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For more information on any of these news articles contact Angie Connolly, Director of Communications, at 563.588.2351 or by aconnolly@bvmcong.org.

Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America

On Saturday, May 16, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) witnessed the opening of their new exhibit, “Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America.” Sister Helen Maher Garvey, BVM is chair of the history committee for LCWR. The exhibit is a project that LCWR began in 2005 as a way to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Eleven Sisters of Charity, BVM attended the opening day of the exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Sister Mary Ann Zollmann, president of the BVM congregation, shares that the exhibit is “beautiful, powerful and hopeful. It is such a story of who women religious in the U.S. have been, are and will be.”

The BVMs attending the opening day in Cincinnati are (l. to r.): Bernadette McManigal, Helen Maher Garvey, Gayle Brabec, Regina Qualls, Teri Hadro, Kathryn Lawlor, Margaret Mary Cosgrove, Peggy Nolan, Joellen McCarthy, Carolyn Farrell and Mary Ann Zollmann.

Sister Helen says that one goal of the exhibit is to “tell the true story” of women religious. “There is a lot of myth and mystery out there about Catholic sisters. We started this exhibit out of an intense desire to share the history of the Catholic sisters and their contributions to the history and culture of the United States. The sisters feel very strongly that it is an untold story.”

The artifacts and materials featured in this traveling exhibit tell a compelling story. Visitors will discover the important presence of women religious during pivotal moments in U.S. history, from the Civil War, through the Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, Hurricane Katrina, and beyond.

Douglass McDonald, president and CEO of the Museum Center, states, “The Sisters…made a significant impact on our country through selfless service to the pioneers, immigrant communities and America’s children. Finally, their perspective is documented.”

To organize and mount a project of this magnitude, Sister Helen and LCWR’s history committee traveled the country for the past four years, educating various organizations and foundations about the project and soliciting funds to bring it to fruition. Their work raised $4 million! In addition to seed money from religious congregations, major funding came from the Hilton Fund for Sisters ($1 million) and the Catholic Health Association ($500,000). The remainder of funds came from various foundations and Catholic institutions, particularly ones involved in health care.

Current schedule for the Women and Spirit Exhibit:

The Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

May 16 – Aug. 30, 2009

The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future, Dallas, Texas

Sep. — Dec. 2009

The S. Dillon Ripley Center, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

Jan – April, 2010

Statue of Liberty National Monument/Ellis Island Immigration Museum, New York City, N.Y.

Sep. — Dec. 2010

The Mississippi River Museum, Dubuque, Iowa

Feb – April, 2011

Related Materials:

Sister Helen Garvey’s Opening Address, Cincinnati Museum Center

BVM Photo Album of Women and Spirit Exhibit

Women and Spirit Exhibit Website

Videos of Sister Helen Garvey

LCWR Photos

On May 14, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio introduced a resolution to the US House of Representatives honoring the historic contributions of Catholic sisters. A copy of the resolution, as well as Congresswoman Kaptur's remarks on the floor, are on the LCWR website as well at http://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/hrres.htm.

LCWR Honors Helen Maher Garvey, BVM with Outstanding Leadership Award

Helen Maher Garvey, BVM (Robert Joseph) received the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) Outstanding Leadership Award for her extraordinary contributions to the mission of religious life over the years. Helen is one of two recipients of this award; the other recipient is Sharon Holland, IHM. The organization will celebrate their lives at the LCWR assembly banquet in New Orleans in August.

Helen is the current coordinator of the LCWR History Project which developed the exhibit “Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America.”

Sisters Mary Ann Zollmann, Mira Mosle and Teri Hadro, the BVM Council, stated about Helen and her work, “We BVMs have always known the depth and extent of Helen’s leadership so we are delighted to have her gifts recognized so broadly.”

LCWR is a canonically approved membership organization which exists as a support system and corporate voice for leaders of institutes of women religious (Catholic sisters) in the United States.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM Receives Dux Mirabilis Award from Loyola University

Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM received the Dux Mirabilis Award from Loyola University Chicago during the Founders’ Dinner held June 6 at the university. Latin for “extraordinary leader,” the Dux Mirabilis Award was presented to Jean Dolores for her extraordinary contribution to the university and its mission.

