Ursuline Sisters News

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Louisville Woman Will Receive Angeline Award

LOUISVILLE, Ky (July 9, 2008) – Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Sacred Heart Home and “Christmas in July” are just some of the volunteer programs Mary Ann Kopp Hubbs has been involved in over the last three decades. She’s also established or taken part in programs like the “Giving Tree” for needy families, marriage enrichment courses, education enrichment programs for local students and volunteered to help refugees who are now living in Louisville. Her continued commitment to helping others is why Kopp Hubbs was chosen out of a dozen nominees to receive the Angeline Award. It will be presented by the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville during a special ceremony on Monday, July 28 th at 7pm at the Ursuline Campus Motherhouse located at 3115 Lexington Road.

Kopp Hubbs humanitarian work locally exemplifies the spirit of Saint Angela Merici (Mur-ree-cee), the foundress of the Ursuline Sisters. The award is given every two years to a woman who possesses the qualities of Saint Angela, a contemplative love of God and a resulting openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others. The recipient addresses the needs and concerns of her time and displays Christian leadership by being actively involved with challenges that face women and families today, such as illiteracy, poverty, violence, abuse, prejudice and addiction.

Mary Ann Kopp Hubbs attended Mother of Sorrows, Holy Spirit and Sacred Heart Academy. She continued her education with the Ursuline Sisters, earning her Bachelor’s degree from Ursuline College in 1963. Her charitable work within the community began almost immediately. With the help of two others, Mary Ann started the PIE program at St. Martha’s school to challenge students in reading and literature. She went on to serve on the Nurture Committee for Habitat for Humanity.

In her nomination letter, Sister Ruth Ann Haunz wrote, “(Mary Ann) gives her heart to everything she does. She does not just volunteer with habitat families, she becomes part of them. She does not only volunteer in several different arenas, she mentors others who volunteer.”

Often called a “modern day Angela” by those who know her, Kopp Hubbs exemplifies what it means to be “open and eager to serve the needs of others.” As her husband wrote in his nomination letter, “I see her demonstrate the humble service and prayer spirit of St. Angela Merici and all the good Ursuline Sisters who taught her.”

St. Michael's Cemetery: 150th Anniversary Memorial Service

LOUISVILLE, Ky (June 25, 2008) – More than forty Ursuline Sisters, associates and friends gathered at St. Michael's Cemetery in Louisville during the hot afternoon hours on Wednesday, June 25 for a special ceremony in honor of deceased Sisters. It was part of a year-long celebration marking the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville's 150th anniversary.

The half-hour ceremony opened with the song, "Be Glory to the Only God." Those in attendence were then asked to share a brief memory or story with their neighbor about those who've passed. A special litany of the Sisters followed and was lead by Sister Paula Klein-Kracht.

Jim Wagner with Bosse Funeral Home was on hand to accept a certificate in honor of Bosse's 138 year partnership with the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. The Sisters wanted to recognize the funeral home's support during most of the 150 years they've been in Louisville.

"It's a true pleasure and honor for us to assist the Ursuline Sisters," said Wagner moments after accepting the certificate from Ursuline Sister President, Jean Anne Zappa.

Sisters, Associates and friends of the Ursuline Sisters take part in a special ceremony for deceased Sisters

Jim Wagner with Bosse Funeral Home holds up a special certificate
of recognition presented to the funeral home by the Sisters

Torture Awareness Month: Say “NO” to Torture

LOUISVILLE, Ky (May 29, 2008) – If you join an order of Sisters, you devote your life to God and the care and love of others. But, one Ursuline Sister from Kentucky found her faith and love tested to the extreme when she was tortured and raped while ministering in Guatemala.

Maple Mount Ursuline Sister Dianna Ortiz used her faith and love to turn her horrifying experience into a way to help others. She founded Torture Abolition and Survivors' Support Coalition (TASSC) and worked to abolish the use of torture while helping other survivors cope.

June is Torture Awareness Month. To help raise awareness, TASSC organized t he 10 th Annual Comemmoration of the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors which is a 24-hour vigil that will take place in front of the White House from 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 28th until 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 29th.  TASSC's supporters are invited to come to Washington, DC to spend an hour or more in vigil with them or to send messages of support. 

The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville will host a one-hour “Say NO to Torture” prayer vigil on Saturday June 28 th beginning at 10:30 a.m. The vigil will take place at the Motherhouse Chapel, Building 10, located on the Ursuline Campus at 3115 Lexington Road. All are welcome to attend.

The hope is to demonstrate the religious community's resolve to end torture and provide a reminder of the shame of torture as government policy and about the role of religious people in speaking out on this issue.  Sister Dianna has since moved onto other projects to raise awareness, including writing a book about her own experience. But, the group she founded continues its work with new members at its helm.

