Volume XLIV, No. 2 Summer/Fall Peggy Venteicher Welcomed to Novitiate

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1 YANKTON BENEDICTINES Volume XLIV, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2013 CHARISM We are Benedictine women of Yankton, South Dakota, sharing our gift of seeking God through our prayer, work, study and community life. MISSION Rooted in our rural heritage and growing in relationship with God and one another in monastic community, we live a life of prayer, work and lectio by which we serve God and God s people in our time and place. CORE VALUES Christians follow Christ by bringing to life the values of the Gospel. We have gathered clusters of these values into these three: Awareness of God Community Hospitality Peggy Venteicher Welcomed to Novitiate Novice Peggy Venteicher (center) received a copy of the Rule of St. Benedict from Sister Sharon Ann Haas, Novice Director (right), as Prioress Penny Bingham (left) looks on during the reception ceremony into the novitiate. Although the ceremony closed with blessings for Novice Peggy and S. Sharon Ann, blessings and hugs continued with a celebration and festive meal in the dining room. S. Marietta Kerkvliet (top left), who served as Peggy s Postulant Director, greets Peggy with good wishes. S. Leonette Hoesing (top right) who was the Novice Director at Sacred Heart Monastery for many years, adds a hug to the joy of the day. For information about the steps in becoming a Benedictine Sister, go to Peggy Venteicher was received into the novitiate at Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, during Evening Praise on Sunday, August 4, During her novitiate year, Novice Peggy will spend time in prayer and will participate in the daily activities of the monastery. She will study the Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine life, community, Benedictine history, scripture, the meaning of monastic profession, and human development. Sister Sharon Ann Haas will serve as her director. Reflecting on this step in her life, Novice Peggy says that she is grateful for God s call, her daily yes to life and the growth she has already experienced as part of Sacred Heart Monastery. I am also thankful for the prayerful support of my community, as well as the love of my family. Novice Peggy was born in Norfolk, NE in 1982, and raised on a farm southwest of Pierce, NE. She is the oldest of the nine children of Lyle and Denise Venteicher. Novice Peggy became acquainted with the Yankton Benedictines as a student at Mount Marty College. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2005, she was employed by Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk for seven years. The concern must be whether the novice truly seeks God and whether she shows eagerness for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials. Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 58

2 Reflections from the Prioress S. Penny Bingham OSB Prioress Dear Friends, We have had a very full summer here, as this issue shows. There have been many opportunities to praise the Lord s name (Ps. 148) as we have celebrated entrance into the Novitiate and jubilees; commended the lives of two of our Sisters into God s eternal love; and welcomed groups of novices, musicians and liturgists, younger Benedictines, retreatants, and guests. At our two chapter (community) meetings we processed information as we plan for our future as a vital, viable, and sustainable community. In these pages you will also find wonderful offerings as you are invited to join us for a presentation on Vatican II spirituality, the Holiday Fair, scripture study, or daily prayer and Mass. All of these elements remind me of our groundedness in our Benedictine and Christian traditions, as we welcome the unknown, unfolding future. May you also know the blessing of both groundedness and openness as, Rooted in Christ, we participate in God s mystery unfolding. May God s strength encourage and sustain us all for this wonder-full journey we share! S. Penny Sacred Heart Monastery Theology Institute The Spirituality of Vatican II Fifty years ago, the Second Vatican Council was meeting to intensify the daily growth of Catholics in Christian living. This presentation will look at the Church through the lens of these principles of the Council: resourcement (return to our roots) aggiornamento (appropriate renewal) development (deepening and growth) Bishop De Roo, is the retired bishop of Victoria, B.C., Canada. He participated in all four sessions of the second Vatican Council ( ). Since his retirement in 1999, he has travelled the globe telling the story of Vatican II. Pearl Gervais is an educator and business woman who has taught with Bishop De Roo for many years, offering workshops and retreats for parishes, religious organizations and academic institutions. Presenters: Bishop Remi De Roo, retired, and Pearl Gervais Saturday, October 19, am Noon Sacred Heart Monastery Chapter Room All Are Welcome No Admission Fee Registration Requested for Planning Purposes mfrigge@mtmc.edu or call

