Visiting Sister appointed to UN post
June 29, 2009 by Sarah
A Mexican Sister of St. Joseph now studying in Concordia for a month has been appointed to represent sisters worldwide at the United Nations.
Sister Griselda Martinez-Morales, a member of the Lyon congregation’s Mexico Province, will represent the nearly 14,000 sisters around the globe on the UN’s Economic and Social Council in New York.
Sister Griselda Martinez-Morales, center, talks with Concordia radio host Roger Nelson about her new role as representative of the Sisters of St. Joseph worldwide to the United Nations. Sister Griselda and Sister Beth Stover, right, appeared on the KNCK-AM talk show June 26.
The federation of sisters’ congregations is one of about 3,000 “non-government organizations” providing technical advice and consultations to the UN.
“We speak for the people,” Sister Griselda explains. “Governments make decisions, and the people have needs. Our mission is to bring those together.”
She is one of 37 sisters from eight countries and nine U.S. states spending a month in Concordia as part of the “Bearers of the Tradition” institute, an intensive study of the origin and history of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The program is presented and hosted by Manna House of Prayer.
Sister Griselda will spend some time in New York with Sister Carol being assuming sole responsibility in her new role. In addition to learning more about the function of the UN and the sisters’ mission there, she wants to learn about more of the work Sisters of St. Joseph provide in the 55 countries where they serve worldwide.
“There is need everywhere in the world,” Sister Griselda says simply. “We go where there is need.”
‘Working groups’ report progress on local projects
June 24, 2009 by Sarah
During Wednesday's forum at the Motherhouse, Sue Sutton of Cloud County Community College shows a draft design of a logo for the "Concordia Year of Peace."
At the fifth public meeting hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph to help identify problems in Concordia and Cloud County and to seek solutions, the participants were eager to get through the preliminaries:
Find a seat, go through the buffet lunch line, give a brief report.
Then get back to work.
Cecilia Thrash of Manna House of Prayer explains what's in the draft community resource guide, during her report at Wednesday's forum.
• Local events tied to the “Concordia Year of Peace” — which is actually 16 months from September 2009 through December 2010 will be the focus of the Nonviolent Communications group.
Sister Jean Rosemarynoski, speaking on behalf of that group, listed a wide range of events, from book discussions at the library and a booth at Fall Fest on Sept. 26, to public lectures at the college and workshops in coordination with the public schools.
• Cecelia Thrash of Manna House of Prayer handed out a draft “Community Resource Guide” that is the work of one group committed to improving information available to Concordians. The guide will actually be available in three versions: A quick reference sheet, for parents or others who need to know what’s available; a more in-depth booklet, for service providers and others who need more information in referring clients or patients; and an online guide that can be updated easily and frequently.
Thrash said the two printed versions should be available before school starts in the fall, with the Web version available in the near future.
The printing for the guides is being paid for by a grant.
Sister Jean Rosemarynoski ran through all the events planned for the "Concordia Year of Peace," which will actually begin with Fall Fest in September.
“The thing we need to find out is what we do have,” she said, “so then we’ll know how to fill in the gaps.”
The group’s mission is to provide affordable transportation in Concordia, Deal added. “We have specialized transportation — through the senior center and other places — but we’re talking about general transportation and not just weekdays and daylight hours.”
Fred Prindaville of Pawnee Mental Health Services suggested a door-to-door survey to assess how many residents need public transportation and what their exact needs are.
• Discussion continues on how to go about establishing an emergency health clinic, said Rose Koerber of the Cloud County Health Center. She said there have already been a couple of meetings between the hospital, the county health department and several Sisters of St. Joseph, and that group has met with representatives from the Salina Clinic to get their advice.
“We have a long way to go, but it’s still moving forward,” Koerber said.
The process is moving forward, as well. Another “working lunch” has been set for Thursday, Sept. 10.
Sister Judy Stephens listens intently to the discussion at the health care table, while another lively discussion goes on at the table behind her.
Conclusions from those informal conversations and other research became the basis for a “community needs report” the sisters presented in a forum in mid-January.
Then, early in February, the sisters invited the public to join the conversation at a second forum. Those attending — mostly representing social service groups and nonprofit agencies and including a few individuals who were not members of any organization — took part in a “working lunch” to consider the issues that came up in the report and brainstorm solutions.
