CYO teens work on center cleanup

A work crew of more than a dozen members of the local Catholic Youth Organization spent this morning (Saturday) cleaning out the second floor of what will become the Neighbor to Neighbor center in downtown Concordia.

The teens from the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church group hauled out load after load of trash and plastic, carrying much of it down the fire escape at the rear of the building.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia purchased the two-story century-old building this spring, and will renovate the entire structure before it opens as Neighbor to Neighbor, probably early in 2010.

And while maintenance employees from the Motherhouse have done some cleanup already, this was the first big volunteer effort to get the building ready for remodeling, said Renn Allsman, the sisters’ maintenance supervisor who was on end as the teens worked Saturday morning.

Greg Gallagher, facilities administrator for the sisters, said the renovation will include repairing old water damage throughout the building, and then installing new plumbing and fixtures throughout, plus new sheetrock, dropped ceilings, carpet, other flooring, lighting and paint. Many of the windows will be replaced as part of the restoration, and the front entrance will be modified to be handicap accessible.

Neighbor to Neighbor will provide a wide array of services for women and for women with young children and be a resource center to help them find other services they need, said Sister Pat McLennon, one of the drivers of the project.

Services offered will likely include nutrition and parenting classes, workshops on healthy living, personal counseling and information on what help is available through other agencies. The center will also have small facilities to meet what Sister Pat described as “basic needs” — showers, at least two washers and dryers and a kitchen.

In the coming months, the sisters will seek grants and gifts to fund the renovation of the building, which is in good structural condition despite its need for extensive cleanup and remodeling to meet the sisters’ needs.

If you’d like to help support Neighbor to Neighbor or any of the sisters’ other ministries, you can make a donation through a secure server with Amazon Simple Pay, simply by clicking on the Donate button:

Sister Venard Venus, Feb. 13, 1910-Aug. 26, 2009

Eulogist: Mary Jo Thummel, CSJ

Vigil: Aug. 27, 2009

Lord, keep me working, keep me fit,
At windows I don’t want to sit.
Watching my fellows hurrying by;
Let me stay busy till I die.
Grant me strength, breath, and will,
A need to serve and a task to do.
Let me each morning rise anew
Eager and glad that I can bear
My portion of the morning care.
Lord, I don’t want to sit about
broken and tired and all worn out;
Afraid of rain, and wind and cold;
Let me stay busy when I am old.
Although I walk at a slower pace
Still let me meet life face to face
This is my prayer as time goes by.
Lord, keep me busy till I die.
This is my prayer as time goes by.

This prayer/poem comes from a notebook in which Sr. Venard had collected prayers, sayings, a retreat note or two and other memorabilia that were meaningful to her life. This evening we gather as community, family and friends to remember and celebrate Sr. Venard’s life as we knew it.

Sr. Venard Venus was born February 13, 1910 on a farm south of Gorham, Kansas. Her parents were John Wesley and Johanna Elizabeth Donovan. She was given the name Mabel Cecilia. Her two brothers, Raymond and Chester and her sister Beatrice Steinert all preceded her in death.

For her first four years of school , Mabel attended Winterset School. This was a one room schoolhouse a mile and half from her home, to which she walked daily. One vivid recollection of these years was of a bitter cold day when Mabel was staying with her cousin because her Mother was in Mayo Clinic. She says, “No one came to get us and we were almost frozen little girls by the time we got home. “

During that summer Mabel’s Mother was in Mayo’s, and Sister Eucharista, her mother and brothers came to live with them.

True to her middle name of Cecilia, Mabel started piano lessons at the age of 7. Her teacher was Sister Domitilla and she was always glad to see her come to the door because she spoke English better than the rest. (Most of the people in Gorham spoke German at that time, as did the Sisters.) Mabel’s father played the violin and taught her to cord with some of his pieces. The first piece she remembers playing with him was “Over the Waves”.

At the age of 9, Mabel and her family moved to Longmont Colorado. There she was taught by the Franciscan sisters until she graduated high school in 1927.

