BVMs Welcome Six New Associates
Welcome and congratulations to six new associates for asking for and receiving the gift of association!
Ann Hoefer
We welcomed Ann Hoefer, from Dubuque, Iowa, as a BVM associate on Sept. 24. BVMs Liz Olsen, Theresa Caluori, Judy Callahan, and Marjorie Heidkamp, and Associate Suzie Wright were her discernment companions. With the gentle prodding of BVM Joan Stritesky, Ann started her discernment process while employed at Mount Carmel. Ann feels that Joan continues to guide her, even now. Ann is grateful to the BVMs who have played such a vital part of her life. Liz Olsen served as Ann’s primary companion after Joan died, and shared these thoughts, “Companioning Annie Hoefer has been a joyful, new experience for me. I feel enlightened and affirmed in my own spirituality.”
Judy Callahan wrote in her letter of affirmation, “Ann brings energy, encouragement, joy, friendship, collaboration, and a spirit of love of the congregation in all of its aspects. It is a joy to work, pray, serve, and just be with her.” Ann looks forward to joining a cluster and renewing her time with sisters and associates in the Dubuque area. Her commitment ceremony is on hold as she hopes to have the ceremony at Mount Carmel Bluffs with others.
Jane Pohl
Jane Pohl of Round Lake, Ill., completed the candidate process and was accepted as a BVM associate on Sept. 29. BVMs Dee Myers, Eileen Powell, and Marge Sannasardo accompanied Jane on her discernment journey. Jane is a former BVM, known to some as “Jo.” She graduated from Our Lady of Peace High School, in St. Paul, Minn., and Mundelein College, in Chicago, where she first got to know BVMs. She recently retired from Carmel Catholic High School, where she taught for over 25 years. “Praying together and sharing our time, thoughts, and stories” was the most meaningful part of the discernment process for Jane.
In her application, Jane shared that praying with others nourishes her spiritual life. “This is one of the things I have missed the most since leaving the community many years ago. Being an associate would [I think] bring some of these experiences back into my life. I would very much like that, as I would feel a part of something larger than myself.” In Marge Sannasardo’s letter of affirmation, she acknowledges Jane’s “eagerness and sincere desire to be an associate and her desire to share living the core values of our BVM life and mission.” Planning for her commitment ceremony is on hold as Jane hopes to have the ceremony at Mount Carmel Bluffs once it is safe to return.
Geraldine Delaney
Geraldine “Jerry” Delaney lives in Chicago. She was born in Lincoln, Neb., and grew up in Kansas and Missouri. She is a former BVM and an active member of the Set of 1961. She graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago in 1966. She is a mother of six adult children and is a grandmother, too. She is retired from paralegal work and is still active in political activism and social justice work. After the Set of 1961 held their virtual reunion, Jerry began her journey of associate discernment with BVMs Irene Lukefahr, Joellen McCarthy, Dee Peppard, Sandy Rodemyer, and Associates Anne Marie Long and Kathleen Maas Weigert as her companions.
In a letter she wrote seeking to start her discernment process, Jerry wrote, “I don’t know if this is the Spirit calling me to apply to become an associate, but I decided to listen this time and pursue this journey. Keeping a bond with my fellow sisters in our set has been very important to me. I felt branded by the BVMs to always pursue justice, which I believe is the core message of the Gospels.” In her letter of affirmation for Jerry’s acceptance as an associate, BVM Joellen McCarthy wrote, “Three dimensions of Jerry’s life stand out for me to readily support her as an associate: her commitment to community, her passion for justice, and her sensitivity to the Mystery in her life.”
Diane Kopp
Diane was born in Dubuque, Iowa, and was raised on a farm near St. Joseph on the Prairie, the original BVM Motherhouse. Diane first met BVMs when her mother worked at the Mount Carmel Infirmary. Her mother worked the night of the Infirmary fire. Diane remembers hearing many stories about that horrific night. Diane and her sisters were always excited to go to Mount Carmel to visit the sisters with their mother on her day off. Diane graduated in the first graduating class at Wahlert High School in 1960. She attended Clarke University, studying under Teresa McDade, BVM. After graduation, she taught in Dubuque at Irving and Fulton schools, and in Columbia, Mo. She became a mother of three boys. Her family moved to Fargo, N.D., for 20 years. In Fargo, she worked at Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance.
In 2000 Diane moved back to Dubuque and worked at Holy Family Day Care, retiring after 10 years. Diane began taking classes at the Roberta Kuhn Center at Mount Carmel Bluffs. She enjoyed learning from BVM Kitty Lawlor’s class “BVM Pioneers.” Kitty encouraged Diane to become an associate. Diane met Associates Sharon Scully and Maureen Frommelt. Sharon Scully became her mentor, companion, and friend through the discernment process. Diane has found this enlightening as well as enjoyable. Diane looks forward to participating with the wider Circle of Friends and being involved in activities as an associate.
Mary Moothart
In Mary Moothart’s application, she shared, “The decision to become a BVM associate has been an extended process of discernment; living in a community that enjoys a rich influence of religious women, I have often considered increasing my understanding and commitment to each of these communities. However, upon reflection, it was my interactions with the BVMs that shined a light on women who act with informed intellect and charity on issues of justice in the community and world around them. It was through these women I formed my voice and was encouraged to use it!”
Mary and her husband Tim live in Dubuque and have six children and five grandchildren, whom they enjoy “grand-spoiling.” BVMs Judy Callahan, Mary McCauley, Mary Martens, and Associates Norm Freund and Lori Ritz were her companions in the discernment process.
Associate Norm Freund shares, “Mary is a remarkable candidate for association! She truly lives the BVM core values, especially the value of justice. Her active involvement in assisting refugees, advocating for the poor, and seeking to generate a more non-violent world bear witness to the stances the congregation advocates for in our world.”
Karen Kane-Herber
Karen Kane-Herber is employed at Mount Carmel Bluffs in Dubuque, Iowa, as director of the Roberta Kuhn Center that provides enrichment opportunities for those 55 and older. Karen shared in her application for BVM association, “When I began work for the Sisters of Charity, BVM, I found many of my own core beliefs to be in common with the BVM sisters, for example, how people should be treated, and how individuals can bring their unique charisms to a larger community in ways that carry out mutual values.”
Karen and her husband of 31 years live in Dubuque, Iowa. They have four adult children and two grandchildren. BVMs Julie O’Neill, Brigid Mary Hart, Alice Caulfield, Carol Marie Baum, and Associate Katie Anders were her companions in the discernment process.
In her application Karen shared, “I feel a new grounded-ness in myself, in part because all of us, lay or religious, who live or work here, stand on the shoulders of the women whose lives make up the history of the BVM community, and I also attribute this grounded-ness to relationships I’ve developed with sisters and associates. ”
In a letter of support, Associate Katie Anders recalls Karen sharing that the sense of community she has found with the BVMs has empowered her to live the core values in her own life.