Ursuline Sisters carrying their mission abroad by Dan Heckel
The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph minister in eight states, serving as teachers, parish ministers,
and a myriad of ways in which they help to free and nurture women and children. A small number of
Ursuline Sisters are making their presence felt in foreign countries, either through full-time ministry or in
efforts to help bring clean water to an area in need.
Since September, Sisters Jacinta Powers and Betsy Moyer have been serving in the impoverished Diocese
of Mandeville, Jamaica, the first official ministry for the Ursuline Sisters in the island nation. They are
committed to staying at least a year. Sister Betsy, who was health care administrator at Saint Joseph Villa in
Maple Mount since 2004, is teaching religion and assisting the principal at Mount Saint Joseph Prep School
in Mandeville. Sister Jacinta, a registered nurse and also a former health care administrator for Saint
Joseph Villa, is teaching a class and is looking for the best way to use her skills in health care.
Six Ursuline Sisters and one Ursuline Associate embarked on a fact-finding mission to Jamaica from March
27-April 2 2008 to determine if a full-time Ursuline presence was needed.
“The inner beauty of these people spiritually is transcendent,” Sister Betsy said. “I was moved by the
people, because God is very present in them.”
The Owensboro Diocese first began discussing a sister diocese relationship with Mandeville in 2001, with
the first diocesan collection taken up on Ash Wednesday 2003. Sisters from Mount Saint Joseph have been
going to Jamaica for about four years, and Sister Jacinta made four trips prior to September.
Christmas items at Casa Ursulina
Ursuline Sisters first began ministering in Chile in 1968, and since 1997, Sister Mimi Ballard has been
helping poor women in Chillán become more self-sufficient at Casa Ursulina. In 2007, Sister Ruth Gehres
joined her, and together they have more than 150 women who are registered in 17 classes and workshops
this fall.
Among the most productive courses are spinning and weaving, taught by Sister Mimi. Many of the women
have a natural gift for these arts, and their products have found profitable markets in the United States.
Donated wool from this area comes to Casa Ursulina right from the sheep. Then it’s washed, cleaned,
carded, and spun by a group of talented and industrious women. The beautiful handspun yarn is purchased
and resold by three fiber shops in western Indiana.
Bright, beautiful scarves and shawls are being produced by an especially gifted group of weavers for
shipment to markets in the United States. Since production began in March, Abbey Press at Saint Meinrad,
Ind., has ordered more than 1,000 items, both scarves and prayer shawls. (See www.abbeypress.com,
search word casa, for these items, including an original Christmas scarf in bright red, green, and white.)
Casa Ursulina is also selling handcrafted angels and nativity scenes, as well as scarves and shawls,
through Handcrafting Justice (www.handcraftingjustice.cedris.org) and Heartbeats (www.heartbeatscatalog.
org).
Profits from all of these items go to the women who make them, providing much-needed income for the
support of their families. More than 70 percent of these women are mothers raising their children alone and
unable to find work. The opportunity that Casa Ursulina gives them to learn new skills and to make
marketable products is a source of empowerment and self-esteem for these marginalized – and determined
– women.
The sisters need to find new markets for the handspun yarn, hand-woven scarves and shawls, and the
other crafts that can be found at www.casaursulina.org. Contact the sisters with any ideas you may have:
mimiballard@gmail.com or rgehres@gmail.com.
In August, Ursuline Sister Suzanne Sims represented Rotary International when she traveled to Uganda to
oversee an effort to supply clean water for Ugandan families.
For three years, Sister Suzanne has served as chairwoman of the Owensboro Rotary Clean Water
Committee. During those years, the club raised enough money to help a Rotary Club in Washington drill 7
boreholes in the northernmost region of Uganda. Each $2,500 raised was matched up to 3.5 times by
several levels of the Rotary organization.
Without fresh water, women and children have to walk 4-5 miles a day to carry water back for their families,
instead of being in school or earning a living. Much of the water they fetch is unclean, leading to many
children’s deaths each year due to water-borne diseases.
The Owensboro Rotary Club is sponsoring a well in the Kyenjojo District of Uganda, the home of Fr. Titus
Ahabyona, a missionary priest working for the Diocese of Owensboro. Fr. Titus asked in 2007 if the local
Rotary Club would help his village of Butiiti Parish with a well. During Advent 2007, the Owensboro Catholic
School K-3 children, their parents, and staff members raised enough money to begin drilling the first well,
dedicated in memory of Fr. Titus’ two sisters, Stella and Kate, young mothers who died six weeks apart in
2007. Rotary has raised enough money that two or three more wells can be drilled in neighboring villages.
Sister Suzanne received a volunteer service grant from Rotary International to pay for her travel to Uganda.
While there she made contact with tribal leaders and communities, helped them organize water committees,
and helped to plan for future well sites and resources to increase clean water availability.
“When I first went on the Web to learn about the clean water initiative, I was so proud to be a Rotarian,”
Sister Suzanne said. “Rotary International has been working with water for years. Every small effort to make
or keep water clean in the world makes a huge difference in the life and health of a child,” Sister Suzanne
said.