Though she says nothing about this in her life review, I know that in 1924 she had a run in with a car and her right ankle was injured. The injury healed but left her with stiffness and a limp in that leg. I never knew it to slow her down or hinder anything she set her mind to doing.

After graduating high school, Mabel stayed home for 2 years and worked and continued her music. In the fall of 1929 she went to Mary mount. It was there that she decided to enter the Sisters of St. Joseph. Here is what she says about that event. “I was there only one year, but even that was a big sacrifice for my parents, for which I am deeply grateful. For it was at Marymount that my final decision to be a Sister of St. Joseph was made. Mother Chrysostom was the one who helped me. I left home on Aug. 31, 1930, spent time with relatives and on Sunday, Sept. 7, in the company of Mother Chrysostom, Sister Joseph Marie and Sister Collette, the trip to Concordia was made. There are memories, of course, but one stands at the close of the day. I lay on my bed, crossed my arms, and knowing that I wanted to give myself totally to God, – I told Him I was ready to die.”

Sr. Venard makes no mention of how she came to have the name Venard and I don’t know that story.

Sr. Venard mentions only a few of missions on which she served and a significant memory or memories attached to each. Her first mission experience was in Herndon and she speaks of coping with the dust storms there and of how she taught music but also taught 6th and 8th grades when Sister Concordia had to go to the hospital.

She also mentions returning to the Motherhouse, during that time, in order to be there the specified time before pronouncing temporary vows on August 15th, 1936. Sr. Venard’s band members who pronounced vows with her were: Sr. Ann Loretta Moore, Sr. Marie Norbertine Dreiling, Sr. Carmella Heidrick and Mother Therese Marie Stafford.

After pronouncing vows, Sr. Venard was to have her first home visit, but since it was so close to the beginning to the new school year Mother Rose asked her if she would wait one more year. If she would, Mother Rose promised her a month at home. Mother Rose was true to her word and Sister Eucharista and Sister Venard went home from July 9 to Aug. 9, 1937. This was the only home visit Sr. Venard had with her mother as she died to following January.

The next mission experience that Sr. Venard mentions is Lake Linden because it was there that she had the distinction of being invited to teach Latin in the Public High school. She was always proud of that accomplishment and of the students whose lives she touched there. An appreciative student (on the occasion of her 50th Jubilee) had this to say, “I knew you, Sister Venard some thirteen years ago in God’s Country, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You were my Latin teacher, I know, but too, you were something more than that. You were an understanding, sympathetic and most rewarding teacher I had ever known. Your prayers for me each day were for someone who need them, and those prayers, I feel brought to me many high lights in my life.” This student has kept in touch with Sr. Venard all these years and remarked when told of her death that she was someone he loved.

Of the last mission she was on Sr. Venard says, “My last sixteen years on mission were spent in Oakley, KS. Even after retiring, I helped with the Liturgies and became involved in Bible Study groups, and activities in the parish. I left there with many beautiful memories.”
People there also had beautiful memories of Sr. Venard. Mayor Mona Close proclaimed May 3rd, 1991 as Sr. Venard Venus day in Oakley, KS. Her proclamation lauds Sr. Venard for playing an important role in the leadership of the community in basic human, moral, and spiritual foundations…strengthening the school by starting a fourth, fifth and sixth grade band….visiting the sick and homebound…constant care of the prayer board, liturgy planning and participation in bible study.

Along with the missions which she mentioned, Sister Venard also served on our Kansas missions in Salina, Damar, Leoville, Beloit, Park, Junction City, Tipton, and in Chicago and St. George Illinois and Grand Island Nebraska.

Music, of course, was Sister Venard’s priority and her teaching ranged from Kindergarten through High School.

She had a BME in music education from Marymount College and a MME in music education from Chicago Music College in Chicago, Illinois.

