2011-- Fall/Winter

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Dear Friends,

This summer Holy Union leadership and electeddelegates from all areas of the congregation gathered in Dublin, Ireland for a Collegial Assem-bly, an event that takes place every six years. Thesisters came together for three weeks to pray, to reflect, to set directions for the next six years of thelife of the congregation and to elect new congrega-tional leaders. The symbol chosen for the assemblywas a stream of living water and the Scripture passage wasfrom the Gospel of St. John: “I have come that you may havelife.”

During the second week, the delegates entered into aprocess of electing the new congregation leaders. The day ofthe elections began with Mass of the Holy Spirit and afterprayer, discussion and discernment the new General Council was elected. Sr. Margaret O’Reilly from the Anglo-Hibernian-Tanzanian Province is the superior general, andher council members are Srs. Theresa Horvath from theUnited States Province, Rebecca Sepepka from the Region ofCameroon and Una Burke from the Anglo-Hibernian-Tanzanian Province.

In the last days of the assembly, the delegates wrote a document with which the entire congregation will work for the next six years. It begins with a call to a deeper appreciation of creation and our responsibility to care for Sincerely,

AAllll SSoouullss PPrraayyeerr RReemmeemmbbrraanncceess

In early November, Sr. Patricia Butler con-ducted All Souls Prayer Remembrance serviceswith the Holy Union Sisters at The Landmarkin Fall River and Mary Immaculate Residencein Lawrence. Throughout the month of November, the prayer requests submitted byfamily and friends of Holy Union were placedon the altar in the chapel at The Landmark andat Mary Immaculate they remained on the sis-ters prayer table.

After the prayer service, the sisters listenedwith interest as Sr. Patricia updated them onthe latest activities of the Mission Advance-ment Office.

“our beautiful but bro-ken world”. To supportits life and missionand in the light of our

present reality, the con-gregation will restructure into mission

areas. A second area of future work is to develop andimplement plans that address concerns around present andfuture resources of membership, property and finance. Thelast point deals with the need for all areas of the congrega-tion to look at their policies for safeguarding children, youngpeople and vulnerable adults and update them to meet re-quirements to ensure that all God’s people will be respectedand cared for with love.

The document closes with this prayer that we invite you topray with us.

Loving God, You promised abundant life for all. Lead us from inten-tion into action. Help us to commit ourselves anew to live the Gospeland share its message with all your people. Give us the vision andcourage to find new ways to break open our charism that we may reveal your love in this our world and honor your presence in all creation.

“I am the Resurrectio

n and

the life. Those w

ho believe

in me, even if they di

e, will

live and everyon

e who lives

and believes in m

e will

never die.” (John 11: 25-26)

Srs. Mary Catherine,

Paula, and Maryellen

Srs. Pauline LaRoche,

Therese Marquis and Paula

Marquis participate in the

All Souls Prayer at Mary Im-

maculate Residence.

Sr. Jeanne

d'Arc Fournier,

places the

prayer requests

before the

sisters at The

Landmark

Jesus’ promise of abundant life and to work toward the real-ization of that promise ‘in our beautiful but broken world.’"(Collegial Assembly document).

Your constant support is a blessing and encouragement for the Holy Union Sisters asthey remain faithful to their heritage of revealing God’s love.

The Holy Union Sisters recognize themany challenges each of you faces inyour daily lives. Know that you remainin grateful prayer throughout Holy Unionas the new year unfolds.

Sincerely,

Patricia Butler, SNDdeN


Dear Friends in Mission,The Holy Union Sisters remain ever grateful for the manyways in which you contributed to the blessings of the 125thAnniversary year. The Anniversary Booklet, made availableat each of the 125th events, contains a history of the wonderful work of education Mother Helena and her companions began. It also details how Holy Union ministry continues. Page 15 graphically illustrates how the ministryof education carries on in many and varied contexts. Thereis a great deal for us to continue celebrating.

