger; back row, Joyce York, Carol o’Keefe, eileen Locke, Roxanne Bollin, and Harriet Jack.

Lifetime Commitments

RIGHt: John Wood, an associate from Ballard County, Ky., pours soil from his community into the bowl. BeLoW RIGHt: Marcy Bufalini, of Silver Spring, Md., brings soil for associates from across the country who are not part of groups.BottoM: Carol o’Keefe, a Paola, Kan., associate, cultivates the mixtures of soils. Afterward, Sister Marie William Blyth of Paola, Marian Bennett, director of Ursuline Partnerships at Mount Saint Joseph, and Sister Catherine Kaufman, a former Ursuline of Belleville, Ill., planted a vine that came from Brescia, Italy, into the newly mixed soil, melding the three communities and their associates.

BLeNDING of SoIL:Gail Davenport (left) brings soil from Muhlenberg County, Ky., while Gary Mesnier (right) brings soil from St. Louis during a ceremony on Associates Day June 27.

Find more Associates and Sisters day photos online... www.ursulinesmsj.org

FOUNd on Associates and Sisters day - June 27, 2009An olive-green sweater. To claim, call 270-229-2006

Page 4 Associate Update / August 2009 Page 5

Right: owensboro, Ky., Associates had a prayer service for female inmates at the Daviess County Detention Center on May 28. Below: Muhlenberg County, Ky., Associates had a fundraiser for the Pathway of Hope pregnancy center.

Welcome, New Associates!

Associates Day of Caring As a final tribute to the 25th anniversary year of the Ursuline Associates, associate groups participated in a Day of Caring, or otherwise continued their current outreach ministry. At each meeting of the Western Kentucky Associates, members bring food items or money for area food pantries. The first recipient was the St. Mary LaCenter Community Food Pantry in Ballard County. Sister Teresa Riley and Elaine and John Wood presented six cases of vegetables and cereal, and $50, to food pantry director Shirley Marshall. Muhlenberg County (Ky.) Associates minister in the community through St. Vincent DePaul, Pathway of Hope pregnancy resource center, and a food pantry. They also helped many people without power in the January ice storm. A baby shower was held May 20 to raise donations for Pathway of Hope. In Grayson County, Ky., associates routinely make inspirational cards for patients in hospitals and nursing homes, and attend monthly Mass at Spring View Health and Rehab Center, Leitchfield. Louisville Associates raised donations for the Sister Visitor Center, which offers food, clothing, and help with utilities to poor families in Louisville’s northwest neighborhoods. Five Ursulines work at Sister Visitor. Owensboro Associate Bonnie Marks, a teacher who traveled to an impoverished area of Jamaica with Ursuline Sisters in 2008, helped her school support an 11-year-old Jamaican girl with their Advent and Lenten collections. Owensboro Associates had a prayer service for female inmates at the Daviess County Detention Center on May 28. Associates in Memphis, Tenn., hosted a reunion picnic June 20th with families who have lived in the Dorothy Day House. The Dorothy Day House provides a place to live for families who are homeless.

Those making their first commitments on June 27: first row, Bob and Sally Greene; second row, valentino Simpao and Pam Brickler; third row, Martha House, Lisa Day, and Stephanie Render; back row, Dan Heckel and Alice Powell.

Welcome to our New Associates...PATRICIA A. BRICKLER is a teacher at St. Rose of Lima School in deSoto, Mo., and lives in French Village, Mo., with david, her husband of 40 years. They are members of St. Joseph and St. Anne Parish and have two sons and five grandchildren. She teaches 6th, 7th and 8th grade social studies and language arts, as well as 8th grade religion, including preparation for Confirmation. Pam brings energy and generosity of spirit to the Ursuline Associates. It’s been said, Pam “has a natural way of carrying her faith with her wherever she goes.” Her contact person is Sister Michele Intravia.

Grayson County, Ky., Associates attend monthly Mass at Spring View nursing home, Leitchfield.