I lived with Sr. Venard in Lake Linden, Michigan. After a bout of locking horns, we became fast friends. She had an all school (1st through 8th grades) marching band that won all kinds of awards throughout the Upper Peninsula. The parents help design and make the uniforms and we were all proud of how good our School Band sounded and looked and, of course, Sr. Venard beamed with pride. I was always amazed that she taught music theory from Kindergarten on up and got her grade school bands to sound so good. She commanded respect and yet the youngsters had fun. I wonder how far the used instruments that she collected, cleaned and repaired would reach if placed end to end. It was a whole education to me to see the many parts each instrument had and to watch Sr. Venard patiently take them apart, clean them, and get mellow tones to emerge.

Sr. Venard and I crossed paths once more in Oakley. We worked together there on the musicals she produced. She did the music, of course, and I designed the programs. I have kept some of those works of art and seeing them always brings back fond memories. One memory I have from Oakley, with regards to music, was when a very monotone 5th grade boy was determined to canter for the children’s Masses. Instead of discouraging this young man, Sr. Venard worked with him all through the 5th and 6th grades before he left for public school. A number of years later, when he was in college, I heard Richard sing at his grandfather’s funeral. His voice was rich and full and he sounded wonderful. This is only one of the many acts of encouragement and caring I witnessed Sr. Venard perform with the young and later the old. She was a loyal pianist and accompanists for services in nursing homes and hospital when we were in Oakley and encouraged me in my ability to put together and lead the services.

Along with her musical talents, Sr. Venard was a craftswoman. She crocheted, made fancy pin cushions out of tuna cans, crafted scratchers from milk jug handles and nylon netting, made Christmas ornaments and many other things out of plastic canvas. She even took on bigger projects like helping Father Dion set up the listening lab in Lake Linden where students could use study corrals and headsets to learn foreign languages. It was a sad day for her when she had to lay aside her craft projects because her hands had become too arthritic. Most of what she made, she gave away.

She taught me to crochet and to read crochet patterns while we were in Michigan and was a very patient teacher. I have always been grateful for her calling forth this talent in me. Many a Christmas stocking has been filled because she taught me this skill. Actually she encouraged and mentored me in many areas and my life is enriched because of her.

Sr. Venard had a great love of live and adventure and wasn’t afraid to try anything new. We ventured together to many craft fairs, county fairs, corn festivals, hot air balloon festivals, and card clubs, to name a few. I know she really wanted a ride in a hot air balloon and I think that wish was fulfilled. The fun was in the adventure, the challenge, the trip and those who accompanied her.

People loved doing things for Sr. Venard. She was generous with them and they were generous in return.

One of the highlights in her life was the little care packages Dick Lewis (Sister Eucharista’s nephew) sent her and which she gleefully shared with others.

She also appeared small and helpless. Note I said appeared. Actually, Sr. Venard was anything but helpless. She could hold her own in any situation and back down people who appeared much larger and stronger than she. Not many days went by that she didn’t give me one of her looks and a “much about you” or some other admonition, but I didn’t experience her staying upset for long.

Sr. Venard had this to say about life, “Life for me is an awareness of where I am and what I am about conscious of what is around me. I am absorbed in it.”

In these last months, Sr. Venard had to surrender her life little by little but I know she never let go of trying to pray or be present to God in prayer. Her rosary was constantly in her hands and she appreciated an Our Father or Hail Mary being prayed at her bedside. Many of the things she put into the notebook which she gave me had to do with her spiritual life. In her life review she has this to say on that subject, “Of all the retreats I have made, there are 2 which I really treasure as having a great influence on my prayer life. The first one was given by the Jesuits – Fathers Campbell and McMahon. It was on the different types of prayer. Although I didn’t call it Centering Prayer – I think it was my introduction to it. For, being near Lake Superior, I could sit on the shore and spend the afternoon absorbed in the beauty of God’s world. But I didn’t realize what a beautiful prayer it was until that retreat. The other retreat was given by Father Frank Hoelck. During Mass at the close of retreat, each retreatant knelt on a predieu in the aisle before the altar with Father and Sister Bette Moslander on either side. After renewing vows, Father gave a blessing and spoke of something that was important to me in the retreat. That renewal of vows touched me in ways I can’t explain.”

