Community Notes

COMMUNITY NOTES, May 2008

Sr Barbara Lee met OSH postulant, Faith, when she visited friends in the Seattle area.They shared a meal at a Chinese buffet and then Faith joined Barbara Lee in singing with the Vesper choir at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church for Evening Prayer. Barbara Lee's second knee replacement is healing very well after two weeks in a rehabilitation center. She gives thanks that she is now walking better than for the past five years.

Sr Ellen Francis is happily settling into life in the Augusta Convent. So far she has signed up for the Augusta Choral Society and is thinking about joining a book discussion group. She hopes to connect with others in the area who are working for peace, and so far has found a group in Aiken SC.

Faith Moore was received as an OSH postulant on Palm Sunday, and is still finding her way and learning how to behave. She is very thankful to be taking organ lessons and to be working in the library. She enjoyed the Novitiate retreat in Cape Cod.

In March Sr Mary Lois helped Ellen Francis move to the Augusta convent, stopping in Catonsville MD on the way to pick up Faith's things. In April there were meetings at Vails Gate, the CAROA conference at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park NY, and the Margaret Hall Foundation board meeting in Lexington KY. Leadership Council met in Augusta in May and Mary Lois enjoyed the Ascension Day celebration with many old friends. While South she saw her son in Columbia SC, and had a wonderful evening with Lynn and Bp Neil Alexander at their home in Atlanta, meeting with the Bishop again the following day. All this traveling has made it necessary for her to leave her outreach ministry at St Bartholomew’s in NYC which she is in the process of doing with mixed emotions.

Sr Linda Julian spent the whole of April and early May in hospital and a rehab facility owing to having broken an ankle and simultaneously contracted pneumonia. She is now rejoicing in being at home at the Manhattan convent. The most recent very good news is she is now weight-bearing on both feet - much earlier than expected. All prayers for a continued rapid recovery are welcome!

Sr Mary Michael Simpson went to Texas in April for the wedding of a grand niece. It meant a great deal to her to be with family at that time. The most helpful addition to her life lately has been a rolator, a stable 4-wheel walker, which she hopes will assist her in avoiding falls and broken bones. She continues to see clients in psycho-therapy, though fewer than she would wish. If you know anyone to whom she might be helpful, please do refer them.

Sr. Ann Prentice took a two-week road trip after Easter with her sister Evelyn Sweetser to visit their mother in Nebraska. They made brief stops along the way to see friends and family, and an Associate, Esther Walters, hosted them for breakfast on an icy morning in Iowa. Ann attended two programs for spiritual directors: a one-day workshop on the topic of Addictions and a weekend retreat on Individuation, both held at Linwood Spirituality Center and led by Br Donald Bisson, FMS. At the end of May, Ann was in Connecticut to facilitate the Board meeting of Motherhouse, a place of quiet rural beauty, nourishment, and rejuvenation for mothers. Ann finds personal rejuvenation in monthly visits with granddaughter Lydia, as is evident in the photo!

In March Sr Ellen Stephen joined Holy Cross on a mission for three churches in Ottawa, Canada. Later that month she attended her high school reunion, and visited family and nostalgic sites in New Orleans LA. In May she completed the editing and revision of her book on the religious life, which will be published in October by Church Publishing, Inc. She conducted the retreat for Associates at the convent in Augusta, Georgia.

In April Sr Ruth spent 8 days in Erie PA with her vocational deacon brother, her sister-in-law, and her priest nephew Mark, visiting from Hawaii. Mark was asked to preside at the main Sunday Eucharist. It was a thrill to see him and his father serving together.

Sr June Thomas went to North Carolina in March to visit her brother who has been seriously ill but is improving. In May she sang in performances of Brahms' German Requiem with the Orange County Classic Choral Society.

Sr Linda has been preparing for her June move to the Vails Gate convent. Her heart is sad to leave wonderful friends and the warm South (okay, hot), but her heart is happy at the thought of reconnecting with friends in the Northeast and of making new friends. Linda’s massage table will travel with her to NY so she may continue healing touch work. She will also help coordinate and publicize guest programs at Vails Gate.

In early April, many OSH sisters met at the convent in Vails Gate to discuss several future possibilities for the Order. Our Leadership Council, Srs Cintra Pemberton, Mary Lois and Ellen Francis, later met at the Augusta GA convent to continue with planning work. Bishop Neil Alexander, Bishop Visitor to OSH, hosted the Leadership Council in Atlanta in early May for conferring and planning.

A highlight for Sr Cintra Pemberton was the birth of her second great-grandson, Christian Daniel Irving, born on February 26. His mom, Katie Mayronne, is the daughter of Pemmie Sheasby, Cintra's daughter. In early March Cintra led a Quiet Day at St Martin's, Columbia SC, "In the Cross of Christ I glory". Immediately after Easter she participated in the Clergy Respite Period at Kanuga, enjoying three days of total R&R. Throughout the spring Cintra has continued her usual household duties and Leadership Council responsibilities, as well as spending much time preparing for two final pilgrimages, one to Wales in May and one to Turkey in June.

Ascension Day is the anniversary of the Founding of the Augusta convent. The 42nd annual celebration was exceptional with the presence of the Rt Rev Rodney Michel as celebrant and preacher. (Ascension: A Clash of Visions, his sermon, can be read on this website.) The bishop is quite a humorous storyteller! A highlight was the dedication of a sculpture, Clare’s Fern, complete with flowing water, sculpted and cast by Kathleen Girdler Engler, long-time Augusta friend of the sisters. The sculpture was made possible by the generous donations of several friends. A slide show of the event is posted on this website. We give thanks also to the Magnolia Garden Club for their faithful efforts to make the Augusta grounds so tidy and attractive.