© 2004 Ursuline Sisters
of Louisville.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Ursuline Sisters Celebrate Transfer of Leadership

The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville celebrated the transfer of leadership for 2002-2008 on July 30. The new leaders are, Sister Jean Anne Zappa, president, Sister Judith Rice, vice president and councilors Sister Jo Ann Jansing, Sister Anne Mary Lochner and Sister Sue Scharfenberger.

The Ursuline Sisters currently minister in a dozen states and Peru, South America. Based in Louisville, their mission is to teach Christian living and serve the needs of others.

The leadership team was chosen by a group of 71 delegates of the Ursuline community. The Ursuline focus for the next six years is to empower women to be in solidarity with them in a shared search for God, with this year's emphasis to be Ursuline women of peace

 

  


"We may be smaller in number, but we are stronger than ever in our mission to teach Christian living in the context of the gospel values and the Charism of St. Angela," said Sister Jean Anne Zappa, president. "One constant challenge will be to continue to grapple with what it means to be consecrated women religious in this 21st century."

About the new leadership team:

Sister Jean Anne Zappa, president, is the 24th president of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. A native of Pittsburgh, Sister Jean Anne earned a bachelor's degree from Bellarmine University and an MRE from St. Meinrad. She served as a teacher at Angela Merici High School and Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville and has held various leadership positions, including director of mission effectiveness and board chair for the Ursuline Campus Schools and with Shively Area Ministries in senior services and mission development. For the past six years she served as member of the Ursuline leadership team.
Sister Judith Rice, vice-president, a native of Indianapolis, has served hundreds in Louisville through her teaching career at Angela Merici High School and Sacred Heart Academy. At Sacred Heart, she served as dean of studies and taught English, religion, journalism, Latin and German. She has also served as Ursuline vocation coordinator.
Sister Jo Ann Jansing, councilor, a Louisville native, also taught thousands in the Louisville area at St. Ann School, Angela Merici High School and Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, where she recently retired as professor emerita after 30 years as professor of chemistry. She also taught at Mount St. Agnes College in Baltimore. She has served on the boards of the Louisville Archdiocesan Office of Ecumenical Affairs, Holy Cross High School, Ursuline Campus Schools and Dismas Charities, Inc.

Sister Anne Mary Lochner, councilor, was born in Louisville and most recently served as executive director of Project Women, Inc., and Project AIMM. She was also an elementary school teacher at St. Raphael, St. George and St. Elizabeth schools, director of religious education/pastoral ministry at St. Mary Parish and liturgist at St. Helen - all in the Louisville area. In addition, she has served as a paralegal at the Community Law Center in Oakland, Ca.
Sister Sue Scharfenberger, councilor, born and raised in Louisville, spent the last 22 years as pastoral minister for Santa Angela Merici Parish in Callao, Peru. She has also served as religion teacher at Sacred Heart Academy and Ursuline Academy, director of formation, Office of Ursuline Life and pastoral minister for Sacred Heart Southern Mission in Hernando, Miss.

The current group replaces the 1996-2002 leadership team of Sister Sarah Stauble, president, Sister Margaret Ann Hagan, vice president and councilors Sister Jean Marie Hettinger, Sister Helen O'Brien and Sister Jean Anne Zappa.