Anyone who wants to learn more or assist with future water projects can contact Sister Suzanne at
ssims@maplemount.org, or 229-4103, ext. 40
The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph minister in eight states, serving as teachers, parish ministers,
and a myriad of ways in which they help to free and nurture women and children. A small number of
Ursuline Sisters are making their presence felt in foreign countries, either through full-time ministry or in
efforts to help bring clean water to an area in need.
Since September, Sisters Jacinta Powers and Betsy Moyer have been serving in the impoverished Diocese
of Mandeville, Jamaica, the first official ministry for the Ursuline Sisters in the island nation. They are
committed to staying at least a year. Sister Betsy, who was health care administrator at Saint Joseph Villa in
Maple Mount since 2004, is teaching religion and assisting the principal at Mount Saint Joseph Prep School
in Mandeville. Sister Jacinta, a registered nurse and also a former health care administrator for Saint
Joseph Villa, is teaching a class and is looking for the best way to use her skills in health care.
Six Ursuline Sisters and one Ursuline Associate embarked on a fact-finding mission to Jamaica from March
27-April 2 2008 to determine if a full-time Ursuline presence was needed.
“The inner beauty of these people spiritually is transcendent,” Sister Betsy said. “I was moved by the
people, because God is very present in them.”
The Owensboro Diocese first began discussing a sister diocese relationship with Mandeville in 2001, with
the first diocesan collection taken up on Ash Wednesday 2003. Sisters from Mount Saint Joseph have been
going to Jamaica for about four years, and Sister Jacinta made four trips prior to September.
Christmas items at Casa Ursulina
Ursuline Sisters first began ministering in Chile in 1968, and since 1997, Sister Mimi Ballard has been
helping poor women in Chillán become more self-sufficient at Casa Ursulina. In 2007, Sister Ruth Gehres
joined her, and together they have more than 150 women who are registered in 17 classes and workshops
this fall.
Among the most productive courses are spinning and weaving, taught by Sister Mimi. Many of the women
have a natural gift for these arts, and their products have found profitable markets in the United States.
Donated wool from this area comes to Casa Ursulina right from the sheep. Then it’s washed, cleaned,
carded, and spun by a group of talented and industrious women. The beautiful handspun yarn is purchased
and resold by three fiber shops in western Indiana.
Bright, beautiful scarves and shawls are being produced by an especially gifted group of weavers for
shipment to markets in the United States. Since production began in March, Abbey Press at Saint Meinrad,
Ind., has ordered more than 1,000 items, both scarves and prayer shawls. (See www.abbeypress.com,
search word casa, for these items, including an original Christmas scarf in bright red, green, and white.)
Casa Ursulina is also selling handcrafted angels and nativity scenes, as well as scarves and shawls,
through Handcrafting Justice (www.handcraftingjustice.cedris.org) and Heartbeats (www.heartbeatscatalog.
org).
Profits from all of these items go to the women who make them, providing much-needed income for the
support of their families. More than 70 percent of these women are mothers raising their children alone and
unable to find work. The opportunity that Casa Ursulina gives them to learn new skills and to make
marketable products is a source of empowerment and self-esteem for these marginalized – and determined
– women.
The sisters need to find new markets for the handspun yarn, hand-woven scarves and shawls, and the
other crafts that can be found at www.casaursulina.org. Contact the sisters with any ideas you may have:
mimiballard@gmail.com or rgehres@gmail.com.
In August, Ursuline Sister Suzanne Sims represented Rotary International when she traveled to Uganda to
oversee an effort to supply clean water for Ugandan families.
For three years, Sister Suzanne has served as chairwoman of the Owensboro Rotary Clean Water
Committee. During those years, the club raised enough money to help a Rotary Club in Washington drill 7
boreholes in the northernmost region of Uganda. Each $2,500 raised was matched up to 3.5 times by
several levels of the Rotary organization.
Without fresh water, women and children have to walk 4-5 miles a day to carry water back for their families,
instead of being in school or earning a living. Much of the water they fetch is unclean, leading to many
children’s deaths each year due to water-borne diseases.
The Owensboro Rotary Club is sponsoring a well in the Kyenjojo District of Uganda, the home of Fr. Titus
Ahabyona, a missionary priest working for the Diocese of Owensboro. Fr. Titus asked in 2007 if the local
Rotary Club would help his village of Butiiti Parish with a well. During Advent 2007, the Owensboro Catholic
School K-3 children, their parents, and staff members raised enough money to begin drilling the first well,
dedicated in memory of Fr. Titus’ two sisters, Stella and Kate, young mothers who died six weeks apart in
2007. Rotary has raised enough money that two or three more wells can be drilled in neighboring villages.
Sister Suzanne received a volunteer service grant from Rotary International to pay for her travel to Uganda.
While there she made contact with tribal leaders and communities, helped them organize water committees,
and helped to plan for future well sites and resources to increase clean water availability.
“When I first went on the Web to learn about the clean water initiative, I was so proud to be a Rotarian,”
Sister Suzanne said. “Rotary International has been working with water for years. Every small effort to make
or keep water clean in the world makes a huge difference in the life and health of a child,” Sister Suzanne
said.
Anyone who wants to learn more or assist with future water projects can contact Sister Suzanne at
ssims@maplemount.org, or 229-4103, ext. 40
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Feature
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.
dheckel@maplemount.org, or (270) 229-4103, ext. 200.
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