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February 2025 Issue of Reflections & Connections

February 13, 2025
By Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA)

Cover of Reflections and Connections

The February 2025 issue of Reflections & Connections is now available online for your viewing.

This letters appears in the February Issue of Reflections and Connections

Dear Friends,

Pope Francis declared 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope, beginning his letter doing so with Romans 5:5: “Hope does not disappoint.” In a climate of dangerous and disappointing division, polarization continues, wars refuse to end, marginalization of and violence against various groups grows, creation cries out for healing, inequity soars and the common good is dwarfed by out-sized individualism. But, in Hebrews 6:18-20, it says, “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor…”  What is that anchor? That anchor is God’s love. Where are the signs of that tender but powerful upholding love?

We only need to look around to see: Children in Gaza or Israel who somehow find the joy to play games in bombed out streets. A neighbor in Ukraine wiping a tear from a widow whose home has no heat. A community of folks in Sudan who gather to rebuild a house and cook a meal. Members of a family here in the U.S. who Zoom together to support each other in the shock of losing election 2024. Parents who circle round their LGBTQIA+ children to defend them. Educators, librarians, and members of communities who attend school board meetings to defend the right to read widely.  CNAs who tenderly turn the elderly in their beds. Green shoots, finding their way through the ashes and rubble of destruction. You, our readers and donors, making the work of CSA possible, the work of the Gospel, in many small ways so that “Hope does not disappoint.” 

Thank you.

Sisters Sharon Pollnow, Peg Spindler, Madeline Gianforte, and Lael Niblick
CSA’s General Council, 2022-2026

L to R: Sisters Sharon Pollnow, General Superior; Lael Niblick, General Councilor; Madeline Gianforte, General Councilor; and Peg Spindler, General Vicar

 

 

Read the full issue of Reflections & Connections here.

Subscribe to Reflections & Connections here.

A Response from the Sisters of St. Agnes to These Times

February 03, 2025
By Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA)

CSA’s Mission Statement (1990) states that we “respond in our own times to those whose faith life and human dignity are threatened.” These threats are always around us, but recent rhetoric has increased them by implying that only specific groups of people are entitled to be treated with dignity. This is not true. We see inherent human dignity in everyone: people of color, people with cultural traditions different from our own, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, people with disabilities, believers of all creeds, those with mental illnesses, people suffering from addiction, people experiencing homelessness, people experiencing poverty in rural or urban settings who feel they cannot seem to get ahead, and those pushed out of their countries because of climate or power. To them and any who are feeling marginalized, we address the following:

You are safe with us because we believe in your innate dignity as human beings. You are safe with us because we believe you are images of God. Jesus gladly gathered with you and so do we. Jesus celebrated with you and so do we. Jesus built community, the Kingdom of God, with you and so do we. Jesus challenged the systems and structures that oppressed people and so have we and we will continue to do so.

We call on all people of every class and nation, of every religion and tradition, of every way of life and belief to recommit with us to the common good of all, the healthy wholeness of Earth, our common home, and to the diversity among us that weaves the most beautiful of tapestries ever imagined. Let us lay aside the swords of hatred, division, and greed and fashion the powerful plowshares of love and mercy, the only strengths that have ever changed anything.

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2025 Breakfast with Women Explores Spiritual Journeys

January 24, 2025
By Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA)

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes welcomes attendees to a morning of exploring the landscape of spirituality with other women from the community. This event will invite women to pause and reflect on their personal journeys, both the joys and the struggles, and to acknowledge the grace that has guided them along the way. Together, we will explore how we can walk into tomorrow with trust, supported by one another and a love much greater than ourselves, and strengthened by the wisdom and courage that resides within.

Breakfast with Women: Energizing Spirits will be held on March 6, 2025, in Fond du Lac, WI, in downtown's historic Hotel Retlaw. The breakfast will provide a sacred space to explore the themes of fear and faith, the challenges of change, and the power of shared stories. As we stand on the edge of what is to come, we will embrace the possibility that the future is not something to fear, but something to face with integrity and a heart full of hope.

Key highlights of the gathering include:

  • Guided Reflection: Lead by Sister Doris Klein, the group will delve into the themes of her published piece “Risk the Sacred Journey,” focusing on how we can trust in the unfolding journey, even when the path ahead feels uncertain.
  • Spiritual Mirroring: Each participant will explore their own sacred journey with a table partner using “spiritual mirroring” to share personal stories of faith, doubt, courage, and transformation.
  • Inspiration & Empowerment: Explore how to embrace the unknown with grace, stepping into the future with renewed strength and vision.

