Spring/Summer 2014 • A Publication of the Sisters of Charity, BVM
The
Words
Among Us
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Spring/Summer Two Thousand Fourteen
Volume 42, Number 3
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The Words Among Us
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Seasoning
by BVMs Teri Hadro,
Mira Mosle and Kate Hendel
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SALT is published three times per year for
friends and family of the Sisters of Charity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
BVM Foundress Inducted
into Hall of Fame
by Jody Iler
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Words: A Spiritual Gift
by Sara McAlpin, BVM
Editor/Design: Angie Connolly
[email protected]
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The Spoken Word
by Patricia Nolan, BVM
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Living Words Embody
History of BVMs
by Kathryn Lawlor, BVM
Mission Statement: We are the Sisters of Charity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a community of
Catholic women called to live the mission of
Jesus through our core values of Freedom,
Education, Charity and Justice.
S
Managing Editor: Jody Iler
Communication Advisory Committee:
Associate Dan Abben; Luann Brown, BVM; Lois
Dolphin, BVM; Bette Gambonini, BVM; Harriet
Holles, BVM; Mira Mosle, BVM; Mary Nolan, BVM
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The Digital Age of
Technology and Education
by Mary Clare Sweeney, BVM
and Jody Iler
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Social Media: A New
Wineskin for the Modern Age
by Associate Dan Abben
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Tweeting Our Way to Justice
by Mary Ellen Madden, BVM
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Facebook Connects BVMs
with High School Students
by Jody Iler
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Websites Visited by
BVMs and Associates
by Elizabeth Avalos, BVM
Subscriptions: $7.50 per year, write: SALT,
1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 52003-7991,
ph. 563.588.2351, or email: communications@
bvmcong.org.
2014 Calendar of Events
July
13 Golden Jubilee Celebration,
Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa
19 BVM and Former BVM Celebration,
Best Western Midway, Dubuque, Iowa
August
9 Our Lady of Peace (OLP) Reunion,
St. Paul, Minn.
21 Summertime Social, Mount Carmel,
Dubuque, Iowa
September
7 Diamond Jubilee Celebration,
Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa
October
11 Clarke University Trolley Tour to
Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa
19 Mass for Benefactors, Chicago
November
2 Mass for Benefactors, Mount Carmel,
Dubuque, Iowa
December
16 Mary Frances Clarke Birthday Party,
Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa
March/April 2015
Ecuador Immersion Experience
For more information, visit:
www.bvmcong.org/whatsnew_calendar.cfm
Check us out online:
www.bvmcong.org
www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
www.youtube.com/bvmsisters
twitter/bvmsisters
www.pinterest.com/bvmsisters
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Test Your Brain with
These Brain Teasers
by Bette Gambonini, BVM
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SALT Briefs
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In Loving Memory
On the cover: This issue of Salt unfolds with a tribute to BVM
Foundress Mary Frances Clarke, whose many written letters helped
her to carry on the business of the BVM congregation and encourage her sisters in ministry. As you turn the pages of this magazine,
you’ll experience the evolution of the many ways in which words
are used to continue to shape BVM mission.
SEASONing
“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated
deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like
spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce
your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work
their magic.” —Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
BVM leadership team members are (l. to r.)
Mira Mosle, Teri Hadro and Kate Hendel.
The 2014 Spring/Summer issue of Salt
celebrates “Words”—those elements of
speech and writing that appear throughout our waking moments each and every
day. They arrive and depart orally as sound
bites, comments, jokes and shared reflections or printed in newspapers, magazines,
spiritual reading, novels and journals.
More recently our computers, iPads, and
cell phones add to the barrage of words we
receive and share each day. Regardless of
the source, words do “work their magic”
in each of us.
This journey into the world of words
begins with Sara McAlpin’s reflection on
the powerful capacity of words to shape
who we are and how we express that reality to others whether in daily discourse or
in prayerful reflection and conversation
with our God who spoke the first Word.
The articles that follow probe how we use
words in daily life.
When Pat Nolan, BVM asked BVMs
“How do you use the spoken word in your
ministry?” they supported the notion that
words are shaped by the settings in which
we find ourselves and “sensitivity” is the
name of the game. Whether dealing with
employees or students, balancing effective
communication with consideration for the
person who receives one’s words is vital.
Moreover, when ministering with or to
persons from different ethnic and religious
cultures, words can either elicit and create
common understanding or cause deeper
divisions between and among the potential partners.
Our authors would be remiss if they
did not highlight the written word as it
appears in BVM publications. Katherine
Lawlor, BVM chronicles BVM books
by describing the “living words” of our
predecessors that enable BVMs, associates
and friends to connect with Mary Frances
Clarke, those who journeyed with her,
and those who have carried her charism
into the present. Similarly, BVM authors
have provided us with new understandings about Mary, who gave birth to the
Word among us. The newest publications
by our BVM authors are also highlighted.
Lest we forget, our days, hours and
yes, minutes are occupied with written
and spoken words transmitted via electronic media. Should we be surprised that
the most common computer program for
committing one’s ideas in writing is called
WORD?
When it comes to technology it appears
that little surprises our authors who provide the “latest word” on the many contributions that electronic media makes to all
willing to embrace it. They note that this
new “world of words” has invaded classrooms, offices and living rooms around the
globe. Some educators engage their students face-to-face using technology to support learning while others teach students
at a distance through online coursework.
Traditional classroom discussions are aug-
mented and sometimes replaced by chat
rooms and blogs in which students participate in a lively exchange. Also included
here are websites which provide podcasts,
or short instructional presentations on a
wide variety of topics.
More recently, words dominate the
airwaves via social media that provides
a new way to exchange ideas and/or to
communicate efficiently with others.
YouTube, Facebook and Twitter enable
users to instantaneously connect—sharing
words that are frequently accompanied by
a photo or clip art—with anyone around
the world while sitting in their living
room. Many are finding Twitter to be
an especially effective way to spread the
word. These quick, concise communications can be used to sign petitions, notifying constituents of upcoming legislation
and other social justice alerts.
Finally, don’t miss the websites that are
recommended in this issue that focus on
spirituality, current issues, social justice
and topical presentations—as well as a few
word games and brain teasers for good
measure! The poet, Emily Dickinson,
observed in her poem, “A Word is Dead”:
A word is dead when it is said, some say.
I say it just begins to live that day.
As you read this issue of Salt may the
words come alive as they inspire, inform,
encourage and work their magic in you!
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BVM Foundress Inducted into Hall of Fame
by Jody Iler
Mary Frances Clarke, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of nine inductees chosen from over
400 nominees worldwide for the 2014 Class of the Irish American Hall of Fame (IAHOF). Honored in the Education category,
Mary Frances Clarke was nominated by BVM Mary Alma Sullivan
(Robert Emmett).