The official mission of TASSC is to end the practice of torture wherever it occurs and to empower survivors, their families and communities wherever they are. For more information about the organization and last year’s vigil, go to www.TASSC.org.

The Ursuline Campus Schools honored the outgoing Ursuline Sisters Leadership Team in early June with a special dinner and ceremony. All five leadership team members, Todd Allen, the current chair of the UCS Board of Trustees and Dr. Cindy Crabtree, the UCS president, all attended the special event.

The current team members will go through the transitional ritual on July 30th. They've served on the Leadership Team since 2002. The new team will serve until July 2014.

UCS President Dr. Cindy Crabtree (from right), Leadership Team: Sisters Sue Scharfenberger, Judith Rice, Jo Ann Jansing, Anne Mary Lochner, Jean Anne Zappa and UCS Board of Trustees Chairperson Todd Allen

Ursuline Sisters at work...
We caught our own Sister Yuli Oncihuay in action as she worked with students at the Ursuline Montessori School. Sister Yuli usually does her mission work in Peru, but she’s in Louisville for a few months and is taking time to help teach in one of the classrooms.

Campus Wide Memorial Service

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 20, 2008) - The names of deceased alums, donors, Sisters and family and friends were read one-by-one in a touching ceremony at the Ursuline Motherhouse Chapel on Tuesday, May 20. The names of those who passed away in the last year were read one-by-one in small groups followed by the response "All you holy men and women, pray for us" sung by the crowd.

The ceremony was in honor of those connected to the Ursuline Sisters and Ursuline Campus Schools who passed away in the last year. Families and friends were invited to place a white carnation in vases at the front of the Chapel as their loved one's name was read. Each person in attendance was then given a small token in memory of their loss, a small blue rock to keep with them as they mourn and remember their family member or friend.

Attendees of a special Memorial Service remember friends, family, donors and alum who passed away in the last year

Two Sisters Among Delegates in Yankee Stadium for Papal Mass
By Sister Martha Jacob

Sister Martha's ticket to the April mass

NEW YORK, Ny (April 20, 2008) - The gathering of 60,000 or so cheered loudly and waved white cloths as Pope Benedict XVI entered Yankee Stadium on April 20 in the Popemobile!  Many bishops and priests representing the 195 dioceses of the United States Church and several women and men who performed various functions during the service had already assembled on the platform near the altar.  After exiting the Popemobile at the entrance to an area under the bleachers where he vested for Mass, the Pope re-entered the stadium preceded by the cross and candle-bearers and several Cardinals. 

Because Louisville this year is one of the four dioceses celebrating the 200 th anniversary of their establishment, it received special recognition.  Across the field from the bleachers hung large banners with the coats-of-arms of Archbishop Kurtz and the bishops of the other three dioceses and one for Baltimore, which was raised to the rank of Archdiocese in 1808.

In recognition of the many languages now spoken in the U.S., several were used during the Liturgy.  The second petition of the Prayer of the Faithful read – “For the archdioceses of Baltimore, Boston, Louisville, New York and Philadelphia which are celebrating their bicentennial anniversaries: that they may be beacons of hope and light to the communities that they serve” - was prayed in Italian.  Six different persons recited the other petitions in their native languages.  The first reading was in Spanish, the second in English.  The Kyrie, Creed, etc. were sung in Latin.

During his homily, Pope Benedict spoke of the great faith of the Catholics who settled these five dioceses and passed their faith to us today.  He praised the United States Church for its work with the disadvantaged, and in education and in health care.  He also expressed great sorrow at the failures of the U.S. Church.  The Pope spoke English for most of the homily and then gave a message in Spanish.

At the end of Mass the Pope walked to the end of the extensive platform and around a portion of the stadium, shaking hands of those he passed and responding with a blessing and a wave to the loud acclamations of those at a greater distance.

Sister Jo Ann Jansing and I were privileged to be part of the official delegation of the Archdiocese of Louisville; we also represented the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville.  One-hundred and eighty people from Louisville traveled to New York on a plane chartered by the Archdiocese.  During the flight, we received the non-transferable ticket that indicated our designated seat for the Mass.  This and a “government-issued” photo gave us access to the stadium.  Chartered buses took us from JFK airport to a parking lot about nine blocks from the stadium.  Many other delegates representing parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville made the trip by chartered buses.

At about four blocks from our destination, we joined the crowd and for nearly two hours inched our way to our assigned gate 4 into the stadium.  Since each person had to go through security (similar to that at the airport, but we did NOT have to remove our shoes!), the process was very slow.  We flew from Louisville to New York in less time than we traveled from JFK to the stadium!  The trip from our seat in the stadium to the airport also took a couple of hours.  We arrived back in Louisville about 11:30 p.m.

Uniting with brothers and sisters who had come to New York from all over the United States to pray with the Pope was an exhilarating and humbling experience.  May the lasting effect of the Pope’s visit be a greater awareness of “Christ Our Hope,” who is always among us, and a renewed effort to bring peace to our world.