3 National Benedictine Gathering Held at Sacred Heart The spirit was lively as 84 Catholic Benedictine Sisters, all aged 55 or under and in final or temporary Monastic Profession, converged upon the campus of Sacred Heart Monastery and Mount Marty College in Yankton, SD, on August 8 th, for a four-day gathering entitled Wisdom Calls: Carpe Diem. The Sisters attending were members of 22 Benedictine monasteries from the United States and represented the Federations of St. Benedict, St. Gertrude, and St. Scholastica, as well as the Congregation of Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. They were joined by the four presidents of the above Federations/ Congregation. This group meets biannually at various monasteries across the United States to connect Benedictine women in this age demographic for the purpose of networking, sharing ideas, resources, hopes, dreams, and for supporting each other through prayer and positive relationships. Attending from Sacred Heart Monastery were the following Sisters (back row, from left to right): Erin Colgan, Carmella Luke, Barbara Kowalkowski, Clarice Korger, Jodelle Zimmerman, Denette Leifeld, Carol Jean VanDenHemel, Maribeth Wentzlaff, and Mariel Kang, a student at Mount Marty College from South Korea; in the front row (from left to right) were Sisters: Kathryn Burt, Virginia Pieper, Julie Peak, and Jill Young. 3 The theme, Wisdom Calls: Carpe Diem, offered challenges to listen for the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit and from our elders and then to act upon that wisdom as we move forward in religious life, said S. Maribeth Wentzlaff of Yankton, who was on the planning team for this year s conference. The 55 and Under Gathering generated much hope, excitement, and enthusiasm for the Benedictine women who attended. Their presenter, S. Edith Bogue, OSB, a sociologist and member of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, MN, spoke on Cultural Shifts within the monastic life shifts which could be as simple as the difference between a Benedictine community which focuses on educational ministries as opposed to one that focuses on health ministries or other cultural shifts which affect the communities from the outside. Reflecting on the experience, S. Clarice Korger shared that, In the various talks over the weekend, we heard of our decreasing numbers and aging communities. This had the potential of being quite depressing, but the talks didn t end there. We also heard the story of Gideon from the Book of Judges. We were reminded It is I, your God, who has saved you, not the might of your numbers. It was a very hopeful weekend.

4 Shining Like Diamonds... S. Delores Rush - 60 Years These Jubilarians glow when they tell their stories of God s goodness in happy memories and graces received. Rejoice with them and with Sacred Heart Monastery as you read their stories. S. Corinne Oberembt -70 Years One of eleven children, S. Delores Rush was born and raised in rural Ponca, NE, where she attended country school for 8 years. Her mother wanted to give her the opportunity for Catholic education, so she and a sister boarded at Holy Trinity High School in Hartington, NE. There she met the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery. When her sister graduated from high school, her principal, S. Beata, invited Delores to join the monastery and finish high school at Mount Marty Academy. With her parents approval, Delores finished high school as a postulant, completed her novitiate and made first profession in 1953 and final profession on June 29 th, After a year of college, she began her teaching career at Glen Ullin, ND, with 50 first graders. One of her humorous memories from Glen Ullin was when a little boy crawled up the slide, and then was too scared to come down. So S. Delores, in full habit, climbed up the ladder and slid down with the little guy on her lap. After Glen Ullin, she went on to teach for a total of 32 years in Dimock, Salem, and Vermillion in South Dakota, and Albion, Hartington, Ord, St. Paul, and Omaha (St. Frances Cabrini) in Nebraska. Following these years of teaching, she worked in food service and housekeeping in nursing facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska. Since 2004 S. Delores has been a sacristan at Sacred Heart Monastery. She enjoys keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook and e- mail. Looking back with satisfaction on these years, S. Delores says that she has learned much from living with my Benedictine Community. Someone is always there for me. Eleanor Rose was born October 1, 1924, the oldest of twelve children of George and Rose (Keller) Oberembt of Dimock, South Dakota. She attended Saints Peter and Paul parochial school, and was greatly influenced by sisters who taught her. After graduating from the eighth grade, she spent two years at home helping her parents on the farm. Eleanor entered Sacred Heart Monastery in 1940 and went to Mount Marty High School for two years before becoming a novice and receiving the name Corinne. She made first profession on June 24, 1943 and final profession on June 24, She completed her GED in S. Corinne ministered for twenty-six years to the Native American people in Chamberlain, Stephan, Fort Thompson, Big Bend and Pierre, SD. Her years at the mission in Stephan were special to her because of the home-like atmosphere there. She always had a heart for the Native American people. She also worked with the boarders at St. Mary s School in Zell, SD, and later, she taught religion and worked in the school library in Holy Trinity in Hartington, NE ( ). Additional missions were in Yankton, and Parkston, SD; Lincoln, NE; and Hales Corners, WI. After receiving pastoral care training in Mitchell, SD, in 1983, she did hospital and nursing home visitation in Parkston, South Dakota, until her retirement. This work was a great joy to her as she considers herself a people person and was able to serve and connect to people in her home territory, close to Dimock. Now retired in St. Joseph Care Center at Sacred Heart Monastery, S. Corinne still enjoys friendly banter and visits from family and friends. 4

5 S. Grace Feldhacker - 70 Years S. Grace Feldhacker grew up on a farm five miles northeast of Crofton, NE, the sixteenth of seventeen children. She attended public school at Beaver Creek, and looked forward to the Sisters coming for 2 weeks of religious education in the summer. Their kindness and happiness planted the seeds of a vocation in Grace. At the age of 14, she packed her bags to go to the convent in Milwaukee with her two Franciscan cousins, but after visiting with Sr. Seraphine and her pastor, she decided to try Yankton. She attended high school at Mount Marty Academy as an Aspirant and Postulant, and, after her novitiate, made First Monastic Profession in Among her memories is the day that she was happy to be assigned to work in the candy kitchen, only to find out it was the canning kitchen. S. Grace taught primary grades for 33 years. She ministered in the Catholic schools in Richardton and Selfridge, ND, in Yankton, Ipswich, Stephan, Chamberlain, SD, and in Omaha, (St. Frances Cabrini), Lincoln (St. Patrick), Albion, and Hartington, NE. Her Bachelor of Arts degree was finally earned in 1963 after going to summer school for many years in between teaching assignments. After leaving teaching due to health issues, S. Grace embarked on a new 30 plus year ministry at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital. Now retired at the monastery, she is busy keeping track of her large family with hundreds of grand nieces and nephews, and even more greats and great-grands. She looks back with gratitude that God called her to this Benedictine way of life and for persevering in it. I am especially grateful for the many opportunities I have for attending the Eucharist, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and recreating with my sisters. S. Virginia Kopp - 80 Years S. Virginia was the 3 rd of 13 children born to Melchior and Margaret Kopp of rural Richardton, ND. She attended St. Mary s grade school in Richardton where she was influenced by the Benedictine sisters and monks. With the support of her parents, she entered Sacred Heart Monastery September 2, 1929 at the age of 15. After graduating from Mount Marty High School in 1932 she was invested as a novice. She made First Profession on August 16, 1933 and Perpetual Profession on June 26, After a year of teaching and loving 53 first graders at Stephan, SD, S. Virginia was called into the field of nursing. She graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing in From , she practiced nursing at Yankton, SD, Pueblo and Canon City, CO. From , she worked in hospital administration in Tyndall and Parkston, SD, receiving a Credential in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota in She received a degree from Mount Marty College, Yankton, SD, and became certified in Pastoral Care in She served in Pastoral Care ministry at