Whether you come with questions, hopes, or simply a desire for connection, this breakfast gathering will offer an opportunity to walk alongside women who share a willingness to embrace the sacredness of the journey ahead.

Check-in and breakfast will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. The event will start promptly at 8:15 a.m. with presentation, discussion, and panel questions until 9:30, after which attendees are welcome to stay for continued reflection and to connect with others in the room until 10:00 a.m. Breakfast with Women: Energizing Spirits is respectful of and welcomes all who identify as women to energize their spirits. The cost to attend the breakfast is kept minimal to increase access. Tickets are $15 per person when purchased prior to March 1 ($25 after). This event typically sells out, so advance tickets are encouraged. More details and tickets are available at csasisters.org/breakfast.

Welcoming Milwaukee's New Archbishop

January 15, 2025
By Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA)

At 1:30 pm on Tuesday, January 14, the Most Reverend Jeffrey Scott Grob was installed as the 12th Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We hope that you will join us in praying for the new Archbishop as he steps into this role and leads our Archdiocese with faith and devotion to the Lord. If you are interested in watching a livestream of his installation Mass, click here

Sisters Sharon Pollnow, Lael Niblick, Kathleen Schweihs, and Dianne Bergant were in attendance at the Mass, along with Marian University President Aaron Sadoff. Sister Sharon was briefly interviewed upon arriving and can be seen in this clip from the news segment on TMJ4 that evening. Sister Sharon described the Mass as beautiful and inclusive, noting that she was moved when the new Archbishop walked among those gathered sharing the proclamation from the Pope with his assignment to Milwaukee. She added, “We offer him our welcome and prayers going forward.”

You will have the chance to welcome Archbishop Grob to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at the Holy Family Mass of Welcome at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, January 21 at Holy Family Church, 271 Fourth Street Way. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is only offering a few of these Masses, so we are blessed to be one of the parishes to host. 

L to R: Aaron Sadoff, Sister Sharon Pollnow, Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, and Sister Lael Niblick

 

Responding with Her Whole Being

December 06, 2024
By Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA)

This article appears in the November Issue of Reflections and Connections

Sister Michaeleen Frahm has been a nurse for 62 years serving the entire spectrum of ages and life stages. For the most recent 35 years, she has served as a hospice nurse, grief counselor, and parish minister in All Saints Parish in Berlin, Wisconsin. Prior to that, however, her nursing work took her to numerous locations around the country, including work in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Kentucky. 

She describes the intensive care unit (ICU) as her greatest love. During her time in Hays, Kansas, the ICU room was split in half: infants on one side and adults on the other. Sister Michaeleen recalled, “I saw people who were uncomfortable during their final days, and I thought there must be a better way to care for people at the end of life.” She read about the concept of hospice around the same time that Sisters Mary Agreda Touchett and Anne Jude Van Lanen were working to bring hospice care to St. Agnes Hospital. The three Agnesians would cross paths occasionally during their studies at conferences. Eventually, working with other staff at the hospital, Sister Michaeleen was able to open a hospice in Hays, Kansas. Sister Joyann Repp, who was one of many CSA sisters in Hays at the time, described Sister Michaeleen’s drive and ability to bring people together: “She saw a need and she responded with her whole being . . .She started so many things from scratch by putting her whole self in. I think other people saw the dedication she had and came along and were there with her . . .She worked very hard.”

Sister Michaeleen saw and responded to many needs over the years. After working to bring the hospice to serve those who were at the end of life, she brought that same energy to helping open a Level 2 Newborn Intensive Care Unit for those at the beginning of life. She took this same initiative with her to open a hospice in Monroe, Wisconsin, a few years later. In 1989, she responded to a call to serve in Berlin, where she has been until her retirement this year. Sister Michaeleen’s journey in healthcare reflects a life devoted to compassionate service and innovation, touching countless lives from the beginning to the end, and leaving a lasting legacy of dedication and care.

CSA Sisters with blueprints for the new hospital in Hays, Kansas.

Standing L to R: Mary Neff, Michaeleen Frahm, Rhea Emmer, Magdala Basgall, Caryl Hartjes, Crescentia Kalscheur, Mary Michael (Annette) Herr, Mary Agreda Touchett 
Seated: Estelle Kohlbeck, Lucia Herr, Irene Kohne, Grace Buckreis , Agnese Grabbe, Felicia Wasinger
 

Read the full issue of Reflections & Connections here.

Subscribe to Reflections & Connections here.

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