The Holy Union Sisters look toward the future as the Congregation stands at the threshold of a new year. This future will present new challenges and new possibilities. Sr.Carol Regan, in her reflection at the 125th final Liturgy, envisions the future in this way: “We welcome the futurethat lies before us, although we cannot know for certainwhat shape it will take. This we do know: in this our anniversary year and together with all our Sisters through-out the Congregation, we commit ourselves anew to share

The Holy Union Heritage House since its inaugurationin June 2011 has welcomed a variety of visitors who havecome to learn about the Holy Union Sisters past,present and future.

Since its opening:

•Holy Union Sisters and friends toured with

curator, Sr. Gert Pare.

• Sr. Rita Beaudoin, Holy Union Archivist, gave a

tour to enthusiastic upper grade students of the Country Day School of the Holy Union. In preparation some students had visited www.holyunionsisters.org and viewed the photo gallery from the Heritage House opening.

• Sr. Joan Guertin hosted a gathering for new

associates from Ayer and Shirley as part of their orientation to the Holy Union Sisters. Sr. Joan also gave a presentation on Holy Union core values.

In order to share the Holy Union history with a wider audience, aHoly Union Pilgrimage will take place in early spring. This pil-grimage will include prayer, reflection, a tour of the HeritageHouse, celebration of the Eucharist and close with a light supper.There is a place on the enclosed envelope for you to indicate yourinterest in participating in this Holy Union Pilgrimage. Furtherdetails will be coming soon.We hope you will be able to join us.

Sr. Rita Beaudoin explains artifacts to students from the Country Day Schoolof the Holy Union as they visit the Heritage House.

HHeerriittaaggee HHoouussee NNeewwss

Srs. ConnieGagnon andJean Carpinelliadmire a photo from HolyUnion history.

PPAAGGEE 44

CCoommiinngg FFuullll CCiirrcclleeThe story of each sister's vocation is unique. Sr.Therese Marquis' story, while one of constant fidelityto her call, took a long and circuitous path. Thereseentered Holy Union in 1944, and likemost Holy Union Sisters taught inparish schools, a ministry that contin-ued for almost twenty years. When hermother became seriously ill, she wasneeded at home to care for her. She received permission to do this, but hermother's illness extended for severalyears and she had to make a most dif-ficult decision: to return to the conventor be dispensed from her vows. Although she lived at homeand cared for her parents and other family members, Theresemaintained strong ties with Holy Union. She often spentweekends in the Lowell community with her sister, Sr. PaulaMarquis. She was very much at home and entered into allthe sisters' activities and spirit of community. After thedeaths of all those for whom she had cared, she thought seriously of returning to Holy Union, but it was not quite the

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Donald Davey, Sr. Eileen Davey's brother, traveled from Port-land Oregon to attend the celebration in Astoria. Don wrote,"It was wonderful visiting with Sr. John Alicia / Kathleen Gib-ney, my 8th grade teacher and seeing that she had lost noneof her enthusiasm or humor over the years. I also enjoyedthe old photos that were posted in the hall. It was wonderfulfor my sister Eileen and brother Andy to attend the celebra-tion together as alumni of Immaculate Conception School."

Karen Sangmeister, a graduate of Sacred Heart School, Mt.Ephraim, NJ lives about 400 miles from where she grew up.She says " I made the trip back last year because it affordedme a priceless opportunity - to say, "Thank you!" to the com-mitted, thoughtful, hardworking sisters who helped to edu-cate me. It was great fun to see them, and even more fun torealize that they all still had their sense of humor! I am aschool administrator and adjunct professor and realize evenmore as an adult in the same profession how you modeledhabits of thought and reflection for us when we were squir-relly preteens. You patiently and persistently insisted thatwe work hard, read a lot, achieve a high standard, and spendour time productively. Thank you!"

Mrs. Irene Gadziala has been the secretary at St. LouisSchool, Clarksville, MD since 1976. When her two daugh-ters attended the school, Sr. Mary Catherine Duerr was prin-cipal and Sr. Marilyn Spellman was assistant principal. Irenefeels "very blessed to have the sisters in her life" and hascontinued to be in touch with them through the years. Shewas happy to meet other friends of the sisters at the recep-tion that followed the Mass at the Basilica of the Assump-tion in Baltimore on September 25, 2011.

