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Sister Jean
Welcomed Home
 Sr.
Jean Lalande, former prioress of the Monastery of St. Gertrude, was joyfully
welcomed home on Friday, November 25. Sr. Jean had been in Spokane at Sacred
Heart Hospital, followed by two weeks of rehabilitation and recovery at St.
Joseph’s Care Center, recovering from a serious automobile accident.
“Thank you for the prayers, love,
flowers and cards,” said Sr. Jean.
“Through all these days of recovery I keep turning to you for your unfailing
support!”
The accident happened on November 2
near Colfax, WA, when Sr. Jean was involved in a head-on collision. She suffered
broken ribs and multiple bruises. The other driver was not seriously injured.
While the recovery process is slow,
Sr. Jean continues to make progress.
“We are so grateful that she was not
seriously injured,” said Sr. Clarissa Goeckner, Prioress, “and that her joyful
presence is among us once again.”
“I am so glad to be home, and
thankful to be alive,” continued Sr. Jean.
“Now I think I will get better faster, surrounded by my monastic family and
caring friends. As I get stronger I will begin to answer the two sacks of mail
that I received from all of you!”
Sister
Clarissa Goeckner receives Ministry Award
From the Idaho Catholic Register
Bishop Michael Driscoll and the
Catholic Education Ministries staff presented six Ministry Awards and one
surprise Bishop’s Award at this year’s Diocesan Fall Conference. The awards were
presented on the final day of the conference, Sept. 25, at Bishop Kelly High
School, Boise.
Ministry Award winners are nominated
by their pastors and fellow parishioners for their exemplary service to the
church.
The surprise award went to Sister
Clarissa Goeckner, OSB, who was recently elected prioress of Monastery of St.
Gertrude, Cottonwood. Sister Clarissa served 13 years in the Catholic Education
Ministries Office as coordinator of children’s and family catechesis. The last
year she was Catholic Education Ministries director.
In presenting the award, Sister
Betty Schumacher, OSB, the new director of Catholic Education Ministries said,
Sister Clarissa “is known by her gracious and warm smile and welcoming presence.
She is known by her deep sense of compassion and care for each of us
individually and as a parish community. She is a teacher, mentor, spiritual
guide and friend. She is a woman who is a life-long learner who is always
striving to see a broader perspective for those she works with and with whom she
walks. She is a woman who is never satisfied with what is and works untiringly
for what could be. She has a deep commitment to the church and the people of
Idaho. She always had time for one more phone call to see how things are going
or to write one more note to thank someone or encourage them.”
Sister
Corinne Forsman joins hospital staff
BY JEANETTE GORMAN
Sister Corrine Forsman, OSB,
recently joined the staff of
St. Mary’s and
Clearwater
Valley Hospital and Clinics as their Mission Integration Director. She
replaces Sr. Barbara Jean Glodowski, OSB, who is currently serving as Director
of the Spirit Center at St. Gertrude’s Monastery, Cottonwood.
For the past five years Sr. Corinne
served as Pastoral Associate at Holy Family Parish in Clarkston, Washington.
She has also ministered as Vocation and Oblate Director for the Benedictine
Community and served as Assistant Leader.
“Recently, in my pastoral work I was
involved with a number of committees within the parish including a spirituality
committee, a social justice committee, a liturgy committee and a welcome
committee,” said Sr. Corinne. “I have enjoyed the opportunities that I
have had in working with people from other faiths, especially those who are
interested in deepening their spiritual life. One of my favorite positions
was with the Diocesan Catholic Education Office because it meant travel within
the diocese, allowing time for contemplation and an opportunity to see the rich
landscape of Idaho.”
Sr. Corinne was raised on a farm
outside of Ferdinand, Idaho. “I went to a country school for my first four
years of education. The classes were so small I was often both the
brightest and the slowest in the class! Later, I went to public schools
where the sisters taught the classes.” Her education culminated with a
Master of Arts degree with an emphasis on Pastoral Counseling from Emmanuel
College in Boston, Massachusetts. She also has a Masters of Religious
Education degree from Seattle University and a BA in Elementary Education from
St. Martin’s College, Olympia, Washington.
“I have facilitated a number of
longer and shorter retreats for both lay and religious people and have provided
pastoral counseling services in a number of settings. What I learned in
those settings I believe will help me in my position. I enjoy the learning
curve that comes with a new job,” said Sr. Corinne. “I am honored to be
following in Sr. Barbara Jean’s footsteps as Mission Integration Director.
Every person that comes to a position brings a different skill set and I’m
looking forward to using mine to work with employees at both hospitals and their
clinics to incorporate our Mission and four Core Values into our work and our
personal lives. I am also excited at the prospect of being with patients
and their families.”
Both hospitals have adopted the four
Benedictine Core Values of Respect, Hospitality, Justice and Stewardship.
Sr. Corinne will divide her time between the facilities in Cottonwood and
Orofino.
Cottonwood Oblate Going
to Rome
 The
Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, ID, is sending a delegate to the first
World Congress for Benedictine Oblates in Rome, Italy, September 19 - 25, 2005,
at the Salesianum.
Jane Frith is from Boise, ID, and
has been an Oblate of St. Gertrude’s Monastery since the program was initiated
in 1988. Frith was one of the first lay persons to associate themselves with the
monastery as an oblate.
"It is a privilege to represent the
oblates and the sisters of St. Gertrude's. I imagine that each day will be full
of learning more about Benedictine Oblate life and meeting many oblates from
around the world.
