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consecrated life Ghent native making a difference in Portland helping women in dire straits by Sam Patet The Prairie Catholic A chapter in Sr. Cathie Boerboom’s life has come to a close. On May 1, Sr. Cathie stepped down as executive director of Rose Haven, an organization in Portland, Ore., that provides social services to women in need and their children. She helped found Rose Haven 14 years ago. “I had no dream that a person could be as happy, and fulfilled, and joyful, and giving as I have been able to be,” Sr. Cathie said. Cathleen Marie Boerboom grew up on a farm outside of Ghent with her parents – Vinny and Prudence (“Putts”) – and three siblings. They attended the Church of St. Eloi. Life at the Boerboom household, Sr. Cathie said, was full of joy. “I’m one of those blessed people who always knew I was loved,” she said. After graduating from Central Catholic High School (now closed) in Marshall in 1964, Sr. Cathie attended the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. During her first year, she saw a film on the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, a religious order founded in 1835 by St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in Angers, France. She was attracted to the sisters, and so she decided to visit them at their religious house in St. Paul. After visiting, she knew she had to join them. “I just knew in my bones that that was the right place,” she said. She applied to and was accepted by the Good Shepherd Sisters, joining their community in St. Paul in the fall of 1965. The next eight years were spent in prayer, study, and service as she discerned whether God was calling her to be a Good Shepherd sister. She made her final vows in December 1973. She then spent time in Spokane, Wash., in St. Paul, and even in France at her order’s motherhouse carrying out different apostolates, including training Good Shepherd sisters and helping women involved in prostitution and abusive relationships. In 1992, she moved to Portland and began working with people on the street and serving as a jail chaplain. Despite the good work she was doing, she felt like something was missing. Portland women did not Hispanic/Latino youth gather in Glencoe for annual retreat GLENCOE – Over 50 Hispanic/Latino youth of the diocese gathered Sunday, April 15 at St. Pius X in Glencoe for the annual youth retreat. The youth reflected on the theme "Las Bases de Un Buen Cristiano" (The Foundations of a Good Christian). Sr. Cathie Boerboom (right) interacts with one of her guests at Rose Haven, a social service provider for women and children in the Portland area. have a place to go for help no matter what their needs were, Sr. Cathie said. Organizations offered services to specific groups (for example, women dealing with domestic violence). If you didn’t fit that mold, you had to find help elsewhere, she said. “It just kinda broke my heart, because I would see people being abused on the street, being pawed on,” Sr. Cathie said. “There was just a longing to do something else.” Her longing turned into reality when she and several others founded Rose Haven in 1998. Sr. Cathie described it as “a safe, respect-filled place” where a woman’s needs, whatever they were, would be addressed. Katie O’Brien has been Rose Haven’s development officer since 2010. While Rose Haven provides women with typical resources like food and counseling, she said, it also offers programs you wouldn’t expect to see at a soup kitchen. Rose Haven’s Web site advertises NEW ULM – Bishop John M. LeVoir and the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus invite all the faithful to join in the celebration of the First Professions of Vows of Sr. Mary Joseph of the Sacrificial Lamb and Sr. Maris Stella of the Priestly Heart of Jesus on Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm. A potluck jewelry making, knitting, book clubs, and makeup classes. O’Brien said these programs fill a need that all women have: the longing for community. “I’ve described (Rose Haven) before as a living room for the homeless and abused,” O’Brien said. The women “create this community of support for one another that is so important to that healing process.” “Women are social,” Sr. Cathie said. They “do a lot of stuff together. And these women had nowhere to be safe, where they could trust the other people around them.” Rose Haven’s success can be attributed to many factors, including its dedicated staff members, generous benefactors, and tireless volunteers. The glue, though, that has kept it together for 14 years is Sr. Cathie. “She has a great presence about her in a very non-threatening way, and I think that’s why she is so loved by reception will follow Mass. Bring a dish to pass if you wish. On March 24, 2010, Bishop LeVoir established the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus as a Public Association of the The Prairie Catholic • Page 8 • May 2012 everybody,” O’Brien said. She praised Sr. Cathie’s knowledge, communication skills, humility, and sense of humor. Patsy, 59, is one of the many women who have been helped by Sr. Cathie. Originally from Portland, Patsy moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when she was 18 to pursue a career as a musician. She returned to Portland around 2000 to help her mother who was ill. Eventually, she had spent all of her money helping her mother and was living in a homeless shelter. Patsy said Sr. Cathie provided much-needed help. Sr. Cathie is “a very caring, kind person,” Patsy said. “I’m really impressed with her leadership abilities and her networking skills.” Her love for the women she sees, Patsy said, is reflected in the top-ofthe-line services she and her staff offer. While she is stepping back from her role as executive director, she won’t be stepping back from helping women in need. Sr. Cathie said she will be helping out in a new program sponsored by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. She’s glad she can continue to use her gifts to help others. “This is the most amazing group of faith-filled, patient, accepting people that you could ever encounter,” Sr. Cathie said. “It’s wonderful to be in the situation where I can use my privilege to help other people get on their feet.” Handmaids to make first profession of vows Sr. Mary Joseph Faithful.They are the first religious order to be established in the diocese. For further information about the Handmaids of the Sr. Maris Heart of Jesus, contact Stella Mother Mary Clare Roufs, 507-276-9128; handmaids1@ gmail.com.
