Southern Indiana LIving May / June 2021

Southern 

Indiana 

Garden & 

EDUCATion: 

Waterfront 

Botanical 

Gardens 

May/June 2021 

Living 

SeekPrayShare: 

Special Insert fromthe Sisters of St. Benedict 

Summer FuN Special Edition

We don’t just hear you, 

we listen. 

The earlier you reach out to us, the more we can help you and 

your loved one create more moments and memories. Whether 

that means six months or three years, we’ll be with you to help 

get the most out of life at every stage. Call 800-HOSPICE or visit 

HosparusHealth.org. 

Create more moments. 

2 • May/June 2021 • Southern Indiana Living

Missi Bush-Sawtelle, Owner 

812-267-3030 

MerryM Ledges L 

IN THE WOODS 

Rustic Wedding Facility 

www.MerryLedges.com 

Photograph courtesy of Letography 

• Charming • Private 

• Rustic • Unique 

Located in Corydon, IN 

Southern Indiana Living • May/June 2021 • 3


Featured Stories 

11 | BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER 

Educational garden blooms along the Ohio River 

14 | COASTERS, CAVES, AND CANOES 

Ideas for outdoor adventures for summer 

14 

25 | A PIECE OF HISTORY 

Restoration plans move forward with Marengo’s Big 

Springs Churvh 

Southern Indiana Living 

MAY / JUN 2021 

11 

In Every Issue 

7 | FLASHBACK 

Underground Adventures, 1883 - 1920 

8 | A NOTE TO BABY BOOMERS 

What Matters Most 

9 | A WALK IN THE GARDEN WITH BOB HILL 

Carting History 

14 

46 | EVERYDAY ADVENTURES 

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Living 

MAY / JUN 2021 

VOL. 14, ISSUE 3 

PUBLISHER | 

Karen Hanger 

karen@silivingmag.com 

LAYOUT & DESIGN | 

Christy Byerly 

christy@silivingmag.com 

Underground Adventures 

Marengo, Indiana 

Circa 1883 - 1910 

Flashback 

COPY EDITOR | 

Jennifer Cash 

COPY EDITOR | 

Sara Combs 

ADVERTISING | 

Take advantage of prime 

advertising space. 

Call us at 812-989-8871 or 

e-mail karen@silivingmag.com 

SUBSCRIPTIONS | 

$25/year, Mail to: Southern 

Indiana Living, P.O. Box 145, 

Marengo, IN 47140 

Contact SIL 

P.O. Box 145 


812.989.8871 

karen@silivingmag.com 

ON THE COVER: Campsites 

at Old Mill Canoe 

Rental in Fredericksburg, 

Indiana // Photo provided by 

Old Mill Canoe Rental 

// Photo courtesy of Marengo ‘Cave 

Check out more 

features and stories 

on our EPUB Exclusive! 

www.silivingmag.com 

Southern Indiana Living is 

published bimonthly by SIL 

Publishing Co. LLC, P.O. Box 

145, Marengo, Ind. 47140. 

Any views expressed in any 

advertisement, signed letter, 

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are those of the author and 

do not necessarily reflect 

the position of Southern 

Indiana Living or its parent 

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SIL Publishing Co. LLC. No 

part of this publication may 

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without written permission 

from SIL Publishing Co. LLC. 

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Magazine 

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accredited 

business 

In 1883, a day of exploring led to a discovery that would fascinate people of all ages for 

centuries to come. On September 6, 1883, 15-year-old Blanche Hiestand and her eleven-yearold 

brother, Orris, heard about a nearby sinkhole, and decided to explore it. At the top of the 

hill, just past a cemetary, the young explorers found the hole. 

Blanche and Orris had crawled down a steep, slippery slope and found themselves in a large 

chamber that appeared to continue in several directions, with falling water and formations in 

the distance. 

The original land owner was notified of the cave’s discovery a few days later and the nearly 

5-mile long cave was immediately opened to the public for tours. The current owners 

purchased the cave in 1973, and it was made a National Historic Landmark in 1983. 

The picture above was taken of the original entrace to Marengo Cave used between 1883 and 

1910. Though the entrace looks different now, tours are still offered daily. 


A Note to Baby Boomers 

What Matters Most 

Idig through what Mom left, now 

and then, little by little. 

She left a lot. 

She left too much. She left 

what would matter to me along with 

what wouldn’t matter to anyone. She 

scattered clues of family history amid 

stacks of trash. 

Some is water-stained. Much is 

dingy. Little of it aged much better 

than did the woman who left it. 

Mom saved commencement 

programs and anniversary cards and 

costume jewelry. She kept piles of her 

own parents’ receipts and tax statements. 

Here’s a 1963 Look magazine 

with JFK on the cover. There’s Mom’s 

high school “J,” earned for doing 

whatever the Girls Athletic Association 

at Jeffersonville High did. 

Letters Mom received from 

home when she was in college shared 

a rubber band with letters I sent home 

from college. I barely remember what 

I wrote in the last issue of this magazine. 

So, I checked; were my nearly 

half-century-old dispatches home the 

truth, the whole truth and nothing 

but the truth? 

I am afraid so. 

I rarely misbehaved much even 

back when I had energy to do so. Not 

that Mom would have believed tales 

of drunkenness and debauchery. I felt 

guilty skipping a class or two. 

Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Mom? 

I am less than five years younger 

than Mom was when she died in 

1998. I have avoided COVID-19 and I 

feel up to giving older age a run. Yet 

as I rummage through Mom’s memories, 

I cannot help but wonder what 

will be worth saving when my stuff 

and I finally part. 

What matters? 

Years ago, for work, I found myself 

in the cavernous sorting room of 

a thrift shop. I spotted a stack of photos 

from a probably 1950s wedding. 

The formal color pictures had been 

discarded atop a box of worn jeans 

and dusty sneakers. 

Somebody’s big day apparently 

was not anyone else’s big deal. 

Maybe the frames might fetch a 

few bucks. 

Local museums and libraries 

tend to be gifted – sometimes to 

their chagrin – the greatest hits of 

8 • May/June 2021 • Southern Indiana Living 

what heirs discover in attics and 

basements. These gestures may get 

well-meaning donors off the hook. 

But they put already-overwhelmed 

recipients in a can’t-win fix. 

What matters? 

Mom did not fill boxes in the 

year 19-whatever so that her only 

child would have something fun to 

do in the year 20-whatever. If anything, 

she and I talked too little – not 

too much – about her life, our family’s 

heritage. 

She passed on less guidance 

than stuff. And I let her. 

I recently called a family meeting 

and the family actually showed 

up. Pizza got it there and first-ever 

discussion kept it there. My wife and 

I shared our plans as well as a hint at 

money to be passed along if our Amazon 

addiction peaks. The kids left 

full, plus, I hope, with a better sense 

of what really does matter. 

Canceled checks from 1989? 

Nope. How about too many neverread 

books from my well-intended 

membership in the Book of the Month 

Club in the ’70s? Nope. 

How about nearly as many Giants, 

Colts and Hoosiers shirts as 

stocked by Dick’s Sporting Goods? 

How about coffee mugs from cities 

visited or souvenir magnets of plays 

attended? 

What about clips of literally 

thousands of columns and articles 

from my 40-plus years in journalism? 

I saved them to refer to next month 

or next year. Many never got a second 

look. 

Boxes of these Pulitzer also-rans 

fairly fill a spare bedroom. 

Grateful column subjects framed 

some of these features, hung them 

in their homes and offices. However 

fleeting, totally local, I suppose I 

made a mark. I served as grand marshal 

of a couple parades. I spoke to 

every civic club that had run out of 

others to hit up. My life’s work, a career 

I luckily loved, had its day. 

My day had its day. Now it’s a 

day for podcasts and tweets. 

Technology comes with a trail of 

computerized clicks. Even newspapers 

are not primarily on paper. What 

is? People take a slew more pictures 

than people used to take. But how 

many images are printed, saved, accessible 

for the ages? 