Two follow-up lunches refined many of those solutions and allowed participants to form working groups to focus on specific problems.
The forums and lunches hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph have involved almost 70 individuals representing 35 organizations and agencies. And Sister Jean Rosemarynoski is hoping that even more individuals will get involved as the process continues.
“This is really about all of us who live here,” Rosemarynoski said. “And it involves all of us — the agencies and organizations, but also each person who wants to help make Concordia an even better place to live.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Discover Camp 2009
June 17, 2009 by Sarah
The three dozen girls from this week’s Discover Camp have departed, but it’s almost as if the Motherhouse still echoes their energy. For the first time, the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade girls, along with their camp counselors and leaders, actually stayed at the Motherhouse rather than at Manna House of Prayer. This change allowed for more interaction between the girls and the Sisters who live here; it also allowed more girls to take part this year since they turned the Fifth Floor into something of a dormitory for their two nights here.
Here’s a collection of photos from this year’s activities.
The theme of this year's camp was "Finding God in All Things," and one of the girls' first task was to create their banner.
The kitchen staff at the Motherhouse knows that high-energy girls flock to high-energy, and hearty, food.
Meals were topped off with treats that proved popular with both the girls and the sisters.
How many girls and sisters does it take to move a filled tray cart? Three, apparently -- if you're having a good time while you do it.
Sister Mary Jo Thummel teaches one of the girls beading during an afternoon crafts session.
One of the biggest events of the camp this year was a bingo game with the girls and the sisters, including Sister Mary Ester Otter.
Sister Agnes Bernita Green is intent on her cards.
Each team prepared, and performed, a cheer touting themselves -- and that included the leaders team.
The Discover Camp girls sing for the sisters in the dining room.
Sister Donna Otter, foreground, joins in the applause when the girls finish their performance.
Volunteer Donna Reynolds accompanies the girls on guitar, and provided other musical assistance throughout the camp.
Sisters Shirley Meier, left, and Polly Kukula call the bingo game.
The girls' swimsuits and towels add a bright accent on the grounds south of the greenhouse.
For the first time, the camp this year included a tour of the National Orphan Train Complex just north of downtown Concordia.
Sister Julie Christensen demonstrates how to twirl a Hula Hoop as part of a late-afternoon relay race.
Sister Therese Blecha was part of an enthusiastic cheering section for the relay race.
An impromptu juggling act entertained both girls and sisters.
The girls crowd the gazebo on the south grounds for grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.
Sister Marie Coleman joins the circle, which then allows introduction of all the girls and sisters.
The official portrait of the 2009 Discover Camp.
PHOTO GALLERY: A few more pictures to remember Jubilee Day
June 13, 2009 by Sarah
A few more photos from Jubilee Day, June 6, 2009:
Sisters Susan Kongs, celebrating 70 years in the order, and Sister Christy Cogil, celebrating 25 years, share the stage during the after-dinner festivities.
Laurie Kertz dances to "Love Changes Everything" during the jubilee celebration.
Sisters Clarene Kennedy and Mary Jo Thummel hug after Sister Mary Jo is honored as a jubilarian.
Sisters Gilberta Appelhans, Julie Christensen and Nair de Sousa Lima get ready to dance after dinner.
Sister Dottie Moss hands Sister Christy Cogil a gift after the jubilarian is honored.
Sisters Jean Rosemarynoski and Anna Marie Broxterman hug after Anna Marie was honored.
Sister Philomene Reiland practices the pieces she will play during Saturday's ceremony and Mass.
Sister Nair de Sousa Lima reads during the jubilee ceremony.
Sister Redempta Eilert receives a hug as part of being honored as a jubilarian.
Sister Lucy Schneider takes part in the procession to begin the ceremony and Mass.
Sister Ramona Medina gives Sister Jean Befort a hug after Sister Jean is honored as a jubilarian.
Sisters Pat Lewter and Jean Rosemarynoski chat after dinner.
Sisters Veronica Baxa and Mary Augistine proceed to the ceremony and Mass.
Sister Pat McLennon gets a hug from Sister Sylvia Winterscheidt after Sister Pat is honored as a jubilarian.
Sister Virginia Pearl introduces the members of her 1959 bands for their performance Saturday evening.
