Handmade gifts attract shoppers to Motherhouse

The annual Motherhouse Crafts Sale drew an early crowd this morning as shoppers came to support the Sisters of St. Joseph — and stock up on a wide array of handmade gifts.

Sisters Jackie Kircher, Leah Smith, Susan Stoeber and Cecilia Green work all year to stock the sale with knitted scarves and blankets, Christmas ornaments, holiday decorations of all types, jewelry, dolls and stuffed animals. And this year, the Neighbor to Neighbor center also had a table of gifts made by women taking part in programs at the downtown center.

In another part of the Motherhouse, the Relay for Life team was putting on a bake sale to benefit cancer research, and the Nazareth Gift Shop was open to ensure there were even more items available for eager shoppers.

Proceeds from the annual sale, always held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, help support the Sisters and their ministries.

Nov. 26, 2010: 10:59 — One more minute for Herbert Gunther, by Brenton Phillips

I’m willing to bet 10:59 a. m. doesn’t mean much to you, other than that it is a minute before 11:00. Clocks control us so robotically we don’t think about single minutes. Why should we? We don’t have time!

I’m also willing to bet the name Herbert Gunther doesn’t mean anything to you, either. I hope, however, that Herbert Gunther and 10:59, the time at which he is forever frozen, will mean something to you after you’ve read this piece.

Recently, we commemorated another Veterans Day. We know the significance of the number eleven associated with that day:  11th month, 11th day, 11th hour — the armistice ending World War I.

Herbert Gunther saw the morning of the 11th day of the 11th month, but he didn’t live to see the 11th hour.

I always had the impression that when the politicians and the generals finally came to their senses in the autumn of 1918 and decided to end the slaughter — the soldiers in the trenches had figured this one out years earlier — and the armistice was signed at 5 a. m. on Nov. 11, the guns would fall silent and the survivors in the trenches would breathe sighs of relief and just wait for 11 a.m. when the armistice would go into effect.

After all, between 1914 and 1918 the casualties were mind-boggling. At the Battle of Loos in September 1915, 16,000 British soldiers died — about four men for every yard of French terrain taken. (The farthest push by British troops was two-and-a-half miles.) On the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, again on French soil, 19,000 British soldiers were killed. That’s killed, not wounded, captured, or missing.  Passchendale was another horror among a multitude of horrors.

No wonder German machine gunners, hearing officers’ whistles across No Man’s Land, watched in dismay and disbelief when the American 26th Division went over the top at 10:35 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.  Perhaps they hoped that there would be a repeat of the Christmas 1914 truce when British, French, and German troops met between the barbed wire, sang carols, drank champagne and wine, shared photos and played soccer with anything that would roll, including helmets. Such peaceful behavior infuriated generals.

But on the morning of Nov. 11, 1918, could fraternization with the enemy still be considered traitorous behavior?

Knowing the war was to officially end in 25 minutes, why bother with another attack?  Why take terrain with blood when it would be handed over anyway after the armistice?  A parting shot? Revenge?

According to historian Joseph Persico, generals at that moment “had two choices:  to stop fighting, save lives and risk censure for not pressing on to the very last; or to keep fighting, spend lives, avoid potential disobedience and perhaps gain victories, even promotions.”

One general attacked a town partly for the bathing facilities his men wouldn’t have if the Germans remained there after 11:00. Seven American commanders ordered their troops to ceasefire as soon as they got word of the armistice. Nine didn’t.

Persico reports that during the last six hours of the war, there were 10,944 casualties on the western front, including 2,738 deaths — the casualties were “nearly 10 percent higher than those on D-Day. There was, however, a vast difference. The men storming the Normandy beaches were fighting for victory. Men dying on Armistice Day were fighting in a war already decided.”

In Shrewsbury, England, bells began ringing at 11:00. Citizens flooded the streets, celebrating the end of the carnage. Minutes later, a bicycle messenger — with other news — rode up to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Owen’s door:  “It is my painful duty to inform you…” British poet Wilfrid Owen had survived combat for two years, suffered shell-shock, recovered in a British hospital, was sent back to France. He wrote some of the most moving poetry ever about the futility of war. Exactly one week before the end, a machine gun ended his war.