With paper an endangered species, 

with what will tomorrow’s 

moms and grandmas fill their boxes 

Technology comes with a trail of computerized 

clicks. Even newspapers are not primarily on 

paper. What is? People take a slew more pictures 

than people used to take. But how many images 

are printed, saved, accessible for the ages? 

of memories? 

This maniacal pandemic did all 

it could to wipe out a generation. I am 

far from the oldest guy still standing, 

of course. It can feel that way, though, 

from reading the obits day in and 

day out. No doubt about it; too many 

shattered families are left to clean out 

attics and basements. 

They, too, must try to decide 

what matters. 

They will make mistakes like 

I surely did when judging Mom’s 

stuff. At least it was a special way to 

give Mom my love, my time. 

As long as I did my best, she 

would understand. She always did. 

Besides, favorite memories do 

not come in a box. • 

After 25 years, Dale Moss 

retired as Indiana columnist for 

The Courier-Journal. He now 

writes weekly for the News and 

Tribune. Dale and his wife Jean 

live in Jeffersonville in a house 

that has been in his family 

since the Civil War. Dale’s e- 

mail is dale.moss@twc.com

A Walk in the Garden with Bob Hill 

Carting History 

Two men who looked like they 

knew what they were doing 

brought our golf carts home 

on a big trailer after winter 

maintenance, as welcome a sight as a 

mailman waving a tax refund check. 

I missed our carts. I had bonded 

with them, but not over golf. That 60- 

year hobby had cost me a large fortune 

in green fees, a few thousand 

submersible golf balls, too many 

19th holes and a half a lifetime of lost 

weekends. 

I gave up golf after six decades 

of varying results that included precisely 

one par round and a steady 

return to scores in the high 90s. Near 

the end of such futility, I hurled my 

putter into a nearby lake after missing 

another 18-inch putt. Try playing 

the final eight holes of any course 

putting with a three-wood. 

My final round of golf included 

being beaten by 15 strokes by an old 

high school buddy and being outdriven 

in the same round by an old 

man who looked like Arnold Palmer’s 

great-grandfather. 

It all mercifully ended after that 

round when I left the course and 

proceeded directly to a local Salvation 

Army store and gave away every 

club, ball and bag I had. It was a 

perfect fit. The Salvation Army is an 

evangelical movement designed to 

meet human needs. I was a human 

with needs. 

So, feel safe to assume our two 

golf carts the men brought home on 

the trailer have never carried a golf 

club, ball or bad excuse on our acreage. 

We had much better uses for 

them, such as hauling plants, trees, 

shrubs, shovels, rakes, dirt, compost, 

bricks, stones, fence posts and funky, 

metal-chicken garden art. Not to forget 

gardeners and their guests. Stick 

a beer in a golf cart cup holder and 

you get the 19th hole at home. It’s a 

lot cheaper and you never need a significant 

excuse to offer your significant 

other on where the hell you have 

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een. 

Not to forget how easy it is to 

visit the mailbox, the paper box, the 

neighbors, just plain touring our gardens 

and hauling garbage cans down 

the driveway every Sunday evening 

for the Monday pickup. 

Golf at Hidden Creek, Elk Run 

Golf Club or Fuzzy’s Place? Forget 

about it. 

It was on such a recent driveway 

was pulled by two caddies like a rickshaw. 

He used this cart at the Biltmore 

Forest Country Club in Asheville, 

North Carolina, because he was 

in poor health and found it difficult 

to walk the hilly course. I imagine the 

caddies agreed. 

Had I been playing that course 

that day and a guy in a rickshaw being 

pulled by two caddies wanted to 

play through, I’m thinking I would 

It was on such a recent driveway jaunt tugging a container filled with 

a week’s worth of unconsumed consumables that I began thinking 

about golf cart history. Who created the first cart and did said inventor 

ever imagine they would also be used for hauling garbage cans? 

jaunt tugging a container filled with 

a week’s worth of unconsumed consumables 

that I began thinking about 

golf cart history. Who created the first 

cart and did said inventor ever imagine 

they would also be used for hauling 

garbage cans? 

I wondered where and when the 

industry began, and the many golf 

cart uses beyond hauling perpetually 

frustrated humans around 18 holes 

in blazing sun for three or four hours 

at anywhere from $45 to $450 a pop. 

Wouldn’t a psychiatrist be cheaper? 

Maybe not. 

Turning to the not-alwaysreliable 

Google, this is what I have 

leaned on the subject: 

The modern sport of golf originated 

in 15th-century Scotland, apparently 

by people who had way too 

much time on their hands. The use 

of balls and sticks for entertainment 

value actually dates to the 11th century 

in China, apparently by people 

who had way too much time on their 

hands. 

Moving along to 1932 – but leaning 

in to roughly the same culture 

– one Lyman Beecher of Clearwater, 

Florida, created a cart for golfers that 

have made him wait. Golf is hard 

enough without having to deal with 

rickshaw ruts. 

About the same time, a businessman-golfer 

in Arkansas named J.D. 

Wadley noticed that three-wheeled 

electric carts were being used in Los 

Angeles to transport elderly people 

to grocery stores. Wadley, and I assume 

no one drove it out, had a cart 

shipped to the Arkansas hills and his 

golf course. 

Meanwhile, back in Florida, 

Beecher went to golf cart 2.0 by adding 

two wheels to the front of his rickshaw 

and an engine that required six 

car batteries to complete one round. I 

still would not have allowed him to 

play through. 

That fourth wheel was a good 

idea, however. What could be more 

dangerous than a tight-turning, 

three-wheeled golf cart driven by a 

119-year-old golfer? 

But even after the added wheel, 

many courses would not allow carts, 

forcing many humans in need to 

walk. Then golf course managers began 

thinking: “Hey, wait a minute, 

if we buy the carts and rent them to 

humans in need, we can make some 

money here.” 

The rest is, well, history. As it 

now stands, gas- and electric-powered 

golf carts can sell from $5,000 

to customized $30,000 jobs. The once 

rickshaw-cart industry is now about 

a $1.2 billion business, with only 

about 60% of them ending up on golf 

courses. 

The rest are used to haul about 

50 million retired people around gated 

communities, not to forget subdivision 

residents, warehouse employees, 

lazy hunters, box-store managers 

and garden geeks and their garbage 

cans. 

Then, inevitably, as humans in 

need are wont to do, one Robby Steen, 

driving a somewhat modified golf 

cart nicknamed “Bandit,” pushed the 

industry envelope a bit by cranking 

that puppy up to 118.76 miles an hour 

at the Darlington Dragway in South 

Carolina. 

Him, I would have allowed to 

play through. • 

About the Author 

Former Courier-Journal 

columnist Bob Hill 

enjoys gardening, good 

fun, good friends and 

the life he and his wife, 

Janet, have created on 

their eight bucolic acres 

near Utica in Southern 

Indiana. 



Living 

Showcasing and celebrating the people & places 

of Southern Indiana since 2008! 

www.silivingmag.com 


Both Sides of the River 

Educational garden blooms along the Ohio River 

Story by Bob Hill 

Photos submitted by Waterfront Botanical Gardens 

In the beginning – at least for this 

gardening venture – the idea was 

to create an almost mile-long canal 

district in downtown Jeffersonville, 

a touch of Venice on the Ohio 

River with a river-walk and boat-taxi 

to boost the local economy and solve 

sewage issues. 

It was for a city too-long rooted 

in the past with a bold and energetic 

idea – feasibility notwithstanding. 

A friend asked me to put down 

my garden hoe and fertilizer bucket 

for a minute and join a committee 

exploring the canal possibility. Once 

there, a representative of something 

called the Waterfront Botanical Gardens 

in Louisville spoke to our committee 

about its dream – a world 

class, 23-acre botanical garden to be 

built on a former garbage dump near 

the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. 

Suddenly my imagination was 

running rampant along the Ohio – a 

canal on one side and a world-class 

public garden on the other –separated 

only by the width of a river. 