A Day of Caring PowerPoint is online:http://www.ursulinesmsj.org/_documents/AssociateDay2009.ppt

Page 4 Associate Update / August 2009 Page 5

LISA C. dAY is a retired registered nurse and health sciences teacher. She and her husband, Mike, are members of St. Joseph Church in Central City, Ky., and make their home in Belton, Ky., with their two daughters. Lisa volunteers at the Mount Saint Joseph Picnic, the Muhlenberg Community Library, and is treasurer for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. described as a woman whose “beauty starts from her soul,” Lisa helped to raise her three sisters after their mother’s death and is especially close to Sisters Luisa Bickett and Pauletta McCarty. Sisters Rose Karen and Rose Theresa Johnson are Lisa’s contact persons.

ROBERT W. and SALLY B. GREENE, of Memphis, are members of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Both are lectors and choir members. Bob is also a cantor, and he has extensive experience in the area of lay ministry and has served as instructor for the diocese of Memphis’ Institute for Liturgy and Spirituality and Level II Lector Training. Sally is active with RCIA and is committed to community service and known for her work in “the cause of peace.” Sally is a health practice administrator, while Bob is a rehabilitation physician. The Greenes are deeply involved with the dorothy day House of Hospitality. Sisters Maureen Griner and Margaret Ann Zinselmeyer serve as the couple’s contact persons.

dANIEL A. HECKEL is a native of Louisville and graduated from deSales High School. He and his wife, Sherri, and their son, Max, are members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Owensboro. dan is director of Mission Advancement and Communications at Mount Saint Joseph. described as a “prayerful man of God,” dan serves on the Owensboro Catholic Schools Education Council, and is a lector for both his parish and Mount Saint Joseph. Sister Barbara Jean Head serves as dan’s contact person.

MARTHA K. HOUSE is a registered nurse and member of St. Stephen Cathedral Parish, Owensboro. She regularly attends Sister Cheryl Clemons’ annual retreat at Mount Saint Joseph and is eager to be involved in the Owensboro associate group. It is said of Martha, she is a “steady witness of a loving God…every day.” She volunteers at the St. Benedict Homeless Shelter, the Free Clinic of Owensboro, and with the parish social justice committee and has participated in mission trips to the diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica. Martha’s contact person is Sister Suzanne Sims.

ALICE M. POWELL is a member of St. Joseph Church in Central City and is a retired LPN and pro-life center director. A native of Winter Haven, Fla., Alice lives in Greenville, Ky., near her son. She and her late husband, Gene, were married for 58 years and had 10 children. She was recommended as a person with a “deeply humanitarian nature constantly guided and supported by her love of God.” Her contact persons are Sisters Rose Karen and Rose Theresa Johnson.

STEPHANIE L. RENdER and her husband, Gary, live in Caneyville, Ky., and have two children and six grandchildren. Stephanie became a Catholic in 2006 and is

a member of the St. Joseph Church, Leitchfield, outreach and social concerns committee, as well as a Eucharistic minister, lector and member of the altar society. She works for a property management company in Leitchfield and is known for her thoughtfulness and kindness to others. Sister Clarence

Marie Luckett is her contact person.

VALENTINO S. SIMPAO retired in 2008 after practicing medicine for 50 years. A native of the Philippines, Valentino emigrated to the United States on July 4, 1958, and began his Muhlenberg County medical practice in 1971. described as “a man of many virtues” and a “powerhouse for prayer,” he raised his five children in the Catholic faith and is now enjoying his retirement and the opportunities for study, travel, golf, and spending more time with his family. Sisters Rose Karen and Rose Theresa Johnson are his contact persons.

Welcome, New Associates!

Page 6 Associate Update August 2009

Happy Birthday To These Ursuline Associates!

Lifetime Commitment Anniversaries for all Ursuline Associates can

now be found on our Web site...www.ursulinesmsj.org

Click Associates, then Lifetime Commitments.Save our site as one of your “favorites!”

