IntheSpirit

Ursuline Sisters work to free and nurture women and children
by Dan Heckel

“Act, move, believe, strive, hope, cry out to God with all your heart, for without doubt you will see marvelous
things, if you direct everything to the praise and glory of God and the good of others.
--Saint Angela Merici

These are the words Saint Angela Merici used to guide the women of her day when she formed the Company
of Saint Ursula nearly 500 years ago. They are still the words used today to inspire the Ursuline Sisters of
Mount Saint Joseph as they work to fulfill their mission of “Freeing and Nurturing Women and Children.”
The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph are vibrant, approachable women, working side by side with lay
men and women to bring about change through social justice, education, and church ministry. The sisters
minister in seven states, as well as in Chile and soon Jamaica, reaching out to the voiceless, seeking to
enhance this world through peace and harmony, and addressing the needs of the whole person -- body, mind,
and spirit.

The Ursuline Sisters trace their beginnings to Angela Merici, who grew up in Italy in the 16th century,
committing her life to the service of God at a young age. She saw little opportunity for women outside of
marriage or cloistered religious life, and wanted another option for women to reach their potential.
In 1535, Angela Merici and 28 young women formed the company of Saint Ursula, named for a martyr of the
early church. Their goal was to live among the people and serve the Lord where the needs arose. Saint Angela
in her writings urged her followers to treat everyone as individuals, and to adapt to the times in their ministries.
The first Ursuline Sisters came to America in 1727, and in 1858, Ursuline Sisters from Straubing, Germany,
came to Kentucky to open schools in Louisville. In 1874, Father Paul Joseph Volk, the pastor at St. Alphonsus
Catholic Church in western Daviess County, asked the Louisville sisters to send teachers to run a school for
girls in the rural community of Saint Joseph. Five sisters traveled by flatboat down the Ohio River that year to
start Mount Saint Joseph Academy.

The school grew, and the beautiful tree-lined hills became known as Maple Mount. Many of the graduates
wanted to join the Ursuline Sisters, but did not want to enter the novitiate in Louisville, where the sisters spoke
primarily German. In 1895, an English-speaking novitiate was begun at Maple Mount, and in 1912, the sisters
became an independent community, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph started out as schoolteachers, and for nearly 100 years they have
affected young lives, both in Catholic and public schools. Sisters taught at schools in Nebraska, Missouri,
Tennessee, and throughout Kentucky. Some of the sisters are still teaching in New Mexico, Illinois, Louisiana,
and Kentucky, including Sister Mary Timothy Bland, who just completed her 41st year in the classroom, now at
the Owensboro Catholic K-3 Campus. The community’s youngest member, Sister Monica Seaton, is a special
education teacher at Daviess County High School. Ursuline Sisters remain in the classroom or other roles at
the college they founded, Brescia University.

It’s not just as teachers that Ursuline Sisters continue to have an impact on the world around them. Several
sisters play important roles as pastoral associates or directors of religious education in churches, and others
are actively involved in social justice issues. In the Owensboro area, two sisters work with Centro Latino,
helping Hispanic residents navigate the often-confusing customs of America. In Memphis, Tenn., sisters work
with the homeless or children infected or affected by HIV. Sisters work with the poor in Louisville, in Chillán,
Chile, and later this year, with those in Jamaica. Years before government-supported torture became a national
discussion, Sister Dianna Ortiz started the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International.
When the Academy closed in 1983, the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center sprung up in its
place. This year it celebrates 25 years of offering and hosting programs in a rural environment of tranquility for
people of all ages and faiths, to nurture spiritual and personal growth, advance the arts, and promote lifelong
learning.

Ursuline Sisters are committed to a life of serving others, of welcoming the stranger, and giving glory to God.
The sisters are eager to learn ways they can partner with others on their journey.
To learn more about the Ursuline Sisters, log on to www.ursulinesmsj.org. To learn more about opportunities at
the Retreat Center, visit www.msjcenter.org.

Dan Heckel is the director of mission advancement and communications for the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. Contact him at
dheckel@maplemount.org, or (270) 229-4103, ext. 200.