Left, Sister Donna Liette speaks at the Mercy Manor banquet March 21 in Dayton. Sister Donna, the former executive director of Mercy Manor, received the organization’s 2014 Sister Jean Foppe, RSM, at the banquet. Dave Eck photo. Middle, Sisters of the Precious Blood accept the Organization of the Year Award at the Su Casa Hispanic Center of Cincinnati Awards Dinner on April 9; E.L. Hubbard photo. Right, Sister Brendan Jordan at Mullen High School’s annual Mardi Gras celebration; Sister Benita Volk photo
♦ A plaque commemorating the 132 years of Sisters of the Precious Blood ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish in Celina, Ohio, was dedicated Dec. 10, 2013. Sister Nancy (Lisa Marie) Wolf, who retired as a kindergarten teacher from the school in 2013 after 30 years of service and 46 years of teaching, attended the dedication. Precious Blood Sisters began teaching at Immaculate Conception in 1878, seven years after the school opened. They remained there until 1972. Precious Blood Sisters returned to Celina in 1975 and continued to serve at the school until Sister Nancy’s retirement. The plaque, which features the Sister of the Precious Blood logo and dates the community ministered at Immaculate Conception, expresses gratitude to the Sisters for their contributions.
♦ The Sisters of the Precious Blood were recognized as Organization of the Year by the Su Casa Hispanic Center of Cincinnati at an awards dinner April 9. The congregation was honored for its commitment to Hispanic/Latino communities here and abroad.
“The Sisters of the Precious Blood were recognized because of the great work they do for the Hispanic/Latino immigrant community in this region and throughout Latin and South America,” said Steve Feldmann, spokesman for Su Casa. “They have been outstanding supporters of Su Casa, especially with the commitment shown by Sr. Mary Wendeln.”
The Sisters of the Precious Blood actively minister to the Hispanic and Latino communities in Cincinnati, Dayton and in the northern reaches of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. They teach religion classes and help prepare young adults for confirmation. They help with cultural transition, assist immigrants in obtaining their legal rights, and, even, undertake simple tasks such as grocery shopping.
More importantly, the Sisters pray for those who are seeking justice, safety and security for their families and themselves.
Nearly 20 Sisters of the Precious Blood attended the awards ceremony. Previous recipients of the award include Procter and Gamble, and the Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA.
♦ Sister Mary Lou Schmersal attended the inaugural event for the first annual National Catholic Sisters Week at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn., from March 7-9. The weekend brought together teams of Sisters interacting with college-age women, inspiring young women to discern their own call to religious life. National Catholic Sisters Week was held March 8-15 as part of Women’s History Month. In addition to highlighting the role Catholic Sisters have historically held, the week focused on a contemporary view of Sisters – their lives, mission and works. The effort, which is being launched by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is intended to shine a national spotlight on Sisters and their ministries.
♦ Sister Donna Liette received the Sister Jean Foppe RSM Visionary Award from Mercy Manor in Dayton during the agency’s annual awards banquet March 21. Mercy Manor provides a safe, spiritual residence for homeless women with histories of addiction, incarceration and abuse while they re-establish themselves into the community. More than a dozen Precious Blood Sisters joined Sister Donna, a former executive director of Mercy Manor, at the banquet.
♦ Sister Brendan Jordan was the guest of honor at Mullen High School’s annual Mardi Gras fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency in Denver on March 1. The school recognized Sister Brenden for her 38 years of service to the college-preparatory school in Denver.
“It was like an absolute dream,” Sister Brendan said. “There were over 500 people there.”
Sister Brendan is best known for starting the school’s De La Salle program, which helps struggling students find academic success at Mullen. Many of the students in the program come from distressed neighborhoods. Sister Brendan worked with more than 150 students as director of the program from its inception in 1987 until she stepped away from it in 2001. Many of those students have earned advanced college degrees and 10 have either earned doctorates or are working on them.
Some of her former students are now teachers or school administrators and are forming similar programs in their own schools.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that these youngsters have held on and carried this forward,” Sister Brendan said. “I thank God for it. It’s like the circle is complete.”
Sister Brendan joined Mullen in 1976 as assistant principal and held that position for 19 years. She is now an academic advisor at the school.