October Birthdays 1 Janet Kuper Patty Wernel 2 Albert Hayden 3 Jean Gutierrez 5 Jane denton 6 Patricia Jamett 8 Margaret Trujillo Chavez Tom Payne 9 Lena dees 11 Catherine Gawarecki Kriste Pickert 12 Therese Allen

Margaret Brasuel Carol O’Keefe Pat Wilson 13 Mary Ann Schilling14 Alice Albus Margie Hill Pete Pfeiffer15 Marie Hauser Betty Stone 16 Robert Greene, Jr.17 Catherine Bockhold18 Anna Conn Shirley Hagman19 Jean Yackle21 Mariita Rodriguez22 Ada Bader Margaret Gallegos23 Lee Jerome24 Alice Blazina Victoria Cecil

Linda Lattus25 Evelyn Kehder26 JoAnne Horstmann29 Benjamin Head

Rita Summers31 Audrey durbin Mary Lyne

Jean Steffen

September Birthdays 2 Judy Embry 3 Ann Wilson 5 Sue Hudon 6 Fr. Joe Mills 8 Betty Christian 9 Gene Tritsch 10 Gail Funk Anna Mae Kaiser 11 Peggy Clark

Brenda Semar 13 Mary Ann Childs 14 Joanne Mason donna Szurgot 15 Judy Gray 18 Jennie Barthol Meg Synk

Jody Ziegler 19 Nellie Coffman 20 Serafina Mesnier21 Priscilla Archunde Clarice McKenna Francis Steffen23 Barbara Hasenstab Nancy Richards

Cathey Seaton24 Betty dansdill Rosann Whiting25 Gerry Hasenstab Eileen Locke 27 Sheila Blandford Joan Minks Sharon Speaks 28 Fr. Freddie Byrd Charlotte Paez Janet Rockers 30 Maxine Beavin Mary Billingsly Eddie Prunty

November Birthdays1 Ed Cecil Mel Howard Louise Leasor 2 dolores Polson 3 Claire Buckley Bobby Smyth 4 Will Payne 5 Fr. Phil Riney 6 Odelean Hill 7 Joan deBauge Al Massoth 8 Raqúel Sepúlveda 9 Lorna Horishny10 Kathy Kiper13 Valentino Simpao Mary Ann Stewart Marilyn Terry15 Carol Alvey16 Lois Clark17 Al Coleman Bob darst18 Annette Stokes20 Arturo Mejia Gary Riney Luetta Sheehan23 dorothy Coatney24 donald Adams28 Annette Chavez Sr. Jeannette Touchet, SEC30 Shirley Palmer

39th Annual Mount Saint Joseph Barbecue PICNIC

To volunteer or to order raffle tickets, contact Tiffany 270-229-4103 ext. 278 License #0290

Sunday, Sept. 13 Serving BBQ Chicken - Mutton - Pork 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Booths - Silent Auction - Crafts - GamesGrand Raffle Prizes include $3,000 (Tickets are $2)

Picnic proceeds benefit the retired Ursuline Sisters.

MARY ROSE SHOEMAKER of Owensboro, 87, died May 20. A teacher and medical librarian, Mary Rose graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy (‘41), Brescia College (‘54) and St. Louis University (‘64). She was a member of St. Stephen Cathedral Parish and was an active volunteer and Eucharistic minister for many years. In her later years, Mary Rose lived at the Carmel Home in Owensboro, and attended daily Mass and many holy hours each week. She enjoyed volunteering at the Brescia Phonathon and the Mount Saint Joseph Picnic. A dedicated letter-writer, Mary Rose read both Brescia and Mount Saint Joseph publications immediately upon arrival and never failed to call with her encouraging words, “The best one yet!” Mary Rose made her lifetime commitment in 1998 with Sister Margaret Ann Aull as her contact sister. She donated her body to St. Louis University Medical School, where she was a volunteer.

SISTER THERESA MARGARET HITE, 94, died May 4 at Mount Saint Joseph, in her 74th year of religious life. A native of Owensboro, Ky., Sister Theresa Margaret had a great love for small children, and was a very prayerful person, with a devotion to the apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje. She was very artistic, making beautiful thank you scrolls for the sisters. She

ministered at several convents, and was an educator for 47 years, teaching in the Archdiocese of Louisville, the diocese of Owensboro, Nebraska, and Missouri. She retired to Mount Saint Joseph in 1994. Survivors include nieces and nephews, and the members of her religious community. The funeral Mass was May 7 at Mount Saint Joseph, with burial in the Motherhouse cemetery. Gifts in memory of Sister Theresa Margaret Hite may take the form of donations to the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356.