Sr. Venard’s last Commitment to Mission Statement states: “As I enter into my 100th year of life, I peacefully look to God’s presence in prayer, knowing that all is in God’s hands.”

Sr. Venard finished her life review (written on Tuesday, August 12, 1997) with these words, “ I will finish with the same thought as I did on my jubilee in 1991—The journey which began on Sept.7, 1930, continues and, through the people and events in my life, I know that God walks with me. I listen and witness with my life.”

On the last page on her notebook Sr. Venard has a Resolution written. I believe it might have been something she wrote herself but I can’t be sure. I’d like to share it with you.

My Resolution
I won’t look back,
God knows the fruitless efforts,
the wasted hours, the sinning, the regrets;
I’ll leave them all with Him
who blots the record,
and mercifully forgives,
And then forgets.

I won’t look forward; God sees
all the future,
The road that, short or long,
will lead me home,
and he will face with me it every trial,
and bear with me the burdens that may come.

But I’ll look up — into
the face of Jesus,
for there my heart can rest,
my fears are stilled;
and there is joy and love,
and light for darkness,
and perfect peace,
and every hope fulfilled.

Thank you Sr. Venard for listening and witnessing with your life for 99 years. We are glad you have looked up into the face of Jesus and found joy, love, light, and peace and that your every hope will now be fulfilled.

Longtime music educator Sister Venard Venus dies at age 99

Sister Venard Venus died Aug, 26, 2009, at Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia. She was 99 years old and a Sister of St. Joseph for 78 years. She was born in Gorham, Kan., on Feb. 13, 1910, to John and Johanna Donovan Venus, the third of four children, and was baptized Mabel Cecelia. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Concordia on Sept. 7, 1930.

On March 19, 1931, Mabel received the habit of the Sisters of St. Joseph and was given the name Sister Venard. She pronounced first vows on March 20, 1933, and final vows on August 15, 1936.

Sister Venard received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Marymount College in Salina in 1940. In 1954 she received a master’s degree in music education from Chicago Music College. She taught in schools staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Kansas cities of Herndon, Salina, Damar, Leoville, Beloit, Park, Junction City, Tipton and Oakley; and in Chicago; St. George, Ill.; Grand Island, Neb.; and Lake Linden, Mich. In 1991, Sister Venard retired to Medaille Center in Salina and moved to Nazareth Motherhouse in 2001.

Sister Venard was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and one sister. A Bible Vigil Service will be held Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Nazareth Motherhouse Chapel with Sister Mary Jo Thummel as the eulogist. The Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, Aug. 28, at 3 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Motherhouse, with Father Jack Schlaf presiding. The burial will be in the Nazareth Motherhouse Cemetery. Chaput-Buoy Mortuary, 325 W. 6th St., Concordia, is in charge of arrangements.

Memorials for Sister Venard may be given to the Sisters of St. Joseph Health Care/Retirement Fund or the Apostolic Works of the Sisters; P.O Box 279, Concordia KS 66901.

‘Interrupted Lives’ DVD to be available Sept. 21

The DVD of “Interrupted Lives” is expected to be available Sept. 21 through the Publications Office of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops, which partially funded the documentary.

To order, call 800/235-8722 or go to
www.usccbpublishing.org/showproducts.cfm?WPCID=1240

The cost is $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

Viewers may need to give stations a ‘nudge’

Getting documentary shown may take a little ‘nudge’

ABC TV will be releasing the documentary “Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism” on Sept. 13 — but to get it broadcast on local affiliates may take a little nudge from interested viewers (like us).

The documentary grew out of the decades of research by Sisters Mary Savoie and Margaret Nacke and was written and produced by Sister Judy Zielinski, a Sister of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, and NewGroup Media of South Bend, Ind.

