FAITH INTO ACTION APRIL, 2022 NOTRE DAME SISTERS 3501 State Street, Omaha, NE 68112 (402) 455.2994 | NotreDameSisters.org
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Thank you for joining us in supporting Ukrainian refugees
Bill and Susan Cutler are honored with Mother Qualberta Service Award Bill and Susan Cutler have been integral parts of their communities in Council Bluffs (where they were both raised) and in Omaha for decades. Their record of service goes on for pages, and they would be the last people to list them. “Few people know of their generosity. One of things they do is quietly provide gifts for people and nonprofits, but always with humility,” said Fr. Don Shane who has known Bill and Susan for more than 25 years, and worked with Bill preparing funeral services for local families. Still, both Susan and Bill have been honored and noticed for their great contributions over the years. Bill is a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Heafey Hoffman Dworak and Cutler Mortuaries in Omaha, NE and Cutler O’Neill Meyer Woodring Funeral Home in Council Bluffs, IA as well as the Walnut Hill, Cedar Lawn, Memorial Park and Ridgewood Cemeteries in Council Bluffs. He was inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame in 2015. Susan also has an impressive list of service across Omaha and Council Bluffs. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Methodist Hospital Foundation, University of Nebraska Medical Center Healing Arts Advisory Committee, and the Archbishop’s Committee for Development. She is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem Northern Lieutenancy. Susan and Bill have been married for 52 years and have three children and seven grandchildren. Read the full article at notredamesisters.org/news
Thank you to everyone who donated to our flash fundraiser for Ukraine. As Ukrainians flee their homes due to the conflict with Russia, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) assists Ukrainians crossing into Poland for safety. Your collected donations support the millions of Ukrainians in need of assistance. Years of conflict along the eastern border have displaced 1.3 million people from their homes and claimed 14,000 lives and now 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine. Almost ninety percent of the refugees are women and children. In 48 hours we were able to collect more than $3,000 for CRS. With the $2,000 match, you have helped contribute more than $5,000 to Ukrainian refugees. We will be collecting funds again soon, so please follow us on Facebook for more information.
PRAY WITH US!
Former students remember when Sisters made them laugh out loud at school
Loving God, as we journey through Holy Week, help us to weep. Tears fall despite the fact that we resist them so strongly.
We celebrated Catholic Sisters Week in March with stories from the Notre Dame Sisters' former students. So many people have great memories of the Notre Dame Sisters, be they spiritual, educational, ministerial, or hysterical. Here are some that made us all laugh:
There is weeping and waiting in every part of our world. Allow us to see the suffering of humanity and weep holy and lifegiving tears.
“It was so hot that she took her veil off! We were in shock and said, ‘Sister, you have hair!’ We had so much fun in her class, but we learned a great deal."
You know the pain of our world because your journey as one with us was filled with challenge. You wept for friends and cried out at injustice. You felt abandonment but did not allow it to overwhelm, but embraced Your Oneness with the Triune God. Your suffering and weeping brings us salvation. Break open our hearts, Jesus, as we journey with you this week. Allow our weeping to heal our world; allow your suffering to open our eyes to your unfathomable love. Amen.
Marsha Polak remembers Sr. Carolyn (Mary Frances) Michalec as a second grade teacher at Assumption School before the days of air conditioning.
Students were often fascinated by the Sisters’ habits, and were mystified that there were regular women underneath all of that fabric! Paulette Smith was a 6th grader at St. Adalbert’s in 1964 when she met Sr. Anita Rolenc, and was intrigued by such a young woman in a habit. "She actually played baseball with the kids at recess,” Paulette remembers. “She could hit that ball and lift up the layers of her habit enough so she could run the bases. Her veil was streamed out behind her and kids were always trying to see what color hair she had!" In high school, the hallway talk turned from habits to boys. “I remember when a few of us girls were under the stairwell of the “new” cafeteria talking about “the birds and the bees” (about which we knew little),” remembers Nancy (Wenninghoff) Rider, a 1965 graduate of Notre Dame Academy. “All of a sudden we heard the clattering of heels down the steps. It was our principal, Sr. Immaculata (Polak)! What we didn’t know, was that there was a vent a few feet away from us leading upstairs to her office. She heard every word we had said!” Another 1960s story, Ellen Hargass, a 1966 graduate of Neumann High remembers rehearsing the musical "Oliver!" Ellen’s character, Nancy, was supposed to be a bit of a “floozy”. “Sr. John (Barbara Markey) was our producer/director and she wasn't happy with the way I walked on the stage,” Ellen remembers. “Then to show me how, Sister flounced across the stage(in full habit) in her best "floozy" imitation! It’s a moment I've never forgotten.” While we have come across many stories of how the Sisters assisted individuals in difficult times, we must never forget how much the Sisters spread joy!
~Sr. Joy Connealy, ND
Find more prayers, news, and weekly gospel reflections at notredamesisters.org/news
Thank you for your kind support! With your help we exceeded our goal and raised more than $150,000 for the Sisters and their ministries.