Sister Regina Rogers was the commencement speaker for the 2020 class of Ursuline High School, Youngstown. Below is her moving speech, inspiring for not only its intended audience but for all. Sister Regina is a Pastoral Associate for St. Edward Parish, Youngstown, a member of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Leadership Team and past General Superior, a past Assistant Principal and instructor at Ursuline High School, which we founded in 1905, and Vice Chair of the Ursuline High School Board of Directors. To view a video of her speech, click here. To view the entire commencement, click here. Our thanks to UHS for allowing us to share this with you.

Class of 2020:

It is my honor and blessing to speak to you today as you graduate from Ursuline High School.  I want to thank Mr. Sammartino, Mrs. Matune-Damore and Mrs. Carosella for this invitation — and for all their hard work in putting together a very unique graduation ceremony for your class. You have been blessed with an administration that truly cares about you. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff, who worked diligently to adjust their teaching so that they could create a new way to continue your education. They have done an outstanding job in the face of so many obstacles.  I welcome our President, Father Murphy, and the Board of Directors of Ursuline High School, and most especially, I welcome your parents and family to this virtual celebration. They have loved and supported you and have brought you to this milestone.  They too are adjusting to the ‘new normal’ of these days.

Now graduates, I would ask you to go back to your freshmen religion class with Mrs. Lacko. She told you the story of the life of a woman, who, at an early age, lost her sister – who was her best friend — then lost her parents, and finally, lost her home in the country when she had to move to the city to live with an uncle. Her life certainly changed many times over. That woman was Angela Merici. As a young person Angela lost much, but those losses did not define her life. She went on to serve the people of Bresia, especially the women and children in her war torn and ravaged city. Her care and concern, her holiness brought meaning into their lives. She gave from the fullness of her heart. Her life was about love, not loss.

There are those people who would sum up your high school career in terms of all that you have lost. But the question that keeps coming to me is: What makes the difference? What makes the difference between a person who focuses on all that they have lost and thus — turns sour on life — or the person who looks at their situation and discovers signs of beauty and courage and love? You are living in unprecedented times. No one would have thought — as you began your senior year and stood for prayer on that first day, or, as you gathered for the St. Ursula liturgy, or as you cheered in the stands at the Mooney game, or as you pitched in to help in the many service projects organized and supported by you and your classmates. No one would have thought that those memories would now be the ones you carry with you – because — in the final two months of your senior year you could not sit in class next to your friends, or fill your locker with your stuff or sit at your table in the cafeteria. You could not celebrate prom or baccalaureate, or even your own graduation. You could not say good bye to the life you had known as a student at Ursuline High School. Going forward life will certainly be different for you and for all of us. But, the class of 2020, your class, will be remembered for this time.  You will stand out, stories will be told – for you carry a distinction that only seniors across this country will be able to identify with – but not just high school seniors:  remember the fun of 8^th grade graduation – not this year. Think about college seniors – no graduation ceremony to honor them this year. You are the graduates of a pandemic world.

There is sadness in this present situation.  As the 2020 graduates of Ursuline, you have lost out on a great deal. There is no way to get around that fact. But the losses of the last two months cannot sum up your years at Ursuline High School.  Do not count your high school career by your losses. Do not sum up your life at Ursuline remembering only the last eight weeks and not the 136 weeks you spent listening and learning, praying and serving, celebrating and caring. Rather, when you think of these last weeks, what you have experienced, what you are experiencing, it should lead you to reflect on the greater lessons of life. The importance of your Ursuline Education is about seeing the world, seeing your life, through a lens of faith, and hope — of love and service: four virtues that are so crucial for this time. And those lessons will give you an insight on how to view life– on how to navigate the unknown, and– on how to make choices that will lead to a blessed and fulfilled life.

Surprise and tragedy – love and loss — will come to each of you. It is your response to the events of your life – often events that you have no control over – that will determine the trajectory of your life. How you respond – to the large and small challenges that you face — defines the person you become. Who do you want to become? How do you want to be remembered? All of us – each day – paint a few more brush strokes on the enduring portrait of our lives. How can you take the lessons of this time – of living in a pandemic world — and bring forth opportunities that can give light and hope and meaning to you and to others? For this I turn to your Ursuline education and ask you to remember four things:

First:  Remember to be aware. Over the course of the past eight weeks, all of us have become painfully aware of just how many others we rely on – even to meet the basic needs of our lives – people who drive trucks that bring our food, people who fill our prescriptions, and those who walk into hospitals, hospices, or care facilities to tend our sick and elderly. We have become aware of the tremendous dignity of first responders, healthcare workers, teachers, farmers and grocery store clerks. Notice those who help you — and the people in your world. But also notice those that are in need. See the faces of the children who are lonely and afraid – the faces of the anxious or unemployed – the faces of the poor and homeless – the faces of the elderly and the sick. Be the one who reaches out – the one who helps to make others’ lives better. When you see – when you really see – you will become aware that others depend on you as you depend on others. Open – not just your eyes but your hearts– become aware of those who make your life better, but also open your eyes and your hearts –  and become aware of those whose lives you can make better. Be aware – be conscious – see — the needs of others and not just your own– a lesson learned each day at Ursuline through prayer, community and service.