Mary Ann Zollmann, BVM, during the invocation, spoke of all the honorees of the event, “We are grateful for their exemplary leadership and service to this Loyola community and beyond; we are thankful for the inspiration the quality of their lives offers to all of us.”

In her acceptance speech, Jean Dolores states, “I accept [this award] as an invitation to be even more dedicated to my commitment to Loyola and its mission.”

Jean Dolores has been part of the Loyola community since 1961. After the affiliation of Loyola University Chicago and Mundelein College in 1991, she served as an academic advisor with the university, which is now the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Since her so-called retirement in 1994, she has been the team chaplain for the Loyola Ramblers men’s basketball team, praying with the team and cheering them on at games. She also serves as a chaplain at Water Tower Campus, where she often works the shuttle-bus line talking to, listening to, and learning from students.

“I consider my work at Mundelein for 30 years and for 18 years at Loyola a great privilege…and now in semi-retirement, if you want to call it that, I have the gift of time—time for the unplanned, especially for the people who flow through my life: family, friends, students and, often, unexpected strangers who need to tell their stories and discuss their groping for God to a gentle, unhurried ear. I enjoy every minute of what I do.”

Retired BVMs Featured in HBO Alzheimer Documentary

Sisters of Charity, BVM who are part of the Rush Study will be featured in one part of a four-part HBO documentary called “The Alzheimer’s Project.”

This multiplatform series takes a close look at groundbreaking discoveries made by the country’s leading scientists, as well as the effects of this debilitating and fatal disease both on those with Alzheimer’s and on their families. Maria Schriver executive produces with HBO’s award-winning “Addiction” team to create this unprecedented television event.

Days and times for the film’s airing are listed in Central Standard Time. Please adjust your schedule according to your viewing location.

Sunday, May 10

8:00 p.m. - “The Memory Loss Tapes”

Monday, May 11

6:30 p.m. – Supplemental film: “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? with Maria Schriver”

7:00 p.m. – “Momentum in Science, Part 1”

Tuesday, May 12

6:00 p.m. – “Caregivers”

*7:00 p.m. – “Momentum in Science, Part 2”

“Momentum in Science, Part 1 and 2” is a state-of-the-science report that takes viewers inside the laboratories and clinics of 24 leading scientists and physicians, revealing some of the most cutting-edge research advances. Part 2 features the Sisters of Charity, BVM.

Although there is no cure for the disease, HBO’s “The Alzheimer’s Project” shows there is now genuine reason to be hopeful about the future.

*This part features the Sisters of Charity, BVM.

Click here to view: Part 1 and 2.

Click here to view: Cognitive Reserve: What the Religious Orders Study is Revealing about Alzheimer's

Prayer for Immigration Reform

Dear Lord, we are aware and you are aware of a future meeting that President Obama will have with a bipartisan group of key lawmakers to start a policy conversation around comprehensive immigration reform. We implore your special blessing on all who will enter into this sacred conversation. First steps are significant; hence, we boldly ask that you gift each person with the wisdom, understanding and courage necessary to bring about a change in our current immigration policy. We also ask your blessing on all who fear such a change. We are all your people. Help us to live as brothers and sisters, open to the gifts and sensitive to the heartache of our 21st-century immigrants. We ask all of this in your name. Amen.

You might also add a simple litany such as....

Response: Give courage, wisdom and compassion to us and to our leaders.

Jesus, the Liberator

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Juan Diego

Frances Xavier Cabrini

Oscar Romero

Maura Clark, Ita Ford, Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donova

Our El Salvador Martyrs

May all of us contiue to be imbued with a spirit of justice, integrity, compassion and hope. May the year 2009 be the year to proclaim comprehensive immigration reform. May it be our year of favor! Amen.

Commemoration in Postville Calls for Solidarity and Action

As hundreds of people marched in solidarity in Postville, Iowa, on the afternoon of May 12, 2009, their thoughts centered on the events that took place there only one year ago, as ICE agents stormed the small town of 2,200 and arrested 389 people during one of the largest immigration raids in history at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant.