An Awards Gala was held April 12,
2014, at the Irish American Heritage
Center in Chicago, which sponsors the
IAHOF. BVM President Teri Hadro (l.),
who accepted the award on behalf of the
congregation, says, “Mary Frances Clarke
was a humble, middle class Irish émigré
who likely never aspired to a Hall of
Fame of any kind. But she knew in her
bones that education was the ticket to
the surviving and thriving of immigrants in 19th century America.”
Born in Dublin in 1802, Mary Frances Clarke, as a young
adult, directed a Dublin school, Miss Clarke’s Seminary, and
assisted those stricken during the cholera epidemic. She and four
other like-minded women forged bonds of friendship and service and embarked on a mission to educate Catholic immigrants
in the United States. The congregation of sisters she founded in
Philadelphia in 1833 went on to admit nearly 5,000 women, who
established and staffed more than 1,000 elementary and secondary
schools, as well as Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, and Mundelein College in Chicago.
Mary Frances Clarke promoted a progressive philosophy of
education that excluded no one regardless of ability to pay. She
believed in teaching students without seeming to teach, saying,
“We must wake up their minds by constantly calling into action
their powers of observation and reasoning and incite them to ascertain for themselves.”
With innovative leadership, Mary Frances Clarke embraced the
challenges of the American frontier. Her vision was fulfilled in the
ensuing years by the Sisters of Charity, BVM who have devoted
their lives and ministries to their core values of education, charity,
justice and freedom. Today BVMs have over 420 sisters and 180 lay
associates. They minister in 20 states and in Ecuador and Ghana.
A banner (r.) created to honor Mary Frances Clarke will be
displayed, along with others representing outstanding recipients, at
the Irish American Heritage Center. Founded in 1976, the mission
of the Center is to preserve Irish culture, heritage and tradition.
The Irish American Hall of Fame tells the story of the impact of the
Irish in America.
About the author: Jody Iler is communications specialist at Mount Carmel,
Dubuque, Iowa.
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You have the most laborious duty, but
the most profitable for time and eternity, you teach the poor of the Lord, do
thank God for that glorious privilege.
—Mary Frances Clarke
Letter, June 7, 1861
Words: A Spiritual Gift
by Sara McAlpin, BVM
Years ago, I heard
a speaker say:
“It is our capacity for
the word that makes
each of us human and
marks us off from the
mute world around us.
The more limited our
capacity for the word,
the more stunted and
powerless will be the
self that grows out of
the word. . . . There is
no competence more
liberating—more
critical to our fullness
as persons, and to our
effectiveness as responsible agents in helping
to determine what the
world will make of itself—than competence
for the word.”1
A couple of decades later, novelist Toni
Morrison struck a similar note in her 1993
Nobel Lecture: “Word-work is sublime . . .
because it is generative; it makes meaning
that secures our difference, our human difference—the way in which we are like no
other life.”2
Both speakers reinforce my own belief
that words are a sacred gift, to be cherished
and honored. They are also an enormous
responsibility, not only because they mark
us as human but because they can both
nourish growth and diminish it. The choice
is ours.
In either case, words are obviously powerful but they are also mysterious, slippery,
challenging, complicated—a reality that can
be illustrated in a title as seemingly straightforward as the above, “The Spirituality of
Words.” A quick question to 10 people
asking for a definition of “spirituality,” for
example, would no doubt receive 10 different answers, though each person would
assume understanding from the others.
Despite their slippery nature, however,
words are our major means of communicating as human beings, a means admittedly
not available to everyone. Some people, for
instance, are unable to speak words; others have never had the opportunity to learn
how to read words. For those who can do
both, word responsibility is heavy.
The responsibility becomes even
weightier in a culture in which we are daily
deluged with words, spoken and printed,
on paper and online. In this environment
we can forget how precious words are, how
powerful they are in labeling our reality.
Indeed, we can easily lose awareness of
how words determine whether our worlds
are generative or deadening, liberating or
stifling, inclusive or exclusive, peaceful or
combative, compassionate or indifferent.
Alertness to our capacity for the word,
on the other hand, challenges us to strive
to create life-giving worlds and to participate in shaping our own individual growth
into unique human beings, even though
we stumble repeatedly in the process. The
remarkable gift of words enables us to cocreate our full personhood, at the core of
which is our spirituality, our ineffable relationship with the God who loves us “more
than we can ask or imagine” (Ps. 103).
As we struggle toward this lofty, liberating goal, poet Anne Sexton offers us consoling accompaniment:
“Be careful of words,
Even the miraculous ones . . .
they can be both daisies and bruises.
I am in love with words . . .
Yet often they fail me.
I have so much I want to say . . .
But I try to take care
and be gentle to them.
Words and eggs must be handled with care.
Once broken they are impossible
things to repair.”3
1 Lloyd Averill, Printed Lecture, Clarke University,
1970s.
2 Nobel Lecture, Dec. 7, 1993, on the occasion of
receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature.
3 The Awful Rowing Toward God, 1975, p. 71
About the author: Sara McAlpin, BVM (Philip
Mary) lives in Dubuque, Iowa, and is part-time
archivist at Clarke University, Dubuque.
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Joyce Cox, BVM greets participants at a Centering Prayer Retreat at the Palisades Retreat Center in Seattle.
The Spoken Word
by Patricia Nolan, BVM
How do you use the spoken
word in your ministry?
In this age of instant communication, when one’s words are often vital
to life and sometimes to survival, it
might be an interesting experiment
to think about the ways in which we
use words in our everyday life. Upon
reflection, the words we choose, how
we speak them, and the variety of
situations that determine what we say
and how we say it seem significant.
Above photo: Cindy Sullivan, BVM works with
volunteers at the Working Boys’ Center.
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I asked four BVMs—Joyce Cox (Petrine),
Lou Anglin, Cindy Sullivan and Kathleen
(Kathy) Carr—this question and received
both expected and surprising responses.
All four, of course, give public presentations, which may include classes, retreats
and spiritual direction, various spirituality
and prayer/faith gatherings and homilies,
fund-raising appeals, and board meetings.
In addition, however, other examples of
their uses of the spoken word emerged.
Joyce, who ministers in the Archdiocese of Seattle, spends much of her time
working with ecumenical and multi-faith
groups, forging connections and building
relationships. “There are challenges,” she
says, “demanding interaction and response
[when] attempting to break down the
barriers of misunderstanding, opposing
values and beliefs.” In these situations
sometimes a story or a humorous anecdote becomes “the most important word.”
Lou, as initial membership coordinator, mentions the frequency of telephone
calls with women who are seeking information about the BVM community
and religious life in general. Kathy, who
partners with Lou as initial membership
coordinator, speaks of the frequency of
“personal meetings with individuals . . .
a candidate or prospective candidate, a
co-worker or an associate candidate.” For
both Lou and Kathy, oral communication
involved in teamwork is clearly a reality as
they communicate with each other, with
members of the Life and Mission team,
and with vocation directors in the area.
