Messages Home: Jan. 31, 2009

From Loretta Jasper, CSJ, who is spending a month working at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany. To learn more about her mission, click HERE.

I have been in Germany since very early Thurs., 1/29.

The public transit system is truly a jewel. All forms of transportation are within reach of the Frankfort Airport without having to walk out of doors. In addition, by staying in Frankfort for two nights prior to leaving for Vilseck in order to tend to orientation with other colleagues assigned to Army posts in Germany at this time, the hotel is also attached to the public transit system alongside the airport.

Thurs. I enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Frankfort via a sightseeing bus. There were two gentlemen on R&R from Iraq on that bus. Conversation with the one gentleman who has been in Iraq since May,was baffled with a “why” when I shared that I was in Germany for the month working with families of deployed military. The other gentleman is a mechanic and indicated that this is his third tour, with shorter turn arounds, and he works multiple weeks with no time off.

After the Fri., 1/30 orientation, two colleagues and I rode the train to downtown Frankfort and trekked the streets for several hours before finding a local pub where we enjoy apple wine, fresh from the kitchen German food: meat, kraut, etc.

My travels to Vilseck via a 4 hour train ride Sat., 1/31 involved three transfers in the midst of getting a bird’s eye view of the country side. There were several active military returning to Vilseck…some w. families; some single.

I am settled into my hotel (equivalent to a Bread and Breakfast) for the month. I met several colleagues who have been on two bases within 30 minutes of each other since before Christmas.

Tomorrow we are driving to the Dachau and Munich area.

Monday begins my introduction to the base, the people, needs and interactions within.

Loretta

Sister Joseph Ellen Divel: July 25, 1930-Jan. 22, 2009

Eulogy for Sister Joseph Ellen Divel
Sister of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas

Vigil: Friday, January 23, 2009
Eulogist: Marcia Allen, csj

“I wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving.”