Since the raid last May, families have been torn apart. Many of the people who were arrested have been deported, leaving loved ones behind. U.S.-born children became orphans as their immigrant parents were led away by agents and eventually sent back to Guatemala. Husbands and wives were separated without regard.

Others remain on house arrest, unable to work or leave Postville. Some have requested visas in exchange for being cooperative with the government’s prosecution of the employers.

St. Bridget’s Parish in Postville continues to serve the needs of those who are still caught in the nightmare. About 60 people continue to rely on the parish for food, clothing, housing and health care. The parish makes no distinction between legal and illegal—all who come in need are persons, first and foremost.

May 12, 2009, marked the first nationwide day of awareness and commemoration of the Postville raid. The annual event will continue, to promote awareness of the devastating effects of immigration raids. Many will come again to participate in prayer vigils, blessings and the symbolic march to Agriprocessors.

The work of those fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, just labor practices, family unity and an end to all raids has just begun. “We are working hard to raise the national consciousness about the devastations of this raid,” said Mary McCauley, BVM. “We can never be proud of what happened here.”

In her closing remarks at the prayer vigil in Postville, Sister Mary proclaimed:

“With this in mind……

I invite us to go forth from here sounding a call for justice.
I invite us to go forth from here confident that the God who called us will be with us, giving us the wisdom and courage we need to continue to be a people of hope and a people of love.
I invite us to go forth from here determined to bring about comprehensive immigration reform.
I invite us to go forth from here walking hand in hand, repeating the words of our July 27 [2008] prayer and rally: Give us Courage…Give us Hope…Give us Love!”

On the Mt. Carmel Campus that day, the sisters held a 4 p.m. prayer vigil in the Motherhouse Chapel to commemorate and remember the devastation experienced by those involved in the raid on Agriprocessors in Postville. The public was invited, and many people accepted the invitation.

In Chicago that same day, 15 BVMs attended a commemorative rally at the Federal Plaza, and joined in a march to the ICE office where a letter supporting immigration reform was presented. The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, the 8th Day Center for Justice, the Chicago New Sanctary Movement and the West Suburban Action Project sponsored the rally.

In addition, Mary McCauley and numerous other sisters donned trees on the Mt. Carmel Campus with red ribbons to show support of the need for immigration reform. The ribbons are a reminder of the struggle being faced by hundreds of immigrant workers and their families caught up in the federal immigration raid one year ago in Postville. The ribbons will remain on the trees, but not tied into bows, until they feel that the U.S. immigration laws have been substantially reformed.

Related Materials:

View our photo album of the Nationwide Day of Awareness and Commemoration in Dubuque and Postville

Read a reflection on our Blog

View an interview with Mary McCauley, BVM as she and other BVMs don Mt. Carmel with red ribbons

View an article in the Kansas City Star about the events in Postville

View the May 13 Des Moines Register's front-page article and videos from Postville

View the front page of the Dubuque Telegraph Herald showing Sister Jane Rogers, BVM donning ribbons on trees at Mt. Carmel, and the accompanying article about the anniversary event in Postville

Postville in Chicago

The 8th Day Center peace vigil group distributes informational leaflets every Tuesday at the Federal Building in Chicago, but Tuesday, May 12 was special.

The leaflet that day was entitled, “A Day of Remembrance and Action on the Anniversary of the Immigration Raid in Postville.” BVMs Gwen Farry, Carol Cook and Nancy McCarthy participate regularly in this weekly morning vigil. On May 12, they were also joined by Margaret Haas, BVM; and when they finished the closing song, the rally commemorating Postville began.

Ten other BVMs joined the sisters, as well as others from a variety of religious groups. The BVM segment also included Sisters Peggy Devereux, Dorothy Dwight, Dorothy Gaffney, Theresa Gleeson, Pat Griffin, Mary Healey, Kate Keating, Joellen McCarthy, Carol Spiegel and Luca Yankovich.

