© 2004 Ursuline Sisters
of Louisville.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009

From Nebraska to Louisville Motherhouse:
Ursuline Sister continues ministry 		to go back to the main Motherhouse stories page.

Sister Mary Vincent Strittmatter

Sister Mary Vincent Strittmatter, OSU, left her home in Rushville, Neb., 70 years ago to enter the convent of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, Ky. That long train ride put her on a longer life's journey from Louisville to Nebraska then back to Louisville, a couple of times. These seven decades have also been a journey from elementary education teacher, to graduate student, to teacher of special-needs children, to principal, to college professor, to volunteer ministry for seniors.

For Ursulines like Sister Mary Vincent, the Motherhouse is more than just a retirement home; it is a place for their ministries, began long ago, to continue. Ursuline Sisters who reside at the Motherhouse call Louisville their home, but the sisters come from all over the United States in ministries that today take them to 13 dioceses in 11 states and Peru, South America. As Sister Mary Vincent proves, once a sister comes "home" to the Motherhouse, she never finds herself without purpose. And Sister Mary Vincent is another testament to the lasting impact an Ursuline's ministry can have in the places they minister well after they have left that place.

Sister Mary Vincent's first return to Nebraska came in1947 when she was assigned a first-grade class at Blessed Sacrament School in Omaha. While in Omaha, she also earned a graduate degree in remedial reading and early childhood education from Creighton University. Degree in hand, she returned to Louisville in 1952 to direct classes sponsored by the Archdiocese of Louisville for the educable mentally retarded children.

Her next journey to Nebraska would not come until 1982, when she again joined the faculty of Blessed Sacrament School in Omaha as a part-time kindergarten teacher. With her "good health and plenty of energy," she began volunteering at the New Cassel Retirement Center's adult day care program and working with the families of those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. Soon her volunteer ministry became her full-time ministry. The Nebraska Department on Aging recognized her as an "Outstanding Older Adult" in 1992.

In between these two stops in Omaha, Sister Mary Vincent earned a second master's from Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee and studied at West Virginia University and the State University College in Buffalo, N.Y. Her main ministry for 30 years was with special needs children, usually working with them directly, but also directing the Ursuline Special Education Learning Center and instructing parents of the children and students at the former Ursuline College in Louisville.

"In 1997 my doctor in Omaha told me he could only promise me good eyesight for another year," Sister Mary Vincent said. "I knew then that I needed to return to the Motherhouse in Louisville."

But returning to the Motherhouse in Louisville has only meant transferring her ministries, not retiring from them. She is in charge of making sure that overnight guests at the Motherhouse feel at home, their rooms are ready for them, and their every need is met. Each Sunday she and other sisters distribute communion to patients at a nearby hospital. She spends most of the day on Thursday at Marian Home, a long-term nursing facility sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters. There she reads at Mass and then visits the residents. Each Friday she drives to the Share-Care of Louisville, a day care center for handicapped adults. "I spend about four hours there, talking to the clients, playing games, doing whatever to brighten their day," said Sister Mary Vincent.

Sister Mary Vincent has many other interests, each enriching her life. She is taking painting and piano lessons. Her voice shows her excitement as she displays several watercolor paintings of birds and flowers. She also mentioned that she appreciates the library and the availability of an exercise room, both on the ground floor of the Motherhouse.

"The Motherhouse is a good place for me to be; it is a place to grow. I am finding time to renew friendships with Ursuline Sisters with whom I lived many years ago and to become friends with others," she said.

Sister Mary Vincent said after many years as a volunteer she continues to learn from her clients. "They teach me how to adapt and use my talents and gifts in new ways; they help me appreciate the mysteries of life," she said. "By energizing me, they give me the opportunity to fulfill my commitment to help meet some of the unmet needs of aging women and men."

Efforts to renovate the Ursuline Motherhouse and make it more ADA accessible and user-friendly for the aging sisters, including the installation of new lighting for sisters with failing eyesight like Sister Mary Vincent, are currently underway.

Click here to find out more about the Ursuline Motherhouse renovations.