Happily, I became the canal district’s 

representative with the proposed 

botanical garden, and then 

joined its board. The latter was a perfect 

fit for a guy who loved gardening, 

had once owned a nursery in 

Utica and was ready to give back to 

communities on both sides of the river 

for the good fortune of living here. 

The canal in Jeffersonville didn’t 

happen, of course, but a lot of other 

very interesting things are happening 

along its proposed route, including a 

NoCo Jeffersonville Arts & Cultural 

District that welcomes the arts, and 

artists, into a very colorful area, soon 

to have a pollinator “Paint Box” garden 

all its own. 

Meanwhile, the Waterfront Botanical 

Gardens has bloomed. All 

possible environmental issues were 

tackled, a master plan was created 

and updated, and $18 million has 

been raised toward an eventual goal 

of $65 million. 

Its goal has always been education, 

from little kids being exposed 


to gardening for the first time to their 

parents and grandparents wanting to 

learn about plants, or just come walk 

the gardens to enjoy the thousands 

of flowers, shrubs and trees already 

there. 

That long-abandoned dump has 

now spouted fountains, a waterfall, 

a plaza with seasonal flowers and a 

circular walk down a landscaped hill 

toward Beargrass Creek connecting 

to its river walk. It’s all handicapped 

accessible with a drop-off area, and 

it’s free. 

The Graeser Family Education 

Center already hosts meetings, events 

and weddings and the new Ellen T. 

Leslie Botanical Classrooms, with its 

6,000 square feet of space, will become 

the center of youth education. 

The garden’s next phase will be a Japanese 

garden designed by a premier 

Japanese architect featuring ponds, a 

tea house, bridges and a bonsai collection. 

Future plans include a tree allée 

of two dozen swamp white oak trees, 

a dedicated children’s garden, a hillside 

amphitheater for outdoor music, 

a 75-foot-tall glass conservatory and 

a visitors center with a restaurant 

and gift shop overlooking downtown 

Louisville and, yes, the Southern Indiana 

shoreline with its knobs rising 

in the distance. 

That’s the thing about gardens: 

They have no real boundaries. It’s 

always been about vision – and experience. 

The Waterfront Botanical 

Gardens is just that – and it’s on our 

shared waterfront. 

The gardens are a blessing for 

the tourist and visitor’s agencies on 

both sides of the Ohio River, which 

for too long has been a mental barrier 

more than physical. My wife and 

I never go anywhere in the country 

– or the world – without first checking 

what botanical gardens might be 

available to visit, to walk, to learn. 

Truth be told, the gardens are a 

lot closer to many Hoosiers than people 

who live on the outskirts of Louisville 

and surrounding Kentucky 

counties. 

Yes, we can and do walk and enjoy 

the paths and scenery at Charlestown 

State Park, Clifty Falls, the 

Clark County Forest, Brown County, 

Hoosier National Forest, Harrison- 

Crawford State Forest and several local 

caverns. We have Perrin Park, the 

Falls of the Ohio State Park, the Purdue 

Sensory Garden and the soon-tobe 

Origin Park. Drive a little farther 

and you can enjoy botanical gardens 


Future plans include a tree allée 

of two dozen swamp white oak 

trees, a dedicated children’s 

garden, a hillside amphitheater for 

outdoor music, a 75-foot-tall glass 

conservatory and a visitors center 

with a restaurant and gift shop 

overlooking downtown Louisville and, 

yes, the Southern Indiana shoreline 

with its knobs rising in the distance. 

Pictured: (tottom) Bob Hill and Jamie Burghardt, Director of Horticulture & Education at Waterfront Botanical Gardens.

at Indiana University, Indianapolis, 

Evansville and Cincinnati. 

For all that, Hoosiers seeking 

something totally different can just 

walk the Big Four Bridge, or ride a 

bike across it, and turn left. Waterfront 

Botanical Gardens is just up River 

Road a half-mile. There’s already 

parking on site, with plans to build a 

parking lot across Frankfort Avenue, 

with a walkway up and across to the 

visitor’s center. For now, it’s all free. 

We walk our home gardens in 

spring looking at what looks best, 

what survived and what-to-plantwhere 

to fill in some holes. We are 

always seeking new ideas, better information 

and wondering what’s the 

latest in trees, shrubs and flowers. 

Other days, it’s just nice to sit 

in a garden, take it all in and gaze off 

into the horizon at the distant hills 

across the river and know that the 

truth is we gardeners are all in this 

together. • 

Other days, it’s just nice to sit in a garden, 

take it all in and gaze off into the horizon at the 

distant hills across the river and know that the 

truth is we gardeners are all in this together. 

For more information, go to waterfrontbotanicalgardens.org. 

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Special Section: Summer Fun 

Coasters, Caves, and Canoes 

Summer adventure awaits in every corner of Southern Indiana 

Holiday World and Splashin’ 

Safari in Santa Claus is the 

definitive place to find the 

best thrill coasters in the 

Midwest. The park has four “adult” 

coasters: The Raven, which opened in 

1995; The Legend, 2000; The Voyage, 

2006; and the newest coaster, Thunderbird, 

which opened in 2015. They 

also have a kids’ coaster, The Howler, 

which opened in 1999. 

The Raven is the park’s original 

wooden roller coaster, and although 

it is the smallest of the four, it still offers 

a mighty ride. 

The coaster is 110 feet from the 

highest point to the lowest, 2,800 feet 

long, and has a maximum speed of 

a little over 50 mph. One of its most 

famous features is an “S curve” that 


zips riders through the woods, which 

was actually created to save a row of 

trees. 

The Legend travels at a maximum 

speed of 65 mph and is 116 feet 

tall from the highest point to the lowest. 

It’s 4,042 feet long and features 

a double helix, and has the world’s 

first spiral drop. It also features five 

tunnels. While most coasters are built 

for negative G-forces that cause “airtime,” 

The Legend was built for lateral 

G-force, which moves you from 

side to side. 

The Voyage is a thrilling ride 

that spans 173 feet from the highest to 

the lowest point of the ride, stretching 

1.2 miles long, with its maximum 

speed reaching 67.4 mph. It features 

three 90-degree banked turns and is 

Story by Julie Engelhardt 

Photos by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (except where noted) 

an “out-and-back” style coaster. 

Thunderbird is the park’s steel 

coaster, a wing coaster where riders 

travel on the side of the track instead 

of on top or below. This definitely 

gives you a unique experience, having 

that feeling of nothing above or 

below you as you fly through the 

woods. 

If you’d prefer to stay closer to 

Earth, then let’s take a plunge below 

the surface to check out the area’s 

caves and caverns. First up: Indiana 

Caverns. 

Located near Corydon, Indiana 

Caverns is part of the Binkley Cave 

system, boasting amazing waterfalls, 

an underground river and diverse 

cave life. The cave, known as a “show 

cave,” was developed and opened in


2013 by Gary Roberson, who has over 

40 years’ experience working in and 

with the cave systems in Southern Indiana. 

There’s plenty to do at Indiana 

Caverns. One option is to take 

their 80-minute tour, which combines 

both walking and a 20-minute boat 

ride. They also offer the Cavern of the 

the cave. 

Indiana Caverns also offers 

guests escape rooms, thrilling rides 

like the Bat Chaser and The Plunge, 

and gemstone mining. 

Crawford County is home to 

Marengo Cave, designated as a National 

Natural Landmark in 1984. 

Marengo offers two unique 

an underground river. 

There’s more to Marengo than 

just exploring through the caves. 

There are camping sites, cabins, a specialty 

rock shop and surface activities 

like a mega maze, pedal carts, the sky 

climber slide and gemstone mining. 

Finally, in Mauckport, you’ll find 

the wonderful Squire Boone Caverns. 

The Voyage is a thrilling ride that spans 173 feet from the highest 

to the lowest point of the ride, stretching 1.2 miles long, with its 

maximum speed reaching 67.4 mph. It features three 90-degree 

banked turns and is an “out-and-back” style coaster. 