Second:  Remember to use all that you have been given. Take all of your education, all of your talents and skills to the limit. Remember how a musician has played beautiful music to lift your spirits, or the person who created delicious meals for you. Remember your friends who made you laugh and filled your heart with joy. Remember those who recently led you in prayer– to help make the beginning of your day normal. Remember the teacher who worked so hard to present lessons that will meet college expectations. But also remember those you cannot see — remember some quiet woman working diligently in a research facility — who has been laboring to find a vaccine for this virus. Remember the computer geeks who have enabled you to zoom into each other’s lives and create a virtual classroom. Now think about what you have to offer this world – and make no mistake – all of you have something to offer. Make your life count. Find your passion. Help make your corner of the world better. Every time you use all that you have learned, all that you have practiced, all that you enjoy, you create a more compassionate world – a responsibility that was put before you each day at Ursuline.

Third:  Remember to be open.  Be open to new experiences, new people and new ideas.  Life is a journey with twists and turns. “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” says the poet Robert Burns. You know the experience of plans going awry.  But be open to what might come your way. And most importantly be open to new dreams. It’s ok to change your mind or your college major. Be open to the possibilities before you. Be open to diversity. Do not be afraid of those who are different from you. It’s ok to change your thinking. Change is the constant in our lives. Don’t be afraid of change. Welcome it as a gift. Sometimes the gift will bring joy, but sometimes it will bring pain.  Reflect on what people tell you, what you think, what you learn. Be open – look for the good, the beautiful, the gentle and the caring in this world and in others. But decide on the principles that will govern your life. Promise to let one of those essential principles be to reach out and help others. Be patient with yourself. You will make mistakes. Forgive yourself and forgive others their mistakes. Think about what you believe and why. Do not let others define you or your dreams. Listen – think – pray — decide.  Know who you are and what you stand for. Be true to that. But do not close the door — or your heart — to what is different or unusual or even weird. And remember “the measure of true intelligence is the ability to change” says Albert Einstein – a lesson learned at Ursuline as you opened yourself to new people and absorbed new ideas, and embraced new experiences.

Finally:  Remember to whom you belong. Be grateful for those who love you, especially your parents, who have sacrificed so much for you. Be grateful for your brothers and sisters, and other family members. You will always belong to them. Remember them – cherish them, no matter what. Remember that you came from Youngstown, Ohio – be proud of your roots — and remember that you are a graduate of Ursuline High School. You are Ursuline in your DNA. But being Ursuline is more than the diploma you hold – Being Ursuline is who you are. You go forth – as countless other alumni have – into an unknown future. But remember you are connected by a bond that will never be broken. You are daughters and sons of St. Angela and Angela promises:  “I will always be in your midst, helping your prayers. Take heart. I have confidence in you.” Angela has confidence in each one of you, as do all those who spent the last four years watching you grow and change. They have confidence that you will make good choices and grow into loving and generous adults.  But most importantly remember that you belong to God, and our gracious God does not count the quality of your life by the losses you’ve suffered but by the gifts you’ve given, the time you’ve taken, the love you’ve shared. Remember to pray – to make God a part of your life. Jesus says in the Gospels: “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” God has blessed you with so much. Give back generously. Be God’s blessing to others. So when you look back on these days concentrate what you have learned, the fun you had, the challenges you successfully met, and on the wonderful people who came into your life. Be grateful for what you’ve been given. Be grateful for who you are. So do not focus on the negative but appreciate what is good in your life.  See the world through the lens of grace and beauty. And always remember that you belong to God, for God is your origin and your destiny. You are always in God’s loving care: the most important lesson of an Ursuline education.

To you, the Ursuline High School class of 2020, as St. Angela said: Soli Deo Gloria – and — as all those who love you and Ursulines say, God Bless the Irish.  And as I say: Follow your dreams and may you always know – deep in your heart — God’s love and peace.  Soli Deo Gloria – God Bless the Irish.

Congratulations Graduates!

The Ursuline Sisters and Ursuline Ministries have established protocols with stakeholders in light of the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak now touching northeast Ohio to increase safety for our Sisters, residents, clients, program participants and employees at our locations in Mahoning and Ashtabula counties. Ursuline Ministries includes Beatitude House, Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry, Ursuline Preschool & Kindergarten, the Ursuline Education & Wellness Center and Ursuline Sisters Senior Living.

We are assessing vulnerabilities of clients who may not have the resources to weather a protracted illness or period of quarantine, creating plans to aid families whose food security and child care will be affected by school closures, and working to ensure staff members are available to cover critical functions should we have a sustained community outbreak.