These words, written by hand in her prayer book, reveal the heart of Sister Joseph Ellen’s life. She was a woman who suffered severely, loved deeply, and above all, lived a life of joy and gratitude.
Bernadine Theresa Divel was born July 25, 1930 in Wilton, Pennsylvania. She was the third of six children born to Marian Alice Elwell and Charles Francis Divel. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister Marian Louise Jessmore. Surviving are her sister, Peggy Woolsey, and three brothers, Joseph Richard Divel, Charles Francis Divel, and John Leo Divel, as well as nieces, nephews and cousins.
Bernadine and her family lost their mother when she was nine years old. From that time on, she cared for the home and her twin brothers, Charles and John, who were less than a year old at the time of their mother’s death. She entered high school, but eventually dropped out in order to work and help support the family. Once the twins were out of high school she was free to contemplate her own future. It was then she realized that she wanted to be a religious. Because she had a cousin, Sister Stanislaus Porter, in the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, she decided to come to Kansas.
She entered the novitiate on March 19, 1959, and made her final vows in March of 1963. She completed her GED in Concordia and proudly earned certification as a nurse aid. Through the years she participated in many works of service: as a desk receptionist and driver for the Motherhouse and nurse aide at St. Mary’s Convent for the infirm sisters in Concordia. She was on the staff of St. Joseph Children’s home in Salina, Kansas. There she loved the children, played with them, humored them, and, in general, mothered them. In Grand Island, Nebraska, she was general Jill-of-All Trades for the community of sisters. She was Sister Barbara Bader’s right hand in the Religious Education Department of the Cathedral parish. She also took up baby sitting for the parishioners. One of her special joys was caring for twins whom she usually brought to the convent. The sisters protested that they would be too much of a challenge for her, but Sister Joseph Ellen knew how to do twins. She played with them, tended them, and loved them. Her spontaneous expression of love and happiness made them perfectly at home with her!
Sister Joseph Ellen was an amazing person. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph with 15 other women. She came with a lively presence and the determination to be what she most desired. She loved music – played the accordion and harmonica, sang and danced. She kept the atmosphere filled with hearty gladness with her creative antics and ability to see the humor in the events of this new life choice. She was full of life, loved life, and her native good humor never let her take trouble too seriously. She was always able to see life within a hearty laugh. The sound of her laugh and the humor in her eyes we will long remember.
She kept a prayer book. In it she would type or write by hand the heartfelt sentiments that expressed what she was feeling from time to time. She has there page after page of self-offerings. She lived her whole life in the desire to give of herself. To summarize these prayers I quote her: “O God, I want to give myself to you so that you can grow in me.” In was in that context that she lived out a life in participation with what God desired. Her heart was firmly rooted in the belief that God would do everything needed. She had cast her lot with God; she spent her life living in a joyful realization that God would live and grow in her. That was what we who knew her experienced. She threw herself into whatever she did, not only with lively joy, but with the courage of her convictions – about God and the worth of those around her. The prayers in her book are marked with trust, and love, generous giving, and constant petitions for loved ones and those of the world who were troubled and suffering in some way.
One of her special loves was the Ted and Mary Schlick family. Sister Norma Schlick introduced her to her brother Ted and his family and a special relationship developed. In fact, the family adopted her. Father Don Larmore even drew up an adoption certificate naming her as the adopted daughter of Ted and Mary Schlick. She attended all of the Schlick family gatherings and loved to be in the center of fun at Christmas, birthdays and the Fourth of July celebrations.
Sister Joseph Ellen came in her maturity to the Sisters of St. Joseph. During her youth and young adulthood she had worked in factories, had good times with her companion workers after factory hours, dated, supported a family and raised twin boys. She was street-wise, sharply perceptive of persons, simple as a dove yet wise as a serpent! She could be counted on to know the truth of a situation and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. After all, she had lived a full life closely integrated with the world before entering the community. She had a tender heart; she encountered everyone with a glint in her eye that marked her joy in being present combined with a wisdom of insight that put them at ease. Those she met experienced her keen interest in them and knew she offered friendship. She simply loved life and immersed herself in it.
On Wednesday afternoon, the day before she died, I visited her at Mt. Joseph. I was struck by her face. It was radiant and her hair framed her head like a halo. Her whole demeanor was one of what, in retrospect, I would call an almost surreal attentiveness and peace. Her eyes were clear and she wanted to visit about an essay I had written for our monthly newsletter about a consistent life ethic. She was deeply interested and quickly made her own opinion known about the value of life – the gift of it. With her usual candor she talked about her own life, how, in spite of its many troubles, it was beautiful and how grateful she was for it. She described the joy of being a Sister of St. Joseph for so many years – 50, in fact! To sum it all up, she said how much she looked forward to celebrating her jubilee because of the gratitude and joy she had experienced throughout her life, suffering not with-standing.
Suffering she did indeed endure, more and more acutely toward the end of her life. She bore it patiently and rarely complained. On Thursday, January 22, 2009, she died suddenly. In the Mt. Joseph beauty shop while having her hair fixed, she slipped into eternal life – a life without suffering.
Yes, we had warnings along the way. Sometimes, Joseph Ellen, you mentioned that you might be going soon. But you were so looking forward to your Jubilee. We, your companions at entrance, were going to get together for that event. You were looking forward to going in procession, all of us together, and of having our picture taken – together. Together was always your thing! You insisted on it. Whenever we were home for community meetings, you found some way to get us together for a picture or a meal. You were the glue who made sure we held together. Your pride in belonging with us caused us to see ourselves through your eyes – source of pride and happiness. Some of us have preceded you in death: Sisters Antoinette Ready and Veronica Roy. Those of us who were looking forward to being with you at our June celebration are: Sisters Virginia Pearl, Donna Otter, Anna Marie Broxterman, Nancy Meade, Pat McLennon, Faye Huelsman, Marcia Allen, Jean Befort, and Rosemary Farrell. Even without your physical presence we will keep up your tradition of being together, knowing as we do, that you will be closely monitoring us from your new place in our midst.
All of us Sisters of St. Joseph feel the loss of you, Sister Joseph Ellen. Your family grieves your death and yet they rejoice that you are no longer suffering; the healthcare personnel at Motherhouse and Mt. Joseph mourn your sudden disappearance; your adopted family and all of your friends are saddened by your leaving. To one another we offer our sympathy and comfort; and, we will continue to tell your story and delight in the memories that you have left with us. Your spirit of lively delight in life, your courage in difficulties, your generous heart will continue to sustain us. The memory of your presence among us will remain our mentor.
This evening we say your favorite prayer with gratitude, knowing that you are now living it: knowing that you are now living it:
“The favors of the Lord are not exhausted; God’s mercies are not spent. They are renewed each morning, so great is God’s faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3: 22-23)

Counselor to help military families in Germany

KANSAS CITY — A Catholic sister with 25 years experience as a mental health counselor will head to Germany at the end of January to help families of American military personnel.

Sister Loretta will be part of the Military and Family Life Consultant program, under a government contract with MHN Inc. Through the program, licensed clinical therapists assist military members and their families with difficulties they may face in the cycle of deployment, ranging from stress management and financial pressure to grief, post-traumatic stress disorder and other individual issues.

During the course of her career, Loretta has specialized in helping people deal with substance abuse and gambling addictions and has more recently focused on play therapy. She has just returned from the latest of three stints in Sri Lanka with Heart to Heart International, working with children in areas devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

She holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., and a post-graduate certificate in play therapy from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. She worked in area agencies for the first 15 years of her career, and has been in private practice in the Kansas City area since 2001.

The 63-year-old Loretta was born in Cawker City, in rural north-central Kansas, and has been a Sister of St. Joseph for 45 years.