PHOTO GALLERY: More pictures from the Mass, dinner & party
June 9, 2009 by Sarah
On June 6, 2009, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia celebrated 28 jubilarians — women who together have served “the dear neighbor” as vowed sisters for a total of 1,595 years. Here’s a selection of photos from the Jubilarian Mass and the dinner and party afterward.
Father Jack Schlaf celebrates the outdoors afternoon Jubilarian Mass.
Jubilarians Sister Generosa Walker, at left accompanied by Sister Pat Eichner, Sister Christy Cogil and Sister Frances Cabrini Wahlmeier present the gifts at Mass.
Sister Anna Marie Broxterman joins some of her family members for dinner.
Sister Faye Huelsmann offers the wine to Sister Gilberta Appelhans as Sister Christy Cogil waits behind her.
Family members pose with Sister Pat McLennon and the quilt they gave her, commemorating her life.
Jubilarian Sister Diane Brin assists during Mass.
A summer bouquet decorates the outside altar.
Sister Betty Suther and her family enjoy dinner.
Sister Christy Cogil and her family relax after dining in the tent south of the Motherhouse.
Sisters Gilberta Appelhans, Julie Christensen and Nair de Sousa Lima take to the dance floor together.
Father Jack Schlaf leads a prayer.
Sister Judy Stephens welcomes family and friends to the Jubilarian Mass.
Laurie Kertz dances to "Love Changes Everything," as sung by Sister Regina Ann Brummel.
Sisters from the 1959 bands perform a parody of "I Enjoy Being a Girl," which was a hit the year they were received into the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Sisters Lucienne Savoie and Nair de Sousa Lima are part of an appreciative audience as the evening dance begins.
The evening ends with lots of dancing, including a variety of styles by Sister Rosemary Farrell.
Sister Carm Thibault finds a partner to join the polka crowd.
Sister Jeanne McKenna shares conversation over dinner.
Sister Faye Huelsmann dances with her grandnephew Riley.
As dusk fell, more dancers crowded the impromptu stage in front of the Motherhouse.
PHOTO GALLERY: Getting ready for Jubilee Day 2009
June 8, 2009 by Sarah
The outdoor Mass was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 6, but preparations began much earlier in the day. Here’s a collection of photos of that process.
Well before the day's festivities began, the maintenance crew had set up tents and chairs and the jubilee committee was getting ready for rehearsal. Sister Loretta Jasper served as director as Sister Polly Kukula, left, and Lucille Herman listened to their duties.
The Sisters who would serve as hostesses and ushers gather for their direction Saturday morning.
Jubilarian Sister Jean Befort checks out the story boards on display throughout the main dining room.
Meanwhile, inside the Motherhouse, Sister Teresa Rigel and many others volunteered to help prepare the dining rooms for the late-afternoon dinner.
Sisters Carm Thibault, left, and Margaret Jilka prepare for the procession that will begin the jubilarians' service.
Sisters chat outside the chapel doors before the procession begins to form.
Sisters Margaret Nacke, Jeanette Wasinger and Carolyn Teter have a chance to catch up before the service begins.
Gift bags for the 28 jubilarians wait in the auditorium.
Several Sisters find one of the few cool spots as the temperature hits 90.
The trumpet added flourishes to the processional music.
Sister Pat Eichner, right, served as hostess for Jubilarian Sister Generosa Walker.
Sister Dorothy Marquez, left, was hostess for Jubilarian Sister Shirley Meier.
Jubilarians, each with a hostess accompanying her, proceed to the worship area.
PHOTO GALLERY: The jubilarians are honored
June 8, 2009 by Sarah
Sisters Helen Mick and Jodi Creten introduced each of the Jubilarians and read a statement honoring her. The presentation was written by Sister Dottie Moss.
Today we celebrate the special bits of LIGHT and LOVELINESS each of you jubilarians has brought to life as Sisters of St. Joseph. We honor you for the things you have done over the years, often completely unknown to any of us, acts of love and kindness witnessed only by the dear neighbor with whom you were in relationship. We honor you for that one moment when you chose to love one student, one patient, one Sister in community, one parishioner, one dear neighbor. We honor you jubilarians today for who you are still becoming and for the light and love you have added to the world and to our community.