“I know that when I return I will
have new insights and information to share with the community."
Benedictine Oblates are men and
women, married or single, active in any Christian denomination, who closely
associate themselves with a Benedictine monastery. Oblates find that God’s call
to daily conversion is facilitated in their lives through Benedictine
spirituality, illuminated by the Rule of St. Benedict. They meet regularly
together and at the monastery to deepen their spirituality and to explore ways
to live Benedictine values in their daily lives.
The World Congress will bring
together Benedictine Oblates from countries throughout the world. This first
event in the history of Benedictines is in recognition of the enormous amount of
spiritual energy underway in the Christian world. It is expected to widen the
horizons of the participants, give new impulse to Benedictine, monastic
spirituality and further the spiritual needs of people throughout the world.
The committee that established the
World Congress met to choose the 60 delegates from the 150 Benedictine
monasteries in the United States. Each chosen monastery was to select one Oblate
to be their representative and assist in funding their travel and conference
accommodations. They were chosen based on certain criteria established:
-
Regularly attends the designated
Oblate meetings
-
Is an active member of their local
church including worship service
-
Practices regular daily prayer both
contemplative and intercessory
-
Makes an annual retreat
-
Is involved through service or
leadership
-
Has the ability to make
presentations upon their return.
Project combines
poetry, science, creation story, art
By Lorie Palmer
COTTONWOOD -- A strong faith
background as a Quaker didn't stop Melanie Weidner of Portland, Ore., from
becoming deeply involve with the Catholic sisters at the Monastery of St.
Gertrude.
Three years ago Weidner embarked upon a journey which at the time she did not
know would lead her back to Cottonwood.
"I
came here as a volunteer and worked for my room and board for a summer," she
said. "I have been interested in exploring different faith traditions."
A
year or so later when a commissioned art piece was thought of for the upcoming
Spirit Center building, sister Teresa Jackson thought of one person.
"My
immediate consideration was of Melanie," she said.
Weidner was commissioned to work on a collaborative project that Sister Jackson
would be the author for. She wrote the "Passion of the Earth" project which is a
creative retelling of the origin of the universe incorporating science,
theology, art and poetry.
Jackson and Weidner discussed the vision fro the project as Weidner researched
as well as attended conferences on ecology and the soul. She also prayed for
inspiration.
"It
became clear I needed to use fabric art to illustrate the story -- it just felt
right, the intricate woven aspect of material," Weidner explained.
What
resulted in the past year is seven circular fabric art quilts, one for each
station of the "Passion of the Earth."
The
seven art pieces are titled Mystery, Flare, Laughter, Balance, Greed, Choice and
Abundance and include narratives. All will be placed at the east end of the
entrance of the Spirit Center between the two main conference rooms.
According to Sister Jackson and Weidner, the project is meant to capture
imaginations "with the wonder of the cosmic story" and invite humankind to
rethink their part in it, "guiding us to honor and nurture rather than destroy
our earth."
"This project has changed my life," said Weidner. "I have been so honored to be
a part of it -- it speaks so deeply to me."
Weidner especially feels a connection to the last two pieces, Choice and
Abundance.
"I
was traveling to a quiet retreat to finish those last two when I was in a car
accident," she explained. Though the accident was very serious, Weidner was OK
and the pieces were saved. She even used small piece of her jeans on the last
fabric circle.
"They were cut off me in the ambulance," she said.
Sister Jackson said she hopes the art and words will touch people from all walks
of life -- whether or not they have faith experience.
"I
want this to mean something, to allow people to see we should respect our earth
-- our gift from God -- out of love and respect, not guilt," she said.
Photos of the art project as well as Weidner's other work can be found at
www.listenforjoy.com.
North Central Idaho
Hospitals Capture National Recognition
Cottonwood and Orofino, Idaho -
Leaders who share dual responsibilities at
St. Mary's Hospital
and Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics, two small hospitals 50 miles apart
in rural Idaho, were named HealthLeaders Top Leadership Team in Healthcare for
Small Hospitals.
The 28-bed St. Mary's in Cottonwood and 23-bed Clearwater Valley in Orofino,
along with their seven satellite medical clinics, serve three counties roughly
the size of Maryland and Delaware. Competing against themselves and larger urban
hospitals in 1998, the two facilities formed an equal partnership under the
sponsorship of the
Benedictine Health System to secure their patient base, cut administrative
overhead and upgrade their services to continue providing quality healthcare
locally.
"The senior leadership team at St. Mary's/Clearwater Valley epitomizes what can
be done when leaders work together as a team to make healthcare better for the
communities they serve," said Scott McQuigg, president and publisher of
HealthLeaders, an award-winning monthly magazine for senior-level healthcare
executives. "Facing distance and different organizational cultures as barriers,
this leadership team - through a unified team approach - has developed an
operational model that will surely be an example for other rural hospitals."
The senior leadership team at St. Mary's/Clearwater Valley includes Casey Meza,
CEO; Larry Kidd, chief financial officer; Larry Barker, chief operating officer;
Iris Hawley, executive director of nursing services; Sue Higgins, Clearwater
Valley director of nursing services; Sr. Barbara Jean Glodowski, OSB, director
of mission service/pastoral care; Debbie Schumacher, director of human
resources; Theresa Uptmor, director of clinic operations; and Shawn Severson,
director of home health care.