Cindy, administrator and counselor
at the Working Boys’ Center in our
BVM mission in Quito, Ecuador, writes
that her daily spoken word begins at
4:50 a.m. as she goes down to the Center’s bakery and turns on the ovens. “I
Lou Anglin, BVM shares the experiences of religious
life with students at the annual 6th Grade Vocation
Day at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa.
chat away with a cat that comes to talk
to me each morning . . . I tell her she
only wants warm milk and food . . . ”
By 5:30 a.m., Cindy is praying with
her co-workers, Mary Miguel Conway,
BVM, and John Halligan, SJ. She muses,
“Sometimes we use a lot of words and
sometimes only a few are necessary.”
In your ministries where the spoken
word is consistently necessary, I
wonder what challenges arise for
you as you move towards effective
communication?
Indeed, working with multicultural
groups often calls for both sensitivity and
humor. Joyce explains the need for “sign
language, eye signals, smiles and laughs”
when talking with a Korean sister who
speaks only Korean. She also tells of the
Muslims in her ecumenical and multifaith groups who “thirst for a word from
someone who believes the Five Pillars of
Islam are solid reflections of the love of
God, of Allah.” Joyce adds that a nonMuslim having read even one “sutra” or
selection from the Kor’an, “can send them
into immediate smiles and even a hand
shake!”
In her administrative work at the
Center in Quito, Cindy deals with students, staff and volunteers, often finding
it imperative to move from Spanish to
English over and over in the same session.
Schedules and tours and orientations all
involve details that only the spoken word
can reveal; arriving at total clarity takes
time and patience when using a second
language. When Cindy helps in the bakery, cooking and sharing recipes, often
she must translate recipes from English
to Spanish or vice versa; she writes that it
can be particularly challenging to make
sure that not only the ingredients but the
amounts are translated accurately!
Both Kathy and Lou are aware of how
one’s introversion or extroversion affects
their use of the spoken word. An extrovert, who is often passionate and energetic
when speaking, Kathy knows that she
processes her thoughts out loud which,
while a help to her, is not always appreciated by others, especially introverts. This
“can lead me to interrupt someone in my
excitement or processing,” she says. As an
introvert, Lou notes “I tend to measure
my words—and sometimes forget that I
really need to talk because I get caught up
listening.” Lou also mentions that she is
“more aware than ever of space and silence
. . . [C]onversation has become increasingly competitive in our culture—people
talking over, interrupting, not really listening.” To this end, she often builds into
retreats or presentations what she calls
“sifting time” or quiet time for processing.
There is so much to think of when
depending on the spoken word
to convey meaning! How do you
choose your words so as genuinely
to welcome, sincerely to include,
and warmly to relate?
Joyce admits the difficulty when she
writes, “Spiritual direction [sessions] find
me blanking out words that might indicate that I have just the solution to prayer
problems, dark nights of the soul, and
boring liturgy.” Instead of her own words,
however, she counts on theirs: “Tell me
more,” she asks, or “How was that experience for you in the light of your journey?”
Kathy feels that “how the word is
spoken is as important as what is said.”
When “working one-on-one, words come
more from the heart than from the head,”
she adds, and continues, “I try to use
words that are positive, that don’t convey
‘shoulds’ or judgment . . . that are honest,
and that show support.”
And, so aware of cultural differences,
Cindy knows that taking the time to greet
each person who daily crowds into the Center is crucial to maintaining relationships.
“In this culture you must say ‘good morning’ or they think you are angry,” she relates.
Finally, important always is one’s audience. Lou confirms this when she comments, “I try to use words that people can
relate to; I . . . use stories when explaining
something, and try to make it relevant to
the age group I am speaking with.”
How do our ministries, our jobs, the
various activities of our lifestyles
affect our spoken words?
About the author: Patricia Nolan, BVM
(Frederick Mary) lives in Dubuque, Iowa, and
is a teacher at the Roberta Kuhn Center at
Mount Carmel, Dubuque.
Kathy Carr, BVM (l.)
focuses on words that
come from the heart
in one-on-one
communication.
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Living Words
Embody History of BVMs
by Kathryn Lawlor, BVM
Mary Christine
Athans, BVM
Anne Carr, BVM
Jane Coogan, BVM
Ann Harrington, BVM
Carol Frances
Jegen, BVM
Kathryn Lawlor, BVM
BVM foundress Mary Frances Clarke advised the sisters that as educators they must be “alive”
to their surroundings. Through the history of the congregation, BVM publications have captured this aliveness
in words that reveal the education of both the sisters and their students.
As Mary Christine Athans, BVM
(Christophil), professor emerita of St.
Paul Seminary School of Divinity of St.
Thomas University, Minn., researched
the subject of her latest publication, she
identified the dynamic of the written
word which BVMs have always recognized and which became apparent in the
19th century with the congregation’s first
published book. Mary Christine noted in
In Quest of the Jewish Mary (Orbis Books,
2013), that a new excitement surfaced in
the church in 19th century America. She
wrote, “. . . Mary became associated with
a kind of frontier imagery and with virgin
territory.”
Women’s Importance Noted
in Early BVM History
The earliest BVM publication, dated
in the late 1880s and simply titled
Woman (Gorman & Sons), listed as
authors the Sisters of Charity, BVM,
Immaculate Conception Academy, Davenport, Iowa. Further research, however,
credited Humbaline Kennedy, BVM,
with compiling the book. It is a collec-
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S A L T MAGAZINE
tion of quotes about the importance of
19th century women. The excitement
for women in the church living on the
American frontier was most notably
found in the crucial role of education.
Young women attending the BVM Iowa
academies had little need for learning the
pastimes of Victorian ladies. What they
required was preparation for surviving on
the frontier. This usually included being
gainfully employed. The book, Woman,
motivated them with the self-confidence
essential to meeting this challenge.
The BVM publication In the Early
Days (Herder, 1911), by Mary Lambertina
Doran, BVM, traced the lives of the cofounders of the BVM congregation, Rev.
Terence J. Donaghoe and Mary Frances
Clarke. The book generated an appreciation for the history of the early members
and encouraged and inspired their followers to expand their mission of education. Lambertina wrote during a period
of significant growth for the BVM school
system and, although it was Mary Frances
who issued the directives about education,
the book concentrated on the life of Rev.
Terence J. Donaghoe.
Mary Frances Clarke
Moves Out of the Shadows
Jane Coogan, BVM (St. Joan of Arc),
wrote a straightforward account of BVM
events from 1831–1920 in her twovolume work, The Price of Our Heritage
(Mount Carmel Press, 1975, 1978). She
provided background necessary for the
rewriting of the BVM Constitutions which
had been mandated in 1965 by Vatican
Council II. Jane moved Mary Frances
Clarke from the shadows of BVM history
to the forefront.
Following the Council’s directive to
all religious congregations to return to the
spirit of their founders, Kathryn Lawlor,
BVM (John Laurian), researched the context of Mary Frances Clarke’s letters in her
book, Your Affectionate (Mount Carmel
Press, 2003). Loyola University history
professor Ann Harrington, BVM (St.
Remi), further clarified the spirit of the
BVMs’ foundress when she asked, “Who
was Mary Frances Clarke?” The answer is
in her publication, Creating Community
(Mount Carmel Press, 2004).
