Something to Think About
“Life is about learning to quit complaining about everything. Or as Jack Benny said, “I don’t deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don’t deserve that either.” When we come to realize that life is a series of events-good, bad, and indifferent- we will learn to deal with all of them better.”
(Joan Chittister, OSB – The Sacred In-Between)
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Labor Day - Convent Offices closed
9
Serra Club Dinner/Movie
5:30 pm - Premier (Sisters only)
23
Council Meeting
September 30-October 3
RCRI - Dallas, TX
Updated May 2024
Contact Michelle at 419-536-9587 if you are interested in the art available and at what price.
Click here for CATALOG
Pictures of Ice Cream Social
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Hope Unbroken – Journeying in God’s Promise
The 2025 assembly drew approximately 560 LCWR members as well as about 300 collaborators to Atlanta, Georgia from August 12-15. Throughout the event, participants acknowledged the struggle of these times and explored the practices that can ground them in faith so they can live “hope unbroken” for the sake of the world, the church, and their religious communities.
The opening of the assembly included a recorded greeting from the US apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre; as well as in-person greetings from Sister Simona Brambilla, MC and Daniela Leggio, from the Vatican; Bishop William Wack, CSC, LCWR’s episcopal liaison; and Archbishop Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv from the archdiocese of Atlanta.
Diagnosed with cancer shortly after assuming her role as LCWR president Sister Kathy Brazda, CSJ of LaGrange, Illinois shared in an address the questions she carried: “How could I lead when I had doubts about my own future, my own life, my own ability to be competent? How could I plan for a future that I had doubts would be available to me?” She recounted what she had learned about leadership for these times from the stance of greater vulnerability. “In surrendering to God’s strength, we can come to courage and grace and the dynamism of love. With that encouragement, we can face the future through the best and worst of times.”
Sister Simona Brambilla, MC prefect of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Rome, addressed how religious life can be a sign of hope today. She noted, “May consecrated life truly always be a humble prophecy of forgiveness, of reparation, of the rebuilding of bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, of peace, of trust, of communion. May it be a sentinel with senses sharpened and open to perceive in the night the breath of God, His gentle light, His whisper, His fragrance, His unmistakable taste, in order to welcome it, point it out, proclaim it, and walk the paths of hope that does not disappoint, because they are rooted in the Paschal Mystery, in the Heart of God.”
Rev. James Martin, SJ, editor-at-large at America Media, using the gospel story of the raising of Lazarus challenged the participants to apply the insights of this story to the realities of US religious life today. He posed the questions: “What is keeping us from hearing God’s voice in our lives, in our congregations, in our communities?” “What do you, what do we, need to leave behind to hear God calling us into a surprising new life?”
A panel of three women religious leaders, Sisters Barbara Beasley, RGS; Pat McDermott, RSM; and Sara Postlethwaite, VDMF, spoke to what has held them in the challenges of religious life leadership so that their hope remains unbroken. ...
Representatives from the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and The Carter Center joined the assembly in a panel presentation and shared their valuable insights on their work and how it connects to the LCWR ....
A Pilgrimage of Hope took place on the morning of August 14, a one-mile walk through downtown Atlanta with prayer rooted in the commitment to addressing systemic injustice in the areas of racism, migration, and the climate crisis. (A recording of the one-hour walk is available on the LCWR Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lcwr.org)
Assembly participants had two opportunities to meet in their own role groups which included sessions for leaders, executive leaders, communicators, and justice promoters, as well as guests serving religious life in other organizations. ...
At the assembly closing, Sister Mary Pat Garvin, RSM was honored with the 2025 LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award. A Sister of Mercy of the Americas, Sister Mary Pat has served as an educator, consultant, and facilitator for national and international institutes and conferences of religious.
St. Ursula Academy Thrives in 2025
With an enrollment nearing 700 young ladies, grades 6 – 12 are pushing the walls to the limits. Grades 6 – 8 are near 200 and grades 9 – 12 are near 500. Two Theology classes occupy the dining area of the Ursuline Center. A small Junior Academy “cooking” class will be on second floor in what was the Gathering Room. The Labre Program that meets weekly preparing and delivering food to three areas in the inner city also used the kitchen area.
In the Academy building itself, the weight room/workout room is now a classroom and the Mezzanine overlooking the field house has been enclosed with glass and mirrors. Over the past two years other storage or meeting areas in the building have been modified to accommodate smaller classrooms.
St. Ursula Academy is to be congratulated on its success and accomplishments in maintaining and expansion programs/projects. Their theme “you choose the path, we light the way” is surely uplifting and commendable. Come take a tour sometime and enjoy the new lighting in the second floor lobby as well as new carpeting in some areas. GO ARROWS
4045 Indian Road
Toledo, OH 43606
