The October 2018 Messenger is packed full of news and upcoming events

Everyone’s invited to this year’s Pumpkin Patch

That hint of chill in the night air can only mean one thing — it’s almost time for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia’s annual Pumpkin Patch! This year’s family-friendly event will be from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21.

Last year, scores of little kids — with parents, grandparents and older siblings tagging along — flooded onto the Motherhouse grounds to become bean bag-tossers, corn pile diggers, hay rack riders and pumpkin bowlers. And of course many took advantage of all the fun fall photo opportunities!
The entrance will be at the east gate (between the Motherhouse and the Concordia Community Garden of Hope), and admission costs $3 per person, with kids 2 and younger free.

Returning for a fourth year will be the popular hay ride around the Motherhouse grounds, as well as the corn pile, hay stack slide, pumpkin bowling, games, a scavenger hunt and other kids’ activities.

Kids are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes as they take part in the fun.

The event is organized by Ambria Gilliland, the Sisters of St. Joseph assistant development director, with lots of other staff members and volunteers lending a hand. For more information, email agilliland@csjkansas.org.

All proceeds from the event will go towards replacing the roof on the historic Nazareth Motherhouse.

Creating a greener lifestyle

To learn more about the Sisters of St. Joseph Ecological Integrity Committee, CLICK HERE.

Create a backyard wildlife refuge, bird sanctuary and/or vegetable garden.

‘Peterrific’ will be the featured book at Reading with Friends

Do you like to build things?
Then you might identify with the story of “Peterrific!” by Victoria Kann, this month’s featured book at Reading with Friends at Neighbor to Neighbor.
Kann is the New York Times best-selling author/artist of the “Pinkalicious” series of children’s books.
Story time will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12.
The story times for children 3 to 5 years old are on the second Fridays of the month and all begin at 10 a.m. at Neighbor to Neighbor, 103 E. Sixth St. Each session includes playtime and a snack for the children, plus each child will receive a free copy of that day’s book to take home.
There is a limit of 30 children per session so parents must register in advance. Call Neighbor to Neighbor at 785/262-4215 or email neighbortoneighbor@csjkansas.org.
The monthly program has been a part of Neighbor to Neighbor’s regular offerings since September 2012.
Upcoming Reading with Friends events will be Nov. 9 and Dec. 14.
This year’s Reading with Friends is made possible thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation for Cloud County.

Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia call for the protection of immigrants

 

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas join the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in calling for opposition to the Trump Administration’s new proposed rule impacting immigrants. This regulation is mean-spirited forcing immigrant parents to choose between accessing some basic needs for life for their child and risking their eligibility for possible legal permanent residency. It sets them up as “unwanted.” The Gospel compels us to respond.

The LCWR statement follows:

The US Department of Homeland Security’s proposed changes to the public charge regulation are yet another attempt by President Trump to restrict immigration and punish immigrant families. The new regulation would force parents to make impossible choices between the well-being of their families and the prospect of future citizenship.

The rule changes would dramatically increase the barriers to lawful status for low-income immigrants and their families. It could dissuade parents from obtaining benefits for which their children qualify, out of fear that they may not be able to regularize their immigration status in the future. Lack of access to public benefits programs will increase poverty, hunger, homelessness, and disease, and decrease children’s school attendance and general well-being.

This attempt to target the most vulnerable within the immigrant community violates the tenets of our faith and threatens the values of our nation. We are called by our faith to welcome the stranger and care for the most vulnerable and we are challenged by our national values to promote the welfare of our children and tend the common good. If we want our communities to thrive, all families in those communities must have access to the care and services they need and to which they are entitled. The Trump administration’s proposed changes to the public charge regulation threaten us all.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious urges all people of faith to call for protection of immigrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, and to register their objections to this unreasonable and mean-spirited proposal during the 60-day comment period.

 

Community celebrates International Day of Peace

About 90 members of the community celebrated the International Day of Peace on Sunday, Sept. 23, at the Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia.

Pastor Melanie Adams, of First United Methodist Church, welcomed the guests and led the opening prayer.

“This is the 70^th anniversary of the declaration of human rights and we still haven’t solved it,” Adams said. “Human rights are everyone’s rights.”

Dr. Adrian Douglas, president of Cloud County Community College was the keynote speaker for the event.