Broader scriptural interpretations
flowing from post Vatican II gave rise to
Mary According to Women (Leaven Press,
1983), a volume of essays by seven BVM
authors, edited by Carol Frances Jegen,
BVM, professor of religious studies, Mundelein College, Chicago. To celebrate the
150th anniversary of the founding of the
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, these authors helped develop a
renewed faith-understanding of Mary.
What emerged from the book were
new meanings of the Mary symbols causing “a harmonious blending of the gospel
imperative of love in its demands for
action on behalf of justice and peacemaking.” Carol Frances authored two other
books which continued to broaden theological understandings.
Vatican II Leads to
Congregation Renewal
In her book Transforming Grace
(Harper and Row, 1988. Reprint, Continuum, 1996) Anne Carr, BVM (Mary Anne
David), helped update not only BVMs’
post Vatican II theology, but also that of
many other Catholics. As professor of theology at the Divinity School, University of
Chicago, Anne had contributed to a number of publications promoting the mutuality and equality of women and men.
In Transforming Grace, she called upon
modern theologians to look beyond the
patriarchal methods of many theologians
‘Expanding Horizons’
Details Leadership of
BVMs Isabella Kane
and Gervase Tuffy
and consider the methods of feminist
theologians. She stressed the importance
of such a move, “Far from a merely
speculative enterprise, it is a necessary
exploration of past and present experience
that has now become focused on the question of the future: what will humankind
become?” Her work merited an award
from the Catholic Theological Society of
America in 1997 “for careful study of the
great masters and continual willingness to
break new ground and for extensive reflection upon the nature of philosophical and
theological methods.”
In her book From There to Here: The
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
From 1942–1972 (Mount Carmel Press,
2010), Kathryn Lawlor, BVM, traced
developments among BVMs during the
period of the congregation’s renewal from
1942–1972. She followed historical,
psychological and theological pathways
through the restructuring process called for
by the Vatican Council’s “Decree on the
Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life.”
Her study of BVM leaders during
those 30 years revealed that “Their spirituality always remained the joyful pursuit
of holiness. Their letters and speeches
revealed their own unique way of pursuing this quest.” They continued Mary
Frances Clarke’s legacy so evident in her
letters.
Expanding Horizons: Sisters
of Charity of The Blessed Virgin
Mary, 1919–1943 by Ann M.
Harrington, BVM (St. Remi)
has been published and is
now available.
In this account of the leadership of BVMs Isabella Kane
(1919–1931) and Gervase Tuffy
(1931–1943), Ann explores
how the spirit of BVM Foundress Mary Frances Clarke
shaped the direction of the
congregation in the 24 years
between the first and second
World Wars.
“The portraits of seven
BVMs grace one end of the
main corridor of the Mount
Carmel Motherhouse in
Dubuque, Iowa,” says Sec-
The most recent BVM publication,
Expanding Horizons: Sisters of Charity of The
Blessed Virgin Mary 1919–1943 (Mount
Carmel Press, 2014), by Ann Harrington,
BVM, traces the narrow path BVM leaders,
Isabella Kane and Gervase Tuffy, needed to
tread between 1919 and 1943.
At that time the Vatican was much
more interested in religious congregations’
adherence to Canon Law than in following the spirit of their founders.
At the same time the BVM congregation had to adapt to the Roaring Twenties
and the Great Depression. Ann considered
this history important because “To understand . . . the changes wrought by the Second Vatican Council we need first to look
at what life was like before the changes.”
As new excitement evolves in the 21st
century church, future BVMs will continue to write, illustrating Mary Frances
Clarke’s directive, “. . . we ourselves must
be alive to our surroundings in this beautiful world of the visible creation of God”
(Custom Book, 1884).
About the author: Kathryn Lawlor, BVM (John
Laurian) is the author of Your Affectionate and
From There to Here: The Sisters of Charity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary From 1942–1972. She lives in
Dubuque, Iowa, and is a teacher at the Roberta
Kuhn Center and volunteer in the Mount Carmel
Archives, Dubuque.
retary of the Congregation
Regina M. Qualls, BVM in her
foreword. “In her most recent
work, the portraits of Isabella
Kane and Gervase Tuffy come
to life as Ann recounts the significant events in the first half
of the 20th century which,
surprisingly, have a very familiar feel.”
BVM mission and ministry
are reflected in the stories
of these leaders, gathered
through Ann’s seven years of
archival research at the Gannon Center for Women and
Leadership (Loyola University
Chicago) and the Mount Carmel Archives, plus first-hand
accounts of those years by
living BVMs.
“The apparent serenity
seen in their portraits seems
remarkable in light of the
challenges faced by Isabella
Kane and Gervase Tuffy,”
Regina writes. “We are grateful to Ann Harrington and
all BVM historians who have
expanded our horizons, allowing us to see our past, and
perhaps our future, in a new
light.”
Copies of the book are available for $10. Contact:
Office of the Secretary
BVM Center
1100 Carmel Dr.
Dubuque, IA 52003
Email: [email protected]
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Ann Marie Dress, BVM interacts
with kindergarten students
learning on their iPads.
The Digital Age of
Technology and Education
by Mary Clare Sweeney, BVM and Jody Iler
“Let us then . . . with a holy and intelligent zeal, keep our schools progressive
with the times in which we live . . .”
—Mary Frances Clarke,
Custom Book, 1884
In her words of 130 years ago, Mary
Frances Clarke knew that in order to
develop children in mind, soul and body,
it was—first of all—necessary to attract
both students and parents to a BVM
education, gaining their confidence in
the efficiency of BVM teachers and the
progressiveness of their schools.
Xavier College Preparatory students hold this portrait of Sister
Mary Kenneth Keller, BVM, created
by XCP student McCaslin Polich
(’13)—painstakingly hand drawn
to appear pixilated. Kenneth’s
picture honors her as one of the
first women to earn a Ph.D. in
computer science and is displayed
in the school’s computer lab as
an inspiration to persevere in the
study of computing.
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Today, Change is Constant and
Technology is Ever-evolving
The need for teachers to stay current
with the times is crucial. The challenge
of integrating technology and education
into school curriculum can be daunting
to those teachers—born before the explosion of the internet—who are still trying
to learn about technology themselves.
Some may be reluctant to discontinue
traditional teaching methods. But today’s
students, born into a digital world, need
the guidance of teachers adept in technology. Innovative educators are committed
to ongoing training.
Education in technology begins at the
elementary level. As vice president and
teacher at St. Clare Elementary School
in Santa Clara, Calif., Ann Marie Dress,
BVM serves as on-site coach and provider
of technology training for teachers, collaborating in the implementation of technology in the learning process.
