Connections Fall/Winter 2010 (PDF) - Sisters of St. Joseph of ...

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CSJ Associates Join the Mission Committed to sharing the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Associates Judy Hereford and Jean Kertz are reaching out to our dear neighbors in Mississippi by organizing CSJ associate volunteer opportunities in Camden and Okolona. In June Hereford and Kertz visited Sister Donna Gunn, CSJ at Sacred Heart in Camden to lay the groundwork. For Kertz, the experience was more than she could have hoped for. “You feel at home here,” shares Kertz. “The people here are so beautiful and accept us. We walk in and they’re happy to see us. They bless us!” With education as a main priority, many opportunities are available for teaching an assortment of subjects and assisting with afterschool programs and summer camps. “We have many associates who are teachers with different skills and talents who would like the opportunity to volunteer and teach class,” expresses Hereford. “This would be their chance.” In July associate candidate Kristen Franke shared her artistic talents with the students in the summer program. “I loved working with them because of their excitement for art!” she exclaims. “I came in with the attitude that every student can succeed and I hope that By Sarah Baker idea traveled with the students out of the art room.” More associates are joining the mission this fall. Several male associates are planning a trip to Camden to work on the residents’ trailers. Two associates will do oral histories with residents who lived through the Associate Jean Kertz, Sacred Heart volunteer Deloris Anderson and Associate Judy Hereford take a quick break from serving meals at the summer youth program. civil rights days. And Hereford and Associate Suellyn Fahey will visit Sister Liz Brown, CSJ in Okolona to pursue volunteer opportunities there. “I see the associates doing their volunteer work as very connected to the CSJ mission and heritage,” says Gunn. “It is an active way to be very consciously living the charism.” ARKANSAS TENNESSEE Ripley Tupelo Okolona ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI LOUISIANA Camden Jackson Hattiesburg Biloxi FLORIDA Gulf of Mexico Did You Know? · Catholics comprise 3.7 percent of Mississippi’s population (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2008). · Sisters Liz Brown and Kate Regan are two of 512 lay ecclesial ministers nationwide serving in places where a bishop has entrusted the pastoral care of a parish to a deacon, religious sister or brother, or other lay person. (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 2010). · Through grants, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have provided funds for the sisters’ ministries in Mississippi such as the opening of the resale shop in Okolona, the Individual Development Account in Camden and and supporting the ongoing needs at St. Matthew’s Church in Ripley. 6 Sisters o f St. Jo s e p h o f Carondelet
Sister Kate Regan, CSJ Building A place to call home Sister Kate Regan, CSJ shuffles through the sawdust and scaffolding, looking at plans and picking out paint colors for the future St. Matthew’s Mission Church. “It’s so rewarding to see the people finally having a church home,” she says. Ten years ago Regan arrived in Ripley to serve as pastoral coordinator of a parish without a church building and without a parish priest. Over the years the few area Catholics found themselves worshipping in some of the most unusual places, including a Pizza Hut, a theater and motel restaurant. But as the only Catholic church in the entire county, the faithful persevered. When an influx of Hispanic immigrants came to Ripley for factory work, they brought with them their deep Catholic spirituality. Faced with the limitations of space, the challenge of culture and an abundance of opportunity, Regan embarked on a journey to build a vibrant and welcoming parish community. Today the nearly 300 parishioners worship in an old drug store. The Spirit is there, but the space is lacking for the wide variety of activities including Masses in English and Spanish, parish missions, religious education, community celebrations and family gatherings. “We have to do everything in this one room,” Regan describes. “We really have to work hard to readjust.” The parishioners are getting ready for another readjustment this September—their final move to a brand new church and parish center. Years of endless fundraisers and mission grants helped them acquire the 14-acre property, but the building itself was made possible by a donor trust through the Glenmary Home Missions. Regan is thrilled to see these faithfilled people blessed with a building that Sister Kate Regan, CSJ and Sigifredo Bonilla look over the plans for the new St. Matthew’s Church and Parish Center opening in September. “We’re going to be very busy with the finishing touches,” Regan says. “It’s not just a church but a place to continue to grow as a community and to have a sense of identity and dignity.” ~Sister Kate Regan, CSJ represents more than just bricks and mortar. “It’s not just a church but a place to continue to grow as a community and to have a sense of identity and dignity.” As a minority parish without a church, it has been a struggle for the parishioners to find their identity, but Regan has given them a sense of pride by honoring their faith traditions and promoting their presence in the community. “Other churches might take that away from them, but we must respect their culture,” she says. Regan partners with pastoral assistant, Sigifredo Bonilla, to help make these cultural connections. “It’s been a gift for me to work with him,” she says. “His pastoral insights are so invaluable.” The paint has yet to dry at the new facility, but Regan and Bonilla are already thinking about the possibilities for retreats, youth programs, activities for young families and even setting up a language lab. More importantly, they are excited to empower the parishioners to lead their church into the future. After years of focusing on fundraising, Regan is eager to see the people embrace the responsibility of organizing, planning and programming. “Our parish mission in November is on conversion and we are hoping that there will be a real conversation around how we are to be a church community,” Regan says. “The church building is a gift…the rest is up to us!”y The St. Matthew’s parishioners walk the Way of the Cross. “The Hispanic spirituality is really about the sacraments coming to life,” says Bonilla. Co n n e c t i o n s • Fa l l/Wi n t e r 2010 7
Page 2 and 3: CONTENTS 2 Mississippi 8 CSJ 16 Mis
Page 4 and 5: M M ississippi ission: Strengthenin
Page 6 and 7: Above, Sister Donna Gunn, CSJ visit
Page 10 and 11: CSJ Care: Bringing the Love of Chri
Page 12 and 13: When asked if there’s anything sh
Page 14 and 15: Around the Province St. Joseph Inst
Page 16 and 17: Called to Serve: From the first Ame
Page 18 and 19: Donor Spotlight St. Louis natives P
Page 20 and 21: Sister Dorothy Mary Meirink, CSJ Mi
Page 22 and 23: Sister Mary Xavier McTigue, CSJ Mr.
Page 24: Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

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