The sisters of the Southwest welcomed Valerie Graczyk, Director of Communications, during her most recent visit to their area. Sisters Mary Rose Obholz, Pat Younger, Kathy Cook, Susan Kolb, Mary Ann Bogosoff and Cecelia Schlaefer share their pictures in these two albums.  

Women and Spirit is the exhibit by LCWR on women religious in the U.S. that is currently at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. CSA is well represented as these photos show. (Please click on the picture to enlarge.)
 
 

Catholic Sisters Lighting the Way has placed posters in the five diocesan newspapers in Wisconsin over a three-week period. They are also appearing in the Fond du Lac Acton Advertiser and the Fond du Lac Reporter. The purpose is to correct some of the prevalent myths about immigrants. (Please click on every poster to enlarge.)

Members of CSA from Nicaragua experienced their first snow with a tubing event at Sunburst in Kewaskum. They spent their first full week of international study and continuing formation at the motherhouse and took a well deserved break to enjoy the Wisconsin winter with an evening of snow tubing. Enjoying the fun were Valerie Graczyk, Director of Communications, Sisters Celia Fernandez, Guadalupe Aguilar, Angela Pasquier, Susan Seeby, Formation and Vocation Ministry Novice Director, Katie Schilling, Latin America Regional Coordinator.

Reiki and the Catholic Church from PBS features Sister Madeline Gianforte and alternative healing to air on the weekend of February 13 and 14 for some areas of the country. Check your listings for PBS in your locale.

Confronting Climate Change: Copenhagen Summit Report
Sister Joy Peterson, a Presentation sister from Dubuque, Iowa, who serves as Promoter of Justice for the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, gave an eyewitness account of the UN global effort to confront the issue of climate change. Her presentation at Stayer Center on January 28 was co-sponsored by Holy Family Catholic Community, Social Justice Committee of Marian University and the CSA Justice Ministry.

The Birds and the Bees
Over 300 origami peace cranes were threaded onto display hoops during a "work bee" at St. Agnes Convent. Associates and Sisters of St. Agnes spent a little more than an hour attaching the peace cranes to quilting and embroidery hoops that are now ready to be hung … proving that "Many hands make light work!" More than 100 cranes were made by Sister Lois Karlin at Nazareth Court and Center. Other cranes came from information sessions held throughout the community. The 1,000 Peace Cranes Project is aimed at education and action around the threat of nuclear proliferation. For information, please contact Ellen Swan at 920.904.4436.

Sister Mary Neff presented "How to Read Religious Icons” to associates and sisters at their January gathering.

Life Changing from The Daily Southerner
Students use vacation to work at TCO. MORE

Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, hosted several learning sessions on the threat of nuclear proliferation in January. The 1,000 Peace Crane Project is a year-long grass-roots effort to build awareness and take action to reduce the risk of nuclear attack and increase global security. Participants are offered educational resources, options for action, and are invited to make an origami crane. The crane is the international symbol for peace. Pax Christi-Fond du Lac sponsors the 1,000 Peace Crane Project. For information please contact Ellen Swan at 920.904.4436.

20 Years Later, Plymouth Native's School Still Changing Lives

"Word Became Flesh" is a Christmas reflection by Sister Patricia Hayes, CSA.

Read "Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age," a reflection by CSA Associate Nancy Schmitz, on the annual Peace Tree Lighting last December 9, 2009, at St. Agnes Convent in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

The 1,000 Peace Cranes Project, sponsored by Fond du Lac Pax Christi, continues to make progress toward the goal of creating awareness of the threat of nuclear proliferation and creation of 1,000 origami cranes. Peace cranes have become the international symbol of peace since a young Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki, pledged to make 1,000 of them before she died of radiation-induced leukemia. She contracted the disease as a result of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Recent activities have been at the Unitarian Universalist Open Circle Fellowship, Cool Beans & Bagels, and Friendship Corner. For information, please contact Ellen Swan at 920.904.4436.

Sister Katie Schilling, Celebrating Twenty Years of Success in Nicaragua
Sponsor a year of a child's education for one year for $150. Make a check out to the
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes 
320 County Rd. K
Fond du Lac, WI 54937-8158
Attention: Development Ministry
Write "Sister Katie’s Children" in the memo line.

Recently CSA, along with many other religious groups, signed the statement “A Call to integrate Faith, Ecology and the Global Economy."  The opening paragraph reads: “As hope-filled people, we stand in awe of Earth’s goodness and its capacity to provide abundant life for all God’s creation.  We recognize our interconnection with Earth – with air, water, land, plants and other creatures.  We recognize the dignity of the human person as an individual and as part of a community.  We embrace our power and responsibility to create a human economy that fits within Earth’s ecological boundaries, more authentically serves human needs and build community.”  Click here to read the entire document.

Sister Stella Storch, Justice Coordinator for the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA), Jill Stiemsma of Moraine Park Technical College and Sister Caryl Hartjes represent CSA during the 2009 SOA Vigil and Watch in Fort Benning, Georgia, last November 21-22. 

Agnesian HealthCare Hospice Hope Reaches 30-year Milestone
As AgnesianHealthCare celebrates 30 successful years of its Hospice Hope program, local hospice founders, employees and volunteers take look back. MORE (from Action Advertiser, Nov. 29, 2009)

Empowering Women's Future: The AIDS Orphans Sewing Project, founded by Sister Stella Storch, CSA Justice Coordinator, was featured in the Bay View Compass in Milwaukee. To read more about it and to see the photos, please click here.

TCO Plans Thanksgiving Meal (from The Daily Southerner of Tarboro, North Carolina)
Tarboro Community Outreach’s Sister Mary Ann Czaja hands a check donation to Office Manager Jerry Webb for deposit. “We depend upon the generosity of others,” she said.
 

Associates Visit Ministry Sites in New York City  Photos
Associates Mary Jagdfeld, Ann and Ron Palm from Fond du Lac, WI, Sybil Teehan from Monroe, WI accompanied Ellen Swan, Director of Associates, to New York City in October to learn about CSA ministry sites. Associate Mary Beth Osiecki, West Milford, NJ, joined the travelers for part of their stay in the Big Apple. MORE

Investigation Won't Impact Local Congregation
A Vatican investigation into compliance of U.S. Sisters to Catholic doctrine should not impact members of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes. MORE

1,000 Peace Crane Project
"Between now and next year's 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, we are undertaking a community effort to create and display 1,000 peace cranes. One thousand origami cranes have become an international symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima." MORE

Here is a video of the sisters and friends who came one weekend to seed the prairie. Close to the prairie sit the four hemitages of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin celebrated with Eucharist the installation of their new General Leadership on Saturday, September 12th. Bishop Richard Sklba was the presider at Dorcas Chapel on the Marian University campus. The new leadership team will serve the next four years with Sister Joann Sambs, continuing as general superior, Sister Diane Bauknecht as general vicar, and Sister Sharon Pollnow and Sister Doris Klein serving as general councilors. 
A Reflection by Sister Joann Sambs

News linked from NCRonline.org (August 18, 2009 - National Catholic Reporter)

Religious Women Question Vatican Probe

Why They Stayed

Sisters at Nazareth Court and Center paid a prayerful tribute to the sisters and employees who played a significant role during the renovation of their living area.

Reflections on Ordinary Sisters
A new monthly feature begins in January with a reflection on Chapter 1 of Ordinary Sisters. Each month, a reflection written by a member of the Vision Circle will be posted on the Associates page of the website and printed in the CSA Newsletter. Volunteers will compose their reflection on sequential chapters, making it convenient to read – or re-read – the upcoming chapter in preparation for the reflection.