The San Jose Diocese, where St. Clare
is located, has launched the Katharine
Drexel School Initiative this year, which
focuses on “blended learning.” The Initiative uses a combination of teacher-led and
individualized instruction using digital
content on the iPad. Students receive personal instruction targeted to their needs,
while the traditional classroom structure
is maintained. “Observing the students in
grades K-8 using their iPads is inspiring,”
says Ann Marie. “The apps [applications]
they use enhance the subjects taught and
allow them to work independently, in
small groups, and with the teacher.”
Kindergarten students use the iPads to
help reinforce alphabet sounds and letters,
and to read stories. Eighth graders create
math videos using an app called “Educreations.” They plan their presentations on
the iPad with a partner or in small groups,
and use the classroom Smart Board to present their project to the class. Ann Marie
says, “Technology is truly changing the way
students learn and interact with others.”
received the National Center for Women
and Information Technology Educator
Award in 2012. She teaches computer
programming and shares that “there have
been many success stories in my short time
at Xavier.” She feels that she is doing what
she was called to do: “Encouraging girls in
science, technology, engineering and math
so they will be prepared for their future and
be ‘women of faith pursuing excellence.’”
Technology Advances
Include Pitfalls
Virtual Education
Offers Pros and Cons
“Technology is just like other tools
in a teacher’s tool box,” says Catherine
Wyman, program director for technology
at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix—established by BVMs as Xavier High
School in 1943, and led by President Joan
Fitzgerald, BVM (John Raymond) for the
past 50 years. Given the ready access to
vast information that technology provides,
Catherine sees the role of the teacher as
changing from “keeper” of the information to “curator” of knowledge.
“Technology connects people from
around the world in ways that were never
before possible but it also provides opportunities to behave badly under the illusion of
anonymity,” Catherine says. “The internet
brings the worst of the world directly into
people’s homes.” She believes that educators and parents must provide the direction
and oversight that children need to become
responsible citizens in a digital world.
Catherine has worked in technology throughout her professional life and
The advent of online courses and
universities has expanded access to higher
education on many fronts. Though BVM
Patricia Bombard was introduced to computers in the newsroom in the mid-1970s
while earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, it wasn’t until she began teaching
at Loyola University Chicago in 2007 that
she was asked to prepare an online class.
One might say “the rest was history.”
Today Pat is director of Vincent on
Leadership: The Hay Project at DePaul
University, a position she accepted in 2008.
She has taught online classes for DePaul
since 2009. She’s currently exploring the
possibility of launching an online leadership course that would be free and open to
the public. “My dream is to use the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) model
to create values-centered leaders moving us
toward a better world,” she says.
Pat believes the online classroom helps
to level the playing field for students by
requiring full class participation in online
Pat Bombard, BVM connects with international students in her class without leaving
her computer.
posts. The technology available to combine a class of students from multiple
geographic locations has allowed Pat to
create online an international community
of learners.
One of her accomplishments is the
initiation of an online course version of
DePaul’s Values-Centered Leadership
Certificate with 34 people registered from
three African countries, the Philippines,
and the United States. In the fall 2013
quarter, she had 84 participants enroll
from 11 countries.
“I have learned that technology can be
a powerful learning tool, but the ultimate
responsibility for learning lies within the
student,” says Luann Brown, BVM, who
earned her Master of Science degree in
addictions counseling through online
classes at all-virtual Capella University,
headquartered in Minneapolis. As an
online student, Luann was able to complete course work while remaining in her
teaching ministry in Ecuador.
She notes many advantages of online
education: it has made advanced studies
more accessible to a wider variety of people; it is self-directed and learner-oriented;
it allows students to complete assignments
at convenient times; students are required
to express what they’ve learned through the
written word; and all students must submit
posts and respond to other learners, so
there is “no hiding in the back of the class.”
Luann admits to “feeling a great deal
of stress” when technology fails her on
occasion. “I have found that being organized, working ahead, saving my work in
multiple places, and having a backup plan
are invaluable practices. These principles
apply to the rest of life as well!”
Whether one is a student, teacher or
administrator, the challenges of technology are ongoing. Bridging the diverse
aspects of the “digital divide” through
collaboration and innovation will help
motivate, educate and empower those on
both sides.
Perhaps Pat Bombard sums it up best:
“Technology is not going away. We need
to become better stewards of all of its
aspects, but it is here to stay.”
About the authors: Mary Clare Sweeney,
BVM (Clarita) is retired from the faculty at Arizona State University East and now resides at
Mount Carmel in Dubuque, Iowa. Jody Iler is
communications specialist at Mount Carmel.
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Social Media:
A New Wineskin for the Modern Age
by Dan Abben
For many of us, technology has become ubiquitous. We log on to the internet to pay our bills, check the
weather forecast, and find out what time a movie will be playing at the local theater. As social beings, we also
use technology to remain connected to one another, often using electronic mail, frequently referred to as
email. Within the BVM congregation, this form of technology is used to forward prayer requests, share meeting minutes, and conduct official business.
Email, however, is not the only way
that people stay in touch electronically.
Another form of technology, known as
social media, helps us to stay close to
friends and family members. At its most
basic, social media, according to Merriam Webster, refers to electronic forms
of communication through which people
share information, personal messages, and
other content such as pictures and videos.
Well-known Examples of Social
Media: YouTube, Facebook and
Twitter
YouTube is a website that enables users
to create “channels” to which they can
upload videos that other people can watch.
The content of these videos ranges from
animals engaged in funny antics to lectures
from a variety of academic disciplines. The
BVM Office of Communications has created a channel for the Sisters of Charity,
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BVM from which people can watch videos
that include holiday greetings, profiles of
sisters and associates, and footage of events
such as service trips to Ecuador.
Facebook is a social media website
that allows users—including individuals,
private companies and not-for-profit organizations—to create profiles. The people
who create these profiles can use them to
share as much, or as little, information
with others as they would like. People
often share items such as inspirational
messages, family photographs or video
clips from recent vacations.
Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa,
for example, uses its Facebook page to
share news about the achievements of students, faculty and alumni. Other people
can view or “follow” the profiles of friends,
family members or organizations that are
important to them. Because of the way
that Facebook allows its users to share news
with others, I have heard the site referred
to as my generation’s equivalent of the telephone party line. The company currently
boasts that it has over one billion users.
Many BVM sisters and associates
have created personal Facebook profiles.
Marge Clark, BVM, who currently works
as a lobbyist for NETWORK, a national
Catholic social justice lobby in Washington, D.C., uses Facebook to keep up with
friends and former students. Likewise,
Associate Marilyn Feller Wasmundt uses
Facebook to stay connected with her family. She can use this form of social media
to communicate quickly with her daughters and their children who live in different parts of the country.
A third social media website that many
people use is Twitter. This site allows
people to share brief messages, or “tweets,”
with people who sign up to receive them.
Because the messages are brief—they must
be fewer than 140 characters—Twitter
is like a modern telegram. Rather than
sending messages to a single recipient,
however, people can send their tweets to
thousands of people at once.
While there are few BVM sisters or
associates who use Twitter, this form of
social media is a great way to share justice alerts. For example, people can share
messages that include links to online petitions, as well as reminders to contact legislators about current issues. Marge Clark
notes that Twitter is useful for encouraging people to visit the NETWORK
website any time the organization has
important news to share.