Below each photo is the statement honoring that jubilarian:
Sister Agnes Bernita Green as you celebrate your 75th jubilee, we honor and give you thanks for modeling for everyone younger than you how to revel in aging SPRITELY! Your light step and spirit, your sense of humor and enthusiasm have kept a community and classroom or two a bit more even-keeled. Your fullness of life and ability to have a conversation with anyone anywhere are your trademark qualities. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Anna Marie Broxterman, during your first 50 years in community we give thanks for your prayerful zeal. You are able to carry serious responsibilities with humor and a light touch. Despite young people not entering in large numbers, your energetic vocations work on behalf of us all has continued in a truly admirable manner. We honor you for your committed openness to God’s call wherever that takes you from Sanctuary to Thailand to leadership and to many people along the way. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Betty Suther, your earliest desire was to give your life to God and God’s service. Your 50 years among us testify to your consistent pattern of loyalty, reliability, friendliness and prudence. We celebrate how you deeply understand others’ joys and sorrows of daily life. Need some help? Ask a busy person! Ask Betty! We honor you for all the requests of God, neighbor and community you have fulfilled over the years. We celebrate your many talents: quilting, culinary arts, singing and administrative skills. We honor you for the quiet mover and shaker that you are. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Christy Cogil, we celebrate today your love of community and your deep passion for the future of community life. We honor your capable service to our congregation. We honor your capacity for relationship with many dear neighbors over these last 25 years in mission. We celebrate how you love to be active, how you love to learn and dream, how you love to tell stories. We honor you today for your many people skills, for your readiness to lend a hand whenever as manifested most recently in taking care of the three brothers Cogil. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Diane Brin, we celebrate today the way you have dedicated yourself to the dear neighbor through the changing field of health care over these 50 years. We honor your creative boldness and warm compassion in moving into ever new ways to minister wholistically to people. We celebrate your courage in starting Health Care Programs and the ministry of touch. We honor you today for consistently doing “whatever a woman is capable of doing” to aid and heal those in need. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Donata Bissett, we celebrate your 75 years of your quiet, friendly presence. You are remembered for all the frog and crab legs you prepared for hospital banquets and the Christmas extravaganza. We honor you especially for the meal after special meal you prepared for patients with graceful, alert attentiveness. With word puzzles you keep your mind active so as to continue being outwardly focused in your own quiet way. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Donna Otter, we celebrate the spark of your first great desire to become a Maryknoll missionary. Your mother wished you wouldn’t go quite so far. Your journey to love took you to Teresina, Brazil after your mother advised you to join in community with Francis Margaret and Mary Esther. How God has worked with your gentle spirit of zeal and concern for people! We honor your 50 years of loving attention to everyday life, for your sensitivity and humor, for your dedication to being open to the greatest need whether in Kansas or Brazil, whether as a member or a leader. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Doris Marie Flax, we give thanks to you today for the power of your quiet love. What a difference you have made in community, classroom, and parish over these 60 years sometimes without ever saying a word. We honor your talent and integrity. We honor how you have been a dedicated servant to all in your patient, well organized way. You lovingly minister to the needs, and foster the structure and prayer life of your parish community. You are a happy caring person. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Faye Huelsmann, we celebrate how you have lived these 50 years as a Sister of St. Joseph with a friendly, steadfast, faithful, and fun-loving spirit. We honor you for your consistently keen insights and for your quiet contributions to community as a synthesizer and listener for the depths of justice. We honor you for co-founding the Center for Enriched Communication out of your love for the dear neighbor, especially the young. We celebrate your expertise in counseling and your faithful presence. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Frances Cabrini Wahlmeier, on your 60th Jubilee, we honor the quiet, overflowing reservoir of competence you have always shown as a person and your generous spirit of self-giving. Those were a few of the qualities you drew on when more than once you were called to step into the void and take the reins at a hospital. We give thanks to you for your ASTOUNDING ability to give gentle service to ill and elderly Sisters in a truly self-emptying way. We celebrate that you are a quiet card player until the “right card” lights up every muscle. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Generosa Walker, as you celebrate your 75th Jubilee we honor you for your generous, welcoming love that made you a super teacher for those who would follow in your footsteps. Your sweet witty letters bring joy and comfort to family, to Sisters on distant missions and even to a former pupil from 65 years ago. With humble hospitality and being the avid reader you are, coupled with your interest in all people, you keep the conversation going wherever you are present. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Helen Urban, 75 years after you entered the community your jovial laughter remains intact as does your desire always for the more in spiritual growth. No one beams quite as big as you on hearing an insightful homily that you can take to prayer. You enjoy jokes by responding with your hearty laugh and twinkling eyes. You always find fun in life, even in troubles. We can always count on you to “tell it like it is.” And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Jane Guenette was unable to attend Saturday’s ceremony, but she was honored along with her sister jubilarians.)
