Nazareth Motherhouse, Concordia, Kan.

Discover Camp 2011

Yes! Rap with the CSJ Sista Volunteers

Fall Fest parade Grand Marshals

Community Garden of Hope flourishes!

With the abundance of rain we have gotten this summer, the Concordia Community Garden of Hope is a beauty to behold! On land provided by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the northeast corner of the Motherhouse property, 26 plots are being cultivated with love and pride — and a good dose of hard work to keep up with weed control. The new sign on West 13th Street identifying the garden adds to the wonder of it all!  People in the community are enjoying their produce and the enjoyment of working the land.  Come see!

Annual tour for Concordia fourth-graders, April 29. 2010

Each year, all the fourth-graders from Concordia Elementary School spend one spring afternoon touring the Motherhouse, with Sisters of St. Joseph as their guides.

This group was led by Sister Francis Margaret Otter, who told stories both about the historic building and about the sisters who have lived here throughout the years.

Sisters of St. Joseph gather in Buenos Aires

Sister Esther Pineda from Salina, Kan., and Sisters Joseleide da Silva Neves and Janira Lindoso Diniz, both of Picos, Piauí, Brazil, are represnting the Concordia congregation at the Caribbean Latin American CSSJ Seminar now being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.


The seminar began April 14 and continues through April 29. There are 101 particiopants at the seminar, representing 19 Sisters of St. Joseph congregations and 15 countries. Sister Esther is one of just nine participants from the United States.

Candlelight vigil focuses awareness on sexual assault victims

About 25 Sisters of St. Joseph and other concerned community members gathered Tuesday evening at the Motherhouse to pray for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Carol Miller, director of the local CASA organization and Hope’s Place, read three stories written by people who have suffered abuse, while Cameron Presler of the Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas helped participants light candles. Sister Jean Befort read the closing prayer.

This was the second time the annual ceremony has been held at the Motherhouse in Concordia as part of the national recognition of April as Sexual Assault Awarenes Month.

Workers break out sledge hammers for new center

Workers wielding sledge hammers and crowbars today began tearing out the old concrete entry to a century-old downtown building, as the next step in the creation of the Neighbor to Neighbor center.

Meanwhile, workers inside the two-story building at 103 E. Sixth St. continued that renovation of the former Conn’s Electric and Appliance store into a center providing services, classes and information for women and women with children.

Heath Hoge and Jesse Williams are the workers hired for the deconstruction and reconstruction of the entryway at the front of the building. Once their work is complete, the old single concrete step will be replaced by a wheelchair-accessible doorway.

This morning’s work had them breaking up the old concrete with sledgehammers and then loading up the rubble to be hauled away.

Inside, employees of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia — Gene Ganstrom, Brad Snyder, Curtis Mansfield and Jim Helton — worked on installing door frames and doors throughout the building. Much of the interior renovation has been completed, with the bulk of the work done by the sisters’ employees and a number of volunteer crews.

Sisters Pat McLennon, Jean Befort and Ramona Medina will operate Neighbor to Neighbor when it opens this spring. In the meantime, the three staff a small interim program at the Nazareth Motherhouse every Monday and Wednesday morning.

A Valentine’s Day party for Neighbor to Neighbor

The Neighbor to Neighbor program hasn’t moved to its still-being-renovated building in downtown Concordia yet — and that may have been a good thing Wednesday.

The nine toddlers and pre-schoolers — along with four moms and a grandmom — needed the space of the Motherhouse Auditorium this morning to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day with music, dance, impromptu soccer instruction and a party with gifts for everyone.

Sisters Ramona Medina, Jean Befort and Pat McLennon — the three sisters who are the force behind Neighbor to Neighbor — supervised and took part in all the activities with the children, while the moms had a chance to get to know each other and chat. Sister Lucy Schneider came to provide music on the piano, and was accompanied by the children marching and playing everything from bells to tambourines. And Sister Agnes Bernita Green arrived to lend her 54 years experience as a teacher and school-party participant.

The interim Neighbor to Neighbor program is held Monday and Wednesday mornings at the Motherhouse, and is expected to continue until mid-March. By then, renovation on the two-story building at 103 E. Sixth St. should be complete, and the center will open with daily programs for women and women with young children.

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