“What we say and do matters and can make a real impact,” she told the group. “Differences are awesome, also its what keeps life interesting. We are all in this daily struggle together.”

Dr. Douglas also expressed her joy in being a part of the Fall Fest celebration in Concordia this weekend.

“There is no community without unity,” she said.

Following her speech the tables worked on a group artistic project led by Pastor Janai Robinson-Makarov, Concordia Lutheran Church, and Daniil Makarov.

Guest speaker was Yolanda Nuncio, an immigration and DACA activist from Grand Island, Neb., speaking on the topic of “What peace means to me.” She detailed the recent situation with immigrant arrests in O’Neill, Neb., and described how the area communities responded. She also touched on the futures of DACA students.

The closing prayer was led by Sister Anna Marie Broxterman. As the group broke up for international refreshments and fellowship, she encouraged everyone, “Resolve to make the world a better place by being the peace that you desire.”

Members of the International Day of Peace committee are Sisters Judy Stephens, Anna Marie Broxterman, Janet Lander and Christina Brodie; Pastor Melanie Adams, Pastor Janai Robinson-Makarov, Daniil Makarov and Pastor Scott Tempero.

The International Day of Peace was first celebrated in 1982. It has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly a day “devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.”

Earlier this month, Concordia Mayor Sam Sacco signed a proclamation designating an International Day of Peace in the city. The theme for this year was, “The Right to Peace — The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70.”

Reading with Friends to start Sept. 14 at Neighbor to Neighbor

Have you ever moved to a new town or started a new school and had a hard timing making new friends?

Then you might identify with the story of “Peanut Butter & Cupcake!” by Terry Border, this month’s featured book at Reading with Friends at Neighbor to Neighbor.

Border, the photographer behind the “Bent Objects” project, wrote and photographed this hilarious and heartwarming story about fun, friendship and food. The bright, colorful pages will be displayed on the wall while the story is being read.

Story time will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept 14. Sister Missy Ljungdahl will be the guest reader.

The story times for children 3 to 5 years old are on the second Fridays of the month and all begin at 10 a.m. at Neighbor to Neighbor, 103 E. Sixth St. Each session includes playtime and a snack for the children, plus each child will receive a free copy of that day’s book to take home.

There is a limit of 30 children per session so parents must register in advance. Call Neighbor to Neighbor at 785/262-4215 or email neighbortoneighbor@csjkansas.org.

The monthly program has been a part of Neighbor to Neighbor’s regular offerings since September 2012.

Upcoming Reading with Friends events will be Oct. 12, Nov. 9 and Dec. 14.

This year’s Reading with Friends is made possible thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation for Cloud  County.

Manna House of Prayer celebrates 40th anniversary

Manna House of Prayer celebrated its 40^th anniversary on Aug. 26 with an open house for the community. A crowd of about 150 people kept the building buzzing with activity throughout the afternoon.

The tours of the historic building were part of the attraction many visitors, but others stopped by just to chat with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia and to share in the 40th birthday party for the spirituality and retreat center.

“It was a wonderful fellowship of old friends,” said Susan LeDuc, Manna House of Prayer administrative services area coordinator.

For some guests, it was a chance to study the 19th-century architecture of the original Nazareth Convent and Academy.  Others found the artwork scattered throughout the three-story brick structure most fascinating. And for still others it was a chance to remember when the building at Fifth and Olive streets had served a different mission — particularly its time of service as St. Joseph Hospital.

 “Seeing the former delivery and surgical rooms was a big hit,” LeDuc said.

Diane (LeDuc) Nelson, of Concordia, was eager to see the room where she was born on the third floor of the building. She brought along a sign showing her birthdate to take photos in the room.

“This has been fun,” she said as she examined the former birthing room.

Mary Louise Hydorn, of Concordia, also was born in the building.

“I was born here, and my brother and I both had our tonsils taken out here,” she said. “They did things differently back then. I was in a dorm room with 10 to 12 other women. My brother was 5 and I was 6.”

She particularly remembered the elevator.

“I tried to sneak out on the elevator,” she recalled. “But the Sisters stopped me.”