Reminiscing about the reunion of the Sisters of the Holy Unionat St. Anthony Parish in Shirley brought back pleasant memo-ries for Mary Jane Pauley." She recalled: "The years when thesisters were stationed in Lawrence where I lived as a youngsterand also their years in Shirley where Sisters Lorraine andJeanette taught our children and where I formed a happy friend-ship with them both. I was happy to see so many of the sistersin attendance at the 125 celebration."

right time. When the Lowell house closed andmany of the sisters moved to Mary ImmaculateResidence in Lawrence, Therese decided to movethere too. At Mary Immaculate, she continued to

share in the prayer and social activ-ities of the sisters.

Therese expressed to each member of theMission Team that she had always beena Holy Union Sister in her heart anddesired to return to the congrega-tion. She formally asked the Gen-eral Council for readmittance, andwhen they approved her request,

began a process of reintegration. Sr. Marilyn Gignac, atrained spiritual director, accompanied Therese to help herunderstand more clearly how religious life is lived today. OnSeptember 25,2011, surrounded by her Holy Union Sisters,Therese pronounced once again her vows of chastity, povertyand obedience at St. William Church, Tewksbury. Her years offidelity to God could now be lived out within her Holy Unionfamily, which she believed she had never left.

Celebrating

2211 55yearsJoyfully

FIVE PERSONS WHO ATTENDEDTHE REGIONAL 125TH ANNIVERSARYCELEBRATIONS SHARE WHATTHE EVENTS MEANT TO THEM.

Henry McAvoy of St. William Parish,Tewksbury wrote, “My wifeMaria and I were pleased to share in the Holy Union Sisterscelebration of 125 years in the U.S. The Mass impressed andtouched us. The liturgy and music were amazing. The recep-tion was well done with the picture display detailing the his-tory of the sisters and their role as educators. It was very niceto receive the prayer cards and the Holy Union Sisters SouvenirBooklet, with the great overview and history of their mission inthe U.S. We enjoyed the testimonials by speakers associatedwith the sisters. We enjoyed being present at this wonderfulcelebration.”

Sr. Carol Regan, a member of the U.S.Province, has completed twelve years ascongregation leader. She was a memberof international teams that included sis-ters from Argentina, Belgium, Ireland,and the U.S. During her two terms, Sr.Carol has witnessed many changeswithin the congregation. The two formerprovinces of France and Belgium havemerged into the Franco-Belge Province.In Cameroon and Tanzania, there havebeen many new vocations to HolyUnion. The congregation established aTrust to facilitate a more equitable shar-ing of its’ financial resources and joined UNANIMA, a coali-tion of smaller women's congregations at the UnitedNations.

In addition to her service to Holy Union, Sr. Carol served ongroups with other congregation leaders in Rome. As part ofthis work, she attended international meetings of women religious in Bangalore, India, and Warsaw, Poland. In Febru-ary, she will begin a year long sabbatical with a three-monthprogram at the Centre for Biblical Formation in Jerusalem.The sisters in the U.S. Province look forward to welcoming Sr. Carolback in May.

The past few months have been a timeof transition within the Holy Union Congregation. At the Collegial Assem-bly, the delegates elected Sr. Theresa"Tess" Horvath from the US Province tothe General Council. Sr. Tess, a Balti-more native, entered Holy Union in1960. For several years, she taught junior and senior high school. She wasan elementary school principal, coordi-nator of a parish religious education program and served as Director of Pastoral Care at Mercy Medical Center,Baltimore.

She served as coordinator of personnel for the former FallRiver Province, was provincial for three years and a memberof the first Mission Team of the newly formed U.S. Province.For the past seven years, she has been Vice-President forMission at St. Mary’s Hospital, a sponsored ministry of theBon Secours Sisters in Richmond, VA. Sr. Tess believes that as amember of the General Council, they can journey together with hopeinto “the congregation we are becoming.”