Also included on St. Mary's/Clearwater Valley senior leadership team are Patsy
Bright, director of health information management systems; Jeanette Gorman,
community relations coordinator; Pat Watkins, facilities manager; Jim May,
director of development; Bryan Skinner, information systems director; Pam
McBride, grants coordinator, Kathryn Allen, medical staff services manager, and
Gary McEwen, physical therapy manager.
"Receiving national recognition for the work we are doing in our Idaho region
reinforces the positive outcomes of collaboration," Meza said. "Having our
hospitals work together to face today's healthcare challenges has not always
been easy, but our patients have the confidence that both facilities and all our
clinics have a secure, stable future."
"Although this award specially honors the 17 joint managers that have driven
back and forth between our facilities, it is really also a grand tribute to all
our managers, our board of directors, our medical staff, every single employee
and especially to our patients and the communities we serve on the Camas Prairie
and along the Clearwater River."
The honor was based on the outstanding teamwork exhibited by St.
Mary's/Clearwater Valley senior leaders that led to them achieving their stated
operational goals and objectives, McQuigg said. A panel of judges considered how
the senior leadership team worked together to overcome challenges and barriers
to meet its goals and objectives.
The judges selected St. Mary's/Clearwater Valley from among three Small Hospital
category finalists in HealthLeaders' search for the 2005 Top Leadership Teams in
Healthcare. The other finalists in the category for hospitals with less than 170
beds were the leaders at Cary Medical Center, Caribou, Maine, and Shoshone
Medical Center, Kellogg, Idaho.
"Choosing the Top Leadership Team from among the three Small Hospital finalists
was a difficult task for the judges because each of the leadership groups is
well deserving of this honor," McQuigg said. "The model the St.
Mary's/Clearwater Valley leadership team has developed and executed makes them
worthy of this recognition."
"Note that the halfway, neutral location for the awards ceremony epitomizes the
cooperative and collaborative philosophies of not only the leadership of the
institutions, but the communities as a whole," said Steve Millard, president,
Idaho Hospitals Association, during the award ceremony at Kamiah City Park on
May 26. "An Idaho native and having been in this business for nearly 33 years,
29 of which have been with the Idaho Hospital Association, I've traveled all
parts of this state on hospital business. I must say that this is one of the
most prestigious awards I have seen any Idaho hospital receive in all those
years."
HealthLeaders will feature the nation's top healthcare leadership teams in a
future issue and on
http://www.HealthLeaders.com.
For her habit, she
wears many hats
By Charity Thompson
For Target Publications
 Sister
Margie Schmidt has worn many hats with her habit during her 40 years serving the
Catholic Church.
Schmidt's voice reveals a wide
spectrum of emotion as she talks of her work. When speaking of her duties,
she is a cool-headed administrator.
When musing over the people she
serves, she's a deeply caring matron. And when she reflects on the breadth
of her career, Schmidt is nothing but exuberant.
"In those years of ministry all the
gifts I had, and didn't have, were drawn out of me," the Greencreek native says.
"I was using my gifts, my education and my personality."
Locally, she has served at St.
Stanislaus Catholic Church, first as a pastoral associate with Father Sean
Caulfield, then as parish life director after his retirement. Last month
she became director of pastoral care at Lewiston's St. Joseph Regional Medical
Center.
Schmidt began her life of ministry
in 1965 when she became a Benedictine Sister at St. Gertrude's Monastery in
Cottonwood. Her commitment to service expanded into a teaching career
throughout Idaho and included a principalship at St. Anthony's School in
Pocatello during the early 1970s. Schmidt, who is a certified counselor
and divorce mediator, held pastoral associate positions in Emmett, Payette and
Parma, Idaho, in the 1980s. She served at St Stanislaus in Lewiston from
1993 until July 5 this year, when she began at the hospital.
"It's amazing, the openness of the
people and the trust they placed on me," she says of her past work. "I
never took that for granted."
Still, she turns quiet when asked
about gender politics within her denomination.
"I don't know quite what to say
about that," is her reply.
Still, it's evident Schmidt has
considered the issue deeply throughout her career.
Schmidt's work with Father Caulfield
provided insight into the value of including both sexes in ministry.
"It's ideal to have a man and a
woman working together because it gives a sense of balance," she says.
After Caulfield's retirement,
Schmidt took on all responsibility that tradition would allow. She
preached regularly and performed baptisms, marriages and funerals. She
visited the sick, led days of prayer. Schmidt was also responsible for
staff development and was part of major decisions on the church's school board
and finance committee. She even continued counseling part-time.
"I had the total responsibility and
privilege of leading the parish," she says. "It was something that I
wanted."
But on Sundays a priest was always
called to Schmidt's parish to perform the highest holy sacraments.
At the time, she was the only female
parish life director in the local diocese. It was a new experience for
Schmidt, as well as her bishop and other co-workers.
"There were no guidelines."
At least three other women are now
parish life directors in Idaho, according to Schmidt. She sees this as
progress, but it's still far from states like Minnesota, where she says females
in this position have reached double-digits.
Women are gaining leadership slowly
because "the church at large is not ready." Schmidt observes. She
has concluded that such a mentality is based on tradition, not theology.
Still, she claims that efforts
toward service and the core message of Christianity take priority over the
political battle for women's ordination.
"Yes, it would be easier to be
ordained, but that's not happening," she says. "I don't want the focus to
be on that because there's so much more."
"I felt I was very influential, and
I don't think ordination would have changed that."
Regardless of her title, Schmidt
feels she is called to work of great importance.