Door Prizes

In addition to tours, refreshments and a video showing some of the history of Manna House, guests were able to sign up for a drawing for door prizes. Winners of the prizes were: Jeanette Kondratieff, Clay Center: quilt; Bob Frasier, Concordia: bowl cozy; Sarah Ganser, Salina, bowl cozy; Joan Fraser, Concordia: tote bag; Shelly Farha, Concordia: jelly gift basket; Tonya Shea, Minneapolis: jelly gift basket; Ina Garrison, Clyde: bobbin Lace cross; Aline Luecke, Concordia: puzzle; Ann Burgess, Salina: puzzle; Noel Garrison, Clyde: puzzle; Rex O’Brien, Hays: puzzle; and Mary McConniel, Belleville: puzzle.

History

The red brick building that is today Manna House was built in 1884 as the first Motherhouse of the newly arrived Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. The building first served as the convent and a boarding school, but as the number of sisters and students grew, it soon became apparent that a bigger building was needed to house Nazareth Convent and Academy.

So in 1903, the new (and still current) Nazareth Motherhouse opened at the corner of 13th and Washington streets, and the sisters converted their old home into St. Joseph Hospital.

An addition to the hospital was built in 1915, and the significantly bigger facility remained a hospital until 1951, when the sisters built what is now Cloud County Health Center.

The sisters converted the building into a nursing home and it served as St. Anne’s Home for the Aged until 1977, when the residents there were able to move to the new Mount Joseph Village on the west edge of Concordia.

Renovations began immediately and in just four months — in April 1978 — the building was dedicated as Manna House of Prayer.

The Manna House program actually began a few years earlier and 14 miles to the east — in September 1972 in the former St. Ann Convent in Clyde. The program remained there until moving to its current site in April 1978.

The founding sisters at the first Manna House were Sister Viatora Solbach, who died in 2011, and Sisters Pat Lewter and Faye Huelsmann.

The mission of Manna House, then and today, is to be a place were people of all faiths come for personal and communal prayer, on-going education, quiet time and counseling. Sisters who live there also provide youth ministry, facilitation services, spiritual direction and counseling.

Numerous sisters have served on the staff at Manna House over the years, and have offered a wide range of workshops, seminars and retreats. While always respecting the underlying mission of Manna House, the sisters and staff there continue to seek new ways to serve as new needs arise.

The Helping Hands program — funded solely from donations — offers emergency assistance to people who have no other resources. Through its small food bank and emergency financial assistance, Helping Hands was able to serve more than 1,000 people last year.

Sisters at Manna House also respond to spiritual hunger, with a wide array of retreats and workshops as well as one-on-one spiritual direction. Throughout the year there are workshops on everything from “seasonal spirituality” and the ancient art of bobbin lacemaking to “meditation and movement” and the meaning and mystery of the rosary.

For information on Manna House and its programs, go to mannahouse.org

Manna House of Prayer to celebrate 40th anniversary

Have you ever wanted to take a peek inside that red brick building called Manna House of Prayer in Concordia? Maybe you were born there when it was a hospital. Maybe you had a parent that worked as a nurse there. You might have heard about the many retreats that are held in the building but never had a chance to go. Now is the perfect time to come check it out!

Manna House of Prayer will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 26.

“The building will be open for tours,” said Sister Betty Suther, Manna House administrator. “Since it was a former hospital, some people will be interested in seeing rooms where they or their parents were born.”

In addition to tours, the open house will include refreshments, a video showing some of the history of Manna House as well as door prizes.

“We’re going to give away a quilt,” Sister Betty said. “People do not have to buy anything or be present to win, just sign in.”

The quilt is hand-crafted by Sister Betty. Other door prizes include: a gift basket of rhubarb strawberry jam, rhubarb cherry jam, a kitchen towel and crocheted dish cloth; a jelly and jam sampler basket with red raspberry jam, rhubarb cherry jam and chokecherry jelly; a framed bobbin lace piece by Sister Janet Lander; microwavable cozies made by Sister Jean Ann Walton; a tote bag made by Sister Jean Ann; a rose window puzzle from a photo of the Rose Window in the Motherhouse and of course the beautiful handmade quilt by Sister Betty Suther.

The event is free and open to the public.

A step back in history

The red brick building that is today Manna House was built in 1884 as the first Motherhouse of the newly arrived Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. The building first served as the convent and a boarding school, but as the number of sisters and students grew, it soon became apparent that a bigger building was needed to house Nazareth Convent and Academy.

