SISTERS of ST. JOSEPH of ST. AUGUSTINE, FL
Next Step News
April, 2015
Preparing to Enter the Novitiate
With the blessing and excitement of her three grown
children — John, Jacob and Amanda, — Grace
Ford
entered
postulancy with
the Sisters of St.
Joseph
last
August. During
that time, she has
been studying the
History of the S. Jane Stoecker, Grace, S. Florence Bryan
Grace Ford with her children: John, Amanda and Jacob Congregation under the tutelage of Sister Catherine
Bitzer, and informally through the stories told by the Sisters. She has been a full time participant
in the Ministry Formation Program with the Diocese of St. Augustine. “This has been a ‘rich gift’
in having the time to learn and study Scripture and deepen the faith,” Grace reflects. She has
also been participating in small conversation/study groups with several Sisters using the books
Community and Growth by Jean Vanier and, presently, Vita Consecrata Anniversary Edition. She has
participated in a guided series on the Psalms with the Sisters at Our
Lady of Lourdes Convent. During her time of Postulancy, Grace
continued to serve in ministry as an online adjunct professor with
Polk State College.
The Congregation finds Grace to be a
worthy candidate to enter the Sisters of
S. Carolyn Tucker and Grace
St. Joseph. The Congregation has
watched Grace Ford grow in faithfulness to her personal and
communal prayer life, a deep love of the Eucharist, and a life lived in
community. Grace will be received into the Novitiate in June of this Time for prayer and discernment
year. She will live her canonical year as a “retreat year,” studying congregational and Church
documents in depth. During her second year of Novitiate she will continue her religious studies
as well as begin preparing for her life in ministry, serving the “dear neighbor” and living the
charism “that all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you; that the world may believe
that you sent me.” John 17:21. Please join the Sisters in prayer for Grace as she continues this
new journey in her life!
Do everything through love and for love, making good use of the present moment,
and do not be anxious about the future. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Loving the Dear Neighbor
On March 16th, Sister Rita received an award from the Agency for
Persons with Disabilities for improving the life of an individual
through the direct care work that she does at L’Arche Community
Homes. Sister Rita has been accompanying Sharon in her significant
weight loss, which improved her mobility, her self confidence, her
health and more!
Sister Rita was nominated by Amy Finn-Schultz, L’Arche Director,
and Bridget Cashen, Homes Coordinator, who together nominated
Sister based on the story of Sharon and Sister Rita.
S. Rita Baum and Sharon
The Award is named for the long term Director of the Agency for
Persons with Disabilities, Terry Mothershed, who died a few years
ago. Terry was a model leader. Sister Rita received the first of what
will be an annual award.
Moderator of the Tribunal
Sister Ann Kuhn, Moderator of the Tribunal with the Diocese of St.
Augustine, is off to work in the morning at an early hour, hoping to beat
rush hour traffic. Sometimes she makes it home for supper, but that is not
always possible, as she takes
seriously her ministry and the
multiple and diverse cases that
come across her desk each day; no
two situations are ever the same.
The Tribunal is made up of a team
of professionals whose primary
function is to adjudicate petitions
for annulments. It is empowered
S. Ann, Rev. Peter Akin-Otiko, JCL to issue documents of freedom to
marry in the Catholic Church, grant dispensations, and
coordinate programs involving the sacrament of Jeriann Salakk, Kathy Paulino, S. Ann, Fr. Caesar Russo, JCL
marriage. The Tribunal also adjudicates petitions concerning due process.
You may say to me, “What can I do when I experience such darkness and blindness
of spirit that there doesn’t seem to be a thread of light by which I can hang on to
hope?” I say no more. “Fly on the wings of deep humility and blazing charity! Keep
living in God’s holy and tender love.” St. Catherine of Siena
Involving Others in the History
On March 8th, Sister Marlene
Payette visited Queen of Peace
Catholic School in Gainesville. She
was invited to share with the middle
school students the vision and
mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph
and their role in the Diocese of St.
