The work of the chapter moves forward

11 October 2017

On Wednesday, the work of the Chapter moved forward in several areas.  The General Council had made several recommendations which were discussed and decisions made.  The nomination process continued.

The writing committee asked the chapter members for further input for the directional statement. The members then spent time in reflection and discussion in various groupings.

Near the end of the day, input was given concerning the excursion on Thursday to Washington, DC, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Today, we said good bye to Sister Helen Ann Nelson (AM) who has been assisting with the Spanish-English interpretation. Sister Bernardine Fontanez (ALC), who was originally scheduled to be one of the Spanish interpreters, was unable to rebook her flight from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the island; she is now needed in Puerto Rico. The first sister to fill in was Sister Joanne Maura Muñoz (AM). Sister Patricia Ferrick (AM) will now be the interpreter to work with Sister Mary Kennedy. We are grateful to our sisters for their generosity and flexibility. We continue to hold our sisters and all the people of Puerto Rico in prayer.

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We now continue with the last of the ministry visits that took place on Monday this week.

Caroline Center and Institute of Notre Dame (IND)

Caroline Center and IND share a building in the center of Baltimore. The group from the General Chapter began their visit at Caroline Center where Sister Patricia MacLaughlin, administrator, explained the origin and vision of the Center. Caroline Center was founded in 1996 to educate and prepare women to become skilled and caring certified nursing assistants and pharmacy technicians. Students also shared with the visitors what they appreciate about being at Caroline Center.

IND was established in Baltimore by Blessed M. Theresa Gerhardinger in 1847 as both a convent and a school to educate girls from grades 1 to 12. Today, it is a Catholic college preparatory high school for girls. Sister Kathleen Jager gave an introduction to the school. Students lead the visitors on tours of the school. The IND school choir sang several songs for the group, including one written by the father of a student about the original slate stairs in the oldest part of the school. The visit concluded with a lunch with the students and staff.

Photos of the visit to Caroline Center and IND are in the gallery on the right.