We have implemented system-wide measures to reduce transmission, including regular disinfecting, providing education around preventive measures, encouraging social distancing, allowing remote work when possible, modifying client programs, and postponing large events and non-essential meetings. We are also implementing employee policies that provide flexible sick leave and protective measures for interacting with the public.

In order to best protect Sisters and senior living residents at the Ursuline Motherhouse and Education Center, as of March 16 we have cancelled all Education and Wellness classes and programs and are limiting outside visitors until further notice.

Ministering in the Mahoning Valley since 1874, the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown are Catholic nuns responding together to the most critical needs of God’s people in northeast Ohio. Through the charism of our founder, St. Angela Merici, we live the Gospel and adapt our ministries to meet the times.

Respectfully,

Sister Mary McCormick, General Superior
Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown                       

Brigid Kennedy, President                                         
Ursuline Ministries                                                               

By Michele Ristich Gatts
Director of Mission Advancement

With little more than a prayer, Betsy Horne set out from Scotland for New Castle, Pa., in the 1800s – seeking a better life. Times were still difficult. Betsy was eventually widowed with three young children and had few prospects for her young family.

Then she found work at an orphanage. Her wages? The exchange of somewhere safe for her children to live.

Betsy’s story resembles that of countless immigrants, maybe not in precise details but in essence. Indeed, many of our families proudly tell similar stories of desperation and gumption by ancestors immigrating to the United States.

Sister Norma Raupple, who’s leading a mission trip to the U.S./Mexico border to minister with refugees seeking asylum, says she feels Betsy’s presence as she’s meeting with families at the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center.

You see, Betsy was Sister Norma’s great-grandmother.

“These families experienced extreme poverty in their homelands. They lived with the constant threat of violence. There were no opportunities for their families,” she observes. “They want a life for their children.”

Our project, Building Bridges at the Border, was created through Sister Norma’s experience having ministered in Brownsville, Texas – a virtual immigrant town – from 1997-2007. She’s led several mission trips to the border over the last few years.

The humanitarian crisis there, where thousands of families (most staying at Brownsville’s neighbor, Matamoros, Mexico) are working with the U.S. Department of Immigration to be granted asylum status, is drawing volunteers from across the country and every generation.

Our group includes five young women and an Ursuline Sister of Mount St. Joseph. Together, they’re bringing comfort to the 50 refugee families staying at the Respite Center, whose claims are being processed, and those living in tents across the border, waiting for their turn to meet with U.S. Immigration officials.

They’re also working with the families to teach them English.

“The kids are doing really well in learning English from our group,” Sister Norma reports. “They’ll be able to help their parents moving forward.”

Sister Norma tells the story of one quick learner, Obed, a teenage boy she taught to count in English using bananas. His family was part of a group that fled Angola.

“Three hundred of them left eight months ago. One-hundred fifty of them survived,” she says sadly.

Two of the young Angolan families are now permitted to travel, and will soon reunite with family members living in the northeast. Our Building Bridges at the Border group helped plan the trip.

While the families awaiting court dates have a better shelter than those still in Mexico, Sister Norma says the Respite Center lacks windows. She adds that families have no phones to communicate with family members already granted status and living in other parts of the country.

“They’re persevering, though,” she posits. “They’re focused on a better life for their families.”

And we hope they’ll do as well as Betsy did those many years ago. She worked so hard and so well at the orphanage that she became good friends with the administrators. They admired her abilities and work ethic, and invited to serve on an advisory board for the institution.

“Someone even left her their furniture,” Sister Norma states proudly. “Our family still has and uses those antiques!”

To view new pictures from the Building Bridges at the Border experience, click here.

Read our earlier story about Sister Norma’s Building Bridges at the Border experience.

By Michele Ristich Gatts
Director of Mission Advancement, Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown

Building Bridges at the Border is a Generative Spirit initiative by the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown. This mission trip matches different generations of women working together toward a shared goal – service to those in dire need. (click here to view a video photo gallery)

Our Sister Norma Raupple is leading our group’s ministry in one of the poorest communities in our country – Brownsville, Texas. We’re working with the local diocese to bring comfort and aid to asylum seekers immigrating to the U.S.

In addition to Sister Norma, who’s the director of Immigrant Outreach for our Beatitude House ministry, our group comprises four women who are students at the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and our AmeriCorps member, Melissa, as well as an Ursuline Sister of Mount St. Joseph, Sister Jacinta Powers.

While you see many of our group smiling in photos – and indeed, some of the people they’re ministering to – conditions for these immigrants have been difficult.

“These families are refugees fleeing extreme violence, suffering and poverty,” Sister Norma reports. “We’re treating them humanely and with dignity and respect after the suffering they’ve been through.”

Our group of seven start their day at 7 a.m. They’re staying at a Catholic retreat center at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle near McAllen along with similar groups from across the United States. After a quick breakfast, the women visit the Diocese of Brownsville Respite Center, run by Catholic Charities. This is where some 50 families (Sister Norma notes there are many children) wait after beginning the process of seeking asylum with the U.S. Dept. of Immigration.