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Sr. Ramona Elena Ponce, SUSC, known to all as Sr. Neco, hasbeen a Holy Union Sister for twenty years. In her native Argentina, she ministered mainly among immigrants from Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru and Chile as well as other Argentineanprovinces.

Her studies in social psychology aided Sr. Neco in ministeringto these people. She worked in the areas of communication andconflict resolution in families, schools and in the workplace.

Her pastoral ministry was with teenagers, coordinating catechism classes and partici-pating in women's Bible Study groups. She accompanied the immigrant people in their religious celebrations of popular devotion. Shesupported families in times of sorrow and atthe death of loved ones.

When the request came for a sister from the Argentinean Province to minister in Monticello,KY, Sr. Neco discerned with her local community. She believedthat her background and experience was a good fit for theneeds of the Hispanic community in Kentucky. She knew thatshe could communicate with them in their own language andaccompany them in their religious celebrations. She alsowanted to know more about the life of Holy Union Sisters in

the U.S. After a long and complicated visaprocess, she arrived inMonticello last April.Srs. Ann Kernan, SUSCand Una Davey, SUSCwarmly welcomed her.

Sr. Neco now visitsHispanicfamilies andprepares their children for FirstCommunion. She led a retreat for people of thearea and helped develop a workshop on the mean-ing of Advent. Her main interest is listening to thepeople, their joys and sorrows, and encouragingtheir strong hope and faith.

One of the similarities Sr. Neco has noticedbetween her ministries in Argentina and Kentucky is the phe-nomenon of migration. People leave their families and theirhomeland in the hope of building a better life. The basic needs of healthcare, housing, clothing, food andeducation are the same in both Argentina and the UnitedStates. A third similarity is people’s faith in God. They believe

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TTrraannssiittiioonnss::

Although she sees muchpoverty where she isnow ministering, Sr. Neco believes that Monticello isrich in solidarity; the waypeople help each other andthe number of volunteerswho assist the poor.

Sr. Theresa Horvath,newly elected GeneralCouncillor

Sr. Carol Regan at thefinal 125th anniversaryliturgy

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75 YEARSSr. Rita LaPrade (Sr. Louise Dolores)Sr. Irene Rita Fontaine (RIP) August 6, 2010

70 YEARSSr. Dorothy Cotterell (Sr. Stephen Dolores) Sr.Sr. Shirley Deyo (Sr. Miriam Joseph)Sr. Celine Teresa Rainville

65 YEARSSr. Rita Beaudoin (Sr. Ruth Elizabeth)Sr. Beatrice Gerard BouvierSr. Marie Pauline ColletteSr. Ruth Curry (Sr. Marie Thomas)

(RIP) February 3, 2011Sr. Lucille Richard (Sr. Albert Joseph) Sr. Mary Zavacky (Sr. Edward Mary)

60 YEARSSr. Louise Gabrielle BourgetSr. Hannah Collins (Sr. Nora William)Sr. Mary Ellen Donohue (Sr. Catherine Michael)Sr. Patricia Mulryan (Sr. Bernadette Patrick)Sr. Marilyn Spellman (Sr. Maureen Joseph)Sr. Marcelle Theriault (Sr. Marie Marcelle)Sr. Therese Theroux (Sr. Beatrice Therese)Sr. Barbara Walsh (Sr. Barbara Thomas)

50 YEARSSr. Eileen Davey (Sr. Helen Patrick)Sr. Christine Lacroix (Sr. Christine Marie)Sr. Sandra Marcoux (Sr. Joseph Catherine)

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60 yearsStanding: Srs. Patricia Mulryan, Mary EllenDonohue, Hannah Collins, Marilyn Spellman,Barbara Walsh

Seated: Srs. Louise Gabrielle Bourget, ThereseTheroux, Marcelle Theriault

65 yearsStanding: Sr. Rita Beaudoin

Seated: Srs. Beatrice Gerard Bouvier,Marie Pauline Collette

Left Corner: Sr. Lucille Richard

Right Corner: Sr. Mary Zavacky

70 yearsStanding: Sr. Dorothy Cotterell,

Seated: Srs. CelineTeresa Rainvilleand Shirley Deyo

75 yearsSr. Rita LaPrade

50 yearsSr. Eileen Davey, Sr. Sandra Marcoux, Sr. Christine Lacroix

Newsbriefs, continued from page 5in God's promises and have a strong devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The lastsimilarity Sr. Neco noted are the challenges of HIV aids, violence, child abuse,hunger, drugs, and new ways of exclusion.