Digital Network of People
Forms Global Connection
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made
headlines when he became the first pontiff
to use social media. Pope Francis has followed in his footsteps. As part of the 2014
World Day of Communication, Pope
Francis commented that “the digital world
can be an environment rich in humanity,
a network not of wires but of people.”
These networks of people have literally changed the world. During the various uprisings in the Arab world that have
become known collectively as the Arab
Spring, people used social media to share
information about when and where to
gather for protests. Social media enabled
those of us watching from a distance to
follow what was going on. The fact that
we could watch the Arab Spring unfold
as it was happening underscores how
interconnected social media has allowed
us to become.
This observation is not lost on
Elizabeth Avalos, BVM, whose current
ministry includes making websites for
organizations. When asked about the benefits of social media, Elizabeth says that it
“makes us more aware of how connected
we are globally.”
As followers of Mary Frances Clarke’s
legacy, BVMs and associates are called to
use the tools at our disposal to respond to
the needs of the time. As Pope Francis has
said, one way to do this is by using social
media, a tool that offers “immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity.”
About the author: Dan Abben lives in Chicago
and is a BVM associate. He is a graduate student
in organizational psychology and a member of
the BVM Communication Advisory Committee.
The Responsible Use of Social Media
As with most inventions,
social media can be misused.
One example is dependence.
It is common to look around
a restaurant, for example, and
notice that people are paying
more attention to their smart
phones than they are to their
dining companions. Spending more time with our gadgets than with people can
foster feelings of isolation.
Ironically, this is the opposite
of what social media is supposed to do!
People can also use social
media to stalk and harass
others. In recent years, there
has been an increase in cyber
bullying, in which people are
using technology to make fun
of or slander others. Sadly,
more than a handful of cyber
bullying targets have felt so
victimized that they have
committed suicide. Similarly,
people have used social media
to take advantage of others
financially. Criminals have
been able to run scams in
which they are able to convince people to share personal
financial information on-line.
Another way that people have
misused social media is by
engaging in cheating, plagiarism and copyright infringement. Students, for example,
can use text messaging to
cheat on exams by sending
the answers to one another.
Likewise, people have used
social media to share versions
of copyrighted materials such
as songs and movies. Not only
is this illegal, it prevents the
copyright owners from making a living.
To prevent the misuse of social
media, it is important to establish ground rules for its use,
model good behavior for others, educate ourselves about
current technology, and speak
up when it is being abused.
Follow the BVM Sisters
on Social Media:
www.youtube.com/bvmsisters
www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
twitter.com/bvmsisters
pinterest.com/bvmsisters
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Tweeting Our Way to Justice:
Using Technology to Advance
Social Movements
by Mary Ellen Madden
In the foreword of the book, Tweets from Tahrir Square, which chronicles how
social media created the groundswell that became the Arab Spring, Ahdaf Soueif
writes, “Without the new media the Egyptian Revolution could not have happened
in the way that it did. The causes of the revolution were many; deep-rooted and long
seated. The turning moment had come—but it was the instant and wide-spread
nature of the new media that made it possible to recognise the moment and to push
it into such an effective manifestation.”
Nearly three years after the uprising
that unseated then Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarek, we find ourselves more
immersed than ever before in a world
driven by technology and social media.
Whether gathering people for a last-minute rally at a local federal building or getting the word out about the latest drone
attack in Afghanistan, in nearly every circle of social justice advocacy, social media
has become a primary organizing tool.
Sisters Use Social Media
for Justice Awareness
Several BVM social justice ministries use social media in some capacity,
including NETWORK, Loretto at the
U.N., National Farm Worker Ministry
(NFWM), and 8th Day Center for Justice. Recently I received an email from
Marge Clark, BVM, asking 8th Day Center, where I serve as BVM staff member,
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to join with NETWORK staff to pressure
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin via Twitter regarding unemployment benefits in
Illinois. I logged into both 8th Day and
my personal Twitter accounts and simply
‘retweeted’ Marge’s own tweet to Senator
Durbin. Not only did he receive our messages, but both 8th Day and my Twitter
followers saw the pressure we were putting
on him, and hopefully they themselves
were motivated to action.
This ripple effect is the hallmark of
Twitter, and is why it has become so
widely (and wildly) popular in organizing circles over the last several years. In
the time it would have taken to make one
phone call to Senator Durbin, through a
few clicks, he received three new messages
about the issue; those same messages were
broadcast into the “Twittersphere” for
countless others to see.
According to Mary Martens, BVM
(Loras), the NFWM and the Coalition
of Immokalee Workers (CIW) make use
of social media to pressure corporations,
particularly among their youth and young
adult contingents, while they continue to
use email and other traditional forms of
communication with those not present
on social media. This approach captures
well the importance of a multi-faceted
communications strategy among justice
movements. We need to create a presence
in new spaces that emerge—virtual and
otherwise—without abandoning the ways
in which people have been communicating and organizing successfully for many
years.
Aside from pressuring public officials
and corporations to take action, social
media also has the capacity to broaden the
reach of storytelling, which is so integral
to movements for peace and justice.
While in Guatemala this past February
Action, Personal
Relationships Effect Change
BVMs (l. to r.) Loretta Hubl, Roberta White and Vicki Smurlo gather to welcome “Nuns on the Bus for
Immigration Reform” as they arrive in Montrose, Calif., in 2013.
on a delegation with SOA Watch, we met
with an organization called “Hijos”—a
group of young grassroots activists whose
parents were disappeared during the
internal armed conflict of the 1980s. The
main goal of the group is to promote
and preserve historical memory in order
to resist “the violence of forgetting” that
is so pervasive in the culture of repression that continues today. Their acts of
resistance include pasting posters of the
disappeared throughout the streets, and
they have recently begun telling their stories through social media to broaden their
reach of historical memory.
‘Voice’ Key to Presence
While the benefits of engaging justice
through technology continue to reveal
themselves, these rapidly swelling trends
also present a variety of challenges. The
primary roadblock that we have come up
against at 8th Day is capacity. How can
we be everywhere we need to be, capturing the attention of every audience?
Facebook and Twitter allow us to reach
and communicate with audiences of old
friends along with those who may not yet
know of 8th Day’s work. However, focusing on tailoring messages specific to each
audience and posting content effective
enough to keep people engaged can be
very time consuming.
Additionally, research shows that having one ‘voice’ behind each social media
platform is most effective, rather than
having several people posting in different
styles or voices; consumers of social media
are more likely to engage if they have a
sense that a person is behind the posts.
To meet these growing needs, 8th
Day has recently reassessed our needs and
restructured so that we can hire a fulltime
communications coordinator to oversee
and implement a comprehensive communications strategy.
To me, the primary challenge is assuring that activity on social media is not the
only way in which society is engaging social
issues. Social media has become a tremendous tool used to organize social movements, but it is just that—a tool; it cannot
become the movements themselves.