"I hope I have been a ground-breaker
and gotten the kinks worked out so other men and women will recognize the call
to be parish leader...I wouldn't trade this profession or ministry for
anything."
"Any church works with limitations,"
Schmidt says. "Church is human, and the important thing is our
relationship with God. If we truly do live the gospels, we're OK."
New Blends with old at
St. Gertrude's
Sister begin new era with completion of
Spirit Center
By JODI WALKER
OF THE TRIBUNE
COTTONWOOD - The blending of voices
singing "Bless this Place" resonated beneath the high ceilings of the pale
yellow conference room as the sisters of St. Gertrude focused their morning
prayer on the completion of the Spirit Center.
The morning ritual will forever be
changed as the sisters began a new chapter Monday morning, a chapter that will
move such gatherings from the dining hall of the monastery into the spacious
gathering room of the newest building on the site.
The $3.4-million building with its
brick-colored siding blends well with the century-old monastery building.
The old and new share the landscape atop the hill behind Cottonwood. Once
inside, the modern architecture uses natural light to brighten the building as
well as heat it.
The beauty of the earth-tone rooms
shone as the sisters walked in pairs through each of the rooms, one holding a
bowl of holy water, the other a branch from a bush outside the monastery.
Each room was blessed in its own way, with the words of different sisters.
The building is the first of three
phases in a three year project intended to enable the sisters to better serve
the people. Known for outreach and retreat ministry, the monastery has
hosted guests for years. The new Spirit Center will better house those
visitors, provide space for the workshops involved in retreat ministry and allow
the sisters to reclaim the solitude of the monastery.
Inside the building's main door,
Saints Hildegard and Mectill, created in full color in stained glass greet each
visitor. The windows have been housed within the monastery for 100 years
but few outside the monastic community have seen them. They were in the
hallway leading to the infirmary, a doorway that will be widened as part of the
monastery remodeling, the next phase of the project.
"They probably came from Switzerland
when our sisters came over in 1882," said Sister Barbara Jean Glodowski,
director of Spirit Center.
The new center takes every
opportunity to blend nature with the modern conveniences of the 21st century.
Solar panels fuel the hot water heaters, the insulation is recycled material and
the woodwork is done in soft, peaceful hemlock.
Eager to reclaim the top floor of
the monastery from retreat participants, the sisters also don't want to lose the
connection with those who come to visit. A catering kitchen was installed
in Spirit Center, but it isn't intended to be used regularly. Meals will
still be served in the monastery.
"Part of our mission is to keep the
visitors connected with the monastery," said Sister Mary Kay Henry, director of
development for St. Gertrude.
The first retreat will be later this
month when six women will live in Spirit Center for three months. Others
will come for three months. Others will come for shorter stays, taking in
the workshops during that time.
Brightly lit rooms await visitors
and each room sports a rocking chair, faced to take in the breathtaking views of
the Camas Prairie. A lap quilt, made by one of the sisters, adorns each
chair.
"Such a view," Barbara Jean said,
looking out the large window in a bedroom.
The basement has a small meeting
room as well as a prayer and meditation area. It also houses the
climate-controlled rooms where both the monastery and St. Gertrude's Museum will
house archives. The museum has about 70,000 artifacts in its collection
but can display only 23,000 at a time. The problem of not enough room is
also faced within the monastery. There isn't enough room for all the
sisters.
"That is a very fine problem to
have," Mary Kay said, adding that eight women are in different phases of
profession.
Barbara Jean, who had been living in
Cottonwood and working as a mission director, had to wait a month and a half
before there was room in the monastery for her to move home.
While the building itself is
amazing, Barbara Jean said, the fact that all 68 women came to a consensus on
the building and remodeling project is even more amazing. The women fasted
and prayed, she said. They looked ahead to the future of the monastery and
knew they had to do something if they wanted to continue the retreats.
"We see this as a ministry," she
said.
The blessing Monday was quiet,
without the fanfare of a grand opening. That will come, Mary Kay said.
But the project doesn't end with the completion of the Spirit Center. The
total project is $6.9 million and will include a $2million remodeling of the
monastery to make better user of the space. The third phase is building an
endowment for both the Spirit Center and the museum. The retreat ministry
endowment will be $1 million and the museum $500,000. The goal is to
complete all three phases by the summer of 2007.
We are still in that silent part of
the campaign" Mary Kay said. When 70 percent of the money is raise, the
sisters will go public and splashier fund-raising will bring in the money for
the completion of the projects.
The projects are bringing the
historic monastery, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places, into
the 21st century by installing Internet connections. Most of the work is
being done by local companies, Barbara Jean said. By the end of the
project, she figures the monastery will have added about $1.5 million to the
local economy by hiring locally. The retreat ministry brings 9,000 to
10,000 people to Cottonwood each year, adding further to the economy.
"We feel very happy that we are
players in the local economy."
Relay for Life, Holy
Mamas
Front Row: Pollyanna Candelot, Postulant Donna Palm, Postulant Katie Cooper,
Silas Whitley, Darla Anglen-Whitley
Second Row: Sue Tacke, Peggy Matson, Michele Byers, Sister Janet Barnard
Back Row: Kathy McFaul, Carla Robinson, Judy Snyder, Sister Mary Kay
Henry, Novice Carla Fontes, not pictured: Marie Vergotta
The Monastery of St. Gertrude
sponsored the Holy Mamas team in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life
held July 22 and 23 at Grangeville High School. The event raised over
$45,000 for Cancer research.