Sister Jane Guenette, you are generous with your time and talents keeping the Gift Shop well stocked with useful and ornamental gifts. With your quiet, unassuming enthusiasm, you have made countless little Linus Blankets to comfort and delight children who are sick. You have found this way to continue your ministry to small children whom you loved to teach and tutor with your knack for helping them progress in their skills. We honor your 75 years of giving. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Jean Befort, in celebrating your 50th jubilee, we honor how you have generously responded to the call to offer your talents for community service as well as for how you’ve given of your heart and soul in a wide variety of ministries from massage to motherhouse administration, from parish to community leadership. We celebrate the way you are a loving social being, striving to assist people toward wholeness. We honor your selfless heart for mission and God’s people. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Lucy Schneider, you taught Willa Cather well, because you showed students your own deep love for the family pasture and rose rocks. You wove love of God into lessons at Marymount unabashedly beginning class by playing Godspell prayer songs. Because of your remarkable musical gifts, you have played and written countless songs for so many community gatherings these 60 years. We honor you as a friendly, quiet, honest, minister of care far and wide over the years. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Marcia Allen, your love for our CSJ Congregation permeates your every endeavor and inspires others to imitate your selfless giving. We celebrate the ways these 50 years you have been quiet friend, humble inspired leader, always open to your own transformation. We honor you for your incisive understanding and your ability to lead with a loving heart in the midst of the deeply complex issues facing religious life today. We celebrate your lively love of Maxim’s mystery and your ability to invite and advance conversation. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Margaret Jilka, we honor and celebrate your spunk and wit and contemplative soul. You have loved nature, dogs and rabbits. And most of all you have loved your teacher and mentor, Thomas Merton and his writings. We honor you for your free spirit and your dry humored honesty. We celebrate how you have loved living with your niece, how you loved your Salina neighbors, and how you have ministered contemplatively these 60 years with understanding compassion. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Marilyn Stahl, we honor how for these 50 years you and your vivacious spirit have consistently thrived no matter the “soil” of your ministry. We celebrate that you are a good tackler of any challenge. We honor you for your passion for history and justice and world issues. We celebrate all your desires and deeds in raising awareness about the need for systemic change in many arenas. You are a 21st Century woman! And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Mary Augustine, after 60 years you are well remembered as a favorite teacher. While working in many hidden ways, you leave an impression. We honor your different ministries through the years and celebrate your attentiveness with prayer and caring tenderness to the sick and wounded. We celebrate you for your quiet, steadfast presence ministering with patience, prayer, and friendly gentleness. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Mary Jo Thummel, we honor you today for the kindness that is behind every deeply pastoral quality you possess. We honor you for the compassion with which you pastored with love the people of your parishes. We celebrate your super common sense and that you are a most practical person: real gifts for community life! We honor you for your poetic, reflective gifts and your ability to find the humor in life. We celebrate your wisdom and generosity and your 50 years of service to many dear neighbors. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Nancy Meade, in celebrating these 50 years of privilege and gift that your vocation has been to you, we give thanks for the fun loving, musically gifted, sensitive person you are. With your gift of creativity you have nourished the confidence of many a young person who participated in the plays and musicals you directed. We honor you for the way you have shared your talents and spirit in ministry with the dear neighbor. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Pat McLennon, at this time of your 50th Jubilee, we honor you for your decades of community service and leadership. Faithful to our charism and radically dependent on God’s love, you have given of yourself over the very long haul for the good of our community. We celebrate with you today in the joy of your return to ministry for women and children. We honor you for your quiet steady search to find God through the needs of others. We honor you today for your generosity of spirit and steadfast perseverance. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Philomene Reiland, we celebrate you today for how you have wisely honed and generously shared your God given talents for music in community and ministry for 50 years. You have made the organ ring out and have made music fun and an experience of beauty and prayer for innumerable people. We honor you for how you have given of yourself in parishes and schools, to students and choirs. We honor you for the special way you have made God’s presence come alive through your gifts. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Redempta Eilert, we honor you for your zeal and thoroughness in teaching chemistry at Marymount, which included more than a single one-on-one tutoring session after hours. We still know that same intensity of focus today, especially in your prayerfulness that is supported by exercise and cards, especially BRIDGE. On your 75th Jubilee, we honor your friendly, hardy, wholesome pioneer spirit. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Rosie Farrell, you continue giving of your sensitive presence without flinching while trying to better heart-breaking situations. We honor how you lovingly attend to women & children caught in domestic violence. We honor you for this ministry on behalf all of us. We celebrate the bubbly, fun-loving community person you continue to be. We honor you for your role in being a healer of children and a seeker of justice. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Shirley Meier, we celebrate how for 50 years you have generously poured your heart out in giving to your students, to the elderly, to anyone in need. We celebrate your compassion and total self-giving. You know how to do about anything from building replicas of the Motherhouse to making parties on a moment’s notice. We honor you today for the creative fun spirit that is YOU and that is the center of your loving work for others. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Susan Kongs, we honor you for your generosity of spirit and your many caring, kind ways among us these 70 years. You have consistently approached your ministries to children and adults with an intensity wrapped with prayer, a warm smile and much love. Word has it on the motherhouse airwaves that you love to give and receive random acts of kindness. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
Sister Virginia Pearl, you were BORN FREE into your lively creative Journey to Love. You have managed to STAY FREE through these 50 years. Free to leave at any hour to drive so as to be faithfully present at a funeral, in the prison, at a peace march, at a bedside. Surely one uncasted arm on the wheel and a BUNCH OF DAISIES is enough to go anywhere and everywhere to reach out as LOVE calls you from Heartland Farm to Bethlehem — and all points in between and beyond. And the world and our community are richer, thanks to YOU!
And the world and our community are richer, thanks to EACH and ALL of you!
Sisters close celebration with ice cream, community lawn party
June 3, 2009 by Sarah
Guests fill the seats on the Motherhouse lawn as the short formal program begins Wednesday afternoon.
Immediately following the formal program, guests flocked to eat free ice cream in the shady area on the west side of the Motherhouse.
The party was 125 years in the making.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia brought an end to their celebration of the 125th anniversary of their arrival in Kansas.
Sister Beth Stover welcomes the crowd.
But they did so by inviting the community into the Motherhouse and onto its grounds for an ice cream social, tours, children’s games and other festivities.
In addition to nearly all of the 160 Sisters of St. Joseph who “came home” for the event, there were another couple hundred friends, family and community supporters on hand as well.
The afternoon began with a short formal program, with Sister Beth Stover serving as emcee. In addition to serving as vice president of the Concordia-based Roman Catholic religious order, Sister Beth is also a member of the committee that planned and presented the 125h celebration.
Sister Ann Glatter "rings in" the ceremony with an old-fashioned school bell.
Other speakers during the half-hour program were:
• Father LeRoy Metro, who gave the invocation.
• State Sen. Mark Taddiken, who read a proclamation from Gov. Mark Parkinson honoring the sisters. (See related story by clicking HERE.)
• State Rep, Elaine Bowers, who praised the sisters for their continuing contributions to the community.
• Concordia Mayor Greg Hattan, who read a proclamation from the city marking June 3, 2009, as “Sisters of St. Joseph Day.”
• Sister Marcia Allen, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who spoke about the order’s commitment to Concordia, and Concordia’s importance to the sisters both here and elsewhere.
Father LeRoy Metro
Mayor Greg Hattan
The Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in Kansas in 1883, with the intent of going on to Arizona Territory. The reported dangers of Indian uprising dissuaded them from that destination, and they stayed in Newton, Kan., for a year. In 1884, the small band moved to Concordia where they established a convent and academy.