It is being released by ABC as part of its “Vision & Values” series, which is a public service coordinated with the Interfaith Broadcasting Coalition to provide faith programming on network television.

But local ABC stations have no obligation to broadcast it — unless they are urged to do so by viewers who want to see it.

So we’re providing contact information for ABC stations where many of our sisters live, or in areas where those stations are broadcast. Where we have the name of the station’s general manager or programming director, we’re providing it. (And if we don’t have the name, that’s still the title you would ask for.)

Your request might go something like this:

“I’m a viewer of _________________ and I am very interested in the ‘Vision & Values’ program that
has just been released to you by ABC. The title is ‘Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under
European Communism.’ I hope you will be able to broadcast it, and I know many other people
who are looking forward to seeing it, too.”

If they seem receptive, you might also suggest that the station promote it on-air so other viewers will be aware of it, too.

Please be aware if a station does decide to air “Interrupted Lives,” it has eight weeks from the release date to do so.

And also please note that KTKA-TV in Topeka has said it will air the documentary at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 13.

Here are local ABC affiliates, listed alphabetically by state. If your area or station is not listed, the easiest way to find contact info is by using ABC’s online map of station locations. Go to this Web site and click on your state: http://abc.go.com/site/al_ak.html

COLORADO: Grand Junction KJCT-8
General Manager Kristy Santiago
8 Foresight Circle
Grand Junction CO 81505
(970) 245-8880
ksantiago@kjct8.com

KANSAS: Wichita KAKE 10
1500 N. West Street
Wichita KS 67203-1323
(316) 943-4221
programming@kake.com

MISSOURI: Kansas City KMBC-TV
6455 Winchester Ave.
Kansas City MO 64133
(816) 221-9999
Director of Programming kking@hearst.com

NEBRASKA: Kearney KHGI/KWNB
General Manager Vincent F. Barresi
P.O. Box 220
Kearney NE 68848
(308) 743-2494 ext. 101

NEBRASKA: Lincoln KLKN
General Manager Roger Moody
3240 So. 10th St.
Lincoln NE 68502
(402) 434-8000
rmoody@klkntv.com

NEBRASKA: Omaha KETV
2665 Douglas Street
Omaha NE 68131
(402) 345-7777

NEBRASKA: Scottsbluff KDUH/KOTA
1523 1st Ave.
Scottsbluff NE 69361
(308) 632-3071

NEW MEXICO: Albuquerque KOAT 7
3801 Carlisle Blvd
Albuquerque NM 87107
(505) 884-7777

TEXAS: El Paso KVIA-7
Programming Director Karla Huelga
4140 Rio Bravo
El Paso TX 79902
(915) 496-1756
karlah@kvia.com

Will you be able to see ‘Interrupted Lives’? Depends on your local station

For more information on the Interfaith Broadcasting Coalition and its programs, go to:
www.interfaithbroadcasting.com

The hourlong documentary “Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism” is scheduled to be offered by ABC Television on Sept. 13.

But whether you’ll actually be able to see it on your local ABC channel hinges on the verb “offered.”

Under a 30-year-old agreement between the three major American television networks and a group of faith organizations, religious programming is regularly created and then distributed nationwide.

Here’s how it works:

The Interfaith Broadcasting Coalition was formed in 1980 to provide ABC, CBS and NBC with religious programming.
The five members of the IBC are the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Churches, the Islamic Society of North America, the New York Board of Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism.

About 100 million people in the United State attend churches, synagogues and mosques represented by those organizations.

Each year the members of the IBC have the opportunity to help produce documentaries and liturgical programs that are then provided to the network partners.

 ABC’s “Visions & Values” series gives the IBC four one-hour time slots.
NBC’s “Horizons of the Spirit” also provides four hours.
CBS produces the half-hour “Religion & Culture” documentary series four times a year in collaboration with the IBC.

Each network then offers the IBC programs to all of its affiliates by satellite. But each local station makes its own decision about whether to air a program, and when to air it.