St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City, CO, from 1979 until her retirement to the monastery in Reflecting on her jubilee, S. Virginia says, God s blessings have truly overwhelmed me these 80 years for which I am deeply grateful. Time has passed quickly amidst joys, sorrows, and complexities but always accompanied by an awareness of God s abiding peace, grace and assuring love. I am most appreciative that God called me to Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton to be a member of this Benedictine community. Would you prefer to read the Yankton Benedictines on-line? If so, please send an , from your preferred account, to maryjo.polak@mtmc.edu and we will mail you a.pdf version of the newsletter, as well as a link to our webpage. Thank you for saving trees and postage expenses! Remember to keep in touch with Sacred Heart Monastery between newsletters by checking our Facebook page, or 5

6 NEWS NOTES The Monastic Worship Forum held its biennial meeting at Sacred Heart Monastery, June 18-20, and celebrated the 50 th anniversary of Sacrosanctum concilium - the Vatican II document on the liturgy. Rita Ferrone and S. Anita Louise Lowe, OSB of Ferdinand, IN were the presenters. Our own S. Patricia Ann Toscano gave a session on Gregorian chant, as well as hosting the event. S. Bonita Gacnik is spending her sabbatical time teaching computer skills to religious women in Africa at the Tumaini Center in Kenya. We look forward to hearing more of her experiences in the next issue of the Yankton Benedictines. Our student sisters have been sharing their artistic gifts with us and the larger community. S. Mariel Kang, an Olivetan Benedictine Sister from Busan, South Korea, gave a noon hour organ concert at Our Savior s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, on August 14. S. Donatha Gunda of the African Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady Help of Christians, Ndanda, Tanzania, took a painting class at Mount Marty College and had a showing at the monastery on August 4. One of her paintings is on the back cover of this issue, displaying plants and animals of her native Tanzania, with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. Holiday Fair October 26, :30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Sacred Heart Monastery Money from sale of food items to International Sisters Education Fund Meet & Greet~Browse & Buy Benedictine Peace Center Offerings Fall Offering: Little Rock Scripture Study The Acts of the Apostles Tuesday 7:00 8:30 p.m. Beginning September 24, ending November 6 OR The Spirituality of the Gospels Wednesday 10:15-11:45 a.m. Beginning September 25, ending November 26 For more information on the study, cost, deadline, and registration go to Or call Check the web for Advent Prayer offering. You are always welcome to come for personal retreats and spiritual direction. On August 2-3 the Sisters gathered for community days. At the Chapter meeting, Ss. Marietta Kerkvliet and Kathryn Burt were re-elected to the Monastic Council. In closing ceremonies, S. Penny Bingham commissioned each sister to go forth to their ministries, carrying out the theme, Rooted together in Christ, we participate in God s mystery unfolding. Below, she blessed S. Yvonne Dupong as S. Jeanne Weber, Subprioress, looks on. 6

7 S. DeChantal Garcia, OSB, 104, died on Friday, May 31, 2013 at Sacred Heart Monastery. A wake service was held on Monday evening, June 3, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. and the Funeral Mass was celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 4 in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel. Burial was in the Monastery cemetery. Gabriela Garcia was born on August 7, 1908 in Gardner, Colorado to Catedra and Manuelita (Martinez) Garcia. She was the ninth child in a family of thirteen children, four of whom became vowed religious. Her parents valued education so much that her mother moved to Walsenberg, CO, with the children so they could attend Catholic school, while her father remained on the farm. There she was taught by the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. St. Scholastica in Atchison, KS. She later attended school in Gardner taught by the Yankton Benedictines. Led by their example she came to Yankton to become a sister in 1924 at the age of 16. There was concern that she should not be admitted to the community because of poor health. She obviously proved that thought wrong by living to be 104. She first attended Mount Marty High School, and became a novice following her high school graduation in First Monastic Profession was in 1929 and Final Profession in She attended college in elementary education at