State Rep. Elaine Bowers
State Sen. Mark Taddiken
Having outgrown that building, now home to Manna House of Praqyer at Fifth and Olive streets in Concordia, in 1902 tey began construction on the five-story red brick building that is their home today. That building was completed in 1903, with the Sacred Heart Chapel added in 1907; it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
Sister Mary Fran Simons and Concordia Mayor Greg Hattan renew their acquaintance Wednesday. Sister Mary Fran, who now lives and works in Chandler, Ariz., was Hattan's high school Latin teacher.
After the short formal program Wednesday afternoon, the sisters served ice cream — made possible by a donation from Dairy Queen — and entertained children with lawn games, offered guided tours of the historic Motherhouse, explained displays of their wide-ranging missions and ministries and spent time getting to know those who had come to join the celebration.
The weather earlier in the week had been a concern — with heavy rainfall both Monday and Tuesday — but after clouds threatened earlier in the day, Wednesday afternoon turned out crystal clear and sunny. The high mid afternoon was about 72, with light breezes from the north.
Bob and Lorene Steimel, along with their 6-year-old granddaughter, all at left, strolled through Lourdes Park as part of their afternoon at the Motherhouse.
Sister Bev Carlin demonstrates the best bowling technique as Sister Lucille Herman, left, looks on.
Sisters Pauline Kukula, left, and Janet Lander, right, talk with facilities administrator Greg Gallagher before the party starts Wednesday.
Sisters of St. Joseph came to the Motherhouse Wednesday to celebrate the order's anniversary — and to renew friendships with other sisters scattered in 11 states.
Sister Marcia Allen speaks to the crowd Wednesday.
The special anniversary banner has graced the stone wall in the front of the Motherhouse since June 2008.
Kansas governor honors Sisters with anniversary proclamation
June 2, 2009 by Sarah
To download a copy of the Proclamation by the Governor, click HERE.
In recognizing the Catholic religious order’s 125h anniversary, Gov. Mark Parkinson has called on Kansans “to honor Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia for their outstanding services to the people of the state of Kansas.”
The proclamation was issued by the governor’s office in Topeka on May 13. The Concordia-based order concludes its yearlong celebration of its 125th anniversary with an ice cream social and lawn party at its Motherhouse Wednesday afternoon. Lawn games and other festivities are planned from 1:30 to 5 p.m., with a short formal program at 2 p.m. The party is free, and the public is warmly invited.
The proclamation makes note of the sisters’ history in Kansas, beginning with the arrival in 1883 of Mother Stanislaus Leary. But it also cites the importance of the order to the state and its citizens today: “The Sisters promote a culture of nonviolence, building a sustainable global community founded on interdependence and the principles of human rights” and “continue to minister and pray for people in Kansas communities.”
The mayor of Concordia, Greg Hatton, has also issued a proclamation honoring the sisters. That will be read as part of Wednesday’s formal program at the Motherhouse. Other speakers scheduled to take part, in addition to Mayor Hatton, are state Rep. Elaine Bowers, state Sen. Mark Taddiken and Sister Marcia Allen, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia.
The 125th anniversary celebration began a year ago with a special Mass and party, also held on the lawn at the Motherhouse. That daylong event attracted more than 1,000 participants.
If you’d like to help support any of the sisters’ ministries, you can make a donation through a secure server with Amazon Simple Pay, simply by clicking on the Donate button:
June 3 celebration allows reflection on history, future
June 1, 2009 by Sarah
The original Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia Motherhouse was the three-story brick structure at Fifth and Olive streets, until the landmark building at 13th and Washington streets was completed in 1903. This photo was taken around 1900. The building is now home to Manna House of Prayer.
Kansas had been a state for barely two decades when the first Sisters of St. Joseph arrived, and they didn’t intend to stay. Rather, the four women had left their order in Rochester, N.Y., with the plan to go to Arizona Territory at the invitation of a bishop there. But upon arriving in Kansas City in June 1883, they learned of continuing conflict with the native peoples there — so they instead offered themselves to the bishop of Leavenworth, whose diocese at that time included all of Kansas. The bishop assigned them to Newton, where they remained for little more than a year.
By the fall of 1884, the sisters — along with a handful of new postulants and novices — moved north to Concordia and established their Motherhouse here. Since then they have been known as the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kan., although there have been sisters in cities and town across Kansas almost since the very beginning.