Our team received the award for most
money raised by a team and most money raised by an individual, Sister Mary Kay
Henry. Novice Carla Fontes and Pollyanna Candelot walked 16 of the 18
hours, They received a bouquet and several tired legs. The team was made up of
employees, volunteers, sisters, novices, and postulants, of
the monastery
Sisters Attend Chapter
Meeting
 Sisters
Clarissa Goeckner, Barbara Glodowski, Teresa Jackson, and Jean Lalande,
Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, ID, were among sixty participants in the
22nd General Chapter of the Federation of St. Gertrude. The Chapter meeting was
held June 30 – July 6th, 2005 at Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota.
At the meeting S. Jean Lalande was re-elected to a 3-year term on the Federation
Council and also elected to serve as First Councilor.
The theme of the seven-day gathering
of Benedictine Sisters from sixteen communities across the United States and
Canada was “Monastic Life – Hastening on with Hope and Joy.” The meeting
included keynote presentations by Sister Karen Joseph OSB, Clyde, MO and Fr.
Godfrey Mullen OSB, St. Meinrad, IN.
Task Force reports and dialogue on
various monastic topics, a President’s Report, setting Direction Statements for
2005-2008, and the election of the Federation President and Council were other
items of business.
Sr. Betty Schumacher to
be New Director of Education Ministries
COTTONWOOD, ID – Sr. Betty
Schumacher of the Monastery of St. Gertrude was appointed by Bishop Michael
Driscoll to serve as the Diocese of Boise Director of Education Ministries
effective July 1, 2005.
Sr. Betty succeeds Sr. Clarissa
Goeckner who was recently elected Prioress to the monastery.
“I welcome Sr. Betty to our diocesan
staff,” said Bishop Driscoll. “She is very well qualified for this position. She
has a deep commitment to the Catholic formation and education, and I know that
under her direction our education ministries will continue to help Idaho
Catholics of all ages grow in their faith.”
Sr. Betty is presently parish life
director at Sacred Heart Church in Boise. Since 1970, she has taught in Catholic
schools at the elementary and middle school levels, served as principal at St.
Anthony’s School, Pocatello, and Sts. Peter and Paul School, Grangeville, and
served as a pastoral associate at St. Mary’s Parish, Boise, Sacred Heart Parish,
Bellevue, WA, and at Sacred Heart, Boise.
As a pastoral associate and parish
life director her duties included: religious education director; sacramental
preparation; Rite of Christian Initiation director; liturgy; catechist
formation; development and formation of small church communities; adult
education; retreat presenter; and working with parish groups like Grief Ministry
Team, AIDS Ministry Team, Welcome Ministry, Social Concerns Commission, and
Generations of Faith.
Sr. Betty has facilitated catechist
workshops on the deanery and local levels and served as spirituality coordinator
for the Ministerial Development Program and chairperson of its Board of
Directors. She has also served on and chaired several diocesan task forces,
presented workshops for Diocesan Fall Conferences, and served as a member of the
Bishop Kelly High School Board of Governance.
Sr. Paula Gonzalez to
Lead Eco-spirituality Retreat at Monastery of St. Gertrude’s New Spirit Center
COTTONWOOD—What would you give for a
world where energy resources are no longer in jeopardy, the air is pure, water
is safe to drink and global warming poses no threat? Sr. Paula Gonzalez, SC,
will present “Living in a Eucharistic Universe”, a week-long retreat Aug. 19-25,
2005, at the Monastery of St. Gertrude’s new Spirit Center in Cottonwood, ID.
An influential educator,
environmentalist and futurist, Sr. Gonzalez, PhD, has presented more than 1,500
lectures, retreats, radio and TV interviews on planetary awareness and the
future to religious communities, civic, church and professional groups since
1970. Her topics include eco-spirituality, eco-justice, learning from the earth,
renewable energy and the future of religious life. A member of the Sisters of
Charity in Cincinnati, OH, she is also a founder of EarthConnection, a
solar-heated center for learning and reflection about “living lightly” on the
earth.
“We are delighted that Sr. Paula
Gonzalez will be leading this retreat on the timely topics of ecology and
feeding the spirit,” said Sr. Clarissa Goeckner, prioress of the monastery. “And
we hope the natural beauty of our new Spirit Center will be the perfect setting
to inspire our retreat guests.”
Featuring spectacular views of the
Camas Prairie and surrounding mountains, the monastery’s Spirit Center was
designed to reflect and protect the beauty of nature. The sisters of St.
Gertrude selected renewable resources, such as solar power, and natural
materials for the retreat center as part of their commitment to hospitality and
good stewardship of the land.
The “Living in a Eucharistic
Universe” retreat is scheduled for Aug. 19-25 and will focus on the Eucharist as
a model for understanding the new cosmology—the origin, dynamics and nature of
the universe. Cost for the seven-day retreat is $275 and includes guest room and
meals.
For more information or to register
for this retreat, contact the Spirituality Ministry of the Monastery of St.
Gertrude, 465 Keuterville Road, Cottonwood, ID, 83522, by calling (208) 962-3224 or
emailing retreat@stgertrudes.org.
Sisters’ Golden
Jubilee Celebrates 50 Years of Service at St. Gertrude
 COTTONWOOD—The
joy and commitment of Benedictine spiritual life will be the theme as Sr. Angela
Uhlorn and Sr. Mary Marge Goeckner commemorate five decades of service in a
Golden Jubilee at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, ID, on Saturday,
June 18, at 1:30 pm.