In Loving Memory...August 2009 Associate Update Page 7

• Annette Thomas Chavez, whose sister, Suzy Thomas Logsdon, died May 25• Jane denton, whose sister, Joeann Tillerson, died April 25• Sid Mason, whose brother, Tom Hewitt, died July 1• Nancy Mills, whose aunt, Mary Maudwena Holland, died April 29• Marcia Stoller, whose brother-in-law, Eugene Yoder, died April 20• Fr. Tony Shonis, whose father, Anthony Shonis Sr., died July 2• Marilyn J. Trechter, whose aunt, Louise Trechter Burns, died May 28

We extend deepest sympathy to:

IRVIN HANCOCK of Waverly, Ky., 91, died May 10. He was a lifelong member of St. Peter Catholic Church, active in the annual parish picnic and the Knights of Columbus. He was an avid cattleman, horseman, and baseball fan. Irvin’s mother, brothers and sisters were taught by Ursulines, and he once wrote, “The Ursuline Sisters have been the most influential factor of my life.” He made his lifetime associate commitment in October 1990. His wife of 59 years, Mary Frances, preceded him in death in 2000. His survivors include five children, 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, as well as eight brothers and sisters, including Sisters Jane Irvin and Jane Miriam Hancock - his contact sister.

MILdREd MCdOWELL, 64, died July 4. A member of St. Joseph Church, Leitchfield and lifelong resident of Grayson County, Mildred is survived by her son, Jeffrey, four grandchildren, a sister, and two brothers. Mildred was known as “a warm, loving person, generous with her time and energy,” and had been called by many “a woman of prayer.” She made her lifetime commitment in July 2006

with Sister Ruth Mattingly, her contact sister.

SISTER THERESA MURPHY, SCN, 82, died June 12. She grew up just a mile from the Mount and was taught by Ursulines at St. Alphonsus School and Mount Saint Joseph Academy (A’46) and Junior College. She entered the Sisters of Charity at Nazareth, Ky., in 1947 and ministered as teacher and principal for 62 years in Kentucky, Ohio, and Maryland. She made her lifetime commitment in March, 1988, with Sister Fran Wilhelm, her contact sister. She is survived by a brother, Murray Murphy, of Owensboro.

Sister Theresa Margaret Hite

Sister Theresa Murphy, SCN

Saint Angela Merici

’Live in harmony, united in one heart and one will.

- 9th Counsel

Irvin Hancock

Mildred McDowell

Mary Rose Shoemaker

Stay up-to-date on Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline news with The Pilgrimage, our monthly

e-newsletter! If you would like to receive The Pilgrimage, send your name and e-mail address to

info@maplemount.org

Save the Date!

To purchase your Quilt Club membership for only $20, Call 270-229-4103, ext. 278

New Quilt Club drawings begin Oct. 2, 2009. Order tickets now to get 12 chances to win!

2009-10 Quilt Club Memberships Available!

The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are busy making beautiful quilts. A new quilt is raffled

each month. You get 12 chances to win a quilt with our “Quilt Club” annual memberships.

License No. 0290

Sister Eva Boone

Mary Teder, OSUA

Are you a quilter? We could use volunteers who want to quilt or make

other crafts to sell!

SPECIAL EVENTS• Owensboro Associates Jail Ministry, Sat., Aug. 22 & Nov. 21, 9 a.m., daviess County detention Center• Paola Summer Luncheon & Social, Aug. 30, 11 a.m., Queen of the Holy Rosary – Wea• Mount Saint Joseph Picnic for the Retired Sisters, Sept. 13, serving begins 11:30 a.m.• Associate Advisory Board, Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m., MSJ• Associate Fall Gathering, Paola, Oct. 11• Associate Fall Commitment Mass, Nov. 4, 4:30 p.m.• Alumnae Memorial Mass, Nov. 7, 10:30 a.m.

ASSOCIATE MEETINGS• Hancock: Thursdays: Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12• Muhlenberg: Wednesdays: Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18• Grayson: Wednesdays: Sept. 23, Oct. 28, Nov. 24• Owensboro: Mondays: Aug. 17, Nov. 16• Louisville: Saturdays: Aug. 17, Nov. 21• Memphis: ??? hold space• Paola (Wea): Mondays: Aug. 17, Sept. 21, Oct. 19• Paola (south): Wednesdays: Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21• Western Kentucky: Fridays: Oct. 9, Nov. 6

Note: to include your event on the associate calendar, e-mail associates@maplemount.org