And Herbert Gunther? His death is recorded as occurring at 10:59 — the last American to die in the war.

We wonder about time. Should there be a timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan? Is it the right time to let the shaky Iraqi government stand on its own? Complex questions, ones that shouldn’t, can’t, be taken lightly. The right course of action sometimes seems stalemated in ambiguity.

The issue seemed more black-and-white on Nov. 11, 1918. At the risk of committing the logical fallacy of omniscience, I’d bet that one more minute, and Herbert Gunther would have gone home to a long life, a family, a career.

What does this have to do with us 92 years later in North Central Kansas? There are a lot of 10:59 people needing just a little more time. Shall we give them a minute, move our clocks forward to 11:00?

Do it for Herbert Gunther.

— Brenton Phillips chairs the English-Communications Department at Cloud County Community College.

Neighbor to Neighbor needs to grow!

In early May 2010, when three Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia opened the doors for the first time at Neighbor to Neighbor, we had no idea what to expect.

We knew there were women in Concordia and Cloud County who felt isolated and alone. We knew there were women living on the streets. We knew there were women feeling the increasing pressure of parenthood, a tough economy and an inability to make changes in their lives. We knew there were women who just needed the friendship of other women. Simply put, we knew there were women who needed the neighborly hand we were stretching out. But would those women take our hand?

Less than six months later, the answer is a resounding Yes!

• • • • • • • • • •

From May through October, women and their young children have made more than 1,800 visits to the storefront center at 103 E. Sixth St. The three sisters have been there to meet the needs of more than 80 individual women.

In addition five women have completed their community service commitments at the center, and another 17 women from throughout the community have stepped forward as volunteers.

But such success has a downside: The center that opened with community fanfare in May is proving too small to contain the growing array of programs offered and women taking part.

So beginning Dec. 1, Neighbor to Neighbor is growing up — literally.

That’s when construction is expected to begin to double the size of the 6-month-old center by renovating the second story into useable space.

When Greg Gallagher, facilities manager for the Sisters of St. Joseph, began planning work on the two-story building a year and a half ago, he knew that the project would be more resurrection than renovation — particularly on the second floor, which had not been used for anything other than storage for decades.

So when the first floor was cleaned out and the lath and plastic removed from the walls, that work was done on the second floor, too. The only other work upstairs was to remove the boards that had filled the three large windows facing Sixth Street and replace them with new vinyl windows.

Then the work upstairs stopped.

Downstairs, on the main floor, Nazareth Motherhouse employees completely refinished the 122-year-old structure, adding new plumbing, lighting, a heating and cooling system, interior walls, a complete kitchen, bathroom facilities, a laundry room, flooring and all the finishings.

When the center opened in May, it featured soft colors throughout — except for the vibrant paint of the children’s playroom.

It also seemed to offer ample space for the women who would be welcomed there by Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina, the Sisters of St. Joseph who conceived of the center and now staff it every day.

From Monday through Friday, the sisters and volunteers offer classes and services that range from one-on-one tutoring for GED exams and book studies to providing a place to do laundry or take showers and classes in sewing, baking, lacemaking and household budgeting. Individual counseling services are also available as needed, as is help in navigating the social services maze. And, for some moms, the center has become a place to go with their young children, to give the kids a chance to play and the moms a chance to befriend other moms.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and individual donations.

“This is about one neighbor helping another,” as Sister Ramona explains it.

And the neighbors throughout Cloud County have responded — the center is often packed throughout the day.

So Gallagher and the sisters began working on a plan to bring the upstairs back to life, in much the same way as was done downstairs.

Second-floor plans call for an art room, a private counseling or small meeting room, two more bathrooms, lots of storage space and a kitchenette that will look out over a large play area for children.

Sister Jean emphasizes the word “large” in that description of the coming work: “With more and more children, they really need a bigger space,” she explains, “and this is the only way we can provide that.”

Again, Motherhouse employees will do the bulk of the work, which keeps the labor costs for the project low.

But Neighbor to Neighbor is launching a fund drive that will pay for materials and furnishings. A donation of $24.33 will pay to renovate one square foot of the upstairs space; a donation of $48.66 will pay for two square feet, and so on.