So in 1903, the new (and still current) Nazareth Motherhouse opened at the corner of 13th and Washington streets, and the sisters converted their old home into St. Joseph Hospital.

An addition to the hospital was built in 1916, and the significantly bigger facility remained a hospital until 1951, when the sisters built what is now Cloud County Health Center.

The sisters converted the building into a nursing home and it served as St. Anne’s Home for the Aged until 1977, when the residents there were able to move to the new Mount Joseph Village on the west edge of Concordia.

Renovations began immediately and in just four months — in April 1978 — the building was dedicated as Manna House of Prayer.

The Manna House program actually began a few years earlier and 14 miles to the east — in September 1972 in the former St. Ann Convent in Clyde. The program remained there until moving to its current site in April 1978.

The founding sisters at the first Manna House were Sister Viatora Solbach, who died in 2011, and Sisters Pat Lewter and Faye Huelsmann.

The mission of Manna House, then and today, is to be a place were people of all faiths come for personal and communal prayer, on-going education, quiet time and counseling. Sisters who live there also provide youth ministry, facilitation services, spiritual direction and counseling.

Numerous sisters have served on the staff at Manna House over the years, and have offered a wide range of workshops, seminars and retreats.

In the early 1980s, the sisters at Manna House joined the Sanctuary movement and welcomed a family that had fled war-torn Guatemala.

By the mid 1990s, the sisters had established the Theological Institute at Manna House as a way to continue the long-standing educational tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. This summer’s seminar on July 12-15, focused on “Salvation and the Community of Faith.”

Manna House today

While always respecting the underlying mission of Manna House, the sisters and staff there continue to seek new ways to serve as new needs arise.

The Helping Hands program — funded solely from donations — offers emergency assistance to people who have no other resources. Through its small food bank and emergency financial assistance, Helping Hands was able to serve more than 1,000 people last year.

Sisters at Manna House also respond to spiritual hunger, with a wide array of retreats and workshops as well as one-on-one spiritual direction.

In 2018 it is home to seven Sisters of St. Joseph and numerous international students. Previously it was home to three CSJ Federation novices as they continued their Formation. Throughout the year there are workshops on everything from “seasonal spirituality” and the ancient art of bobbin lacemaking to quilting and leadership retreats.

For information on Manna House and its programs, go to mannahouse.org

Marymount alumni donate $30,000 to Raise for the Roof

  The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia welcomed representatives of the Marymount Alumni Association on July 27 as they presented a generous check to the sisters to be used for the Raise for the Roof project.

Rodd Glavin, class of 1984, and Susan Martin Tackett, class of 1982, represented the alumni for the presentation of the donation.

Glavin presented a check on behalf of the alumni to match the donations already given for the roof by Marymount alumni. In total, the Marymount alumni raised $30,000 for the Raise for the Roof campaign.

“The sisters supported us, now it’s time for us to support them,” Glavin said. “That’s the reason we hold Marymount so close to our heart, it is the people who were there.”

“We’re here to give back,” Tackett said.

“Marymount College was a very special place and holds many wonderful memories for our sisters. It is always a joy to reconnect with former students, to reminisce, hear about their lives and renew friendships,” President Jean Rosemarynoski, CSJ, said. “We are deeply grateful to the alumni and the association for the financial support they continue to give us. We are humbled and blessed to accept their very generous gift.”

The Raise for the Roof campaign is a fundraiser to replace the roof on the Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia. The roof on the Motherhouse was last replaced in 1992 and is currently comprised of asphalt shingles. As time has continued, more and more patches have needed to be made to fix leaks that are damaging walls.

“The roof replacement is not optional,” said Ambria Gilliland, assistant director of development for Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. “It’s something that has to be done and we are so grateful for how the Marymount Alumni have really stepped up to help us out.”

The product chosen for replacement is a metal roof which will closely mimic the original slate tiles installed when the building was erected, and will also last much longer than the asphalt shingles. The roof over St. Pat’s Hall, connected to the south side of the Motherhouse, was replaced several years ago with the same material and it has proven to be a quality product.

If you are interested in donating to help Raise for the Roof, you can visit www.csjkansas.org and select “Roof” in the donation box. Or, if you send in a donation, just designate roof in your correspondence.

We continue to be amazed at the wonderful support shown by the public through the years.

 

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