Educating Change
By Jessica Reid

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 30, 2008) - “When I saw “Ursuline,” all the wind was taken out of me. For once I was speechless.”

Dr. Robert B. Cooter, Jr may have been speechless at the moment he learned he was being offered the position as the first Ursuline Endowed Chair of Teacher Education at Bellarmine University, but at a welcome reception on April 30, he was filled with words of praise and hope. Praise for the Ursuline Sisters, whose mission to educate and minister to people in need is in line with his own. And, hope for the future, as he begins work to tackle crime and social injustice in his own unique way.

Dr. Cooter and representatives from the Ursuline Sisters

Dr. Cooter will not only serve as a distinguished professor teaching Bellarmine students, but he also hopes to partner with the Jefferson County Public School system to develop reading improvement programs.

“Literacy is the gateway to social justice and, in essence, the American dream,” Dr. Cooter told those attending the reception to welcome him and his family to Louisville. It’s a statement he’s put to action by implementing urban literacy programs in Dallas and Memphis, by directing a $16 million federal research project called “Striving Readers”, which targets high-poverty middle schools and by writing bestselling books on how to address illiteracy and the social issues that surround it.

Dr. Cooter talks with Sr. Jean Anne Zappa,
president of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville

Education is something the Ursuline Sisters have long emphasized. Teaching Christian living is among the four vows they take when they enter the order, and it’s something all the Sisters use throughout their ministries. Before the job was offered to him, Dr. Cooter learned of the Ursuline Sisters and their history while exploring his own spirituality, a journey that led him to the Catholic Church.

“Clearly standing out was Ursuline Sisters teaching…particularly among the least among us.” Dr. Cooter said. “I can’t think of a deeper honor than to even be mentioned in the same breath with the Ursulines.”

A plaque fashioned from the above example will hang at
Bellarmine University in honor of the Ursuline Endowed Chair

Ursuline Sisters Honored With New Award

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 2008) - The Ursuline Sisters were presented with a commemorative plaque during the 2008 Alumnae of the Year banquet and awards ceremony. It was part of an announcement about a new award meant to honor Sacred Heart Alumnae who have excelled in the teaching profession.

The Ursuline Teaching Legacy Award will be given out for the first time next year. Each year, it will be awarded to an alumna who has been in teaching for 20 or more years.

Sister Jean Anne Zappa Displays the Plaque Commemorating
the Inception of the Ursuline Teaching Legacy Award

Ursuline Sisters Work to Protect the Environment

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 2008) - In March, the Vatican released a list of new sins for modern times. Among them, damaging or polluting the environment. And, the Ursuline Sisters are already doing their part to ensure a clean and protected environment.

Two Ursuline Sisters Join Protesters in Frankfort

Going to the Legislature -
Sisters Terence Schmitt and Mary Catherine Vukmanic were among 1,200 people who shivered in the cold outdoors while showing their support for House Bill 164, also known as the Stream Saver Bill, and their opposition to mountaintop removal of coal which buries and permanently destroys Kentucky streams and other water sources.

According to a Federal Environmental Impact study removing the coal increased flooding and water treatment costs, altered stream chemistry and temperature and meant a loss of nutrients essential for downstream water quality and aquatic life. Already, the practice of mountaintop coal mining has destroyed 500 miles of Kentucky’s headwater streams.

Going Greener on Campus -
Campus Services Director Rick Raderer is making strides to ensure the entire campus goes green. "We will continue to pick up recycled paper as we have done in the past..." he said. Now, Raderer has added extra bins for bottles, cans and other recyclable materials throughout the campus. Most recently, containers were placed at Brescia Hall and at the Motherhouse for recycled batteries.

Recycling Bins Set Up in Brescia Hall

As we move into the coming months and years, the Ursuline Sisters will continue to work to protect our environment. What we do now can help ensure a safe and clean world for generations to come.

Sister Jean Anne Zappa, president of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, presented the 2004 Angeline Award to Shannon Lockhart July 30.

Ursuline Sisters present Angeline Award to woman for work with social justice issues LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 30, 2004) – The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville presened the 2004 Angeline Award to Shannon Lockhart for her work with social justice issues and her ministry with the poor in Guatemala. Established in 1990, the Angeline Award is given every other year to a woman who possesses the qualities of St. Angela’s charism – a contemplative love of God resulting in an openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others. The recipient addresses the needs and concerns of her time and displays Christian leadership by being actively involved with challenges that face women and families today, such as illiteracy, poverty, violence, abuse, prejudice or addiction. “Shannon’s work with women, children and others in need inspired us to name her as the recipient of the Angeline Award this year,” said Sister Anne Mary Lochner, chair of the Angeline Award committee and member of the Ursuline Sisters’ Leadership Team. “She has truly lived out our charism, serving the needs of others in so many ways.”