If you’d like to support the kind of work done by sisters like Loretta Jasper, click on the Sisters of St. Joseph logo at right.

Three Kansas students win Sisters’ scholarships

Three young Catholic women will receive scholarships from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kan., in celebration of the order’s 125th anniversary of its service in Kansas.

Entrants wrote essays addressing the sisters’ mission of “unity and reconciliation” through a wide variety of works. In no more than 2,000 words they were asked to answer, “How do I resonate with this mission? Where do I see a need for unity and reconciliation and how would I live out the mission?”

SARA ALLEN of Hays is the first-place winner and will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Allen, 20, is a graduate of Thomas More Prep-Marian in Hays, and is now a junior majoring in sociology at Fort Hays State University. She is from St. Nicholas Myra Parish in Hays. Click HERE to read Sara’s essay.

BRIDGET BAKER of Morrowville is the second-place winner and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Baker, 18, is a graduate of Washington County High School and is now a freshman at Kansas State University majoring in horticulture. Click HERE to read Bridget’s essay.

LEA ANNE DIEDERICH of Hanover is the third-place winner and will receive a $500 scholarship. She is 18 and will major in biology. Lea Anne hopes to become an occupational therapist. Click HERE to read Lea Anne’s essay.

The essay contest was open to Catholic women ages 17 to 22, who live within the Diocese of Salina and are active in their local parishes.

The Sisters of St. Joseph is a religious order of women who came to Concordia, Kan., in 1883 and established the Nazareth Convent and Academy. The sisters opened their first school in this area when the Leavenworth diocese encompassed the whole state of Kansas, before the Salina diocese existed. In 1884 they opened Nazareth Academy in Concordia, and then quickly staffed schools in Abilene, Beloit, St. Joseph, Tipton, Herndon and many other towns and cities. They have a long-standing dedication to education and hopes to encourage young women to pursue higher education through this scholarship opportunity.

Sisters offer help to meet community needs

One community member said he was “taken aback” to learn that providing mental health services rated as the No. 1 need in Concordia, based on a two-month survey conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph. But others among the 20 or so community members who attended a presentation and discussion at the Nazareth Motherhouse Tuesday, Jan. 13,  were not surprised.

In fact, several of those representing agencies and organizations from throughout Concordia said they were relieved to hear that others also placed a high priority on finding solutions for a wide range of mental health issues.

“We have resources in this community,” said Cameron Presler of the Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas, “but do we know about them? In my five years, we’ve never had this type of meeting.”

Tuesday’s hourlong session came as the result of a series of lunches the Sisters of St. Joseph held between early October and early December. At each, Sister Marcia Allen, president of the Concordia-based Catholic religious order, invited representatives from a wide range of local organizations and government agencies to talk about what they saw as needs in the community.

From that, Sister Marcia Allen and Sister Jean Rosemarynoski put together a report that included the participants’ observations as well as local statistics.

“We really do want to find ways to be of service where there are needs,” Sister Marcia told the group Tuesday. “We’d like to get our direction from you folks.”

The top concerns identified in the report were:

• Mental health needs, ranging from more emergency services, more providers so assessments and appointments could be handled more quickly, and better access to substance abuse treatment, anger management and conflict resolution skills and on-going parenting classes.

• The high rate of sexual abuse and assault, with incidents continuing to increase across all ages.

• The high number of children in foster care, with some participants questioning the motives or training of some foster parents.

• Poverty and the issues that accompany it, including the need for financial assistance with medical care, utility bills, food costs and childcare, as well as a growing problem with transient families and homelessness. The report noted that 54 percent of school-age children in Cloud County qualify for free or reduced lunches. That’s up from 47.3 percent in 2006, according to the national Kids Count survey.

• Community “morale” and support for Concordia, which translates into “negativity that keeps Concordia from moving forward as readily as it could,” according to the report.

• A lack of activities for youth and college students, demonstrated by the uncertain funding of the Club 81 a youth center.

• The need for more volunteers at every level of the community.

Groups and agencies represented at Tuesday’s forum included the Cloud County Health Center, Cloud County Resource Center, Cloud County Community College, Manna House of Prayer, the Concordia Police Department, Concordia Public Schools, the Court Appointed Special Advocates program (CASA) and Cloud Corp.

Sister Marcia  said she was impressed with the thought-provoking discussion during Tuesday’s forum. “This room has a wealth of resources,” she told the group.

She also agreed with a suggestion from former Cloud County judge Kathryn Carter to reconvene the participants within the next few weeks for a working lunch to set priorities and begin working toward solutions.

That meeting will be open to anyone in the community who’s interested in attending. To take part, call Sister Jean at 243-2149 or e-mail her at sisterjean@csjkansas.org.

“That will give us a chance to mull this all over and work on the subheads,” Carter said.