She finds three basic differences between life in Argentina and the United States.In Argentina people can enter and leave the country without any difficulty but manyimmigrants have difficulty entering the U.S. Another difference is the cost of healthcare. Here it is largely unaffordable for the poor, but Argentina has public hospitalsthat people without money can access for free. Lastly, she states: "In Argentina I discovered a church on the side of the poor, attentive to their needs, a church thatreceived all without distinction. In Monticello, there is only one Catholic Church butmany Evangelical churches. This confuses the people who are drawn to the Evangelical churches because they offer them work." Although she sees muchpoverty in Kentucky, Sr. Neco believes that Monticello is rich in solidarity: the waypeople help each other and the number of volunteers who assist the poor.

Sr. Neco

awards First

Communion

Certificate to

student.


WWhhaatt’’ss HHaappppeenniinngg iinn VVooccaattiioonn MMiinniissttrryy

continued on back cover

Sisters Marilyn Gignac and JaneNewcomb, who form the USProvince Vocation-FormationTeam, have been busy over thepast few months.

In August, Sr. Marilyn, along with Sr. Nancy Stiles and Sr.Emerentia Tange from Cameroonattended World Youth Day inMadrid. The six-day event, attended by thousands of youngpeople from all over the world, included prayer, educational events and a healthy dose oflocal culture. A highlight of the event was the final mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Cuatro Vientos, Spain'soldest airport. For the Holy Union Sisters, the event offeredan opportunity to meet many committed young Catholicsfrom all over the world.

In November, Srs. Marilyn and Jane, along with Sr. BarbaraKirkman, attended the Religious Formation Congress in

After living 53 years out of the country, getting back into theAmerica Mode has not been as easy as one might believe. Ihave made many trips back to the U.S. over those years away,initially every 6 years then 4 years and then irregularly depending on the opportunity. I wasthankfully able to keep up with de-velopments in the U.S. and thoughhome leaves were short, they helpedme to be aware of the evolution ofHoly Union as well as developingtechnology.

I spent my first years away in Africain different services in our CameroonRegion. When youth was still brazenand foolhardy, I managed a dispen-sary and helped the sister RN whohad arrived before me to dispense medicines, give intra-venous injections, and care for phagedenic leg ulcers, whichwere quite awesome. The experience at the health centeralso gave me an opportunity to learn Pidgin English, whichproved very useful during all my years in Africa.

Another ministry was as head of a primary school of some400 children. This was in the French section of Cameroon and

my French background proved invaluable in dealing withteachers, parents and children – though Pidgin was the language of most people. Teachers in the bush areas at thattime had very little training and my own teacher training,though rudimentary, served us all well. At that time too, a political upheaval in the country became quite serious and terrorist groups started attacking villages and missions.The orphanage, where I was stationed while ministering inthe dispensary and school, was in need of a new directrice

and the lot fell to me.After some years, we left that ministry toa medically orientedCongregation of sisters.

Over the years, servingas a translator was an-other duty I added.Later I worked in thetropical forest area of

Cameroon with people of the Baka tribe. Village work entailedcoordinating various development programs, building bushschools, clearing forest paths, digging wells, promoting bee-keeping and sewing as part of a self-help project funded by

Kansas City, MO. The congresstheme was“ Prophetic ReligiousLife: If Not Now…When?" Partic-ipants, who included women andmen religious from the UnitedStates and beyond, heard well-qualified keynote speakers andworkshop facilitators address this

theme. Sr. Barbara Reid,OP, a Scripture Professor at Catholic TheologicalUnion in Chicago, chal-lenged her listeners withthese words: “All religiousare given the gift of prophecy.The mission of the prophet is not always a happy one. A

prophetic community does not walk into the future precipi-tously…but…if not now, when?! God seems to choose very ordinarypeople to do extraordinary things.” The Holy Union participantspurchased videos of some of the speakers which they will

share with those interested.