“I entered St. Gertrude’s because
the sisters were always there—friendly, good teachers, ready to answer my
questions,” said Goeckner, who is originally from Keuterville, ID, and attended
St. Gertrude’s Academy as a student. “And even in hard times, they were happy
people.”
Goeckner, along with Uhlorn, first
made vows of profession in June 1955. She was elected prioress of the monastery
after more than 20 years of teaching in places such as Boise, Pocatello and
Minot, ND. She later served for nearly 20 years as chaplain to several hospitals
in Spokane, WA, including Sacred Heart Medical Center, Valley General Hospital,
St. Luke’s Hospital and Holy Family Hospital.
Uhlorn entered the Monastery of St.
Gertrude in 1953 at 18. A lifelong educator and pastoral associate, she taught
in several schools throughout Idaho, including Lewiston, Genesee, Cottonwood and
Nampa. After a teaching assignment at the Colegio San Carlos in Bogota,
Colombia, Uhlorn later initiated the monastery’s parish ministry program by
serving as pastoral associate to parishes in Caldwell, Boise and Jerome, ID,
among other places. She especially enjoyed her work with Idaho’s Hispanic
community.
“I remember feeling like I wanted to
embrace the whole world and somehow I sensed that monastic life would give focus
and direction to that expansive yearning,” said Uhlorn of Ferdinand, ID. “It
seemed to me that the sisters influenced many people in positive ways through
healing and teaching, and I wanted to participate in that.”
Surrounded by friends, family and
members of St. Gertrude’s, Goeckner and Uhlorn will renew their vows of
profession during a mass at the monastery as part of their Golden Jubilee
celebration.
New Prioress is a teacher at heart
St. Gertrude's Monastery installs Sister Clarissa Goeckner
By Jodi Walker
LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE
COTTONWOOD - Sister Clarissa Goeckner's fellow sisters see in
her the same quality she once saw in her favorite teacher: an ability to
see the good in people and help them use that goodness.
Sister Clarissa was installed as prioress Saturday, the
highest leadership position within St. Gertrude's Monastery.
"For one person it would be quite overwhelming," says Sister
Clarissa, 66. But she knows the community of St. Gertrude's will work
together to achieve its goals, one of which is using the skills of each sister
to further the work of the monastery.
When Sister Clarissa was in high school at St. Gertrude's, she
had a drama teacher who moved her.
"She saw so much in us," says Sister Clarissa in her
soft-spoken way.
Despite 47 years as a nun, Sister Clarissa has spent less than
five of those years living at St. Gertrude's.
"I was always connected, though."
Soon after becoming a nun, Sister Clarissa headed off to St.
Martin's College in Olympia to gain a bachelor's degree in education and
English.
"I always wanted to teach. To find the best deep down in
each student and draw that out."
She taught in Pocatello, Grangeville and Boise. She
moved to San Francisco to get a master's degree in religious education.
She got that degree and two more; one in school administration and another in
counseling, all while teaching at a high school there.
"It just all sort of happened," she says. "I love to study."
Sister Clarissa lived in the Cottonwood monastery once before
from 1989 to 1993, when she served as sub-prioress, a sort of right-hand aide to
the prioress.
"The prioress holds up the vision of the community," she says.
The sub-prioress and other support fill in the gaps.
When an earthquake hit San Francisco, it didn't take much
talking to get Sister Clarissa out of California. She moved to Boise and
took a job as the coordinator of children's family catechesis for the Boise
Diocese. A year ago she became the director of Catholic education for the
Diocese.
"The last two months have been bittersweet," she says.
"I have loved my work in Boise so much."
But now she is home.
The prioress position rotates through the community. A
prioress is elected for six years with an optional four-year extension.
Outgoing prioress Jean Lalande opted not to take the extension.
In the fall, the sisters gather as an entire community to
discuss goals. A week is spent in silence followed by group sessions compiling a
list of what is most important. Then names begin to surface. Sisters
nominate other sisters who possess the qualities needed to accomplish the goals.
Eventually the list is whittled down to one.
"I truly didn't think I would be asked to serve," Sister
Clarissa says.
Born Marie Goeckner, Sister Clarissa knew at an early age she
wanted to live a monastic life at St. Gertrude's. She began dreaming of it
in elementary school.
"My mom told me I was too young to be making such decisions."
In high school she took advantage of every retreat at the
monastery. She loved to hear the sisters chant. The silence of the
house impressed her.
But when she graduated, doubt set in. She finally
convinced herself to give it a try.
"I just knew I wasn't going to like it, but I had to try
before I moved on."
She was shaking when she walked up the immense concrete steps
to the heavy wooden door at the front of the monolithic building. But it
didn't take her long to realize she was right where she belonged.
A lot of work remains to hone the future of the community.
The new spiritual center is nearing completion. The museum continues to
thrive. The monastery continues its outreach through retreats.
"Each administration really stands on the shoulder of another
administration," Sister Clarissa says.
Sister sews baptismal,
communion gowns
Items for sale at monastery
By Lorie Palmer
IDAHO COUNTY FREE PRESS
 COTTONWOOD
- "I learned to sew on an old, black Singer," said Sister Placida of the
Monastery of St. Gertrude. "it went forward and backward."
Sister Placida has made clothes for
the poor for the past 15 to 20 years with material donated to the monastery.
"When some white cloth in various
shades, linens, satin and lace came in, I decided to make some baptismal and
First Communion gowns," she said.
These special items, including an
intricate heirloom baptismal gown are now for sale in the monastery's book and
gift shop.