Sabertooth, a cave simulator where 

you crawl through a pipe for almost 

400 feet underground, wearing a helmet. 

They also offer the Deep Darkness 

Tour, which involves climbing 

down a 93-foot ladder with belay, 

continuing on another descent down 

a slope to a subterranean river and 

then kayaking on the river through 

walking tours: the Crystal Palace, an 

easy tour that winds through formation-filled 

rooms, and the Dripstone 

Trail, a 60-minute tour that showcases 

delicate soda straws and totem 

pole stalagmites. Other adventures 

include the Waterfall Crawl tour and 

the Underground Adventure where 

you crouch, crawl and wade through 

The main attraction is the cave 

tour, which takes you through a third 

of a mile of cavern passageway. The 

caverns are considered to be “living 

caves” that carry more than a million 

gallons of water through the cave and 

over rarely seen underground waterfalls. 

Tours take place through the 

main passageway, so visitors can take 



a leisurely walk with no crawling involved. 

The trained tour guides take 

you through the passageway, making 

many stops to explain the formations, 

how the cave was formed and talk 

about Squire. The tour lasts about an 

hour. 

Other attractions include the 

barnyard with rescued animals such 

as goats, sheep and mini pigs. From 

Memorial Day through Labor Day, 

they open their pioneer village. They 

also offer a huge rock shop, gem mining 

and Boone’s Kitchen with sandwiches, 

cookies and drinks. 

After daredevil roller coaster 

riding and exploring cool caves, let 

your cares drift away as you paddle 

through our beautiful waterways in a 

relaxing canoe. 

Cave Country Canoes, in Milltown, 

has a storied past of great mills, 

lumber and lime kilns. At one time 

there were rows and rows of beautiful 

Victorian homes and quaint cottages, 

most with a river view. There 

are two trips visitors can take. One is 

the upper river 7-mile trip that lasts 

anywhere from two to five hours. 

Hosts transport you from camp base 

to their private launch site, then 

guests can canoe or kayak back. This 

trip is best for beginners, but there are 

US National Landmark 

MARENGO 

MEGA 

MAZE 

CAVE 

OPEN EVERY DAY 


2 CAVE TOURS 

NEW 

ROCK SHOP 

How Much 

Fun Can Your 

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a few small rapids along the way. 

The full-day trip starts at the 

base camp, where participants paddle 

downstream 14 miles and are 

picked up at a location called Rothrock’s 

Mill. This trip takes five to 

seven hours and offers more rapids, 

tighter turns and drops. 

Old Mill Canoe in Fredericksburg 

runs trips on the Blue River, 

offering excursions ranging from 3 

miles to 57 miles, but their regular 

trip is 12 miles from Fredericksburg 

to their private campground, Blue 

River Retreat. Blue River is part of the 

Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational 

River System and is governed 

by the Blue River Commission. This 

means that all you’ll see is nature and 

wildlife, no buildings or structures of 

any kind. When water levels are low, 

the water is crystal clear; during the 

winter months, the water takes on an 

incredible blue-green hue; and after 

a heavy rain, it will look like chocolate 

milk. All seasons of the year, all 

phases of the water, there is no place 

more beautiful than the Blue River. • 

For more information on the attractions 

mentioned here, check the following 

websites: holidayworld.com, oldmillcanoerental.com, 

cavecountrycanoes.com, 

squireboonecaverns.com, indianacaverns. 

com. 

Pictured: (top) the Queen’s Palance @ Marengo Cave // 

Photo courtesy of Marengo Cave; (bottom) A trip down 

Blue River at the Old Mill Canoe Rental // Photo courtesy 

of Old Mill Canoe Rental 



Other attractions include 

the barnyard with 

rescued animals such as 

goats, sheep and mini 

pigs. From Memorial Day 

through Labor Day, they 

open their pioneer village. 

They also offer a huge 

rock shop, gem mining 

and Boone’s Kitchen with 

sandwiches, cookies and 

drinks. 

Pictured: (top, left) Boone’s Mill historic grist mill at Squire Boone’s Caverns was built by 

Squire Boone circa 1804, it has been restored and is fully operational; (top, right) This 

sweet mini pig, named Reynolds, is full of personality and is probably the most beloved 

animal in the Barnyard at Squire Boone Caverns // Photos courtesy of Squire Boone’s Caverns; 

(bottom) The Bat Chaser, a single-rail zip coaster, combines zip lining and free-falling 

into one family-friendly adventure. // Photo Courtesy of Indiana Caverns 


Discover 

thePast, Enjoy 

In Historic Washington County 

Your outdoor adventures start here! Camping, 

fishing, hiking, mountain biking, spelunking, 

Knobstone Trailheads and more! 

Plan your trip today! 

Present 

the 

DelaneyCreekPark.com 

Contact us at: 

www.washingtoncountytourism.com 

or call 812-883-4303 

and 

Drop in 

Avoid the Crowds 

WEEKDAYS 

Break out of the weekend routine. Add a little adventure to your 

week with a weekday trip to Indiana Caverns.The crowds are 

smaller and you still save money with our great package deals! 

Escape Room Bat Chaser Cave Tour & Boat Ride 

The Plunge 

IndianaCaverns.com 


We Are 

Outdoor 

Recreation 

CrawfordCountyIndiana.com 


Thank you for choosing Harrison 

County Hospital as your community 

healthcare provider! 

Our Patients Have Awarded 

HCH 5 STARS 

For Overall Patient Experience! 

*based on HCAHPS Summary Star Rating 

www.hchin.org 


Help Save 

Marengo 

Big SpringS 

old Town 

CHurCH 

Donations to the 

Old Town Church’s 

Restoration Project 

can be made to : 

Friends of the Big 

Spring Old Town 

Church and mailed 

to P.O. Box 170 


or dropped off at 

First Savings Bank. 

Follow us on 

Facebook at 

Marengo Big Springs 

Old Town Church 


It’s just a small church, tucked into 

a scenic setting west of Marengo 

Cave, and adjacent to the cemetery 

in Old Town Marengo. However, 

the 163-year-old Big Springs 

Church embraces a vast amount of 

history and holds a wealth of memories. 

“It is truly a historic treasure that 

needs to be preserved,” said Pam Poe, 

who, with her husband, Dave Poe, is 

a member of Friends of Marengo Big 

Springs Old Town Church, a committee 

spearheading its restoration. 

Other members include Wayne and 

Debbie Larimore and Jerry Hanger. 

Wayne Larimore has also served as 

treasurer and trustee of the church 

for several years, having replaced the 

late Charles Taylor. 

While it began as a Christian 

church, several denominations worshiped 

there over a period of years, 

including Methodist and United 

Brethren before moving to larger 

buildings. 

In 1935, the structure was turned 

over to a board of trustees and dedicated 

to the use of “Memorial and 

Decoration Day and other public 

gatherings of a patriotic or community 

character,” with no denomination 

having predominant ownership 

or use, according to its bylaws. 

An annual Memorial Day service 

took place there until the structure 

was deemed unsafe in 2017. 

Stepping into the church is a 

look back in time. There are several 

original pieces, including the 

pews and stoves. Neither electricity 

nor plumbing were added. Memorial 

service attendees got a glimpse 

of what church attendance was like 

in an earlier time as they tried to stir 

up a breeze with cardboard fans or 

donned warmer clothing, depending 

on the May weather. 

The restoration project recently 

took a big step forward when it was 

awarded a $2 match for every $1 donated 

through the Community Foundation 

of Crawford County’s “Making 

Generosity Last Forever” fund. 

“This is wonderful news,” Pam 

Poe said. “The CFCC is IRS-approved, 

so donations will be tax-deductible.” 

Christine Harbeson, executive 

director of the Foundation, is pleased 

that the CFCC can offer this incentive. 