Srs. Marilyn and Nancy with participants from the Philippines

Srs. Jane, Barbara and Marilyn chat with speaker, Fr. Anthony Gittins, CSSp

SSrr.. RRoobbeerrttaa DDeessjjaarrddiinnss’’ RReefflleeccttiioonnss oonn aa LLoonngg aanndd DDiivveerrssee VVooccaattiioonn

A vocation of service and ministry in Holy Union is possible at anyage and wherever one is; being at the heart of the world... we have countless opportunities to reveal God’s Love – and that is what Holy Union is all about.

Sister Patricia Butler, SNDdeNHoly Union SistersU.S. Province Mission Advancement DirectorPO Box 410, Milton, MA 02186-0006(617) 696-8765 ext 19Fax: (617) [email protected]

Sister Mary Lou Simcoe, SUSC Communications Director550 Rock Street, Fall River, MA 02720-3436(508) [email protected]

Designer: Anne Martens Plymouth, MA [email protected]

Response is published twice a year by the Mission Advancement and Communications Offices for friends and families of the Holy Union Sisters.

Visit us on the web atwww.holyunionsisters.org

Photo credits:Michael Kinnane Sister Mary Lou Simcoe, SUSC Sister Nancy Stiles, SUSC Sister Jon Julie Sullivan, SNDdeN

OOnnlliinnee DDoonnaattiioonnss

Please visit the Holy Union Sisters website,wwwwww..hhoollyyuunniioonnssiisstteerrss..oorrgg, the Mission Advance-ment page, in order to:

• Learn about an Invitation to Partnership that outlines some specific Holy Union ministry needs

• Make an on-line donation • Begin estate planning that would benefit the Holy Union Sisters

• Learn about the Memorial Program.

As you provide for loved ones in your will, youcan leave an additional amount for your charita-ble interests. You can name a specific amount, apercentage of your estate, or any remaining as-sets for the Holy Union Sisters. If you would likemore specific information, please contact:

the Mission Advancement Office at 617-696-8765 ext 19 or

[email protected]

Sr. Roberta Desjardins’ Reflections: continued from page 7

RReemmeemmbbeerriinngg HHoollyy UUnniioonn iinn YYoouurr WWiillll

the Dutch government. These were challenging and exhilaratingyears.

But where did Christian ministry and catechesis fit in? Our HolyUnion communities in Africa as elsewhere are international, veryunited, prayerful and steadfast. Survival in the ‘50s and ‘60s, indeed in any era, depends on all of these qualities. Cameroonwas a wonderful milieu for introducing Christian ethics and witnessing as a religious community. Parish ministries are always part of life in a mission setting. Through it all, Pidgin English and Baka, besides my own French and English servedme well; indeed, they still do.

Along the way, between 1957 and 2010, were stints in Italy wherevarious ministries over a total of fifteen years seemed to fit skillsI had and introduced me to the Italian language.

It was from my last Italian ministry that I returned to the U.S.where I now am retired and live with eight other Holy Union Sisters at Mary Immaculate Residence in Lawrence, MA. Wemingle with more than five hundred residents and get to knowthem and their families quite well. I now have time to visit thepublic library, take Art courses and join in activities organized bythe administration of MI. We also meet regularly as a Holy Unioncommunity.

In reflecting on my life, I know that a vocation of service and min-istry in Holy Union is possible at any age and wherever one is.Being at the heart of the world here in our MI complex, we havecountless opportunities to reveal God’s Love – and that is whatHoly Union is all about.

– ROBERTA DESJARDINS, SUSC

VVIISSIITTwww.holyunionsisters.org

to see photos of Sr. Therese’s professionand Sr. Neco’s ministry in

Kentucky.

www.holyunionsisters.org

2011-- Fall/Winter

Documents

Transcript of 2011-- Fall/Winter