Love and Presence
Summer/Fall 2021
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A newsletter for and by Associates of the School Sisters of St. Francis
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GRACE…
By Associate Kathleen Kovatovic
For quite some time I have had a personal mantra. It is “grace for today” It is my way of asking God for the undeserved gift enabling me to live each day as He would. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t. Whenever I hear or read something about grace, I am intrigued. I recently read Philip Yancy’s book titled “What’s So Amazing About Grace”. If grace is God’s love for the undeserving, he asks, then what does it look like in action? As you read the contributions of the Associates we are highlighting in this issue, I think you will agree. These women are showing us what grace in action looks like.
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EXPANDED HORIZONS, OPENED HEART
By Associate Kathleen Flanagan (Burr Ridge, Illinois)
Kathy Flanagan coaches leaders in communication and is a consultant in leadership and team development. She has served the SSSF community by actively participating on several committees. Sister Pat McCarthy wrote, "Her skills as a creative articulate thinker were very much a part of our recommendations to the P.A." She also participates fully at the Provincial Assembly as a voice participant. (Kathy Flanagan is pictured on the right)
One of my early experiences as an Associate was sitting at the back of St. Joseph Hall as an observer during a session of the General Assembly. I was impressed by the simultaneous translations in English, German, and Spanish that were provided through headsets. This made me aware of the international reach of the Sisters as far away as India, Germany, Latin America, and even Africa. I felt proud to be in a relationship with an international community.
During the breaks, I met several of the Sisters who were observers. Sister Kate Brenner told me about her visits with immigrant detainees in Kenosha. Sister Joannes Klas shared vivid images of the challenges faced by deportees at the border in Ciudad Juarez. Influenced by both these dedicated women, I later joined several other Sisters and Associates who were part of the team visiting the Kenosha Detention Center on a regular basis.
Although the difficulties and delays of travel during highway construction caused me to give up my Kenosha visits after one year, I learned a lot from Sisters Marietta Hanus and Gerda Moehler about ways to show loving concern even across language barriers. Once I also was able to write a letter of support and attend immigration court related to one of the detainees whom I met. These experiences have stayed with me, increasing my compassion for the concerns of immigrants and my commitment to care and justice for detainees. Currently, I participate in my parish Prayer Shawl Ministry, which has sent hundreds of warm scarves, shawls, and blankets to recent immigrants served by ministries on the border.
I am also a member of the Pastoral Team at a small intentional community within the larger St. Giles Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois. This Family Mass community of about 200 families has many Guatemalan American members. Most of these members are related to an original small refugee family that the community welcomed and supported during the strife in Guatemala in the 1980s. The small matriarch in her colorful scarf and huipil still attends every Sunday service, though she understands only Akateko, one of the Mayan languages. She knows the language of smiles and gestures. I have heard some of the stories of the challenges of this dark period from Sisters who ministered in Guatemala at that time, including Sister Maureen McCarthy. These connections draw me close in spirit with the Sisters of the ULAF region today. I hope someday we may be able to meet in person.
Although I haven’t been able to join in the immersion visits to El Paso and Mississippi, participate in the trips to Germany and Italy, or observe assemblies in India, I have enjoyed these experiences through the photos, videos, and stories that have been shared. These confirm my experience as a member of a vibrant community devoted to social justice in the U.S. and beyond our borders.
I have attended many of the gatherings of Sisters and Associates over the years since I made my first commitment in 2009. There is always a spirit of joy, love, and connection that deepens my spirituality and encourages me to be a more loving presence in my immediate family, in my parish, and in other groups. I look forward to increasing connections with other Associates and Sisters in coming years as we experience new aspects of religious life together.
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WHY THE IMMIGRATION ISSUE IS IMPORTANT TO ME
By Associate Maureen Hellwig (Chicago, Illinois)
Maureen Hellwig is a lifelong Chicagoan. Her life has alternated between university teaching and working for non-profit organizations, most often with those serving immigrants, mostly Latinos. She co-chairs the Immigrant & Refugee Rights Committee at Old St. Patrick's Church and serves on the North Lawndale Kinship Initiative's workforce development committee. She is part of the SSSF Spiritual Growth Committee and is an active voice participant at Provincial Assemblies. (Maureen Hellwig is pictured above)
First of all, I am an American. Every American, except Native Americans, is an immigrant or descends from people who emigrated to America from somewhere else. I am the great granddaughter of Irish and German immigrants. I grew up with Polish and Hungarian girlfriends on my block, and I have had bosses that were German, Scandinavian, Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican. How fun is that? Nevertheless, more often than I would like to acknowledge, immigrants in this country, who happen to have arrived a little later than their neighbors, have been subjected to derision, discrimination, and even persecution.
Why is this? Do Americans really have such short memories about where they came from, or are they so ignorant of their heritage? In my years of living next door to immigrants, teaching them, marching with them, I am only amazed at their resilience in the face of so many hardships. Since growing up, I met many of them while working at a place called Erie Neighborhood House. Erie is what is known as a “settlement house.” These are non-profit organizations that exist in many major cities. They were inspired by Chicagoan Jane Addams, who founded one of the most famous settlements – Hull House. Jane’s “house,” and the many others that modeled themselves after it, began to appear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many are 100 years+ today, and have opened their doors to wave after wave of immigrants, from Europe initially, and then from Latin America and the Middle East. Erie House is one of the oldest among them, founded in 1870. It started as a Presbyterian mission and then recognized its role as a settlement house when Addams set the example.