Northern State Teachers College (Aberdeen, SD) and Mount Marty College. S. DeChantal taught in elementary schools for over forty years in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Bogota, Colombia, and San Pedro Carcha, Guatemala. One of her favorite projects, using her artistic ability, was designing the backdrops for school plays. As Spanish was her mother tongue, she was active in Sacred Heart Monastery s mission work in Colombia and Guatemala in the 1960 s. After retiring from teaching, she did pastoral ministry in Pueblo and Canon City, CO for 17 years, and also cared for her mother, who lived to be 99. Back in Yankton since 1990, she enjoyed playing cards and doing crafts. She was known as the Butterfly Sister because of the hundreds of butterflies she made from liter pop bottles. Friends and family came from five states to celebrate her 100th birthday. She is survived by her Benedictine community, including her niece, Sister Jane Frances Garcia, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and twelve siblings. S. Virgil Koch OSB, 89, died on July 19, 2013 at Sacred Heart Monastery. A wake service was held at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, and the funeral Mass was celebrated on Monday, July 22, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., both in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel. Burial was in the monastery cemetery. Catherine Elizabeth Koch was born July 28, 1923 on a farm in Brookies Bottom near Wynot, Nebraska to Alexander and Helen (Sorensen) Koch. She was the fourth of ten children. She attended country school District No. 7, and then went to Holy Trinity High School, Hartington, for one year. She graduated from Wynot High School. Catherine Elizabeth entered Sacred Heart Monastery in October She was invested as a novice on June 23, 1941 and received the name Virgil. She made her first profession on June 24, 1942 and her final profession on June 23, S. Virgil ministered in the health care field her entire religious life. She graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing in June of 1946 and immediately began courses in Anesthesia. The following year she started work in Anesthesia at Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. She held positions of night supervisor, OB supervisor, and surgical supervisor. After attending Marquette University for her BSN, she returned to Sacred Heart Hospital and instructed Obstetrical and Surgical nursing and later filled the position of Director of Nursing Services. In 1971, after a refresher course in Anesthesia at Harlem Hospital in New York, she taught anesthesia at Mount Marty College, the first college in the nation to offer a baccalaureate degree in nurse anesthesia. She later earned a Master of Science in Health Sciences degree in 1977 from the University of New York at Stony Brook. She served as assistant and program director of the Mount Marty College Department of Anesthesia, and was an officer in both state and regional nursing and anesthesia associations. She retired from teaching in 1996 and assisted in St. Joseph s Care Center in the monastery. S. Virgil was a Nebraska farm girl who became a steady, unassuming caregiver seeing the sick as God s special people. Her determined and dependable manner often allowed her to step into difficult situations and extend a helping hand. S. Virgil is survived by her Benedictine community, and siblings, Irene Peitz of Orland, CA, and Erwin Koch of Wynot, NE, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and seven brothers and one sister. 7

8 UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 12 Benedictine Lecture at MMC, S. Simone Campbell YANKTON BENEDICTINES Sacred Heart Monastery 1005 West 8th Street Yankton, SD Sept Spiritual Direction Residency NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID POS Change Service Requested Sept. 15 David Schmidt Organ Concert, Bishop Marty Chapel Oct Retreat, S. Maria Tasto Oct. 19 Theology Institute Oct. 26 Holiday Fair We invite you to join us for: MORNING PRAYER Monday 6:30 a.m. Saturday & 8:30 a.m. EVENING PRAYER Monday 5:15 p.m. 5:00 p.m. EUCHARIST Monday 6:50 a.m. a.m. Editor: S. Mary Jo Polak maryjo.polak@mtmc.edu Advisors and Writers: Ss. Francine Streff, Mary Kay Panowicz, Michaeleen Muhovich, Penny Bingham, Phyllis Hunhoff, Virginia Pieper This publication is circulated free of charge three times a year to families, friends and benefactors of the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, SD. If you would prefer to receive an copy of the Yankton Benedictines, please contact maryjo.polak@mtmc.edu. Let them all praise the Lord s name. Ps. 148 Painting by S. Donatha Gunda