Yes, we can tweet at our senators, but
we also need to make the phone calls, and
write the letters, and visit them at their
offices during lobby days. We can join a
Facebook group that supports anti-mining
efforts in Latin America, but we also need
to take the time to educate ourselves and
one another and to take action to truly
accompany and support the communities
trying to protect their land.
Though I don’t agree with some
points made by Malcom Gladwell in his
article, “Why the Revolution Will Not
Be Tweeted,” I was struck by his analysis
that social media networks are made up
of thousands of “weak ties” while social
activism is almost always spurred by
strong ties individuals have with people
or movements. Someone can have 1,000
friends on Facebook or follow 100 different grassroots organizations on Twitter,
but without a personal connection to and
an understanding of the tragic effects of
injustice, will we really be stirred to participate in true social change?
The growth of technology and social
media has been a tremendous asset to
movements for peace and justice. Platforms like Twitter afford us direct access
to those with whom we may have never
made a connection otherwise, and so our
messages and our movements can spread
more broadly than ever before. These
tools can bolster our efforts, but we must
use them along with the tried and true
grassroots organizing skills of relationshipbuilding, collaboration and creativity.
No, the revolution will not be tweeted,
but with the ever-evolving world of mass
communication, we just might be able to
intensify our efforts and get some more
people on board.
About the author: Mary Ellen Madden lives
in Chicago and is the BVM staff member at
8th Day Center for Justice, Chicago.
SPRING/SUMMER TWO THOUSAND FOURTEEN
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Facebook Connects
BVMs with High School Students
by Jody Iler
In performing a play based
on true events after a terrorist attack, students at Deering High School in Portland,
Maine, are also making a
heartfelt connection to the
Sisters of Charity, BVM and
children around the world as
a result of a Facebook post.
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The students’ play, “The Women of
Lockerbie,” portrays a fictional account
of the real life events in the Scottish town
of Lockerbie, where Pan Am Flight 103
crashed after it exploded from the blast of
a terrorist bomb on Dec. 21, 1988. The
women in Lockerbie worked to retrieve
and clean the clothing of the victims, giving the treasured cloth pieces to grieving
families as a tangible remembrance and
measure of comfort.
Deering High School drama teacher
Kathleen Harris taught with BVMs at
Xavier HS in St. Louis. Now one of nearly
1,000 friends on the BVM Facebook
page, she saw a Facebook post describing the BVM sisters’ “diaper project,” in
which donated T-shirts are cut and sewn
into diapers and sent to children in need.
Kathleen told her students about the
BVMs’ project.
“A couple of my students who heard
about it wrote a grant so we could afford to
mail the T-shirts that we collect to the nuns
in Iowa, who will then turn them into
diapers and send them to Madagascar and
Haiti, among other third world countries,
plus an orphanage in Texas,” says Kathleen.
Her students jumped wholeheartedly
into T-shirt collection mode and extended
the “clothing connection” invitation to
the audiences of their play, encouraging
them to donate T-shirts.
On April 7, 10 large boxes of T-shirts,
totaling over 300 lbs., arrived at Mount
Carmel in Dubuque from the students.
“The sisters will be very busy making
diapers,” says Creative Arts Specialist
Julie Wessels. “Thank you, Deering High
School!”
After their performances Feb. 28 and
March 1, the students’ play went on to
theater competition. But the connection
between comforting the bereaved and
helping needy children—through the
simple act of collecting clothing—will
long remain with them.
About the author: Jody Iler is communications
specialist at Mount Carmel in Dubuque, Iowa.
Websites Visited
by BVMs and
Associates
by Elizabeth Avalos, BVM
BVMs use their computers for
many things: finding recipes,
getting Oscar information,
watching TV online, and reading about current topics in
spirituality, social justice and
other contemporary issues.
Below are just a few of the
websites visited by sisters and
associates.
gregations. 8th Day works
for systemic change on many
issues including environmental
justice, women’s issues, human
rights and peace efforts.
NETWORK (www.networklobby.org) is a national
Catholic social justice lobby in
Washington, D.C. Its website
alerts viewers to current issues
being debated in our federal
legislature.
Social Justice/
Current Issues
Polaris Project (www.polarisproject.org) informs people
about the issue of human trafficking and how to advocate for
abolishment, which BVMs and
other religious institutes are
working on through intercommunity projects or diocesan
networks.
8th Day Center for Justice
(www.8thdaycenter.org) is
a coalition founded 40 years
ago by Catholic religious con-
Just Faith Ministries (justfaith.org) serves as a resource
for people interested in discovering how they can become
agents of God’s compassion in
a wounded world.
TED (www.ted.com) Technology, Education and Design is
a nonprofit devoted to “Ideas
Worth Spreading.” TED is available as a podcast.
Spirituality/Reflection
On Being (www.onbeing.org)
is a podcast that shares conversations about questions that are
at the center of human life, from
the boldest new science of the
human brain to the most ancient
traditions of the human spirit.
Creighton University (onlineministries.creighton.edu/
CollaborativeMinistry/daily.
html) shares daily reflections of
the day’s readings.
Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org/richard-rohr)
provides inspiration and challenge for the spiritual journey. scientists. Tests help you to
evaluate your memory, logic,
concentration, language and
visual skills. Click on Games to
Play. You can login and have
your scores tabulated.
Puzz.com (www.puzz.com)
This site offers Sudoku, mazes,
crossword puzzles and IQ
testers.
Test Your Brain
with These Teasers
by Bette Gambonini, BVM
Tired of playing card games?
Give your fingertips and brain
a new challenge!
Computers are the 21st century
way of learning, connecting,
relating, playing and expanding our horizons. Wisdom and
information (past and future)
are at our fingertips, challenging our minds and brains to
stay alert and active. Check out
these websites of brain teasers
and enjoy life with a little flair.
Find the one that fits your need
or just have some fun!
Fit Brains (www.fitbrains.
com) Enhance your memory,
focus and brain speed with this
award-winning brain training
program designed by neuro-
Sharp Brains (www.sharpbrains.com) Check out articles
on brain related topics, such
as: Physical Exercise and Brain
Health, Testing Your Eyes . . . or
Your Brain?, You Think You Know
the Colors?, or How to Remember
What You Read. Besides articles,
there are a variety of games to
stimulate the brain. Click Brain
Teasers to test your brain with
games and illusions.
AARP (games.aarp.org) Find
card games, Sudoku, Backgammon and Train of Thought on
this site. Have fun working your
memory and using problemsolving and language skills with
new online games. Play Split
Abby of the Arts (www.AbbeyoftheArts.com) transforms
living through contemplative
and expressive arts.
Associate/Religious
NACAR (nacar.org) North
American Conference of Associates and Religious is a membership organization that acts as a
catalyst to serve, empower and
promote the associate/religious
relationship. This site shares
articles on association, spirituality and associate trends.
This sampling shows the diversity of websites accessed by
sisters and associates. Check
out one or all of them—the
world is open for learning!