As an example, “Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights” is an IBC program offered by NBC in June. As of the end of June, it had been aired once in Kansas (by NBC-affiliate KSNT in Topeka) and had not been shown at all by any of the 25 local NBC stations in Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Iowa or Illinois.

A search of both the NBC and KSNT web sites for “Native Nations” turns up nothing, so there’s no way to tell if it will be aired again.

For the fall of 2009, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is providing “Interrupted Lives” to ABC as one of the “Vision & Values” hours. The IBC web site lists the documentary as being offered on Sept. 13, but there is no corresponding “Vision & Values” section on the ABC-TV web site.

Local ABC stations will make the decision whether to air it.

Viewers can contact the local network affiliate to ask that it be aired, and can check the IBC web site for other upcoming programs.

Documentary to be offered by ABC this fall

The award-winning writer and producer who is the creative force behind the upcoming documentary “Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism” says “no project has influenced me more deeply and personally.”


But Judy Zielinksi, who is a Sister of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, knows she could not have had that experience without the 16 years of dedication and extensive research done by Mary Savoie and Margaret Nacke, both Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia.



Sisters Mary and Margaret first went to Romania in 1993, as volunteers to help the Church in Eastern Europe after the fall of communision.Over the next decade in many visits, they branched out to other Eastern European countries and built relationships with may of the Sisters who had survived behind the Iron Curtain.


In 2003, Sisters Mary and Margaret began serious research into the plight of those Catholic Sisters, eventually covering eight countries and the years spanning the rise of Stalin in Russia to the fall of the Berlin Wall.


That included numerous trips to Eastern Europe, interviews with the women they came to call “Sister Survivors” and extensive academic
study into the local and Church history.


In July 2006, they planned and facilitated a conference in Lviv, Ukraine, bringing together sisters from eight former communist countries. The goal was to examine fundamental values guiding those Sisters who survived under communism and to explore ways those values can be integrated into the lives of American Sisters.
As a result of the work done by Sisters Mary and Margaret, hundreds of testimonies, photographs, books and other documents have been collected and archived at Catholic Theological Union’s Bechtold Library in Chicago.
It was also in 2006 that Sisters Mary and Margaret hired NewGroup Media of South Bend, Ind. — which is where Sister Judy Zielinksi works as a writer and producer — to create a documentary of the story of the Sister Survivors.
“I wasn’t convinced at first,” Sister Judy concedes. But she made the trip to Belleville, Kan., where Sisters Mary and Margaret live and work, and spent two days talking with them and going through their materials.
“They had a huge amount of information, but they didn’t have what’s needed for TV,” recalls Sister Judy, whose credits include the documentary “Jesus Decoded.” “So that’s where my work started.”
A team from NewGroup, including Sister Judy and photographer Lynn King, and Sisters Mary and Margaret traveled together to Eastern Europe, mostly for introductions and to get a better sense of the story.
But once she began meeting the Sisters who had survived, Sister Judy realized this was more than just a scouting trip.
“These were women who were fragile, many of whom were mature women at the end of World War II,” she said. “They were elderly, and many were in frail health. We knew this couldn’t wait.”
During that first trip, they interviewed and videotaped 42 Sister Survivors. They would eventually return for more interviews and taping.
“They recalled their personal experiences of… spending years of labor on collective farms and in state-run factories, foregoing the wearing of their habits and veils, losing the right of free assembly and … banishment from monasteries and convents. Some shared stories of imprisonment, beatings and isolation. Others recalled vows whispered in confessionals, attics or basements out of fear of discovery by the police…”
For Sister Judy, who grew up in a Polish-American parish, the stories they told from the mid 1960s on were particularly moving.
“I was a young Sister teaching high school and coaching cheerleaders, experiencing a new and exciting post-Vatican II time in the Church,” she said, “and their entire culture of religious life and ministry had been destroyed, leaving only tiny remnants of debris floating around. It was sobering.”
It was also a massive creative challenge.
“The scope of this project was daunting,” Sister Judy concedes. “Tell the stories of the Communist experience over 40 years as it unfolded in five Eastern European countries, each with its own culture, history, ethnic populations and languages. And do it in 53 minutes!”
That is expected to be the finished length of the documentary when the final cut is completed.
A couple of hurdles have yet to be crossed, but the expectation is that the film will be offered by ABC television to its affiliates beginning Sept. 13.
Local ABC affiliates then can choose to air it, but have no obligation to do so. (See related story at the bottow of page 6.)
But that won’t be the end of the story — or of the work being done by Sisters Mary and Margaret, who are the executive producers of the documentary.
The DVD of “Interrupted Lives” will be available for sale through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Sisters Mary and Margaret are organizing special showings and discussions to continue to educate people about this period of history.
One such is a colloquium scheduled for Sept 4 and 5 in Atchison.
Information about “Sister Survivors,” including “Faces of Faith” — a traveling exhibit of photographs — is available on the Sisters of St. Joseph web site:

csjkansas.org/faith-works1/

Rural Life adds Sisters to list of honorees

The Sisters of St. Joseph received a surprise honor Sunday afternoon when they hosted the annual Rural Life Day at the Motherhouse in Concordia.


Seven Roman Catholic families received the Monsignor John George Weber Century Farm Award for owning or farming the same land in the Salina diocese for 100 years or more.


But an eighth award was presented at the end of Sunday’s program, honoring the Sisters of St. Joseph for farming their land in Concordia since they arrived in 1884. Receiving the plaque on behalf of the Catholic congregation of women were Sister Anna Marie Broxterman, who had welcomed the crowd that filled the Motherhouse auditorium, and Sister Judy Stephens, who formerly served as a member of the diocese’s Rural Life Committee. Both sisters currently serve on the congregation’s Leadership Council.

Another surprise Sunday was the presence of Monsignor Weber, for whom the awards are named. Monsignor Weber, who recently celebrated his 93rd birthday, was a longtime advocate of the Rural Life Committee and the stewardship of the earth it represents.

Also taking part in the presentations was Salina Bishop Paul Coakley, who gave both the opening and closing prayers.

Sunday’s speaker was Steve Mitchell, a native Concordian who is now in his second growing season as the organic gardener for the Sisters of St. Joseph. He also farms land west of Concordia that has been in his family for more than 100 years.


“One of the joys in farming,” Mitchell told the audience, “is to grow a crop and see it go into the kitchen and be prepared, and then see people enjoy it — that’s what I have at the Motherhouse.”


Mitchell explained the crop rotation he is using on the 170-foot by 105-foot garden just to the south of the Motherhouse and detailed his efforts toward using organic substances and practices “for the good of the earth, and for the sisters’ health.”

But shunning non-organic chemicals is not without its difficulties, he conceded, “Squash bugs are still a challenge,” he said with a laugh. “We keep trying different things…”

As part of the program, the work done by Sister Ann Glatter — who was the Motherhouse gardener for 60 years — was also recognized. And Sister Ann was on hand to offer her encouragement to Mitchell and his efforts.

Mitchell also discussed the sisters’ plan for a community garden that will use organic methods. The garden, in the northeast corner of the Motherhouse grounds, will be a 100-foot by 200-foot plot broken into individual garden spaces that will be the responsibility of the participants.


The only stumbling block has been access to water, Mitchell said, and the sisters are working on obtaining a well permit.

The seven families honored Sunday each had an opportunity to tell the gathering a little about their farm’s history, and their ancestors who first came on the land.

The families honored were:

• Edward H. Kegle of Clyde, who farms land that was homesteaded by his great-grandparents Peter and Celesta Kegle in 1876.

• Dean Koch of Clyde, whose great-grandfather Charles Koch homesteaded near Clifton in 1877 and moved to the land west of Clyde that Dean and his wife Loretta now farm in 1908.