“We hope this will truly give people in Concordia and Cloud County a sense that they are investing in what we’re doing here,” said Sister Pat. “Neighbor to Neighbor is for the women of Cloud County, and this is a way for individuals to help us by paying for a piece of it.”

The fund drive is also beginning on Dec. 1, with the hope that people throughout the area will consider tax-deductible donations before the end of the year.

Gallagher expects the work on the upstairs to be completed next spring.

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 fill in the amount of your donation and then click on the Donate button:

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Sale features handmade items (& hugs)

Gray skies and chilly weather were not enough to keep Neighbor to Neighbor from filling up early for today’s Holiday Gifts Boutique. Most came to shop for handcraft crafts and homemade treats. Others came just to show support for the new center in downtown Concordia. And still others were there because they were the women who created everything that was for sale.

• • • • • • • •

The first-ever event at Neighbor to Neighbor gave the women who have been taking part in the center’s programs a chance to show off their handiwork and to help support the center. All the programs, classes, services and even hugs are free to the women who take part; funding comes from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and donations from organizations and individuals.

Neighbor to Neighbor opened last May at 103 E. Sixth St. and is operated by three Sisters of St. Joseph — Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina — and a growing cadre of volunteers. The center is designed to meet the needs of women and women with young children in Concordia and Cloud County by providing a safe place to spend time and the fellowship of other women.

In its first six months of operation, Neighbor to Neighbor had more than 1,800 visits from women who took part in everything from GED tutoring, English as a second language lessons and budgeting workshops to baking classes, individual counseling and conversation over a cup of coffee.

“Usually I just come in here for a hug,” said one woman at Saturday’s sale. “Today I’ll give back a little by buying a few things.”

Nov. 19, 2010: Take responsibility for bringing peace to your life, by Leah Haden

The dictionary defines responsibility as “being accountable for one’s actions and decisions.” Every action we do either promotes peace or causes distress. Personally, I want to be responsible for peaceful actions.

Peace is a commonly debated ideal. Pageant contestants often mention “world peace” in interviews, but talking about a behavior and actually practicing that behavior are two different cases. Newspapers, television and other media report acts of anger, fear, and destruction. Yet if we’re all striving for peace, why do we keep reading about all these violent actions? Why is it that we desire peace, but rarely experience it?

Here’s a thought: Who are we waiting on to take the first step toward peace?

It seems that most people wait around for peace to come from others. People seem to believe today that world leaders, teachers, celebrities and those in authority are the only ones who are responsible for peace.

But I believe we have just as much of an impact individually if we initiate peace in our daily lives.

Peace can be practiced in any way in any place. It can start by greeting someone you walk by, by offering to run errands for a neighbor, by giving good advice, by being available to listen, by showing a smile or by taking part in a conversation. All of these seemingly small actions create harmony, which is what peace is all about.

Gandhi said it best: “Be the change you want the world to be.”

If you want to experience peace, you must be the one to take responsibility for it. Every action is watched by someone. Others will then see how you act and imitate it. It’s a chain reaction. People will start to hold you accountable for the peaceful attitude you share.

Don’t wait for another person to initiate peace in your life. You might be the one that other people are waiting on. As Psalms 34:14 says, “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

— Leah Haden is a senior at Concordia High School and is the daughter of Rick and Kelli Haden.

Four women join agrégée orientation

The Sisters of St. Joseph welcomed on Saturday three candidates and one pre-candidate into the process of becoming agrégée sisters.

• • • • • •

The four women were received at a special Mass in the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Nazareth Motherhouse, at the end of the congregation’s annual Assembly.

Three of the women are now agrégée candidates, beginning what is expected to be a three-year process of study and spiritual discernment with mentors from the Concordia congregation. Those three are:

• Dian Hall of Cartersville, Ga.
• Susan Klepper of St. Louis, Mo.
• Beth Weddle of Concordia

Dee Morris of Fort Collins, Colo., is a “pre-candidate,” who will spend another year deciding whether she is called to become an agrégée candidate.

The term agrégée — pronounced ah-gre-ZHEY — comes from the French for “attached to” or “aggregated with.” It is a form of membership in the religious congregation that dates back to our founding in 17th-century France, when Sisters of St. Joseph were either canonically vowed “principal sisters” or so-called agrégée or “country” sisters. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia re-established — and revitalized — this form of religious life in 2006.