These families have endured terrible conditions to escape misery and menace in their homelands, Sister Norma states.

“Those waiting to begin the asylum process with U.S. immigration are living in very primitive camping on the Mexico side of the border,” she adds. “Some have been there six to eight months – through 100 degree weather and 40 degree weather. Sometimes you have a family of five in a small, nylon pup tent, and there are no sleeping bags. They’re essentially sleeping on the ground.

“They bathe and wash their clothes in the river, which is greatly polluted,” she continues. “The people have a horrible diet. It’s hard to stay healthy under these conditions.” Saab Bio Power can guide to keep good environmental conditions.

There are between 2,000-3,000 people in this tent city, Sister Norma estimates.

Sister Norma Pimentel, director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Brownsville, is working with officials on the Mexican side to improve conditions, our Sister Norma says, and diocese volunteers daily deliver peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, snacks, diapers and wipes, warmer clothes and other supplies as a way to live the Gospel. Donations for these supplies come from across the United States, she adds.

Over the next few days, we’ll bring you more photos of the mission trip and stories of the Building Bridges at the Border experience on our blog.

This trip was made possible through a $5,000 grant from the Sisters of Charity Foundation’s Generative Spirit Initiative, and donations from friends like you.

Following is a tribute to Sister Germaine Staron written by Sister Mary McCormick, General Superior:

Dear Sisters,

On Fri., Dec. 6, 2019, our Sister Germaine died in our Health Care Center just after 10 p.m.  Margaret had just started her shift.  The first thing she did was to go see Sister Germaine.  As Margaret often does when she cares for our Sisters, she was singing softly; on this evening she was singing Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my shepherd.”  Very quietly Sister Germaine took her last breath and gave her spirit over to the God who created her.

Germaine had so many loves in her life:  she loved music and dancing.  For best musical information you need to go and check this caloundramusicfestival.com.au website. And she loved teaching others how to sing and dance.  Even in these past few years when she was confined to a wheel chair, she enjoyed the opportunity to “wheel around” the dance floor when she was at the Antonine Sisters or at Austinwoods.

She loved her family.  She talked often about her parents, and about Madge and Ray and all their children and their accomplishments.  She loved keeping the family history – she wrote to the family frequently and kept the connections among the generations strong.  She took great pride in her Slovak heritage, and kept that strong as well.

She loved the Church’s liturgy.  For decades Sister Germaine helped all of us give praise to God.  She and Sister Gertrude worked diligently in chapel to make sure the environment was appropriate to the liturgical season.  In addition, Sister Germaine played and cantored at Mass, sometimes seven days a week.  She had a strong devotion to the Eucharist and to Mary and the saints.

She loved travel and adventure.  She and Sister Gertrude Paris went cross-country in an RV so they could see the beauty of the vast United States.  She and Sister Gertrude also carried many rocks back from the shores of Lake Erie for the base of our statue of Mary at Calvary Cemetery! 

In all of this, we know how meticulous she was about everything – the diction of lectors, the pitch of a cantor, the tune (or not) of a piano, and the straight line of a seam.  She had an eye and an ear for beauty.  And it was beauty she sought in song, in movement, and in the prayer of the Church.

After a long life of service to the Community and to the Church, Sister Germaine has now returned to her great love – the God who gave her life.  In one of last conversations I had with her prior to the night she fell, she pointed out to me that she was unable to see the tabernacle or the statues of Mary and Joseph that were behind the lattice work in the chapel.  She desired to have a closeness to Christ and to Mary and the saints.

Consequently, it was apropos that she died on the Feast of St. Nicholas (the patron of the parish in which she spent 17 years of her ministry), and that the day of her funeral is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.   

Her words and life echo the words and life of St. Angela.  In the Fifth Counsel Angela writes:  The Sisters

“must place their trust and love in God alone. . . . Comfort them, encourage them to be of good heart:  give them the good news which I announce to them in the name of Jesus Christ and His blessed Mother:  They have every reason to be happy and rejoice, because a new crown of glory and happiness is prepared in heaven for every single one of them.”

We believe that Sister Germaine now lives in glory and happiness in heaven with Christ, with Mary and all the saints, as well as with her parents and all our deceased Ursuline Sisters, especially her dear friend, Sister Gertrude.

Please continue to pray for Sister Germaine and all of our deceased Sisters.  We trust that they all now are part of the heavenly chorus singing praise to God and praying for all of us.

To read Sister Germaine’s obituary, please click here.

Our Motherhouse chefs — Jan and Cindy — created delicious Hot Cross Buns for our Holy Thursday dinner.