• Herman J. Koch, who is the grandson of Charles Koch and farmed the land near Clyde that his grandfather bought for his father in 1902. Herman Koch attended Sunday’s program, but his son Jeff Koch was the speaker for the family.

• The Muths Family Partnership, which began with Joseph Muths when his family moved to the Tipton area in 1887. Joseph’s son Julius farmed the land until his death in 1976, and the operation has now passed to the children of Julius and Delphine Muths. Delphine was on hand Sunday, and her daughter Carol Barry spoke for the family.


• John J. Schneider Jr., who farmed land west of Salina that his father, John Sr., purchased in 1905. John Jr., who took part in Sunday’s program, deferred to his younger sister — Sister Lucy Schneider, a member of the Concordia congregation — to relate the family’s history.


• The Edgar Schroeder Family, which farms land southwest of Tipton that was purchased by Charles and Frances Schroeder in 1905, adjoining the farm owned by his parents Phillip and Anna Schroeder. The farm is now operated by Chris Schroeder, who spoke on behalf of the family Sunday, and his wife Lisa.


• Paul Splichal, whose grandparents Wesley and Emma Splichal purchased their farm in Munden in 1905 and bequeathed it to Paul’s father, Joseph Splichal.

Threads tie modern workshop to 17th century France

Seventeen women gathered at Manna House of Prayer this week to continue a tradition that the earliest Sisters of St Joseph practiced more than 350 years ago.

Sisters Ramona Medina and Janet Lander, both members of the Concordia congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, are leading a retreat titled “Weaving Threads of Love,” designed to give participants the opportunity to experience and integrate the spirituality and practice of making bobbin lace in a contemplative setting.

Participants came from across Kansas and six other states to learn bobbin-lace making. In addition to the Concordia congregations, other Sisters of St. Joseph in attendance are from the Boston, St. Augustine (Fla.), Springfield (Mass.), Orange (Calif.) and Philadelphia congregations. There are also two laywomen taking part.

The Sisters of St. Joseph was founded in Le Puy, France, in 1650, and members of that early congregation made bobbin lace as a way to support themselves and their works.

Today, Sisters Ramona and Janet lead the retreats at Manna House to share the craft as a contemplative practice that “creates in us heart-space where the connections with God and the dear neighbor may be woven in prayer, as surely as the design of threads and spaces evolves on the lace pillow before our eyes.”

The workshop ends at noon Saturday.

For information on upcoming retreats at Manna House of Prayer, click HERE.

New vocation director moves to Manhattan

As Sister Beverly Carlin moves into her new role as vocation director for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, she also hopes to move the definition of “vocation” beyond its usual link to the word “religious.”

“I see ‘vocation’ as an invitation from God, calling everyone to some kind of vocation,” Sister Beverly explains. “It’s being who God wants us to be — whether we’re married, single, in religious life, in church or not.”

That is the inclusive message Sister Beverly takes with her as she moves to a new home — and her new ministry — in Manhattan, Kan., where the congregation has historically had a strong presence.

Sister Beverly succeeds Sister Anna Marie Broxterman, who had served as vocation director for 18 years. Sister Anna Marie was elected to the sisters’ Leadership Council last year, and asked the congregation to appoint a successor. In appointing Sister Beverly to the duties, the Council also created a three-person “vocation team” to support her, and offer assistance and feedback whenever she needs it.

Sister Anna Marie is a member of that team, along with Sisters Janet Lander and Jean Rosemarynoski, all of whom live in Concordia.

Sister Beverly has moved the vocation office from Topeka to Manhattan, to be a part of the Salina Diocese and to be able to coordinate her work with that of Father Jarett Konrade, the diocesan vocation director. She also notes the vibrant program that operates at St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center in Manhattan, and hopes she will be able to volunteer there.

Sister Beverly entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in 2000, and has served for the past three years as religious education director and RCIA coordinator for St. Matthew Parish in Topeka. A native of Osborne, Kan., she is a graduate of Marymount College with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and general psychology.

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