Catholic life Paying homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary both in the Church and home by Jeane Appel DCCW Commission Coordinator In this month of May, Mary’s month, our thoughts instinctively turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. – St. Francis de Sales said the greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary. – St. Thomas Aquinas preached for 40 straight days in Rome on just the Hail Mary. – St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests, was seldom seen without a rosary in his hand. – Pope Adrian VI said, “The rosary is the scourge of the devil.” – Pope Paul VI said, “The rosary is a treasure of graces.” – Padre Pio, the stigmatic priest, said, “The Rosary is the weapon.” – Pope Leo XIII wrote several encyclicals on the Rosary. – Pope John XXIII spoke 38 times about Mary and the Rosary. He prayed 15 decades daily. – St. Louis Marie de Montfort wrote: “The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the heart of Jesus, our redeemer, who so loves his mother.” Our Lady has many titles. Mary, “Our Lady of Good Counsel,” is the patroness of the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and she is the patron saint of the diocese. Do you know how the title, “Our Lady of Good Counsel,” The 17th biannual National Council of Catholic Women Province Conference will be held June 19-20 at the Church of St. Joseph, 315 SW 21st Street, Grand Rapids, MN. The theme for the two-day event is “Love in Motion.” Bishop Paul D. Sirba, bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, will be the main celebrant at the opening liturgy. The keynote speaker will be Judy Under the leadership of Bishop Alphonse J. Schladweiler, the Diocese of New Ulm was dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, on Jan. 31, 1958. She is considered the patron saint of the diocese. originated? It was given to Mary after a painting now found in a 13th-century Augustinian church at Genazzano, Italy, about 30 miles south of Rome. Measuring approximately 16 inches by 18 inches, the image is a fresco executed on a thin layer of porcelain no thicker than an egg shell. In the fifth century, during the reign of Pope Sixtus III, the town of Genazzano contributed a large portion of its revenue for the Roman basilica St. Mary Major. In appreciation, a church was built in Genazzano and was later entrusted to the Augustinian order in 1356. According to tradition, in the year 1467, in the midst of the festivities Powers, president of the National Council of Catholic Women. A speaker has been scheduled for each commission. A banquet with entertainment will be held on Wednesday evening. All women and pastoral leaders are invited to attend this educational and spiritual event. For more information or a registration form, for the feast of St. Mark, the townfolk suddenly heard “exquisite music.” A mysterious cloud descended and obliterated an unfinished wall of the parish church. In front of the people, the cloud dissipated and a beautiful fresco of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Christ child was revealed. Many miracles are said to have occurred in the portrait’s presence, and it was widely believed that it had been miraculously transported from a church in Albania. Many popes had special devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel and made pilgrimages to Genazzabo. In 1753, Pope Benedict XIV established the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The small scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel (the white scapular) was presented by the Hermits of St. Augustine to Pope Leo XIII, who, in December 1893, approved it and endowed it with indulgences. On April 22, 1903, that same pope included the invocation in the Litany of Loreto. In 1939, Pope Pius XII placed his pontificate under her maternal care and composed a prayer to her. Our Lady of Good Counsel’s feast day is April 26. The New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women encourages everyone to pray the Rosary often. Through it, we ask Mary to lead our Church, our families, our communities, our country, and our world to her Divine Son. Province of St. Paul and Minneapolis to host national CCW province conference contact your parish Council of Catholic Women president or Leona Barten, conference chair, 218-326-1122 (work) or 218-328- 5520 (home); Shirley Nowak, province director, 320-864-5162 (work) or 320-327-2338 (home) . Registration deadline is June 10. few years ago, attending Mass in another diocese, I was elated to hear the priest begin a homily on the importance of daily prayer. It is a subject we hear far too seldom from the pulpit. My elation soon turned to disappointment, however. He talked a lot about being aware of the world around you, and your own thoughts and feelings. Shockingly, there was no mention of God at all! I realized the priest (apparently without knowing it) was not really advocating prayer, but a Buddhist-inspired form of meditation. Both Christians and Buddhists use the term “meditation,” so it is no wonder that sincere people confuse the practices of the separate religions. But the two are quite different. So what is the difference? In “Crossing the Threshold of Hope,” Pope John Paul II noted that Buddhists seek to free themselves from the world, while Christians seek freedom from sin, through God’s grace, in order to be united with him (pp. 88-89). Eastern meditation might relieve stress, but it cannot save souls. Doctor of Prayer St. Teresa of Avila gives us further insight, when she writes in the first chapter of Interior Castle: “If a person neither considers to Whom he is addressing himself, what he asks, nor what he is who ventures to speak to God, although his lips may utter many words, I do not call it prayer.” In other words, true prayer recognizes how small and sinful we are and how great God is, and The Prairie Catholic • Page 9 • May 2012 Christian prayer – much more than Eastern meditation A God Alone Suffices by Connie Rossini addresses itself towards him. Eastern forms of meditation are not addressed to anyone. The question of God’s existence and character does not come into play. Christian prayer is communication with God. The conversation we have in prayer goes both ways. In fact, God’s action during prayer is more important than our words, thoughts, or feelings. Prayer is a search for God, who promises, “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you” (Jer 29:13-14). As the Song of Songs envisions it, prayer is the Beloved seeking the One who loves her. This seeking (and finding!) is the purpose of our lives. You and I were made for intimate union with God. God is love, and he invites us to share in the very love that unites the Holy Trinity. The means to this union is prayer. This union with God unfolds in stages. When we first start praying, we have to work hard to focus on God, to meditate on (that is, ponder) his goodness, and to worship him. Faithfulness to prayer and to living a good Christian life opens the door to the gift of contemplation, when God secretly begins to transform us and draw us closer to him. The first stages of prayer are concerned with seeking, the later stages with finding. Non-Christian meditation aims too low. It cannot fulfill our longing for eternal love. Do not be afraid to lift your sights higher. Do not be afraid to seek the face of God in prayer! Connie Rossini is a parishioner of the Church of St. George, West Newton Township. She is a permanently professed member of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites.
Page 1 and 2: y Sam Patet The Prairie Catholic Mi
Page 3 and 4: diocesan church Happy, holy priests
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