As it’s still the Easter season, and the buns were a hit, we thought we’d share their recipe with you:

Hot Cross Buns

2 packets quick rise instant yeast
1 C warm water
5-6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ C sugar
¼ tsp. salt
4 ½-5 C flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. allspice
½ C dried currants or golden raisins, plumped
2-3 Tbsp. candied citron, chopped

Egg wash:
1 egg
2 Tbsp. water

Vanilla or Lemon Frosting:
1 ½ C confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. warm milk
1 tsp. lemon juice or vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350⁰ Pour yeast into warm water and let sit. Beat together butter, sugar, salt, and eggs. Slowly add yeast water and milk. Gradually incorporate flour and spices by hand to form dough. Add more flour if needed and roll into a ball. Place in greased bowl and cover to rise, doubling in size. Punch down and divide into 20 balls of dough. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Let rise for ½ hour. Cut cross into top of buns. Brush with egg wash. Once puffy and light, place into oven. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Mix preferred frosting ingredients together and brush onto cooled buns. Enjoy!

In the mood for a sweet treat? Chef at https://www.emicakes.com.sg/mooncake-delivery-singapore made this Espresso Tiramisu for our St. Angela Merici Feast Day celebration. You will get here the best Kitchen knife set reviews, do visit and if you want to know about all kitchen appliances then you must check CookWare Solutions. It was such a hit we thought we’d share it with you:

Espresso Tiramisu
1 C cake flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 C + 1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ C confectionery sugar
1 Tbsp. + 1/8 tsp. instant espresso powder
4 large eggs, separated
4 Tbsp. brandy or water
¼ C water
½ tsp. lemon zest
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese softened
1 ½ C heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F and grease and flour 9 in. spring form pan. Mix together flour, baking powder, & salt. Beat yolks & ¾ C of sugar until thick. Add 2 Tbsp. brandy/water, lemon zest, and 1/8 tsp. espresso and combine.
In separate bowl: Beat egg whites until foamy gradually adding 2 Tbsp. sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold both mixtures together and spoon into prepared pan.

Bake for ½ hr. or until toothpick comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool. Remove sides of pan to cool entirely. Cut cake in half for a layered cake.

Syrup
Bring ½ C water and 3 Tbsp. sugar to boil for 1 min. Brush on cut sides of cake.

Filling
Beat cream cheese and confectionery sugar until creamy. Add heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. brandy/water, and 1 Tbsp. espresso and blend until thick. Spread 1/3 of filling on one cake half, place the other layer on top, spread filling over top and sides of cake. Dust with cocoa powder for decoration.

Tip
If using water rather than brandy, hot water will bring out the espresso flavor more completely. Chill for at least ½ hr. before serving so the cake has a chance to set and fully incorporate flavor.

By Jessica Driscoll-Owens
Communications & Community Relations Coordinator, Beatitude House

“When I graduated high school I had a full-time job at a fast food restaurant and thought this would be my life,” said Lauren Wimer. This thought caused her to contemplate life at 20 years if she chose not to attend college.

“Would I really want be working at a fast food job for the rest of my life?” she asked herself. “My answer was a big, fat, no!” One week before fall semester began Wimer decided she should give college a chance. Her first semester was challenging, but she was determined to do everything necessary to succeed.  

Through her coursework at Youngstown State University, Lauren met Ursuline Sister of Youngstown Nancy Dawson and learned about the Ursuline Sisters Scholars program.

“When I started this program I was working two full-time jobs and going to school to help support myself,” explained Wimer. “Since starting, I cut back to one job and focused more on my education.”

Wimer is grateful for her experiences through the scholars program and especially to her mentor. “This program set me up with a wonderful mentor, Mary Sabol,” said Wimer. “Mary has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and to take my personal challenges and turn them into strengths.”

During Wimer’s senior year she began an internship at Trumbull County Children’s Services. Just halfway into her internship she was offered a full-time position. “There were multiple times I wanted to give up, but I knew my hard work and dedication to my education would pay off one day.”

Dec. 16, Wimer graduated from YSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and a minor in Criminal Justice. She plans to attend graduate school in the fall.

OUR SISTER IN GLORY…SISTER MARY O’LEARY [formerly known as Sister James Marie], entered eternal life Sunday, January 20, 2019. 

In the words of Sister Mary McCormick, Superior of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown:

As much as Sister Mary loved all aspects of ministry, it was still only part of her story. What drew her to Religious Life was the quest for God and God’s will. Her own vision for her life was part of the bigger story of God’s call to each of us. She linked the story of her own life with the story of the Christian journey each one of us makes. After her retirement she continued to commit herself to the Christian journey of service: she tutored at the Preschool and she worked with her close friend Sister Patricia and various groups at Beatitude House until she was no longer able to do so.

At the end of John’s gospel Jesus says to Peter: “When you were younger you used to go where you wanted; when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will lead you where you do not want to go.” Then Jesus said, “Follow me.”

We trust the ultimate end of her story to God and the Communion of Saints, including her mother, father, her four brothers and all our Ursuline Sisters who have gone before us in faith. May it be so for each of us.

All arrangements will take place in the chapel of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown.

Calling Hours: Thursday, January 24 from 3 – 4:45 pm.

Mass of Christian Burial: Thursday, January 24 at 5 pm.

Obituary

OUR SISTER IN GLORY…SISTER MARY LEE NALLEY, entered eternal life Wednesday January 9, 2019 .

In the words of our Superior, Sister Mary McCormick, ” Mary Lee gave flesh to Christ’s words to his disciples in Mark’s Gospel:  “Give them some food yourselves.” It seems to me that this was Christ’s way of saying to the disciples:  “Be Eucharist yourselves.” Mary Lee was Eucharist, she was the Body of Christ for so many people. Her Eucharistic ministry served not only for the people of the east side, she was Eucharist for us as well.  Until very recently she was ever faithful to the ministry as table service each Thursday at our Eucharistic liturgy.”

“Our faith assures us that Sister Mary Lee is now part of the Body of Christ in heaven, the communio of the holy ones who have gone before us in faith.”

All arrangements will take place in the chapel of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown.

Calling Hours: Friday, January 10 from 4 – 7 pm

Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, January 11 at 10 am

Her obituary can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/ycpyx5ac

By Isabella Futchi
Guest Blogger

Over 300 people of all ages participated in the Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry’s 4th annual Nun Run Oct.6 at the Ursuline Center in Canfield.

The fundraiser includes a children’s run, 1-mile walk and 5K run and benefits the ministry’s children’s program.

Casa Madre offers tutoring, crisis intervention, child advocacy and recreational activities for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in preschool through 12^th grade.
“The proceeds directly help the kids that I work with,” says Linda Titus, director. “I love what I do here.”

The event also includes display tables featuring the many ministries connected to the Ursuline Sisters. The Nun Run raises awareness about these programs. Dan Wakefield, ministry director, states, “The Nun Run showcases the good works that the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown do.”

Supporters Eileen and Ray Novotny have been involved with the HIV/AIDS ministry many years.

“I have a heart for the children, so that’s what pulled me in,” says Eileen Novotny. For the second year in a row, she received an award for the most sponsorship money raised.

Ray Novotny worked a booth during the festivities. “We’ve never run into a group of people who do so much with so little, and that’s the Ursulines,” he observes.

Dan Morelli, first-year Nun Run volunteer and community health worker with the ministry, believes the event greatly impacts the community and “shows that Youngstown comes together.”

The ministry is marking 25 years of service. According to its mission statement, “The Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry, inspired by faith, empowers and affirms adults and children touched by HIV/AIDS, in collaboration with community resources.”

“Events like this allow us to come together and be reminded of that mission and vision,” posits Brigid Kennedy, president of Ursuline Ministries.

The HIV/AIDS ministry serves Mahoning Valley residents who are HIV-positive with a monthly support group, a pantry for food, household and personal items, child and family services, a pediatric and adult HIV clinic, housing services, and free HIV testing.

By Michele Ristich Gatts

When HIV/AIDS came on the radar of U.S. health officials in 1981, it wasn’t yet called that. In fact, health professionals weren’t sure what it was. One thing was clear, though: It was killing people fairly quickly.

Eventually, health workers globally settled on the name human immunodeficiency virus, which, when left untreated, led to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome — HIV/AIDS, for short.

Fear bordering on hysteria followed the virus. People were shunned and scorned (and sometimes are still today). Stories of the infected being refused treatment by medical professionals, being mistreated, stigmatized and isolated were common place. And that troubled four nuns in Ohio greatly.

Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Pauline Dalpe, Nancy Dawson, Kathleen Minchin and Mary Lee Nalley were chatting on Christmas 1992. They posed to each other the question, “Where would Jesus be ministering today?”

“I had observed that folks with HIV/AIDS were horribly stigmatized, made the butt of unkind jokes and were treated disgracefully and distrustfully,” remembers Sister Kathleen. “Their basic humanity was dismissed.”

The other Sisters had similar experiences, and when they shared them that Christmas day, they agreed the answer was clear. The following April they founded the Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry.

“When we formalized the ministry, I became the first director,” says Sister Kathleen, who retired last year but still participates and attends ministry events. “We started out by asking those early folks what they needed. We are in the Mahoning Valley, we had different needs than people in San Francisco and New York. The ministry continued to expand in many different directions because unmet needs were recognized, and we tried to meet those needs.”

In the last 25 years, the ministry has adapted and grown as the AIDS epidemic has changed.

Initially, the Sisters’ ministry consisted of a prayer support group for those living with HIV/AIDS, their family and friends, and a group dubbed Nimble Needles, which created an AIDS quilt.

The Sisters were told by prayer group participants how difficult it was to buy many items – such as cleaning supplies and toiletries – necessary to daily life and dignity, and began collecting and distributing the products out of a pantry they called Angela’s Place.  From there, the ministry grew to include a monthly meal called Guardian Angel Café, which has just been renamed the Ursuline Sisters Café in honor of the 25^th anniversary and the Ursulines who founded it. Food bags and other household items from the pantry are distributed at the meal.

Clients attending the café often brought their children, says Brigid Kennedy, past ministry director and now president of Ursuline Ministries. She and the volunteers noticed the children, too, had many unmet needs, and so the children’s program was born. What began with pizza, homework and games in an empty room at the Ursuline Center has grown to offer academic, social and other guidance for preschool-12^th grade students three days a week and in the summer at a site on the city’s south side called Casa Madre.

In 2001, the ministry opened the Comprehensive Care Center, a pediatric and adult HIV clinic, in answer to a call from local physicians after a small clinic at Tod Children’s Hospital closed.

“We were surprised at how great the need was and continues to be,” Kennedy reports. “The clinic grew from 19 patients from the Tod clinic to 95 in one year. We serve many adults and children who just don’t have the resources to travel to Cleveland or Pittsburgh for their care, and once we opened our doors, they flocked to us.”

One of the services the clinic offers is helping those infected acquire and stay on their medication.

“If you’re taking them as prescribed, you really can live almost as normal lifespan as someone who’s not HIV positive. It’s within five years. That’s the ultimate goal of HIV care,” says Dan Wakefield, director of the Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry.

The café, pantry, children’s program and clinic make a real difference in the lives of the clients, says Sister Kathleen.

“People begin taking better care of themselves after coming to the café and receiving food bags and a pantry bag,” she states. “They’re healthier after starting at the clinic, and it’s a real joy to see the children wanting to learn how to read and reading books and going to school on a regular basis.”

In late 2015, the ministry began offering housing as well. As Kennedy explains, “For many years, we watched our clients struggle with traditional housing options, and we decided we could try to address this need as well.”

The housing program provides permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, housing case management and emergency assistance. “We try to see the face of God in every client,” Kennedy says. “That’s what makes it ministry. That’s what allows us to achieve the outcomes we do.”

Donors and volunteers, Wakefield notes, have been important to the development and expansion of services by the ministry. In fact, Wakefield himself became associated with the ministry many years ago while doing his field work in college, then as a volunteer.

“As a ministry, we are blessed to have such hardworking and committed volunteers who are willing to put forth so much time and effort each month to help serve those living with HIV,” he says.

Ministry programs, Wakefield notes, are supported by HIV-positive adults who are trained as Peer Navigators. These Peer Navigators help other clients keep appointments and take their meds, and also perform testing in the community and public speaking.

Through the work of staff and volunteers, the ministry helps hundreds of residents from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Here are some stats:

• 1,000+ meals are served annually at The Ursuline Sisters Café.
• 2,000+ bags of groceries, household supplies and personal items are distributed annually through Angela’s Place.
• 800 people receive HIV testing through the ministry’s outreach annually.
• 330+ patients of all ages are treated annually through our Clinic.
• Zero HIV-positive babies have been born to mothers under our care.
• 69% of the people served by the clinic are considered at or below poverty level.
• 100% of the children served by the ministry and adults in housing live below poverty level.

The ministry continues to adapt to answer the challenges presented by the virus, as Ursuline Sisters’ founder St. Angela Merici advised. The ministry is beginning outreach to young adults living with HIV/AIDS – a group that’s often hard to engage. It’s also offering more testing at drug recovery and detox centers, as well as a nearby university.

“We’re also beginning an initiative called Positive Voices,” Wakefield adds. “These brief video stories of people in our ministry will be anonymous — our staff and volunteers will voice the videos. Hopefully we will educate others as to the realities of living with the virus.”

While much about this illness is surrounded by sadness (an April 15 Mass to mark the 25^th anniversary remembered the 197 clients who’ve died since it began), hope – and opportunities for happiness – are integral.

“Our Monthly café had a gala in May,” Wakefield states. “The event was catered so volunteers could enjoy it as well. We had fun things, such as a professional photographer doing family portraits and a photo booth, and giveaways.”

The ministry also will host a gathering in December at Youngstown State University to recognize supporters and donors, and debut a new video about its work. Many area individuals and companies are becoming sponsors of the event and the ministry. To learn how you can join them in supporting our ministry, contact Wakefield.

While the Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry is an important resource in northeast Ohio, and its 25^th anniversary an important milestone, Fr. Frank Zanni made an important point when he celebrated that April 15 Mass: may there be no need for this ministry 25 years from now.

By Laura McDonough

For Nicholas Dudley, hitting rock bottom meant moving to a homeless shelter. The 28-year-old single dad and his 8-year-old son spent about three months in a small, third floor room with a bed, dresser and window. They decided to move to New Zealand and had a moving company help them, read more here. Their only view was of the street below, where they watched people getting arrested and drama unfolding.

“I had to sign papers that put me on a homeless database that you look my name up, I’m homeless. My son was listed homeless. He went to school like that, homeless,” he laments. “That’s my life. My baby.”

And that, Dudley states, was the inspiration to turn his life around. But finding help, he says, wasn’t easy. He researched housing organizations, but because of his income and housing availability, help wasn’t readily accessible.

“In general, I make $735 a month from my son’s SSI. They always want you to be like two to three times over what that rental will be,” he explains.

“I called a lot of places, and Beatitude was the only one that ever called me back,” Dudley continues. “I actually called them back to make sure they knew I was a guy.”

Beatitude House, a ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown since 1991, has traditionally served disadvantaged women and their children, helping them break the cycle of generational poverty through housing, education and other assistance. Recently, Beatitude House changed from offering transitional housing to permanent supportive housing – and now accepts fathers as well.

“Some of our funding sources thought it was fine to have a focus, but thought it was discriminatory to have it exclusively for women. Especially since we wanted to serve parents and children,” explains Sister Patricia McNicholas, co-director of Beatitude House.  “We were happy to make that change and they were pleased as well.”

Dudley is the first single father accepted into the program.

“People been telling me since I was 20-years-old I needed my own place. I was never on my own, so it was hard. I didn’t like it. I didn’t know what to do,” Dudley says.

He and his son have been with the Beatitude House for about four months and are starting to feel comfort and stability in their new life.

“They’re a tremendous help,” Dudley says. “We’re doing great. We got a place that we call home, my son loves school. He’s doing a lot better than he has in the last few years of school,” Dudley continues. “He goes to counseling, I go to counseling… I got everything I need from nothing.”

Leslie Ostick, a social worker with Beatitude House and Dudley’s caseworker, says the father and son are a great addition to the Beatitude House family.

“It’s important to know that our clients are really just like anybody else. They’re trying hard to do what’s best for their family. We, as an agency, are here to support their goals and their dreams, and just give them the support they need when they need it to reach those goals for their families,” Ostick observes. “Nick and his son are just like every other family we have here, just trying hard to do what’s best for their family, and better their situations. They’re all hard working and certain circumstances in their lives conspired, and they all hit rock bottom at some point. They’re all very hard working.”

Ostick finds it personally rewarding to watch her clients succeed.

“My favorite thing about my job is that I get to see my clients reach whatever level of independence they are able to reach and seeing the look on their face when they realize that they’re on their way up,” Ostick states. “Helping them to achieve their goals and seeing the look on their faces and how they feel when realize they’ve put in the hard work to achieve what they’ve been able to achieve is the best part.”

Dudley says it’s important that families in difficult situations, such as his, stay motivated.

“You just can’t give up. You gotta keep going until you find something. It’s not just gonna fall in your hands,” he states. “Take as much help as you can get. Focus on you and your kid. I thought I would have been [at the mission] forever. But God blessed me with everything I have today.”

In 1988, late Ursuline Sister Margaret Scheetz was inspired by the film God Bless the Child to create the Beatitude House ministry. It began in a donated mansion on the north side of Youngstown. Still headquartered on Youngstown’s north side, Beatitude House now offers housing at numerous locations in Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties. It also offers an English Language Learning and children’s tutoring program on the city’s west side that helps immigrant families from nine different locales: Palestine, China, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru and Venezuela.

The ministry also offers Ursuline Sisters Scholars. Through this program, disadvantaged young adults are helped to successfully enroll in, negotiate and graduate from institutions of higher learning by pairing them with mentors and providing financial assistance for school-related living expenses.

Further, Beatitude House is expanding its programming for immigrants in Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.

“Beatitude House has consistently worked to carry out its mission — to create homes, provide education and foster healthy families,” Sister Patricia states. “The expression of that mission has changed over the years, but new expressions are always consistent with the core mission.”

Since it began, Beatitude House has helped more than 3,000 people.

The Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown today join with many nationwide, including the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, calling for comprehensive immigration reform in light of President Trump’s announcement that he’s rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act.

“The Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown support the call of many religious leaders to urge Congressional action to protect those who came to the United States as children,” states Sister Mary McCormick, general superior. “We share the vision of Jesus to ‘welcome the stranger’ [Matthew 25:35] in our midst. Moreover, the vision of DACA seems to be reasonable — to stabilize the lives of the young people who have lived most of their lives in the United States.”

The Ursuline Sisters minister with many immigrant families. As Catholic nuns, we respond together to meet the critical needs of God’s people in Youngstown and northeast Ohio and have since 1874.

St. Angela Merici founded the Ursuline Order in Italy in 1535. She was a woman of faith and vision who served the Church and sought to be an instrument of change in her world. Today the Sisters live Gospel values, desire to deepen our relationship with Christ, support one another in community, and strive to make a difference in the world.

We minister in the areas of education, health care, social service, parish work, marketing and development with a focus on poverty. We sponsor several nonprofit programs, such as Beatitude House, HIV/AIDS, and Ursuline Preschool and Kindergarten, and we co-sponsor the Dorothy Day House in Youngstown.