The program included songs, chants and prayers, and many carried signs and banners to publicize the purpose of the gathering. The group also pinned on red ribbons to symbolize their solidarity with those in Postville. Several speakers gave testimonies in connection with the Postville raid, and Gwen Farry read an account provided by Mary McCauley, BVM, which was read in Spanish by another 8th Day staff member. At the close of the program, the group walked to the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) building, where they again joined in prayer and song across the street from the building.

At 10 a.m., to commemorate the time of the raid in 2008, they read the names of all those detained in Postville during the raid at Agriprocessors. A small delegation then delivered the letter to the ICE office. This letter demanded an end to raids and more humane treatment of immigrants.

All involved in the day’s events felt a sense of solidarity with those who were able to travel to Postville on this day, and carried away a hope that these anniversary commemorations will hasten immigration reform and an end to all raids.

Submitted by Nancy McCarthy, BVM

Mary McCauley, BVM Honored by Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition

Mary McCauley, BVM (Mercedie) was recently honored by the Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition for her work as an immigration justice leader.

The inaugural celebration "Immigration Justice: Postville and Beyond" honored Mary for her powerful witness to the struggle for justice at the time of the massive immigration raid at Agri Processing Plant in May 2008 and her efforts to meet the needs of the immigrant families and the Postville, Iowa, community.

Walking with Immigrants: BVMs Build Road to Justice

The BVMs have served the immigrant population since the community was founded in 1833. Mary Frances Clarke and her companions came to America to teach Irish immigrants and visit their sick and poor.

The BVMs continue to carry the tradition of welcoming the stranger. Since Vatican II, many sisters in the congregation have brought new life to a struggling people through various ministries. Sisters in California were jailed in the 1970s for picketing against treatment of migrant workers. During the 1970s BVMs ministered to Haitian refugees in Florida and to the Hmong people in Wisconsin. In the 1990s they served the Vietnamese and Hispanic immigrants in parishes and cities in the Midwest and West, teaching them English and providing residency assistance.

Continuing to draw on their rich history of service to the immigrants, BVMS respond to immigration issues in the 21st century. Mary McCauley became the voice of workers from Mexico and Guatemala, following a large immigration raid in May 2008 at Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. She worked through St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Postville to assist 300-400 family members of the jailed workers. “The important thing for people in this type of situation,” said Mary, “is to find someone they can trust.”

Judith Callahan is the current director of Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Mary, Judy, and the BVM congregation continue to call for comprehensive immigration and labor reform. During an interfaith rally last July in Postville, Mary prayed for courage and love, in order to “give hope to our neighbor and to ultimately transform the hearts of legislators so they change laws in favor of immigration rights for all.”

BVM Immigration Timeline at a Glance

1973: Carol Frances Jegen, Mary Ellen Caldwell and Elizabeth Pleas are jailed, with Dorothy Day and 450 United Farm Workers, for two weeks for picketing in Fresno County, Calif. Caesar Chavez becomes a life-long friend of the BVM community.
1975: Betty Cover, Maureen Cleary, Carol Frances Jegen, Bennetta Quinn, Barbara Kutchera and Kathleen Mullin care for and educate the families of farm workers in California.
1976: Eileen McGovern and Catherine Leonard teach English to Vietnamese living in Dubuque, Iowa.
1978: Barbara Kutchera is voted by the BVM Senate to be the first BVM to serve on the board of the National Farm Worker Ministry.
1985: Kathryn Lawlor ministers to Haitian refugees in Florida.
1986: Diane Rapozo organizes parish groups to welcome Hmong people to Wisconsin.
1991: Luca Yankovich from her Catholic Charities office in Chicago provides residency assistance to Hispanics.
1998: Mary Philip Fitzgibbons and Dolores Hahn serve the Vietnamese in school and parish life in Lincoln, Neb.
2006: Judith Callahan becomes the director of Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa.
2008: Mary McCauley is the voice of immigrants and workers from Mexico and Guatemala, following the largest immigration raid to date in the United States, at Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. To learn more about the raid, visit http://www.postvilleStBridget.org .