In June 2008, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia began a yearlong celebration of the 125th anniversary of their arrival in Kansas and the founding of their order. More than 1,000 people crowded onto the grounds of the Motherhouse in Concordia for the festivities that day.
The sisters will conclude the celebration with an ice cream social and other festivities at the Motherhouse on Wednesday, June 3, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. The public is warmly invited, and all activities are free. In addition to the social, there will be lawn games for children, displays of the sisters’ missions and ministries through the years, tours of the historic landmark building and an opportunity to meet the sisters.
When construction began on the Nazareth Convent and Academy in 1902, it stood alone in a huge field just south of the city of Concordia as it existed then. The five-story red brick building was completed in about a year and a half.
From their humble beginnings in Newton and their move to Concordia in 1884, the Sisters of St. Joseph quickly branched out across the frontier. As towns sprang up, the sisters followed, staffing schools, hospitals, orphanages and homes for the elderly.
The first towns, not surprisingly, were in Cloud County.
The first branch of what would become the sisters’ tree was in then-bustling French-Canadian town of St. Joseph, southeast of Concordia. Just a year after arriving from Newton, the sisters opened a school and established a small convent there. By the end of the decade there were 185 students. But the growth did not continue; by 1914 there were about 60 students in the sisters’ school, and it closed in 1925.
A second branch was the town of Clyde, east of Concordia, where in 1888 the cornerstone for St. Ann’s Academy was laid, and in 1889 three sisters and a postulant arrived to staff the new school. The Sisters of St. Joseph taught there until 1904, and then from 1910 to 1969. But the sisters didn’t leave when the school closed; they continued their presence through Catholic education classes and other ministries in Clyde and the surrounding communities for 20 more years.
The town of Aurora, southeast of Concordia, was a later branch. The Sisters of St. Joseph opened a parochial school there in 1905, adding a high school in 1916. Although it flourished well into the 1940s, it too suffered of the fate of the town of St. Joseph and the schools in Aurora were eventually closed.
In Concordia itself — from 1886 to 1944, the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese covering a third of Kansas — the order’s growth was astonishing in its first few decades. The original Motherhouse and Nazareth Academy was built beginning in 1884. When the “new” Motherhouse at 13th and Washington streets, officially called the Nazareth Convent and Academy, was completed in 1903, the old brick building at Fifth and Olive would become the original St. Joseph Hospital. Later the building would serve as a nursing home and then in 1978 became Manna House of Prayer, a spiritual retreat center still operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
In different buildings and with different names, the sisters continued parochial education in Concordia from 1884 to 1971.
Elsewhere during the first half of the 20th century, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia enjoyed their greatest period of expansion as their members were called to many new opportunities throughout the United States — and even to Teresina, Brazil, where they established (and maintain) a mission.
This era of growth was followed in the 1960s by a period of reassessment and renewal in the Catholic Church, ushered in by Vatican II. The challenge, of the Second Vatican Council, to all religious congregations was to return to their original spiritual heritage and to an intense living of the Gospel in the contemporary world.
For the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, this brought an awareness of their distinctive calling as a religious community that reaches out to serve those in need. As women steeped in the spiritual life who were committed to meeting the needs of people around them, they developed a motto that continues to apply today: “Loving God and neighbor without distinction.”
As the needs of the late 20th century changed, so did the ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In the first decade of the 21st century, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia are drawn to missions of mercy, social justice and human rights, working for change in the world wherever cries for love, help and mercy may beckon.
Two of their newest projects are the development of Neighbor to Neighbor, a center for women and women with young children that will open in downtown Concordia in late 2009 or early 2010; and a documentary titled “Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism,” which is scheduled to be completed later this year. Other long-established projects include Manna House of Prayer, a spiritual retreat center in Concordia; the Justice and Peace Center in Salina; and St. Mary Spirituality Center, a retreat house in Silver City, N.M.
Today there are about 160 sisters in the order. About half live and serve in Concordia, while the rest are in missions across Kansas, as well as Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas, and in Brazil. In Kansas, sisters also live and work in Beattie, Belleville, Clay Center, Ellis, Goodland, Hays, Minneapolis, Ness City, Overland Park, Pawnee Rock, Plainville, Salina, Topeka, Wakeeney, Washington and Wichita.