Sister Placida's vocation, "my real
job," she smiled, is director of maintenance. "Sewing is a hobby," she said.
Sister Placida, the daughter of
Agnes and the late Cletus Wemhoff, grew up about seven miles from the monastery.
She entered the convent in 1956 at age 13, following a great aunt.
"I learned to sew here," she said.
"Sister Marcella taught a sewing class."
Sister Placida's first real success
was a dress she made for her baby sister.
"That was when I knew I liked sewing
and it was fun," she smiled.
Aside from doing a lot of mowing,
especially during the summer months," Sister Placida works at book binding.
"That's a paying job - something to
hopefully pay for what I fill my tummy with here," she laughed.
Sister Placida took a class and now
completes the detailed process of binding, sewing, and repairing people's books.
And she continues to sew.
"My old black Singer sewing machine
finally gave out," she said. "Now I have a white one, an '80s model, and I
tell you it doesn't sew near as well."
Sister Placida's baptismal and First
Communion gowns can be seen and purchased at the Monastery gift and bookstore or
by calling 208-962-3224.
Sister Barbara
Jean Glodowski Receives Professional Certification
COTTONWOOD, ID - Sister Barbara Jean
Glodowski received her Professional Certification in Spiritual Gerontology April
12, 2005. She studied at the Johnson Institute for Spiritual Gerontology.
This certification demonstrates a commitment to lifelong adult ministry and
provided comprehensive knowledge to equip Sister Barbara Jean to initiate,
develop and carry out lifelong adult ministry programs.
Sisters to Elect New Prioress
By Sister Mary Kay Henry
COTTONWOOD, ID – The
Benedictine Sisters of the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho
invite all the people in the Diocese of Boise to join them in prayer as they
gather at St. Gertrude’s April 3-8, 2005 to elect a new prioress. The process
will be facilitated by Sister Mary Catherine Wenstrup, OSB, from Covington,
KY, and Sister Kathy McNany, OSB, from Baltimore, MD.
The election of a prioress is often one of the
most profound experiences in community life. The 60 sisters and four novices
of St. Gertrude’s will select the new leader through a process of discernment
and consensus. They will begin the process by reviewing the direction
statements identified last November as the areas in which God is calling them
to focus for the next six years. The new prioress will need to lead the
community to fulfill the directions statements.
An ability and
willingness to pray, reflect, share and listen are key to the discernment
process. Once the sisters of St. Gertrude identify the leadership qualities
needed to move the community toward their goals, they begin to surface names
of members who exhibit those qualifications. Gradually, through listening to
one another and sharing insights, the sisters move toward consensus and a
final name or names. Finally, when a solid consensus is
reached, the community of sisters will meet
in the Chapel at St. Gertrude’s and formally elect the prioress according to
canon law and the community’s constitution.
The prioress-elect will be
installed on June 11, 2005 when current Prioress Jean Lalande completes her
six year term.
In the
Rule of Benedict, St. Benedict
characterizes the role of the monastic leader as pastoral. The prioress
“shepherds” the sisters, and is the one who holds the place of Christ in
community. The prioress is to be a wise teacher, a prayer leader, a healer,
and a steward of the property and programs of the monastery. She is also the
representative of the monastic community within the church and the civic
communities.
As if this weren’t enough to do, the prioress
is called to unify a diverse group of women into disciples of the Lord’s
service where they learn to “prefer nothing whatever to Christ,”
Rule of Benedict. She helps each
community member to live out their baptism and monastic profession and to
transform themselves into people of profound prayer and untiring service to
others.
Benedictine Sister
remembered for her service to her community
By Jami Whited
Times-News writer
TWIN FALLS - In 1955, when she was
in the seventh-grade, Barbara Gonzales felt the need to help others.
With the guidance of her priest, she
joined the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood and eventually became a nun.
"She wanted to make a difference
with her life and she had a sense that in doing that with others in the
community would be better than dong it by herself," said Sister Mary Kay Henry,
director of the development office of St. Gertrude.
Benedictine Sister Barbara (Mary
Teresita) May Gonzales died Jan. 18, 2005. She was 66. Gonzales was influential
in helping Hispanic migrants adjust to life in Idaho and was driven to help
anyone in need.
"Barbara had a passion for life,"
Henry said. "She was also a feisty person, she had deep feelings as was willing
to take a risk, to speak on behalf of others people, She also had this great
humor. I think that combination of the fire and fun was kind of a mark of
Barbara."
After leaving the monastery to
pursue other avenues, she traveled to Bogotá , Columbia, with the Papal
Volunteers and worked in California and Gooding. She re-entered the monastery in
1933.
In 2000, Gonzales was hired at Idaho
Legal Aid Services in the migrant farm worker unit.
"She just seemed so committed to
reaching out to the low-income people and the disadvantaged. It was more than
just a job to her," said Mike McCarthy, managing attorney at Idaho Legal Aid
Services.
Some say her legal aid work saw a
calling.
"She worked all the time,"
said Fran Hernandez, Gonzales' sister. "She made it a hobby, working at home
creating pamphlets and flyers just to let the Mexican people know she was there
for them."
Gonzales had to have a heart
operation several years ago.
"She said she wasn't going to have
the second operation. I asked her what the alternative was. She said, 'About
three months.' After that she decide to go ahead and do it, " said Jim Murray,
Gonzales' brother-in-law. "It gave us several more years with her and we're real
thankful for that."
Other families are thankful, too.