“As a person who has witnessed 

the loss of numerous historic 

treasures in Crawford County and 

Southern Indiana, I am encouraged 

by the efforts of Pam Poe, and others 

along with her, to save Marengo’s 

Big Springs Old Town Church,” Harbeson 

said. “That area of Crawford 

County is so rich in history. I hope the 

community, and all those who used 

to call Crawford County home, will 

join in and help.” 

Earlier this year, Indiana Landmark’s 

Grant for Endangered Places 

awarded $2,500 to help pay the cost 

of the restoration study with matching 

funds partially paid from a 2014 

fundraiser organized by Marie Greathouse, 

Mary Wiseman, Kari Hendricks 

and Janice Eastridge Conklin. 

The study was done by David 

M. Allen with Michel Allen Ritz Architects 

in New Albany. John A. Weest 

is project engineer. 

Dave Poe (of Dave Poe Construction 

Inc.) and Wayne Larimore 

(of Larimore Electric Inc.) have met 

with the contractor slated to do the 

foundation work. They believe that 

the structural problems can be fixed 

Historical Preservation 

A Piece of History 

Restoration plans move forward for 

Marengo’s Big Springs Church 

Story by Sara Combs 

Photo by Janice Conklin 

if enough money is raised, Pam Poe 

said. 

Larimore explained that the 

work would be done in stages. “The 

first stage is to stabilize,” he said. 

“The church will have to be raised 

up, beams laid for support, then the 

rock foundation can be rebuilt. That 

will likely cost $40,000 to $50,000. 

Then we can move on to other stages, 

maintaining the 1858 look, but using 

more durable material. Later stages 

will include work on the walls, chimneys, 

roof and shoring up the bell 

tower.” 

The last service was held at the 

church on May 29, 2016, with Pastor 

Eric Satterfield speaker, Larimore 

said. “The following year, we could no 

longer get insurance on the building 

and it wasn’t safe. I had to announce 

that the service couldn’t be held until 

improvements were made,” said 

Larimore, who remembers attending 


the memorial service with his parents 

and brother as a young boy and keeping 

the tradition as an adult. 

The need for major work has 

been there for some time, he said. 

“We have always wanted to 

do what was needed to repair the 

church. It has always been about the 

need for money. The only income was 

from the offering at the one time a 

year service,” he said, “and that was 

never more than $200.” 

Janice Eastridge Conklin has 

worked in earlier fundraising efforts. 

Conklin, a descendant of Samuel 

Stewart, brother of Dr. Lewis Byrum 

Stewart, who was instrumental in 

building the church, regularly attended 

the annual service. “It was 

just something our family did. It was 

important to us. 

Dr. Stewart’s autobiography 

tells about the first service held in the 

building in May 1858, describing the 

building as “enclosed with one coat 

of plaster, seats and two pot-bellied 

stoves.” A pastor named Goodson 

delivered the message. Construction 

was completed by the following May. 

Many families in the area have 

relatives who worshiped in the 

church and/or are descendants of the 

founders, including Stewart, Byrum, 

Taylor, Jones, Miller, Huff, Weathers, 

Meriwether, Baylor, Pierson and 

Van Meter/Van Metre families. (This 

writer’s second great-grandfather, 

Enoch Weathers, was a deacon in 

1858 and late father, Robert Batman, 

was named trustee in 1946, replacing 

C.G. Balthes.) 

Larimore said that if the renovation 

campaign is successful, it is possible 

that community services could 

be held for Christmas, Easter and 

other special times, as well as Memorial 

Day. He warned that the project 

won’t come cheap. “It takes special 

skill to renovate a structure of this 

age,” he said. 

“We would like to add HVAC 

and a security system,” Pam Poe said, 

“so that the meeting house could be 

used year-round and we could keep 

some historic items on display.” 

The committee is hoping to rally 

community support. • 

Want to help save the Big Springs 

Church? Go to facebook.com/MarengoBigSpringsOldTownChurch. 

Donations may be sent to Friends of 

Marengo Big Springs Old Town Church, 

P.O. Box 170, Marengo, IN 47140 or 

dropped off at First Savings Bank. Contact 

the Community Foundation of Crawford 

County at cf-cc.org or call 365-2900. 

Let us HeLp protect Your dreAms. 

Brandon Stevens, Sales Specialist 

- All Lines 

Mark R Stevens Agency LLC 

2066 Old Highway 135 Nw 

Corydon, IN 47112 

Bus: (812) 734-0612 

Mark Stevens, Agent 

Mark R Stevens Agency LLC 

Bus: (812) 283-8600 

2940 Holmans Ln Ste C 

Jeffersonville, IN 47130 

mstevens@amfam.com 

Home | Auto | Life | Business | fArm & rAncH 

24-Hour cLAims reporting & customer service 1-800-mYAmfAm (692-6326) 

AmfAm.com 

American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. and Its Operating Companies, American Family Insurance Company, American Family Life Insurance Company, 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 

010996 – Rev. 7/17 ©2015 – 12075955 


(812) 365-2900 

The Making Generosity Last Forever Fund 

Donate and get a $2 match for each $1 donated. 

Contact us. 

This is a community grants fund. 

www.cf-cc.org 

Built in 1858 

Want to help to save the Marengo Big Springs Old Town Church? 

Go to https://www.facebook.com/Marengo BigSpringsOldTownChurch 

Regional roasts. 

Community centered. 

Join us for a cup. 

110 E. Chestnut Street, Corydon, IN 

812-736-0032 | kentjavabar.com 

Mon-Thu: 7a - 6p • Fri: 7a - 8p 

Sat: 8a - 8p • Sun: 8a - 2p 


HAVE AN IMPACT IN EVERY SEASON OF LIFE. 

For 25 years now, Harrison County Community Foundation has been helping our community reap the benefits 

of philanthropy through every season – and every season of life. 

Scholarships for young people and adults. Funding Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. Supporting youth 

programs and seniors’ meals. Investing in fiber internet backbone. COVID-19 relief. Providing grants and other 

resources for nonprofits. Funding mental health services and addiction treatment programs. 

Of course, plenty of opportunities and challenges remain. Together we can tackle the next 25 years and 

beyond. How will you embrace philanthropy - this season and next? In what season of life will you help 

someone — or perhaps need help yourself? 

Find out more by visiting hccfindiana.org or contacting us at 812-738-6668. 

25 YEARS 

PHILANTHROPY 

EXPERIENCE 

COMMUNITY 

L E G A C Y 


Harrison County Community Foundation 

1523 Foundation Way NE 

PO Box 279, Corydon, IN 47112 

P 812.738.6668 | F 812.738.6864 

hccfindiana.org

SEEKPRAYSHARE 

SISTERS OF ST. BENEDICT OF FERDINAND, INDIANA 

VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1 | SPRING 2021 

SeekPrayShare • May/June 2021 • Insert_01

Contents 

FROM THE PRIORESS 01 

WHAT’S OPEN? 02 

We may be closed to visitors, 

but there’s still plenty to do 

at the Monastery 

CARING THROUGH COVID 03 

Srs. Rose Mary Rexing and 

Lisa Marie Schutz on patience 

and prayer during a pandemic 

WAY OF THE CROSS 05 

Putting the finishing touch on 

the dome; the bells reborn 

A DEEPER DIVE 07 

Tapping into the power of 

spiritual direction; 

exploring Oblates 

HIDDEN MONASTERY 10 

Behind the scenes: a few spots 

you won’t see on a tour 

SEEKING SISTERS 11 

Is God still calling Sisters? 

How to tell, how to help 

IN THE KITCHEN 13 

How our bakery keeps life 

sweet, even now 

In Chapter 4 of The Rule of St. Benedict, the author 

provides a number of tools for good works. Benedict 

advises us not to be proud, not to speak ill of others, to 

devote ourselves to prayer and much more. 

Near the end of the chapter, in verse 74, he offers this: 

“And finally, never lose hope in God’s mercy.” 

During trials, we become more aware of God’s mercy. 

And while 2020 presented so many trials, from a 

pandemic to racial injustice to economic upheaval, it 

was a year overflowing with God’s mercy. 