Today there are four women who have professed the vow of fidelity to God and to the congregation as “agrégées.” Another four are in varying stages of the process of deciding if this form of religious life fits them and their spiritual needs. Two of those four are expected to profess their vows as agrégées in June 2011.

Each of the new candidates has a mentor or mentors from within the congregation to help with her spiritual discernment. Those mentors are Sisters Helen Mick and Jodi Creten from Atlanta, Sisters Sylvia Winterscheidt and Loretta Jasper of Concordia and Sister Rosabel Flax of Ness City, Kan.

To learn more about the agrégée form of membership, contact Sister Bette Moslander at 785/243-4428 or by email at bmoslander@mannahouse.org.

Or, click on any of the links below to read recent stories about the agrégées who are now part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia:

• Agrégées may help define 21st century religious life
• Agrégées and Vowed Sisters
• Sister Ann Ashwood-Piper
• Sister Jean Ann Walton

Nov. 12, 2010: Can peace prevail in the stained streets of Belfast? by Colm Lambe

As innocent victims howl in the aftermath of an explosion in the streets of Belfast, in Northern Ireland, the thought of peace seems distant. Belfast is separated between Catholics and Protestants who have killed each other for more than 30 years. Innocent victims of all ages have died during these troubled times. Bullets, bombs and knives have all been used to kill and injure innocent children, men and women.

Although people have tried to spread the word of peace, some people insist that anarchy is the most profitable way of continuing.

Catholics fought for civil rights and to become part of the independent Republic of Ireland.  The minority Catholics in Northern Ireland, which remains a part of the United Kingdom, were treated as second-class citizens by their majority Protestant counterparts who wished to stay loyal to the British Empire.

The difference in opinion transformed Belfast into a war zone.  Catholics formed paramilitary groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to protect Catholics who were being harassed by Protestants. In response, Protestants formed their own paramilitary groups, like the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The IRA and UVF have destroyed innocent families and taken hundreds of lives over the past three decades.

Ceasefires — including the 1998 “Good Friday Agreement” that officially ended the violence — have been tried to derail the burning hate that separates Belfast, but nothing has changed. Innocent lives have still been lost, and the word “peace” is still spoken like a childhood dream.

When will people finally realize that killing each other is not the way we must treat those who have different opinions?  When will the island of Ireland wake up and realize that this game of cat and mouse has terrorized people of both religions and the innocent bloodstained footpaths can never be cleansed?

I have spent many summers in Belfast with my father’s family. I have seen bombs exploding and ash hanging in the air like a soul on its way to heaven. I have heard gunshots in the night and seen the headlines in the next day’s newspaper. Although peace sometimes seems like a dream, the nightmare of war is a reality.

The reality of peace can only come true, however, by keeping the fragile dream alive.

• Colm Lambe is from Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland. He is a student at Cloud County Community College and a member of the T-Birds soccer team.

Two new Manna House retreats set for leadership

Manna House of Prayer has announced two new retreats specifically designed for those serving in leadership in their religious communities.

• “Leadership in Uncertain Times” is set for Jan. 14-19. The program is designed for leaders of Christian communities, both lay and religious, and is tailored to meet the needs of those called to lead in the 21st century. Each day is devoted to a different facet of the mystery of Christ in the mystery of leadership.

The retreat’s coordinator is Sister Marcia Allen, president of the Sisters of St Joseph of Concordia. She has worked for three decades with religious communities in Chapater preparation, Constitution development and leadership discernment. She holds a doctorate in applied ministries from the Graduate Theological Foundation.

Participants in this retreat will arrive on Jan. 13 and depart on Jan. 20. The cost is $600, which includes registration plus all meals and lodging at Manna House. For a downloadable brochure, CLICK HERE.

• “Life After Elected Leadership: The Journey Continues” is set for Feb. 24-March 1. Designed for leaders of religious institutes of women in the Roman Catholic Rite who will not be renewing their terms of office, this retreat will help prepare you for the last tasks in leadership and the next steps in your religious life.