Augustine today. The 8th graders
had been researching the history of
the Sisters of St. Joseph and the
establishment of the first schools in
the Diocese: St. Benedict the Moor, St. Joseph Academy and Cathedral Parish School. Their
own research made it even more exciting as Sister Marlene told them about the O’Reilly House
and the reenactment done by the Sisters at their Congregational Retreat several years ago: a
cruise down the St. Johns River while listening to the letters written by the first eight Sisters as
they made the difficult journey by boat to the United States almost 150 years ago.
Responding to the Needs of the Times
Sister Charlotte Tremoulet was featured in “The Catholic
Compass,” March/April 2015 edition, a Catholic magazine of
the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese. Sister Charlotte is a
spiritual care chaplain at Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee. She
lives her vows and the charism of the Institute by ministering
to those nearing the end of life and to their families.
“There is no such thing as a typical day at Big Bend Hospice,”
Sister Charlotte said. “The most important part of my day is
the visits to patients and their families, whether they are in their
own homes, an assisted living facility or a nursing home. We
minister to everyone. Everyone has a spirituality. They may
not be religious, but they have a spirituality. There is a rhythm
and flow to this ministry, one of contemplation and action.
Prayer supports my ministry, and the ministry flows back into
prayer.”
Reflecting on the Year of Consecrated Life, Sister focused on Pope Francis’ call to “Wake Up the
World” through radical evangelization. “We are called to be leaven for society, to be inspired by
the Gospel. The question we should ask is, ‘How am I a leaven?’”
Sister Margaret Killilea — Irish Missionary
Ninth of Ten
from the Farm...
...Continued
The following two years were spent in Miami, teaching at Sts. Peter and Paul School as well as
attending Barry University in the evenings to obtain my degree in Elementary Education. Sister
Margaret taught for many years in St. Petersburg, Miami, Winter Haven, St. Augustine and
Jacksonville. She taught all subjects in elementary school, but her high school certifications were
in Religion, World History and English. Sister was sent to the University of Dayton, Ohio, to
obtain her teaching certifications.
Sister fondly remembers her students and still receives cards and letters from some of them. She
feels that the greater gift of being a teacher was the joy she received from the children. She also
remembers the challenges, especially when she started teaching high school. Sisters remembers,
“When I first started teaching high school, I almost memorized the whole chapter I would be
teaching because I thought the students were so smart!” While laughing at herself, she went on to
say, “I soon found out they were not so smart!”
Sister would find the students sitting in groups in the morning before class and would assign them
books of the Bible to memorize. As she told this story, Sister rattled off the books of the Bible
without a pause, with a big smile on her face. She remembers in 1965, while teaching at St. Joseph
Academy, St. Augustine, that the Sisters had stopped wearing the traditional habit. One of her
students told her, “Sister, now you are going to be asked on a date!”
To be continued in May: “Beyond the Classroom Years”
St. Joe Team Effort!
St. Joseph Academy baseball team just
finished volunteering several hours of yard
work at St. Joseph the Worker Convent in
St. Augustine! Thanks, St. Joe!
“That All May Be One”
Sister Kathleen Carr lovingly holds one of the
children in the St. James Catholic School early
education program. Purpose: To make the
mission clear, “That all may be one as you,
Father, are in me and I am in you; that the
world may know that you sent me.” John
17:21.
This image has been enlarged as a poster that
will be sent to all the parishes throughout the
state of Florida, all campus ministries, and
youth and young adult ministries. It will also
be used as an ad in the Florida Catholic to
include five of the seven diocese.
Preparing to Celebrate 150 Years in Florida
Sister Mary Josepha Butterfield has been designing a seal
depicting our celebration of 150 years of ministry in the
state of Florida.
The symbols on the seal include:
The fleur de les representing our foundation in France;
The open book representing knowledge and education;
The broken chain represents the freed slaves for whom we
came to minister;
The St. Augustine cross and Motherhouse represent our
continued presence today.
Your reflections are welcome!
“Put aside your old self so that you can put on the new,” and accordingly lead a
life dead to the world and to self-love, full of gentleness, humility of heart, true
sincerity, modesty, interior and exterior peace, and of charity toward the
neighbor.
Maxim #6