It has been more gratifying than I can convey to see our 

sisters rise to the challenges of this year with patience, 

persistence and even good humor. We continued to look 

for new ways to help others, and to pray for you and for 

all those within and outside of our community. 

And it has been more humbling than I can tell you to see 

the outpouring of support and generosity from so many 

of you. You made it possible for us to continue our 

work, both close to home and in the mission field. Our 

impact on this world is magnified by you. 

In 2021, join us in praying for an end to the pandemic, 

for less division and greater unity among all people, for 

a season of recovery and stability…and for a greater 

awareness of God’s infinite mercy every day. 

www.thedome.org | 812.367.1411 

802 E 10th St., Ferdinand, IN 47532-9239 

Sister Anita Louise Lowe, OSB 

Prioress 

Insert_02 • May/June 2021 • SeekPrayShare

What’s Open? 

While the monastery isn’t open for 

tours just yet, there are still good 

reasons to visit. Light a candle in 

the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. 

Walk the Stations of the Cross. Take 

a lakeside stroll. Make a Rosary Walk 

uphill toward Our Lady of Fatima. 

Reflect on Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

And support the work of the Sisters 

with a visit to the Gift Shop or St. 

Benedict’s Brew Works. 


Caring 

through 

COVID 

“It happened so 

quickly. We had to 

rethink everything 

almost daily. There 

were a lot of God 

moments.” 

SR. ROSE MARY REXING 

THIS PAGE: 

Sister Rose Mary Rexing, 

Executive Director of 

Mission Integration at 

Memorial Hospital in 

Jasper 

OPPOSITE: 

Sister Rose Mary 

blessing the COVID-19 

vaccine in December, 

2020 


When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, life 

changed virtually overnight for Sister 

Rose Mary Rexing, who serves as 

Executive Director of Mission Integration 

at Memorial Hospital in Jasper. 

“On March 11,” she recalled, “we 

canceled all volunteers and elective 

procedures. On December 17, the 

vaccine arrived. It was nine months 

of labor and expectation and then — a 

beautiful delivery.” 

Those nine months brought new 

challenges every day — with daily 

morning and afternoon calls to figure out 

what that day would look like. 

The Power of Prayer 

“I could find myself feeling afraid,” Sister 

Rose Mary said, “but we never stopped 

praying. We started every meeting with 

prayer. We had a prayer for 

each time we put a mask 

on.” Faith Community 

Nurses, with more than 80 

nurses across 8 counties, 

organized parishes to pray 

for nurses and departments 

over the 12 days of 

Christmas. A poster went 

out listing the parishes and 

departments being prayed for. “When I 

opened that, I just cried,” she recalled. 

A Strong Community 

In spite of it all, she never felt alone in the 

journey. “We have a strong community 

in the hospital,” she noted, “and the 

larger community donated masks, money, 

food…there was truly a sense that we 

were all in this together.” 

Supporting the Staff 

Sister Rose Mary oversees the pastoral 

care and social services staff, and 

reminded them to be attentive to their 

own trauma even as they cared for others. 

She created a process to administer an 

employee emergency fund to help those 

whose hours had been cut. “One woman, 

the wage earner in her family who was 

expecting her fourth child, found herself 

with fewer hours and unexpected bills. 

But she was too humble to ask for help. 

When we were able to assist her, we both 

cried on the phone together.” 

The hospital has a “Code Lavender” for 

those times when staff needed a moment 

just to talk to someone. It was in heavy 

use throughout the pandemic and remains 

so even now. 

Patients, Families, Sisters 

Because patients were isolated, the staff 

set up tablets so they could talk to their 

families. Sister Rose Mary would set 

up sacraments, often while the chaplain 

prayed with the family in the parking lot. 

While every loss felt 

personal, some were 

closer to home. “I 

was with Sister Marge 

Sasse when she was 

dying in the hospital in 

August,” she remembers. 

And Sister Cathy Ann 

Robinson, who passed 

away in September, “was still ministering 

to a CNA as she was dying.” 

A Time to Reflect 

With all of the long hours and challenges, 

Sister Rose Mary has still found this 

a good time to reflect. “I wanted to 

find meaning. I wanted my life to be 

worthwhile. And I’ve had a wonderful 

life. I’ve loved everything I’ve ever done. 

I don’t have anything I wish I’d done.” 

Your donations to the Sisters of St. 

Benedict have helped support our 

community and the work we do 

throughout the pandemic. 

Sister Lisa’s 

Perspective 

Sister Lisa Marie 

Schutz has also 

been on the front 

lines during the 

pandemic as a 

clinical assistant at 

Jasper Primary Care 

Physicians. 

Like everyone 

else, she looks 

forward to putting 

COVID-19 behind 

us. “Some of my 

favorite patients 

have died,” she said. 

“And some are still 

dealing with the 

lingering effects of 

the virus.” 

Often during the 

pandemic, patients 

have turned 

to her as they 

make decisions. 

“Sometimes they 

just need someone 

they can talk to, 

especially older 

patients. They see 

me as a safe person 

to talk to. It feels 

good to be able to 

pray for them and 

support them.” 


The way of the Cross 

After 47 years, it was Joe Helming’s last 

project. He was about to retire from 

Helming Brothers in Jasper. Founded as 

Stiegel Contracting in 1936, the name 

changed when Joe, after starting at the 

company in 1973, purchased it with his 

brother David in 1981. 

But there was one last job to finish, 

and Joe wanted to be the man who did 

it. His company had restored the dome 

that crowns the Monastery Immaculate 

Conception. All that remained was 

to install the cross, which they had 

refinished with gold plating. 

“Since this one was for the sisters,” said 

Joe, “I just wanted to make sure it was 

right.” That’s how he found himself, on 

a clear November day, perched atop the 

highest point in Ferdinand, settling a 

gleaming, gold-plated cross into place. 

The restoration of the dome was funded 

by a single anonymous donor family. 

Stewardship is always first and foremost 

in the sisters’ minds. So when the initial 

proposal included gold plating for the 

cross, the sisters opted to remove that 

portion from the project to save money. 

Upon learning of the decision, however, 

the donor family insisted that it be 

included, funding the additional expense. 

“That cross reflects God’s light across the 

whole community. It stands as a beacon 

and a reminder of God’s love shining 

on us all.” Seeing the finished 

cross gleaming atop the 

dome, it’s hard to 

argue the point. 


Above, detail of the south 

bell. Below, the pulleys and 

ropes that make it all work 

And next…the bells 

Three bells reside in the tower above the 

monastery, all cast by Stuckstede Bell 

Foundry in St. Louis, MO - one in 1891 

and the other two in 1907. 

A recent campaign raised the funds 

necessary to update the bells, which 

are still rung by hand using the original 

hardware. 

Upon completion, the bells will be 

furnished with new steel stands, yokes, 

strikers, wheels and clappers. 

Best of all, a new digital controller will 

allow the bells to be programmed to 

ring at the appropriate times. A remote 

control will allow the bells to be rung 

for special occasions. 


A deeper dive 

“Think of it 

as the art of 

listening for 

the movement 

of the Divine.” 

Have you wanted to deepen 

your spiritual life…but weren’t 

sure where to start? Spiritual 

Direction from the Sisters of St. 

Benedict might be the perfect 

place to begin. 

Spiritual direction simply means 

accompanying someone in her 

or his spiritual life. A Spiritual 

Director listens to your story, 

and together you listen for God’s 

call and presence in the ordinary 

events of your life. 

Through monthly conversations, 

our goal is to deepen your 

relationship with God by helping 

you learn to recognize divine 

grace in all aspects of your life. 

Think of it as the art of listening 

for the movement of the Divine, 

but in the context of a trusting 

relationship. 

How It Works 

You meet with one of our 

certified Spiritual Directors 

to explore your spiritual life. 

The goal, over time, is that you 

awaken to the mystery of God 

in all of your life, and respond 

to that discovery in a growing 

relationship of freedom and 

commitment. 