The presenters will be Sister Marcia Allen and Sister Bette  Moslander. Bette is a past president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia and holds a doctorate un religious studies from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame. She has also done post-graduate work at Lumen Vitae and Weston School of Theology.

The cost is $550, which includes registration plus all meals and lodging at Manna House. For a downloadable brochure, CLICK HERE.

For information on either of these workshop or to find out more about Manna House of Prayer, CLICK HERE or call 785/243-4428 or email retreatcenter@mannahouse.org

Sisters’ counseling center prepares for 30th anniversary

When Sisters Faye Heulsmann and Pat Lewter opened their home in 1981 to serve those with little access to professional counseling, they may not have realized they were beginning what 30 years later would be a vital community agency in Grand Junction, Colo.

As the Counseling and Education Center that grew out of the effort by the two Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia prepares to celebrate its 30^th anniversary, the staff sends its thanks to the congregation for contributing to the CEC’s success.

Executive Director Penny Frankhouser credited “the perseverance of these two sisters” with the agency’s longevity and impact on the community. Today CEC serves more than 600 clients a year.

And, Frankhouser said, Sisters Faye and Pat continue to be a vibrant part of the agency, providing counseling services to children, individuals, and adolescent.  Sister Faye provides play therapy to very young children, and is considered an expert in her field. Sister Pat not only provides counseling at CEC, with her expertise working with troubled adolescents, but she is also a part-time school counselor at the Holy Family Catholic School.

In 1995, the CEC structure was changed, so it now has a community board made up of 11 business owners, professionals and members of the faith community in Grand Junction.

The board remains dedicated to the center’s primary mission: “Providing affordable professional counseling to families and individuals in need.”

Today CEC has a staff of more than 15 and an annual budget of nearly $250,000.

And, Frankhouser said, the need for affordable professional counseling remains as great; many Mesa County residents have been hit hard by the recently declining natural gas industry and widespread national economic instability.

With the guidance of Sisters Pat and Faye, the CEC has created a community of professional staff who believe in CEC’s core values: Affordability, dedication, meeting emotional needs and community.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COUNSELING AND EDUCATION CENTER IN GRAND JUNCTION, COLO., CLICK HERE.

Nov. 5, 2010: We can all take responsibility for peace, by Patrick Sieben

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.”

So begins Max Ehrmann’s “Desiderata,” a short but poignant work penned more than a half century ago.

Look at the words. Say them out loud. Do you understand? Peace is so very often reflective, contemplative, silent. But who among us will carry on the crusade for the very peacefulness we so crave? An honest peace. A comforting peace. A lasting peace. Who bears the responsibility for peace?

When we examine closely, or even from great distance, the recent and not so recent events of our world, we are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the atrocities human beings inflict on one another. International and domestic terrorism, war and the threat of war around the world, hundreds of thousands of children dying of disease and starvation.

Right here in our own country, still the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth, we see crime, homelessness and racial strife. So much so that we risk becoming completely desensitized and turn our heads away pretending not to see. Even in our very homes we find violence, poverty and hopelessness. And look at the toll we have exacted from the Earth itself. The list is long and growing. So, who bears the responsibility for peace?

Next Thursday we will commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Armistice between the Allied Forces and the European Central Powers, which at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 brought to a close the “war to end all wars.” Since 1953 it has been our custom on that day to honor all those who have served in our armed forces and thank those who have secured freedom and peace.

Consider this: What if each and every one of us were to enlist ourselves, not with the military, but into a cadre of peacemakers? A cadre whose commission was to be on good terms with all persons and to speak our truth quietly and clearly, and to listen to others. Every day would be a day of honor. An honor earned through ideas and actions that enhanced and benefited the lives of all people. Beginning in our homes, then extending into our town, our state, our nation and our world, infecting all with that feeling of peacefulness that warms and comforts the soul.

Sound impossible? Not really. Do you remember the words of those individuals who have changed the world?

Recall these words from the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ: “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” From the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln: “Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” And from President John F, Kennedy’s Inaugural Address: “… Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

There are many who, through their ideas and actions, have changed the world to be a better place. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream…

Let us all bear the responsibility for peace.

— Patrick Sieben is the Director of Bands at Cloud County Community College and a member of the Concordia Year of Peace Committee.

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