News

This article appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections

Sisters, Associates, and staff at the CSA Motherhouse have joined the “NexTrex Recycling Challenge” to remove as many soft plastics from the waste stream as possible. To expand the reach of this effort, CSA’s Office of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation, led by Tracy Abler, created partnerships with Pilgrim United Church of Christ, Badger Soft Water (salt bags), and Fond du Lac Food Pantry (pallet wrapping). 

Together, they collect, sort, weigh, and record the plastics before delivering them to drop-off sites. When considering the weight of plastic grocery bags, cereal box liners, bubble wrap, and other similar soft plastics, their goal of 250 pounds each quarter seems lofty, and yet, in just one month, volunteers gathered 200 pounds. The materials are recycled into Trex decking and outdoor furniture which, when purchased, close the recycling loop and keep the plastic out of the landfill.

“Partnerships are the key to our success,” said Abler. “Dedicated members of the Pilgrim UCC Green Team pick up salt bags and pallet wrapping several times a month. It is heartening to know that volunteer efforts can have such a huge impact but challenging to know how much more is still not being recycled.” 

The industrial scale of plastic use at Badger Soft Water and the food pantry highlight how quickly waste can add up, but households can still have a huge impact. Abler shared, “Ultimately, our goal is for everyone to avoid purchasing single-use plastics whenever possible, while also knowing it’s nearly impossible to eliminate plastic entirely. We can all make small steps though, such as using reusable grocery bags, buying juice and milk in cardboard or glass, avoiding plastic water or soda bottles, using bars of soap instead of bottles, et cetera.” 

This challenge is one more way that CSA is working to advance the goals of the Laudato Si’ Movement. 

Choose Your Own Level of Challenge 

Level 1: Reduce your plastic consumption.
Level 2: Recycle your soft plastics at community collection spots.
Level 3: Participate in Plastic Free July!
 

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This article appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections

The evening of April 23, 2026, was filled with reminders of unity and hope at the first of three speaking events for the US at 250 Speaker Series featuring the Honorable Janine Geske, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. 

CSA Archivist Jenny Lukomski welcomed the audience with a reminder that the US is a nation that is constantly striving to be better. She said, “When Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about Democracy in America in the mid-19th century, he noted the contradictions and paradoxes in our society, but also incredible hope. And this is what we’re celebrating this year—the hope we and our ancestors have had for 250 years that we can live up to the values put forth in our founding documents.” 

Sister Sharon Pollnow, CSA’s General Superior, offered the opening prayer with a similar focus. “May all share in the blessing of this nation and live with dignity, security, and hope. … May this anniversary not only recall where we have been, but call us forward to become a more just, more compassionate, and more unified people.”

Throughout her remarks, Justice Geske reflected on how unity has been vital to the birth and growth of the United States. When reflecting on the development of the Constitution, one sees that factions were just as present in history as they are today. The divides were just as great, but the responses were different. She highlighted the key difference: the Founders were willing to find compromises because their primary concern was protecting the rights of citizens. She shared numerous examples from judicial cases showcasing how that desire for unity has been a constant source of strength for the United States.
Audience members engaged in a question-and-answer session followed by a reception with the speaker. Questions were hard-hitting and conversations at the reception included continued exploration of how we can be part of creating spaces of hope and unity. 

The next speaker, Sister Dianne Bergant, CSA, will talk about unity and diversity from a theological perspective on September 17. 

Missed it? Watch the recording!
 

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This article appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections

On March 5, 2026, CSA held its annual Breakfast with Women: Energizing Spirits. The purpose of the event was to foster connection and promote spiritual growth. The presentation and conversation focused on creating a spiritual legacy, a concrete way to pass on your faith and your relationship with God to others. The event featured a delicious breakfast, time for fellowship and networking, and a presentation by Sister Anita Henning, CSA. She discussed the practice of leaving a spiritual legacy by conducting interviews with those at the end of their lives, in order to learn more about their understanding of God and their faith. She shared her personal experience of interviewing her sister and what she learned from this experience.

Nine senior girls from Saint Mary’s Springs Academy were invited to attend the event. While this topic may seem far from the minds of young high schoolers, the girls found the experience enriching and informative. They shared that they learned it was important to give those who are nearing the end of their lives a chance to discuss their spiritual journeys. One student shared, “This inspired me to be more thoughtful about my relationships with elders. It motivated me to talk with my grandparents more.” Additionally, an interactive activity during the presentation invited attendees to set up a “date” with themselves for reflection. Many of the high schoolers followed this instruction and found it to be useful for their spiritual development. Printed journaling guides and times for discussion also helped to aid in their learning and understanding.

Overall, the students left the event feeling welcomed, inspired, and fortified. “We felt like special guests because so many people knew we were going to be there, greeted us, and took time to talk with us one-on-one,” one student shared. Another student enjoyed seeing “so many women from so many different backgrounds and stages of life.” Each girl attending the breakfast was able to take away a new connection or a bit of spiritual guidance to help her grow and improve in her relationship with God.

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The May 2026 issue of Reflections & Connections is now available online for your viewing.

This letter appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections

Dear Friends,

We are all called to be joyful witnesses of the Risen Christ even in the midst of the world we are experiencing today. Together, as companions, we remind each other and all peoples that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is still with us and active within our midst.

It is with that belief that we, the Sisters of St. Agnes, will gather June 15-25 for General Chapter 2026. The general chapter fosters spiritual and apostolic vitality, protects our founding charism and spiritual heritage, makes decisions affecting the life and welfare of the entire congregation, and elects the general superior and her councilors (CSA Constitutions). Chapter occurs every four years and is a time of deep prayer, dialogue, and discernment.

Within this edition you will find a copy of the prayer that we have been praying as a community in preparation for Chapter 2026. God, who is Love, continues to call us through the transitions that mark our lives. Please pray for us and for the guidance of the Spirit during the sacred days of Chapter 2026. May the Empowering Spirit strengthen us to respond to the transitions that mark our lives with humility, courage, and wholeheartedness (Chapter 2026 Prayer).

Since being elected by our Sisters to serve in CSA Leadership in June 2022, we have experienced countless blessings, and you are among those. We thank you for your prayers and your support that among us and in our world the Risen Christ be discovered and revealed (CSA Statement of Mission 1990).

Grateful companions on life’s journey,

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

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Dear Sisters, Associates, Staff, and Friends,

In the face of our government threatening war crimes, genocide and erasure of an entire civilization, Pope Leo teaches us that we cannot remain silent. When things get to this point, we must be honest and clear-eyed about what is happening around us and to us. Systems are collapsing, and, as this is occurring, it becomes more and more impossible to ignore. We are surrounded by the horrors of war and domination. We can no longer explain it away or go along with it or try to believe that this is just how things are now.

We live challenged by the nonviolent life of Jesus as presented in the Gospels, by our Mission Statement wherein we write “we continue to respond in our own times to those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened,” and by our Statement on Nonviolence from 2002. To us, that means that we cannot allow ourselves to get used to this violent way of dealing with issues, this constant harming of our neighbors both local and global, this abuse of power and this greed that seem to be driving so much of human life in this time.

So, we resist. We speak out. We protest. We vote. We call and write to those who represent us even though so much is out of our control. We reach out to each other and tend to our relationships with fierce love, honest conversation, and deep connection. We call ourselves and each other to a certain steadiness that Vaclav Havel wrote about: hope is “not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” (Disturbing the Peace, 1986)

We cannot tire in this struggle. As our founder, Father Caspar Rehrl encouraged us: “Love must unite us beyond all difficulties.” (Constitutions, p. 20) So we call on all people of good will to join with us in this holy work of Gospel nonviolence and resistance in love. We invite all of you to gather at our Motherhouse (330 County Road K, Fond du Lac) one Sunday a month for a time of Quiet Contemplative Prayer for Peace. The next date is April 19, 2026, at 4 p.m. in our chapel. Come pray with us and firm up the relationships that make for an emerging network of love.

Let us follow Jesus, Prince of Peace, together.

Sisters Peg, Lael, Madeline, and Sharon
 

Mark your calendars for a unique and very special event on Wednesday, April 8.

Guns to Gardens Wisconsin engages Christians of all denominations through biblical and theological presentations and dialogue, in what the Bible teaches about guns, violence, and loving enemies – see attached flyer.

Guns to Garden Director and retired pastor, Jeff Wild, will be at Marian University to share details of his program on April 8 for a Wisconsin Wednesday presentation in the Stayer Auditorium at Noon.  

Following Jeff's presentation, he will offer a live blacksmithing demonstration at the CSA Motherhouse Maintenance Garage at 2 pm. Using the metal cut from previously surrendered firearms, Jeff will forge garden tools. There will be time for prayer and reflection.

Both events are open to all members of the Marian community, the CSA community, and the public. REGISTRATION IS APPRECIATED! 

Please sign up 

Learn more about “Guns to Garden Tools"
 

March 12, 2026, CSA Archivist Jenny Lukomski presented, "Compelled by Mission: The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Foundation of America's Schools and Hospitals" as a part of Women's History Month programming at the Fond du Lac Public Library. “Religious women are the forgotten founders of the educational and health care systems in the United States. This presentation explores how the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) contributed to the establishment of schools and hospitals first here in Northeast Wisconsin, and then throughout the country.”

Enjoy the recording of the event.

This article appears in the February Issue of Reflections and Connections

The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Agnes is pleased to present a series on the theme “To Form a More Perfect Union: Division and Unity in the US at 250”. This three-part series will take place at the Prairie Theater and Event Center, in Fond du Lac, WI.

Speakers will explore the enduring principles of the U.S. Constitution and their relevance to today’s challenges. From the roots of representative democracy to the evolving meaning of liberty and justice, each of the three lectures will aim to deepen public understanding and inspire constructive engagement.

The first session will take place on Tuesday, April 23. Janine Geske, former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, will speak about the constitutional history of unity in this country. Then, on September 17, Constitution Day, Sister Dianne Bergant, CSA, will talk about unity and diversity from a theological perspective. A third speaker will be announced for October pending confirmation.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for all speakers. Formal remarks will begin at 6:00 p.m. with opportunities for questions from the audience. Afterward, attendees are invited to join a heavy hors d'oeuvres reception with the speaker in The Winnebago Room. 

A livestream will also be available on the CSA YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@csasisters

There is no cost to attend any of the events, but your advance registration is appreciated to help us plan.

Get details and register
 

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