Your director follows the 

“Guidelines for Ethical 

Conduct” established by 

Spiritual Directors International, 

which are available upon request. 

Although it is appropriate at 

times to discuss psychological 

and relational difficulties in the 

context of spiritual direction, 

a Spiritual Director is not a 

psychotherapist and does not 

provide such services. 

Your Director will hold your 

spiritual direction conversations 

in strict confidence. Your time 

together is sacred. 

The Director will not reveal the 

content of your conversations 

unless you give signed consent 

(or where it is legally and/or 

ethically required, as in cases 

of actual or suspected abuse, or 

risk of injury to self, to a minor, 

or to any third party.) 

Occasionally, the Director 

may need to use material from 

the sessions for supervision 

purposes, but your name will 

not be revealed. 

The standard fee for spiritual 

direction, which is available 

virtually, in person at the 

monastery, or at other locations, 

is usually $45 – $60 per session, 

negotiable according to need 

and arranged with the Director. 

No one will be deprived of 

spiritual direction for financial 

reasons. 

For more information or to 

schedule an appointment, please 

call 812-367-1411 or contact 

one of our Spiritual Directors. 


Meet your Spiritual Directors 

Sister Betty Drewes 

Sister Betty has degrees in education, counseling, and spiritual direction. In addition to serving 

as a spiritual director, she enjoys leading days of reflection, retreat presentations, and various 

personal growth programs with creative prayer experiences. She sees directees in southern 

Indiana and western Kentucky. 

Sister Kathryn Huber 

Sister Kathryn Huber studied Spiritual Direction in the Institute of Spiritual Leadership at 

Loyola University of Chicago and earned her master’s degree in Spirituality from Loyola. She 

also leads retreats and workshops, and is involved in ecumenical and interfaith activities and 

prison ministry. She sees women and men for direction at the monastery in Ferdinand, Indiana. 

Sister Karen Joseph 

Sister Karen’s education focused on monastic studies and theology. She spent 23 years in 

leadership in monastic community and is now involved in giving retreats and seeing people for 

spiritual direction. She sees directees in Ferdinand, Indiana. 

Sister Joella Kidwell 

Sister Joella has a master’s degree in biological sciences. In addition, she has a diploma in 

theological studies from Regis College, Toronto, which included training in spiritual direction. 

She also had continuing theological training in Rome, Italy. She has served as prioress of the 

Sisters of St. Benedict, president of the Benedictine Federation of St. Gertrude, and director of 

spirituality ministry for the community. She sees directees in the Southern Indiana region. 

Sister Patricia Ann McGuire 

Sister Patricia Ann has a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s degree in Christian 

spirituality, and certification in spiritual direction. She is a Pastoral Associate at St. Benedict 

Cathedral in Evansville, Indiana, and Director of Temporary Professed Sisters for the Sisters of 

St. Benedict. She sees directees in Ferdinand and Evansville, Indiana. 

Sister Rose Wildeman 

Sister Rose has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Oakland City College and a 

master’s degree in music from Ball State University. She worked as a music teacher and 

parish liturgist in the Diocese of Evansville for 34 years. She completed the spiritual direction 

internship in 2007. Currently serving as Subprioress, she sees directees in Ferdinand, Indiana. 

Sister Jane Will 

Sister Jane currently serves on the Spirituality Ministry team as program director and spiritual 

director. She has master’s degrees in education and Christian spirituality with an emphasis on 

spiritual direction, and a doctorate in psychology. Sister Jane has been a teacher and has served 

in community leadership. She sees directees in Ferdinand and Evansville, Indiana. 

Sister Susan Mary Hooks 

Sister Susan Mary has a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She completed the 

spiritual direction program in 2016. She has served as a business manager for Sr. Helen Parish 

in Louisville, Kentucky, as comptroller/assistant to vice-rector for administration for the 

Pontifical North American College in Rome and as the Administrator/Parish Life Coordinator 

for St. Agnes Parish in Nashville, Indiana. She currently is caring for a family member on the 

family farm in Arkansas. 


A deeper dive, too: the Oblate option 

Oblates of St. Benedict are Christian 

men and women from all walks of life 

who associate themselves with a specific 

Benedictine monastery to enrich their 

way of life. 

Oblates don’t take on new religious 

practices. Rather, you promise to deepen 

your faith and lead an enriched Christian 

life according to the Rule of St. Benedict. 

The spirituality of St. Benedict is so 

flexible that it can be adapted to the life 

of anyone seriously seeking God and 

desiring to live the Gospel message. 

Through the Sisters of St. Benedict, you 

receive guidance and support in living 

the Christian life with regular Oblate 

meetings, the quarterly Oblate newsletter, 

and other enrichment opportunities 

offered by the sisters. As an Oblate, you: 

UNITE daily prayer to the prayer of the 

sisters 

JOIN in the community’s celebration of 

the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours 

DEVELOP a relationship with the sisters 

SUPPORT the ministry of the sisters as 

ability or time allows 

ENCOURAGE and support vocations to 

the Benedictine way of life 

ATTEND days of prayer and other 

spiritual enrichment offerings 

PARTICIPATE in works of charity and 

justice in the local area 

MANIFEST the Spirit of St. Benedict in 

all places and all times 

Interested? 

St. Benedict first 

had disciples 

some 1,500 years 

ago. Since then, 

Christians have 

been included 

in the prayer 

and work of 

Benedictine 

communities 

without leaving 

their homes, 

families, or 

occupations. 

To learn more 

about becoming 

an Oblate, contact 

the Oblate 

Leadership Team 

at oblates@ 

thedome.org or 

by calling us at 

812.367.1411 ext. 

2827. 

MEET monthly, virtually or in person, for 

prayer, presentations, and social time 

We’d love to talk! 


The hidden monastery 

There are so many parts of the monastery that most people never see. 

Clockwise from upper left: the interstitial space between the church 

and the crypt; the view from the walkway around the dome of the 

church; the crypt below the church, which was the previous church; 

some of the inner workings of the organ; two views of the attic; and 

the cellar steps. 


How to spot a sister 

Since the boom of the mid-1960s, the 

number of women choosing religious life 

has dropped off dramatically. But that 

doesn’t mean women aren’t being called. 

In fact, we’re seeing more millennials 

and younger women investigating life as 

a Sister. But how can you encourage a 

woman who might find this calling? 

You might not think about it, but it’s a 

wonderful way to support the Sisters: to 

watch for young women you know who 

might be suited for this life and feeling 

God tugging on their hearts. 

Start by looking for small signs that 

might suggest potential for a call by God 

to religious life. Watch for these: 

• She feels close to God or Jesus. 

• She attends spiritual retreats or 

workshops. 

• She thinks about God daily. 

• She likes to pray. 

• She reads Scripture on her own. 

• She wants to follow Jesus. 

• She’s active in a parish or youth group. 

• She likes to serve others. 

• She enjoys spiritual conversations. 

Thinking of anyone yet? Here are a 

few other signs that your “candidate” is 

already considering religious life: 

• She has religious mentors or people she 

looks up to. 

• She likes to work beside or just visit 

with religious. 

• Her family or friends notice how much 

she enjoys religious company. 

• She Googles about religious orders and 

seems intrigued by their lifestyle. 

• She’s been on a retreat or had a live-in 

experience with a community. 

• She’s made a discernment retreat 

• She imagines religious life as an option. 

• She’s asked God if this is a call. 

Is the young woman you’re thinking of 

still in the running so far? Let’s go to the 

next level. Here are serious indicators 

that a loving, persistent God may be 

calling her to religious life: 

The idea doesn’t go away. If she ignores 

it and looks at other, non-religious paths, 

this one keeps coming back. 

She digs deep into all the reasons why 

religious life wouldn’t be good for her. 

But even as her head builds a case, her 

heart is still stirred by that persistent pull. 

The biggest of questions — “How can 

I know for sure?” — isn’t enough to 

dissuade her. 

She “tries on” other options, but they 

leave her heart empty, and she feels 

unsatisfied, disappointed, or restless. In 

discernment, we call this “desolation,” a 

lack of peace or joy. 