In 1992, Ilma Carlos and her family
were in a serious traffic accident, Neither Carlos nor her husband could work
during their recovery. Through St. Edwards Catholic Church, the couple met
Gonzales who helped them get food, money and aid.
Carlos said Gonzales worked hare to
help everyone with any thing they needed and kept Hispanic people informed.
Gonzales was scheduled to receive
the Keystone Award from Legal Aid Services in recognition of her dedication to
her clients this fall. Now her siblings will receive the award at a memorial
service on Thursday.
"There was never enough time for
what she wanted to do," Murray said: "But she was always smiling."
Family was very important to
Gonzales. She loved to sing with her family at gatherings, weddings, funeral and
visits to the monastery. They each played various instruments.
"Wherever Barbara was, music was
there," Henry said, "she just loved music.
"Barbara and Fran would come to
Christmas parties and Mike would play the banjo. Fran would play the guitar and
they'd all sing old folk, bluegrass songs," said Tina Young a friend and
co-worker. "She spent a lot of time talking about her family. She has lots of
picture of her nieces and nephews in her office and every time she would get a
new picture she would stop us and have us look at her 'babies.'"
The Legal Aid Services employees'
children would visit the sister's office after school for a treat from a drawer
she faithfully kept stocked with candy.
"Barbara loved our kids and our
client' kids. She would always ask how school was and how they were and always
wind up holding client's babies," Young said.
Gonzales often called the monastery
and asked for prayers for her family, friends and for Legal Aid Services.
Friends and relatives say that was just the kin of person Sister Barbara was.
"She cared so much about people, "
said Gonzales' sister Stella Murray. "And she didn't try to tell anyone
how to live their life. She demonstrated how to do it, because she lived her
life that way."
Icon writer is guided by
God
Cottonwood nun finds artist instinct revived
for work at monastery
By JENNIFER K. BAUER
OF THE LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE
 COTTONWOOD
-- At the top of the stone monastery towering over the Camas Prairie near
Cottonwood, Sister Carolyn Miguel spends her days opening portals to the face of
God with a paintbrush.
Miguel is an iconographer, schooled
in the centuries-old art of writing Byzantine icons -- painted images of
religious figures.
It is the face of the icon that is
believed to be a bridge to the divine. Geometry is used to guide the
proportions, but the details -- the compassion in the eyes of Christ, the gentle
smile of the Virgin -- are arrived at through hours of prayer, contemplation and
fasting.
'"You can't explain that," Miguel,
73, says about the completed expressions. She shrugs. "He's working
through you. I can sound hokey, but it's very true."
With three children and six
grandchildren, Miguel is a modern nun. Gone are the days when the
monastery accepted girls at age 13. The habits are out, too.
She has an e-mail address. With her
short hair and spunky attitude, she calls herself "a late bloomer" who came to
the sisterhood of the Monastery of St. Gertrude in her late 40s.
She didn't know it then, but the
church would reopen the door to a lifelong interest in art.
Thirty years ago, Miguel and her
adult daughter, Nan, left the crowds and crime of California for a place they
randomly picked on a map: Moscow, Idaho.
While working as a house mother at
the University of Idaho's Pi Beta Phi sorority, Miguel started attending a
nearby Catholic church. Not long after, she visited the monastery that
overlooks canola fields and mountains, and fell in love with the people and the
place.
"It was tough to decide to give up
my car and house, but he (God) niggled at me."
She is one of 45 sisters living at
the monastery full time. All the nuns have jobs that support their
lifestyle. There are spinners, weavers, candlemakers and bookbinders.
Her first job was to do their hair.
"They took off the habit and they
weren't really good with hair," she explains. When they asked her to do
perms, she said, "Not without training." So at age 51, she went to beauty
school.
Miguel once had a scholarship to
study art, but gave it up to marry at age 18. Later, she painted
portraits.
Several years ago, when the
monastery was planning to create the stations of the cross on the hillside
behind the 1920s building, Miguel suggested she could do the work and save a lot
of money. They sent her for training at Oregon's Iconographic Arts
Institute of Mt. Angel.
When she's not cutting hair, Miguel
is in her high-ceilinged studio with windows facing the stations of the cross,
which took her three years to complete.
The tank of oxygen beside her is for
when she runs out of breath from talking. Her lungs have always been weak,
she says, but she also smoked for years.
"It's a very prayerful thing," she
says about writing icons. "You don't paint icons, you write them. We
hope people realize it's from the Holy Spirit. It's through us, not by
us."
For this reason, she and other
iconographers don't sign their work.
Miguel also adheres to strict
traditions that keep the icons all natural -- a proclamation to the wonder of
the Earth.
The process begins with a wood
board, which is covered with cloth and layered with gesso, a glue of rabbit
skin, chalk and oil. When dry, the surface is sanded to a satin texture.
Egg tempera paints are made by hand.
An egg yolk is passed back and forth until a skin forms. What is under it
is mixed with white wine and water. Ground rock and clay pigments of color
are added. It takes countless layers of paint to get the desired rich
hues.
"A lot of writing of icons was done
for Russian churches, so the very poor could know the stories of the Bible,"
explains Miguel.
She works by private commission.
Icons are several hundred dollars. She also paints on rocks. She
calls these her "poor man's icon." The money she receives goes to her
supplies, then to support the monastery.
She often enjoys hearing from people
who have bought her work.
"It's real interesting when it
speaks to them in some way."
| 
Benedictine
Sisters, Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho
