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We may be nuns, but we’re always learning more about the faith.

Sat., April 1 we invited our friends, the nearby Sisters of the Humility of Mary from Villa Maria, Pa., to join us for a retreat led by Cleveland Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost — Mysticism and Mission: Eucharistic Day of Prayer.

We enjoyed fascinating and thought-provoking lectures by Bishop Woost, small-group discussions and personal prayer.

Afterwards, Bishop Woost celebrated Palm Sunday vigil Mass.

To view more photos of the day (see if you recognize Sisters you know!), visit our Facebook page.

^{By Sister Norma Raupple}

Christians recall Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which is also the beginning of Holy Week.

In the words to a song by Rory Cooney, “Jerusalem My Destiny,” Jesus says, “…though I cannot see the end for me, I cannot turn away.”

As people of faith, we too “… have set our hearts for the way: this journey is our destiny. Let no one walk alone – the journey makes us one”.

Jesus was faithful to his mission and God was faithful to Him.

God is faithful to us. Through our ups and downs, our dyings and risings, and has called us to walk with others, especially those most in need.

We have been sent to the people of our time and place through our faith-based, not-for-profit corporation. We have been sent to walk with them on the journey.

As we move forward together, our compassionate presence will make us one.

Ursuline Sisters Mission is gospel service poured out into the world by the Ursuline Sisters and their ministries.

^{Written by Sister Therese Ann Rich in 2014}

For most of us,  Holy Week unfolds like many others: work, school, preparing meals, doing laundry.

But Palm Sunday begins an unusual week – one that concentrates on the ultimate meaning of our lives.

We’re invited to reflect on these questions: Why are we here? What have we been called to do? What are we willing to die for?

We have journeyed from Ash Wednesday to this day. This week, we will experience the last hours of the life of Jesus. We must slow down and make choices so that this week does not go by without our taking time to enter into its meaning.
 
In our Gospel today, even in the midst of great suffering, Jesus extends his compassion to others, so total, that he willingly empties himself to the point of death. As we enter this week, let us pray that our self-emptying for the good of others will be so total.
 
We celebrate in the liturgies of this week what we live every day – all the dying to self that characterizes our faithful discipleship. The triumph of this week is in doing our tasks with joy, being kind to those around us [even those cranky folks], meeting setbacks as paths to learning.

Then, with Jesus, we can commend ourselves into God’s hands.

^{By Vicki Vicars, Mission, Equity & Resilience Dir.}

The Gospel reading for this Sunday, the raising of Lazarus, is bursting with imagery and meaning.  We could spend hours unpacking these passages considering so many themes, death, and of course, new life. 

But it is in this passage we hear that Jesus wept; we also hear that he was perturbed. We are not accustomed to hearing that about Jesus. What caught my attention this time was Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” 

Not only was this probably not an easy task, but Martha immediately feared what they will find, the stench of a dead man. One can only imagine her anxiety mixed with the hope that Jesus might yet be able to restore Lazarus. 

By ordering the mourners to remove the stone, Jesus invites them into this act. He certainly and he alone has the power to restore this life, to redeem Lazarus, but the mourners are not simply casual on-lookers. That stone was a barrier to Lazarus’ new life and Jesus invites others to help remove it. 

How often does this happen in our work with one another? And for us here at Ursuline Sisters Mission with the people we serve? Perhaps the barrier is lack of transportation, access to food and housing, low self-esteem, not knowing the English language, undeveloped study skills. Maybe the barrier is even just having a bad day and feeling unproductive.   

How often does it happen even in our own life? How often do we have to face our own barriers and remove them to thrive, to seek wholeness? Do we have the courage to ask someone to assist us  “take away the stone’ that is preventing us from being who we were created to be? What is in our way as we seek fullness of life for one another and for ourselves?

And like Martha, there is often fear. Do we have the resources to assist someone else, what if they refuse or don’t follow through? What if there is another, bigger stone? What will we find if we remove that barrier? Are we even ready for what fullness of life means for us? For others? 

Aside from Martha’s concern, the mourners did what they were asked to do. Lazarus was set free from death, given new life. Our work with Ursuline Sisters Mission so often calls us to set others free from what binds them, to offer them a new way of living and being in the world. 

In this work, we are invited to guide one another from hold us back, to what frees us and brings us joy. 

“Each one of you has to be God’s microphone. Each one of you has to be a messenger, a prophet.”

These fateful words of Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyred this day in 1980, speak of what it means to be a person of faith.

Faith must be lived.

Romero advocated for the rights and dignity of those who were materially poor. He preached the gospel by how he lived. His life broadcast the Good News, calling others to lives of holiness and humility.

Your life can speak volumes, too — it’s simply a matter of letting God make of you a microphone.

^{From the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Archives, Sister Therese Ann Rich, Author}

For 10 years, Ursuline Sisters Senior Living has been filled with happy people, making for a very happy place!

Our residents have formed their own smaller community within the greater Ursuline Community.

The group is very active, with events including weekly card games in the social room and weekly dinners out together.

Despite all of our residents living independently, the sense of community among them is the highest we’ve seen it.

In addition to the hospitality we strive to foster for our residents, their health and safety is also a top priority for our team.

Since 2013, our Senior Living program has offered 1 and 2 bedroom apartments on our Canfield campus to people ages 55 and older of moderate income.

All of our apartments are rented, and we receive weekly calls requesting tours.

At Beatitude House, we’ve witnessed the work we done since 1991 strengthen family bonds and empower our clients to reach goals that support their families’ needs.

Our client testimonials showed that our program continually creates a sense of hope and security. This allows the clients to focus on the steps needed to establish a stable environment for them and their families.

In the last year, we’ve seen tremendous growth not only in our food pantry, which serves an average of 95 families each week, but also in our Permanent Supportive Housing Program in Youngstown.

This program has expanded its reach to simultaneously serve up to 50 families, and not only provides housing but also connects them to resources in the community.

Long-term success is the ultimate goal when a new family enters one of our homes. Some 80% have transitioned into permanent housing. Such success opened the door for us to welcome 11 new families in 2022, serving a total of 90 people, with 51 adults and 39 children.

Our transitional housing program in Ashtabula, “A House of Blessing,” has served 138 families, which included 178 children, in its 10 years.

Our clients come to realize no obstacle is too great when you have love and encouragement to support you along the way.

Donors, such as the Moran Family of Window World and everyone who participated in the 26th Annual Window World & Beatitude House Golf Outing at The Lake Club of Ohio in July 22, help make this all possible.

^{By Sister Darla Jean Voglesang}
The reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is John 9:1-41, the Gospel of the man born blind.

In this reading, Jesus encounters a man who had been blind from birth, and gives him the gift of sight.

The narrow-minded and unloving challenge Jesus’ compassion and gift of healing one thought to be born blind because of sin. The man is a predefined a “sinner.”

But Jesus assures them all that blindness is not caused by sin — but the sin of judgment and condemnation can cause blindness.

The man who is now able to see is able to believe in Jesus, and see the beauty and goodness that is around him, because of the mercy and compassion he has experienced.

Blindness can be a refusal to see, and sin the refusal to grow in knowledge and understanding of a person or their situation. The Ursuline Mission responds to the needs of the times and can be judged and condemned in our service to the marginalized, the blind, the lost.

But we are called to the Mission of Jesus, to reveal the works of mercy that give sight to the blind and new life to those who are lost. So we dare to do what Jesus did and follow Him.

The very mention of St. Patrick stirs enthusiasm — and probably more celebration than the good saint himself would endorse.

Beyond parades and green beer is a prayer attributed to him. It has many versions, but all focus upon the love and protection of the Trinity.

Here are a few lines to pray today:
I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me
God’s might to uphold me
God’s wisdom to guide me . . .
Christ with me, Christ before me
Christ behind me, Christ within me
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me.

^{From the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Archives, Sister Therese Ann Rich, Author}

Sister Mary Ann Coz, OSU, 102, died Friday, March 10, 2023, at the Ursuline Motherhouse.

Mary Ann was born Sept. 12, 1920, in Herminie, Pa., a daughter of Frank and Frances O’Korn Coz, and moved to northeast Ohio as a child.

Mary Ann was a 1938 graduate of Paris Township High School and continued her education at Warren Business School and St. John College in Cleveland.

She entered the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown on Feb. 1, 1949, and was received into the novitiate on Aug. 11, 1949. She made her perpetual profession of vows on Aug. 30, 1954.

Sister Mary Ann earned a B.S. in education at Youngstown State University in 1956 and an M.A. in education at the University of Notre Dame in 1961. In addition, she did post-graduate work in religious education at Assumption College in Worcester Mass., St. John College in Cleveland, Ursuline College in Cleveland, St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and Fordham University in The Bronx.

In 42 years of public ministry, Sister Mary Ann held numerous positions. She taught elementary school at St. Columba, St. Patrick and Immaculate Conception in Youngstown, St. Rose in Girard, and St. Luke and St. Charles in Boardman.

Beginning in 1966, Sister Mary Ann began working for the Diocese of Youngstown. Her first ministry there was as supervisor for parish religious education teachers. In 1977, she became the director of the Diocesan Media Library, a position she held until her retirement in 1993. During the years as director of the Media Library, she helped thousands of teachers in Catholic schools and parish religious education programs enhance their teaching through the use of media, and greatly expanded the holdings of the library. She also served a term on the Diocesan Pastoral Council from 1966 to 1970.

In 1980, she received an Award of Commendation from the Navy and was made an honorary Naval chaplain.

When she retired in 1993, Sister Mary Ann began tending to the gardens and landscaping at the Ursuline Motherhouse, a position she continued until well into her 90s.

Sister Mary Ann leaves her Sisters in the Ursuline Community; a sister, Helen Luppino of Medina; a brother, Frank Coz of Peabody Mass.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Frances Buchmann, Antoinette Evers and Agnes Brookover; and brothers, Larry and John Coz.

Friends may call at the Ursuline Motherhouse, 4250 Shields Road, Canfield, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 18, 2023. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow immediately at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the Motherhouse Chapel.

The Sisters of the Ursuline Motherhouse kindly request those in attendance wear a mask or face covering.

The services for Sister Mary Ann will be livestreamed for those unable to attend. The link for this livestream will be provided closer to the time of the service. Refer to kinnickfuneralhome.com for the updated link.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown.

Hundreds of people visit our Ursuline Education & Wellness Center for a host of education and wellness programs.

The land classes offer low-impact exercise classes at a moderate pace, including our Yoga stretch classes.

Our pool facility, which is nearly finished with major renovations and repairs, offers water aerobics.

The 2023 guided walk season for Ursuline Center Labyrinth is being planned and will begin in May. People of all denominations come on their own to the labyrinth for prayer and meditation every day of the year.

Our monthly Prayer Shawl Ministry, with an average of 20 crafters ages 55 to 94, knit and crochet shawls that are donated to The Hope Care Center, Southern Care Hospice, Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry, breast cancer survivors, and any individuals in need of prayer and healing.

Before a shawl is donated, ministry members pray over it, attaching a crucifix and a written prayer. In the last 10 years, members of this ministry have knitted over 3,600 shawls! Some are sent all over the world, including once to Lima, Peru!

Our Prison Ministry, led by Sister Nancy Dawson, continues to educate inmates at the Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) about the Catholic faith. Sister Nancy ministers on-site at OSP with a team of nine vowed religious women and clergymen.

In 2022, 13 inmates were initiated into the Catholic Faith after their time with our ministry, which included supplying reading materials and teaching them how to pray the rosary. Members of our Community Outreach Ministry support the men through letter-writing.

Since 2010, the Ursuline Center Book Club has gathered and discussed books every six weeks, while the Spiritual Book Club gathers one afternoon each month. Members are united in faith and choose books that are spiritual in nature. During their monthly gatherings, they discuss the meaning of the book with regard to their own lives.

The Ursuline Sisters Mission Children’s Program provides support to and empowers children and families across all of our ministries at two locations in Youngstown.

Nearly 200 children are served by our various Education Outreach ministries at any given time.

Our Children’s Program Coordinator provides direct support to identify needs, help overcome barriers, and promote overall wellness. Referrals connect families to community-based resources that enhance support.

We provide weekly education services, such as academic advocacy and tutoring during the school year and special programming in the summer. Enrichment activities promote educational opportunities, explore through play and exercise, and enhance life skills.

^{By Sister Patricia McNicholas}

This Sunday we hear of Jesus ’encounter with a Samaritan woman.

As the story begins, Jesus stops to rest near Jacob’s well in the Samaritan town of Sychar while the disciples go to buy food. A Samaritan woman arrives to draw water. Jesus asks her for a drink and engages in conversation with her. When the disciples return, they ask, “Why are you talking with her?”

It is very evident to them that she is not one of them; she is the “Other.” She is a women living in a society where women have no place or social status. She is considered a foreigner. She has a poor reputation, as the man she lives with is not her husband; yet, here is Jesus engaged in an extensive dialogue with her.

In contrast to the disciple’s presumptions, she listens openly and receptively to Jesus ’words, and she comes to believe.

The Samaritan woman returns to town and tells the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?” As a result, many of the Samaritans believe her testimony and go to Jesus. After hearing his words, the Samaritans say to the Samaritan woman, “We no longer believe because of your word, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man is truly the Savior of the world.”

As we reflect on this gospel and the disciples’ initial response, we must ask ourselves, “Who do I treat as ‘Other?’” When I see pictures of migrants on TV, do I see them as “Us,” or do I see them as “Other?” When I see a homeless person, do I see them as “Us,” or do I see them as “Other?” When I give to the poor, am I giving to a sister or brother, or am I giving to the “Other?”

One of the core beliefs of our faith is that each person is made in the image and likeness of God. During this Lenten season, I am challenged to avoid seeing my world with the lens of “us and them,” but rather, only “Us.” We are all one.

(Third Sunday of Lent – Year A)

For 30 years, the Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry has been a stable source of comfort, care, and support to those we serve.

About 800 people in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties are living with HIV. More than half of them count on our program for crucial medical care, and more than 400 people count on us regularly for food and household supplies.

Thanks to community support, we were able to add additional services last year. We began providing food to patients when they visit the clinic, and expanded our Peer Support Staff, who help patients access other resources available in the community and provide consistent emotional support.

Despite the fact that the number of patients we serve increased 15% in 2022, we continued to provide food, advocacy, empowerment, transportation to medical appointments, linguistic services, flu shots, COVID-19 vaccines, and now MPox vaccines.

Through our Cafe and pantry program, we provided groceries to 75 families so that they could host Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holiday gatherings for their friends and families.

Our staff and volunteers embrace people, literally and figuratively, to fulfill our mission of respect, compassion, hospitality, and hope. We respect and protect our patients’ privacy so that patients decide when, and if, they share their HIV status with anyone. We show compassion to all who come to us, without any judgment, which includes hugs and sharing meals. We show hospitality by welcoming clients to our clinic and food pantries.

We know that our patients can live long, productive, and healthy lives, and we give them the hope they need to know it’s true.

In the third century, Felicity and Perpetua were imprisoned in Carthage because of their faith.

While there, Perpetua kept a diary. It is one of only a few extant works written by martyrs in the early church who were women.

The account conveys Perpetua’s deep trust that the Spirit had not abandoned her and Felicity, but offered strength in the face of hardship and death.

The story is part of the long Christian narrative about our God — always present with us in all circumstances. Pray today with Felicity and Perpetua, reflecting on God’s faithfulness in your life.

^{From the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Archives, Sister Therese Ann Rich, Author}

^{By Vicki Vicars, Mission, Equity & Resilience Dir.}

On this second Sunday of Lent, we listen to the familiar story of the Transfiguration. 

Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the mountain top, where he is transformed and  “his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.”  Can you begin to imagine their surprise and excitement to see their friend and rabbi in this new way?  To see his full glory and divinity, the full capacity of His Being? 

God gently reminds them, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”  When I reflect on this gospel story in light of the work of Ursuline Sisters Mission, I cannot help but think of the value of “Fullness of Life for all.” 

How does our work help bring about the transformation of not only the other, but ourselves?  Do we see the dignity of each person we work with, do we see their full potential?  Are we ready to accompany others  “to the mountain top” and experience their full capacity?  Do we allow ourselves to see the fullness of life in every person that we encounter? Do we see the people we encounter as beloved Children of God? 

As far as ourselves, may this Lenten season be a prayerful opportunity to recognize God fully present in our lives, may we come to know ourselves as God’s beloved children.

The Ursuline Sisters Mission Immigrant Outreach Program provides support to families who’ve immigrated to the Mahoning Valley.

Last year we served 39 families through English Language Learning classes and such enrichment opportunities as sewing classes.

Adult students can meet with our bilingual Support Specialist, who offers advocacy and a connection to community-based resources.

The program is part of the Ursuline Sisters Mission Education Outreach Program.

The Ursuline Sisters Mission Scholars Program is one of our Education Outreach programs.

It empowers students to complete their program of study by providing academic advocacy, mentorship, financial assistance, and personal and professional development opportunities.

Scholars are paired with a Program Coordinator, who provides support as the students overcome personal and academic barriers.

About 50 Scholars from Mahoning, Trumbull, and Ashtabula counties worked with us in the last year. They were at various levels of their educational journey. Last year 17 Scholars graduated and are now actively working in their fields of study!

In order to achieve such impact, our staff worked on a number of initiatives, such as offering workshops for personal development, scheduling in-person events for Scholars to build a sense of community, and pairing students with mentors who understood their journey.

We also provide Scholars with monthly assistance to meet basic and academic needs, and award scholarships.

We look forward to several graduations this year, knowing we help each Scholar experience opportunities they once only dreamed of.

^{By Vicki Vicars, Mission, Equity & Resilience Dir.}

The temptations that Jesus faces in this week’s gospel seem other worldly and certainly not something we would face in our daily life and work.  Stone into bread, protection from a dive off a steep point, worship the devil?  These are not our temptations.  Or are they?  

Gerald Darring, an adjunct instructor of theology at Spring Hill College, suggests that the temptations of Jesus represent for us the temptations of self-sufficiency, power, and pride.  We think we can do it alone, to the detriment of the community and not to include “the other.”

Have we used our position or authority to oppress others or to deny them access to what they need and deserve?  Have we ever looked down on someone thinking they are not good enough or not doing what they should?  Do we think that we are better than them?  Lots of questions to wrestle with this Lenten season.  The good news is that we do not wrestle alone or without wisdom shared by so many. 

Ursuline Sisters Mission to pour out Gospel service into the world invites us into a mission that conquers self-sufficiency with a call to community, reframes power with the values of servant leadership, and transforms pride into authentic self-recognition of our gifts needed to build the Beloved Kingdom.

St. Angela Merici’s instruction to “be like a piazza” invites us to be hospitable and welcoming. These are certainly qualities that seek to defeat any thought of superiority or total independence from others.  Yes, we have our own temptations and demons to wrestle with this season, but we are not alone in doing so. 

I pray that this season leads us to a greater understanding of who we are called to be in this world and to one another. 

We’re hiring a Water Aerobics Instructor.

Classes are Mondays through Thursdays at various hours and Saturday mornings teaching classes in our beautifully maintained pool. Instructor will help adults have fun, get healthier and make friends.

Approximately 15 hrs. a week. Salary to commensurate with experience. Call Linda at 330-792-7636 X. 343.