If a woman you know fits this description, 

the best thing you can do is to encourage 

her to investigate the full measure of 

religious life without pressuring her or 

implying any expectation on her part. 

God wants her to be happy and so do 

you. So guiding her gently toward people 

and resources who can help her discern 

whether she is truly being called is an act 

of love and kindness. 


6 steps to a successful sister 

A Call Initiated By God 

The right motivation is so crucial. A 

genuine religious vocation springs up 

within your heart. It doesn’t come from 

outside pressure or circumstance. 

Even if some external event puts you on 

the path to discernment, your call comes 

directly from your Creator, who knows 

you best. If you’re truly being called, that 

outside event just confirms the desire that 

was already stirring in your own heart. 

A Personal Relationship With God 

The call to religious life builds on a 

relationship that already exists. A true 

religious vocation is marked by a longing 

for greater intimacy with the Lord — the 

sense of a deeper, richer life waiting. 

How can you foster friendship with 

the Divine? Regular Mass. Frequent 

Confession. Personal prayer time with 

Scripture. 

Free Response To The Call 

Are you considering religious life freely, 

out of your own desire? Or does the 

idea of a religious vocation weigh you 

down? You may not be able to answer 

this question right away. Some fear or 

apprehension is absolutely normal. 

But if you’re truly being called and 

responding freely, then somewhere along 

your path of prayer and discernment, your 

vocation will be your heart’s desire, a 

source of great joy and peace. 

Good Health 

Life in a religious community is intense 

and rigorous. You need physical, 

psychological, and emotional health to 

live cheerfully and generously in the 

community you enter, accepting their 

schedule, diet, work, and penitential 

practices graciously. 

Sufficient Maturity 

Maturity can’t be measured by age alone. 

We continue to mature our whole lives. 

But a certain level of maturity is needed 

for life in a religious community. 

Community life takes personal responsibility. 

The ability to give and receive 

forgiveness. A focus on others above 

self. You have to be in it for the duration; 

to deny yourself, take up your cross, and 

follow Jesus every day. 

Desire And Capacity For Living 

The Vows 

If God is truly calling you to religious 

life, He’ll give you an appreciation for 

the beauty of this call and the capacity to 

live it. The vows of stability, obedience, 

and fidelity to the monastic way of life are 

both sacrifice and gift. 

You’re offering God your natural capacity 

and desire for marriage and family, your 

right to own possessions, and your right 

to govern yourself according to your own 

will. 

Fear not! Your Creator will lead you to 

safe harbor if you ride on the gentle wind 

of the Holy Spirit. 

The book, 

Discerning 

Religious Life 

by Sr. Clare 

Matthiass, CFR, 

is a valuable 

resource for any 

young woman 

on a journey of 

discernment! 


In the 

bakery 


Our bakery is always 

abuzz with activity. 

Left: self-proclaimed 

“Master Zester” Sister 

Rachel whipping 

up Simply Lemon 

Cookies. This page, 

clockwise from upper 

left: packing Spicy 

Pretzels; preparing 

Apple Streudel; 

packaging Shortbread 

Cookies; whipping 

up Hildegard Crunch 

Mix; loading lemony 

goodness into 

the oven: adding 

chocolate to our 

delicious Buttermint 

Cookies. The 

generosity of our 

Women of the Rule, 

keeps us equipped 

to bake all year long. 

Stop by the Gift Shop 

or order online to 

support the sisters and 

indulge your sweet 

tooth. 



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Everyday Adventures 

Who needs the beach? 

Several years ago I had the chance to 

attend a work conference in Pawleys 

Island, South Carolina. Rough, 

I know, but it was not my idea. I 

got recruited into going. However, once 

I was invited on the trip, I kept thinking 

about one thing: how soon I could get to 

the beach. 

After all, I’m from Indiana. We don’t 

have a lot of oceans in my hometown, so 

any time I’m within a hundred miles of 

saltwater my brain goes into beach mode 

calculating the most direct path to the 

waves. 

Of course, I was looking forward to 

the conference itself, but c’mon, we were 

only going to be five minutes from the 

ocean. Five minutes! Surely there would 

be time to slip over for some sun and sand. 

Unfortunately, our schedule was 

packed. We would be trapped indoors in 

workshops almost the entire time we were 

there, morning through evening. 

Don’t get me wrong. The content 

was great. Inspiring. Helpful. Thoughtprovoking. 

But, hello! The ocean was 

only five minutes away. What better way 

to process all I was learning than to reflect 

on the tranquil waters of the Atlantic? 

The way I figured it, we only had one 

shot. If things wrapped up early enough, 

there might be a window in late afternoon 

to grab some beach time before dinner. 

As the afternoon wore on, I began to 

plant seeds with the rest of my group. Of 

course, they all loved the idea. By the time 

the last conference session ended, everyone 

was as excited as I was. 

Except for one guy. The leader of our 

trip. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “The beach 

is a lot of work. It’s messy, and we have 

to be back for dinner. I don’t know if it’s 

worth it.” 

I could not have been more shocked 

if he’d grown a third eye in the middle of 

his forehead. This was the beach we were 

talking about. A lot of work? Messy? Not 

worth it? He was out of his mind. 

I didn’t get it. This guy was normally 

really fun. What was he thinking? We’d 

just driven ten hours and hadn’t even 


glimpsed the water. How could you grow 

up in the midwest and not be dying to get 

to the ocean? It’s not like you saw one every 

day. 

And then it hit me. He didn’t grow 

up in the midwest. 

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I see what’s 

going on here. You grew up in Florida!” 

I realized he’d probably been to the 

ocean more times in one year than I’ll ever 

be in my entire life. No wonder he was so 

flippant about going. 

Fortunately, he was a nice guy so he 

finally gave into the rest of us, and we got 

our hour at the beach. However, that story 

always reminds me how dangerous familiarity 

can be. 

The more time we’re exposed to 

something the less we may appreciate it. 

Think about the difference between 

dating and marriage. When a couple is 

dating, all they can think about is the next 

time they’ll see each other. After only three 

years of marriage, however, a couple has 

seen each other a thousand days in a row. 

A thousand days later, things may not 

quite feel the same. The people may not 

have changed much, but their perspective 

is totally different. 

Same goes for buying a new car or 

a new house or getting a new job. A year 

later, the car, the house and the job may 

still be awesome but we may not know it 

because it’s become old hat. 

Familiarity has a way of dulling our 

sense of wonder, gratitude and delight. 

It’s true of things like the beach, marriage 

and new cars, and it’s true of our relationship 

with God. 

Many of us reach out to God in a 

season of desperation, but once the crisis 

passes, we forget how good God was to 

us in that moment when no one else could 

help. That’s happened to me more times 

than I care to admit. Praying seems urgent 

when I’m worried, anxious or scared, 

but not as important when everything is 

going well. 

There may also be moments where 

we’re blown away by a sunset or a tender 

moment with our kids, or encouraging 

words from the Bible, moments when 

After all, I’m from Indiana. We don’t have a 

lot of oceans in my hometown, so any time 

I’m within a hundred miles of saltwater my 

brain goes into beach mode calculating 

the most direct path to the waves. 

we’re overwhelmed with thankfulness 

and worship. 

Until we’re not. 

Those moments pass, and like my 

Florida friend, we may eventually take 

for granted something we once knew to 

be great. So beware when the fantastic 

becomes familiar. If we’re not careful, it’s 

all too easy to miss out on the goodness of 

God and the everyday gifts He’s placed in 

our lives. • 

Image: Ersler Dmitry / shutterstock.com 

Jason Byerly is a writer, pastor, husband and 

dad who loves the quirky surprises God sends 

his way every day. You can read more from 

Jason in his books Tales from the Leaf Pile and 

Holiday Road. You can catch up with Jason on 

his blog at www.jasonbyerly.com.

2021 Jeep Wrangler 

johnjonesautogroup.com 


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