When I retired from Erie House in 2014, I found myself with more time to get involved with social justice initiatives at my church. It is called Old St. Patrick’s, and is even older than Erie House, founded in 1854 by – wait for it – immigrants. One could say of Old St. Pat’s: “Built to last.” Or as one of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s characters says in Hamilton: “Immigrants get the job done.” So, in light of my 50 or so years at Erie House, as a volunteer, board member, and eventually, as an employee, and as a willing student of history, I got it. Without immigrants, America is not. I have even written a book about Erie to celebrate their 150th anniversary. I called it A Neighbor Among Neighbors, with the subtitle: A Home with No Borders.
Today, I have the privilege of chairing the committee that directs the Immigrant and Refugee Ministry of Old St. Pat’s. We have been accompanying three refugee families, from Colombia, Myanmar, and Syria, in conjunction with the Refugee Resettlement Program of Catholic Charities, and are currently considering how we might assist an asylum-seeking family from Honduras.
As the song says: “And the beat goes on.”
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UPCOMING DATES
October 20, 2021 at 6 p.m. Virtual drop-in for Sisters and Associates
We will focus on planning for our 50th anniversary celebration next year. Virtual drop-ins are one hour long and do not require any advance sign-up or registration. Watch for more information and a link to simply “drop in.”
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In Memoriam
We remember our Sisters who have died since March 2020, when our funerals could no longer be open to the public. Watch video here.
We remember and pray for our Associates who went home to God:
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Cathy Berg Became an Associate 2004
Went Home April 20, 2021
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Sister Sheila wrote about Cathy, "Each of us enriches our group in our own way. Cathy did it in so many ways: bringing beauty to every gathering with special centerpieces, reflecting our themes, bringing night visitors. Cathy stayed in contact with many of our group who could not attend the meetings and said how much she enjoyed those connections."
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Judith DuBenn Became an Associate 2014
Went Home June 25, 2021
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When Judith was asked how she was living her Associate Relationship she answered: "I try as hard as I am able to be a reflection of the spirit of St. Francis in my daily life. I try to take the absurdities of life and make them into conscious moments of reflection and growth. Sometimes they are very, very small steps, but they are always there."
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Mary Catherine Kearney Became an Associate 2010
Went Home July 23, 2021
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Mary Catherine once wrote:
What a privilege it is to help carry out Christ's mission in the world as an associate of the School Sisters of St. Francis.
Today I'm grateful for this privilege as I continue to experience the presence of the Franciscan Spirit in my contacts with all of you --- Sisters and Associates.
My prayers and support for the wonderful work being carried out inspire me to say with sincerity, love, and joy ---
Here I am Lord, I come to Your Will ---
Thank you for making it possible to do it
as an Associate of the School Sisters of St. Francis. Amen
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GOOD READS
Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino
Author: Sister Joyce Rupp
In this inspirational book Joyce Rupp presents her adventures on a 47-day pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. At the age of 60, she took this arduous journey of 450 miles with Tom, a retired pastor and close friend.
Spiritual Wanderlust: The Field Guide to Deep Desire
Author: Kelly Deutsch
"The way Kelly unfolds our interior experience is so rich, so insightful, so revealing, it brought a lump to my throat. I found myself saying 'YES - that's it '"- From the Foreword by Christopher West, author of Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing "This book is a must-read for everyone who aches to live with meaning." - Richard Rohr, OFM
The Rhythm of Life: Living with Passion and Purpose
Author: Matthew Kelly
In this classic bestseller, acclaimed author and speaker Matthew Kelly offers inspiring, take-charge strategies to help you discover your deepest desires, identify your unique talents, and lead a life filled with passion and purpose. Do you ever feel that if you weren't so busy you would be happier, healthier, more effective, more fulfilled...and maybe even a better person?
In God’s Holy Light: Wisdom from the Desert
Author: Sister Joan Chittister
The Desert Monastics, thousands of monks and nuns who lived in the Egyptian wastelands between the third and fifth centuries, have come to be seen as the Olympians of the spiritual life. Renowned spiritual writer Joan Chittister explores the sayings of the Desert Mothers and Fathers, finding wisdom from that ancient tradition that speaks to your life today.
VIDEOS OF INTEREST
Each month, they focus on a social issue and explore how it intersects with racism, migration and climate in a thought-provoking and engaging conversation. Each panelist offers unique perspectives, notable achievements and invaluable insight on their particular topic.
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I have been reading the book “To Bless the Space Between Us, A Book of Blessings” by John O’Donohue and really liked this. He defines “blessing” as a way of life. In conclusion, I would like to share this poem.
For Presence
Awaken to the mystery of being here
and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to
follow its path.
Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven
around the heart of wonder.
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I would like to thank all of those individuals who contributed to this newsletter. This is a platform for Associates and I welcome any ideas for upcoming editions. Please forward all ideas and comments to:
Kathleen Kovatovic, Editor
kkovatovic@gmail.com
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