About the author: Elizabeth
Avalos, BVM lives in Sunnyvale,
Calif., administers websites and is
a member of the San Jose Diocese
Anti-Human Trafficking Network.
Words to hone your language
skills with puzzles and Private
Eye to sharpen your analytic
skills.
Brain Metrix (www.brainmetrix.com) Train your brain by
clicking on test your memory or
test your reflexes. Discover your
brain creativity, and improve it
and much more. Check tabs for
free games.
Games for the Brain (www.
gamesforthebrain.com)
Choose from a variety of games
on this site.
MindDabble (free.minddabble.com) Free downloads with
no registration, subscription or
costs are offered on this site.
National Geographic is currently running a TV series on the
brain. It is worth checking out!
About the author: Bette
Gambonini, BVM (Esther Mary)
lives in Sunnyvale, Calif. She is a
liturgy coordinator in Los Gatos
and a member of the BVM Communication Advisory Committee.
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SALT BRIEFS
6th Grade Vocation Day
Students listen to BVMs Mary McElmeel (Eugenne) (l.) and
Janita Curoe describe the lives and ministries of the Sisters
of Charity, BVM at the 6th Grade Vocation Day held at Divine
Word College in Epworth, Iowa. Over 250 students became
acquainted with the vocation journeys of religious sisters,
brothers, priests and deacons at this annual event.
National Catholic Sisters Week
The first National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW) was held March
8–14, 2014, at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn., as part
of Women’s History Month. NCSW is the first project of a larger,
three-year effort to increase vocations—called “Sister Story”—
and is funded by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Attending the workshop on behalf of the congregation are (l.
to r.) Clarke University Campus Minister Radie Roberts; Initial
Membership Coordinator Kathy Carr, BVM; Vice President Mira
Mosle, BVM; and Communications Specialist Ellen Reiss.
‘Spiritual Leadership’ Helps to
‘Move Forward the Dream’
Spiritual Leadership for Challenging Times:
Presidential Addresses from the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious, published in
April from Orbis Books, contains a collection of
presidential addresses delivered at 10 annual
assemblies of the LCWR, a national organization
of the leaders of orders of Catholic sisters in the
United States.
Helen Garvey, BVM (l.) served with other
LCWR members to select the addresses. Spanning the years from 1978 through 2012, the
speeches of 10 LCWR presidents are featured,
including the address of former BVM President
Mary Ann Zollmann, BVM (Clement Mary).
Each address is preceded by a description of
the particular world and church events occurring at that time, eliciting a leadership response
pertinent to that era. The addresses offer
thoughtful models of discernment, hope and
action grounded in spirituality—reflecting the
signs of the times.
To order the book visit: http://bit.ly/P0AZmB
or email: [email protected].
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Correction: John August Swanson’s serigraph,
“Papageno,” features the clown from Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart’s opera, “The Magic Flute.” The
fall 2014 issue of Salt magazine included a depiction of “Papageno” as one of the images used by
grief counselor Jane Rogers, BVM in her ministry. Mr. Swanson’s art was reproduced without
proper attribution to the artist. The Salt editorial
staff sincerely apologizes for the omission.
PAPAGENO
(C) 2008 by John August Swanson
Serigraph on paper 17 ½” by 12”
www.JohnAugustSwanson.com
Ecuador Immersion Trip
Fourteen volunteers including BVMs,
associates and friends participated in the
BVM Ecuador Immersion Trip March 26–April
3, 2014.
Six volunteers from St. Mary Parish in Los
Gatos, Calif., participated in the St. Mary/
BVM Ecuador Immersion Trip April 7–17,
2014. St. Mary Parish groups have participated in six immersion experiences and will send their fourth
group of families to Quito this summer.
Throughout the experience participants were deeply moved by
the love and hospitality given to them. They were inspired by the
faith, determination, strength and joy with which everyone lives
their lives.
St. Mary Alumnae Association
BVMs sisters attended the annual St. Mary Alumnae
Association luncheon held on April 27, 2014, in Lombard, Ill. BVMs ministered at St. Mary HS in Chicago
from 1899–1976 and maintain relationships with many
former students and friends. The sisters are grateful for
the association’s 2014 gift to the congregation. Alumnae
in attendance include (l. to r.) Sandra Bruno Ruscitti ‘62,
Myra Gist ‘63, Mary Granias Schmeider ‘62, and Carole
Simone Vassbinder ‘62.
Dowling High School
Vice President Mira Mosle (fifth from l.) represented the
BVMs at a groundbreaking ceremony held for the new St.
Joseph Chapel at Dowling Catholic HS in Des Moines, Iowa,
April 29, 2014. The chapel name continues the St. Joseph
Academy legacy, the school for girls founded by the BVMs in
1885, which merged in 1972 with Dowling HS for boys. Mira
taught from 1967–79 at St. Joseph Academy/Dowling HS.
Sisters Mark 100th Birthdays
Vincentia Kaeferstein, BVM (l.) celebrated her special day on Feb.
13, 2014, and Gertruda Struble, BVM enjoyed her birthday party on
March 5, 2014. Happy Birthday Sisters!
SPRING/SUMMER TWO THOUSAND FOURTEEN
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Sisters
of Charity
of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Freed by Love, Acting for Justice
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Dubuque, IA
WINC
1100 Carmel Drive
Dubuque, Iowa
52003-7991
Change Service Requested
Check us out online:
www.bvmcong.org
www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
www.youtube.com/bvmsisters
twitter/bvmsisters
www.pinterest.com/bvmsisters
IN LOVING MEMORY
“Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not taken away.”
Please pray for the Sisters of Charity, BVM and
Associates who have died January – May 2014:
Florence Davy, BVM (Florencita)
Sept. 9, 1924 – Feb. 5, 2014
Leana Kohnen, BVM
July 31, 1928 – April 1, 2014
Mary Wolfe, BVM (Nicodema)
Feb. 2, 1925 – April 28, 2014
Francile Luking, BVM
June 9, 1921 – May 7, 2014
Prayers for Mothers and Fathers
In honor of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day,
the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
promise to remember your parents, living and
deceased, in our prayers.
During the months of May and June, your
parents’ names will be placed on the altars in
the chapels at Mount Carmel.
This is our gift to you in appreciation for the
support and friendship you have shown to our
BVM sisters and the people we serve.
Leslie Hays, BVM (Agnita)
May 2, 1922 – May 9, 2014
BVM Associates
Suzanne Browne
April 13, 1932 – Feb. 11, 2014
Rosemary Tackes
Jan. 31, 1948 – March 24, 2014
To submit names of your parents for our
prayers, email: [email protected] or
call the Office of Development at 563.588.2351.
Photo: LaDonna Manternach, BVM is pictured with her
parents, Lois and Larry.
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www.bvmcong.org
To read a sister’s obituary
or her funeral reflection,
visit: www.bvmcong.org.
A memorial fund has been
established for the sisters. If
you would like to add to this
memorial, please send your
gift to the BVM Development
Office or visit our website for
online giving.