The Sisters of St. Joseph launched the initiative after a new seven-member Leadership Council was elected in July. Sisters Marcia and Jean, both members of the Leadership Council, see it as a way of re-emphasizing the service the order has given to the community during its 125-year history in Concordia.

Prayer Requests

It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. You can find them in the Sacred Heart Chapel or in the small chapel on second floor. Some are in their rooms, or in the Grotto carrying rosary beads. All are committed and serious about their Prayer Ministry. They are the Sisters living at Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse in Concordia.

 

The community initiated a prayer apostolate in 1977. The intention was to extend an invitation to all those needing prayer to send their intentions to us for remembrance in prayer.

The prayer board is set up not far from the main chapel. Intentions are posted on the board.

If you have an Intention you would like the sisters to pray for, you may email it to Sister Norma at prayer@csjkansas.org

Concordia native enters postulancy

Julie Christensen, 25, daughter of Jane and Keith Christensen of Concordia entered the postulancy of the Sisters of St. Joseph on October 12. The postulancy allows the candidate to experience living as a Sister of St. Joseph more fully before making a further commitment.

Julie attended Concordia schools and graduated in 2000. She earned a degree in theater with an emphasis on drama therapy at Kansas State University. After graduation she continued taking classes in family studies and human services. She also received a certificate in mediation and conflict resolution.

Julie lived at Trinity House in Topeka for year with Sisters Anna Marie Broxterman and Carolyn Teter. Trinity House is for women who would like to learn more about living in community with no obligations attached to it. The women pay their own living expenses and participate in the life of the community. The experience can be for a few weeks up to a year. Julie says, “I would absolutely recommend living at Trinity House. It is a great opportunity to see the daily life of Sisters over a longer period of time. It was fun learning not only about community but also about myself.”

“I grew up around the Sisters,” says Julie. “I used to help Sister Ann Glatter with the garden and orchard. Our home was hit by the storm in 1992 and was uninhabitable. Sister Margaret Schreck helped our family a lot during that time. I knew Sister Barbara Ellen Apaceller from youth groups.

“I was drawn to the Sisters of St. Joseph because this is my home. The community goes out and does wonderful things but they always come home. I am also drawn to their charism of active and inclusive love. I do not always do that as I should but I strive to do that.”

Her family and friends are supportive of her decision. “Many of my friends say they are not surprised,” says Julie. “They are curious about the things that I will be able to do and not do as a nun. Occasionally someone will ask me why I am doing this. I ask them if they would say that to someone who just said she was getting married.”

Her mother, Jane Christensen, says, “When Julie was eight years old she sat at the kitchen table one day that fall and asked me about Jesus. What I remember most is the look on her face and I wondered. Now 17 years later she is answering the call to labor in his harvest. She has always been an enthusiastic and gentle caregiver and I know she will serve our Lord well.”

Julie is fluent in Spanish and plays the flute and piano. She likes hiking, skiing and reading in her leisure time. She enjoys travel and has been to Europe and South America through study programs or service projects. She participated in the Sisters of St. Joseph Border Experience on the El Paso, TX/ Juarez, Mexico border.

Julie will spend this year living with Sisters in El Paso, Texas. Sister Mary Ljungdahl will mentor her as she continues to discern her call.

Sisters elect new Leadership Council

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia elected Sister Marcia Allen as President of their Congregation. Sister Beth Stover was elected as vice-president and Sisters Anna Marie Broxterman, Regina Ann Brummel, Jean Rosemarynoski, Judy Stephens and Mary Jo Thummel were elected as executive councilors. The council, which begins their term July 1, 2008, will hold office until July 2012.

The election, held Feb. 15 at Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia, culminated a 20-month Senate process. During the Senate, as part of their refounding efforts, the Congregation adopted a new governance model and set the direction for the next four years with its commitment to nonviolence.

• Sister Marcia Allen, a native of Plainville, KS, will be serving her third term as president. She also held that  office from 1987-1995. She is currently on staff at Manna House of Prayer in Concordia.

• Sister Beth Stover was raised in Beloit, KS, and is presently with the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging in Manhattan, KS.

• Sister Anna Marie Broxterman is from Baileyville, KS, and is the vocation director for the community inviting women to become vowed members.

• Sister Regina Ann Brummel, was raised in Boonville, Mo. She has most recently worked at the White Earth Tribal and Community College in northwestern MN.

• Sister Jean Rosemarynoski grew up in Wichita and Topeka and is the communications director for the congregation.

• Sister Judy Stephens, from Oakley, KS, works in Hispanic Ministry at Catholic Charities in Salina.

• Sister Mary Jo Thummel is also a native of Plainville, KS, and is a pastoral associate at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Junction City, KS.

The new council will further the vision of refounding by working toward a more in-depth response to the demands of the Gospel and the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph relative to the needs of the time.