© 2004 Ursuline Sisters
of Louisville.
Friday, November 21, 2008

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

Sister Terence Schmitt

When she hears the call, "Someone is needed," Sister Terence Schmitt's response is, "I can do it." Sister Terence, OSU, lives this philosophy today at the Ursuline Sisters' Motherhouse in Louisville, Ky., just as she did during 24 years in Pittsburgh.

For Ursulines like Sister Terence, 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 Terence proves, once a sister comes "home" to the Motherhouse, she never finds herself without purpose. And Sister Terence 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 Terence arrived at the former Ursuline Academy on Winebiddle Street in Bloomfield, Pa. in 1973. Over the next eight years, she taught chemistry, biology, environmental science, health, mathematics and sewing as these classes were needed, was moderator of the mission club and honor society, and was the audio-visual coordinator at the all-girls high school.

Ursuline Academy closed in June 1981 and was succeeded by the Ursuline Center (now Ursuline Services, Inc.), a multi-purpose neighborhood center that hosted activities for social services, education, recreation and community development. Sister Terence took up duties as bookkeeper and facilities manager. "I oversaw deliveries, got repair bids and allotted space for the center's workshops and programs," she said. "I did a little of everything; even climbed out on the roof to check it or remove snow."

When the Ursuline Center opened Friendship House, a hospitality house for relatives and friends of patients at nearby hospitals, the manager needed an assistant and so Sister Terence moved to that position in 1989. She was the manager from 1994 until the House closed in 1997.

When Sister Terence left Pittsburgh in 1997, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Community Partnership, where she had volunteered, stated, "More than 10,000 guests were made to feel welcome at Friendship House because of Sister Terence's sparkling blue eyes and warm embraces."

In recalling her time at Friendship House, Sister Terence said, "I mostly listened to our guests; many were greatly distressed."
Sister Terence moved to the Motherhouse of her religious congregation in Louisville after hip replacement surgery in 2001.

"The safety and services provided here at the Motherhouse give me a certain freedom to answer needs that arise," she said.
These days she keeps busy working at the Ursuline Sister's craft shop, located a short walk from the Motherhouse on the Ursuline Campus.

"I make tidy towels, baby bibs and aprons, both for adults and children; I do whatever is needed that day," she says of her time spent in the craft shop. She also applies her skills as a seamstress to help others with alterations.

Efforts to renovate the Ursuline Motherhouse and make it more ADA accessible and user-friendly for the aging sisters -- including making restroom facilities more accessible for sisters with mobility issues like Sister Terence -- are currently underway.

Sister Terence also prepares liturgies and other prayer services, and serves as a Eucharistic minister. She enjoys the social aspects of living in the Motherhouse community by participating in book discussions and playing card and board games with other sisters. Living at the Motherhouse also allows her the opportunity to be attuned to her physical well being as well as hone her musical skills. "I try to spend 30 minutes a day on a stationary bike and some time practicing the piano," she said.

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