March 4, 2011
12 Ferdinand Benedictines will celebrate jubilees in 2011
Twelve Benedictine sisters of Monastery Immaculate Concep-tion in Ferdinand will celebrate anniversaries of their religious profession in 2011. These sisters have given a total of 675 years of consecrated life and service to the Church.
On October 30, Sister Mary Charlotte Kavanaugh will celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of her monastic profession, Sister Martha Marie Tempel will celebrate her seventieth anniversary, and Sisters Joanna Trainer, Lorraine DeVault and Mary Dominic Frederick will celebrate their sixtieth anniversaries.
75 YEARS
• Sister Mary Charlotte, a native of Cannelburg, entered the monastery in 1934 from Ho-ly Angels Parish in Indianap-olis. She made her final profession in 1939. In 1937, she began her 63-year career in areas of education, including religious education and administration.
She currently resides in the monastery’s Hildegard Health Center and serves in the ministry of prayer.
From 1972 to 1995, Sister Mary Charlotte served as director and teacher of religious education at the U.S. Army base in Fort Rucker, Ala. She was director of religious education at St. Martin Parish in Siberia, Ind., and a religion teacher at St. Fer-dinand Parish, Ferdinand, and Sacred Heart Parish, Schnell-ville.
She was assistant superintendent of Evansville diocesan schools and editor of Mine magazine, a national religious education magazine. She taught and was supervisor of student teachers at St. Benedict College in Ferdinand. She also taught at St. Ferdinand School, Ferdi-nand, St. Benedict School in Evansville, and in Washington, Ind.
70 YEARS
• Sister Martha Marie, a native of Siberia, Ind., entered the monastery from St. Joseph Parish in Dale in 1939. She made her final profession in 1944.
Beginning in 1944, she taught at Huntingburg, at St. Joseph and St. Benedict schools, both in Evansville, Assumption School in Indianapolis, St. James School in Haubstadt, Elberfeld, Celes-tine, St. Thomas School, Vincennes, and St. Anthony School, all in Indiana.
She was a religious education teacher at St. Joseph Parish in Dale. In 1988 to 1989, she participated in a sabbatical program at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. She served as sacristan at the monastery and continues to provide supportive services.
60 YEARS
• Sister Joanna, a native of Evansville, entered the monas-tery from St. Anthony Parish in 1949. She made her final profession in 1954. Beginning in 1952, she taught at Christ the King School in Indianapolis; St. Philip School in Posey County, and at St. Joseph, Marian Day, St. John, St. Vincent Day Care and St. Anthony, all in Evansville.
She helped establish the House of Bread and Peace ministry and shelter in Evansville in 1984 and served as its director until 2003. She currently provides supportive services at the monastery.
• Sister Lorraine, a native of Loogootee, entered the monas-tery from St. John Parish in 1949. She made her final profession in 1954. Beginning in 1952, she taught in Evansville at Christ the King, Holy Rosary and St. Benedict schools, at St. Mary School in Washington, at Holy Family School in Jasper, at St. Matthew School in Mount Vernon, and she served as a teacher aide at St. Vincent de Paul in Bedford.
She was principal at St. Joseph School, Evansville, Holy Family School, Jasper, and St. James, Haubstadt. She worked in the monastery Development Office and served as administrative secretary at the monastery. She was secretary for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Regional Office in Louisville, and for St. Mary Parish, Mitchell.
Since 1998, she has been working in supportive services at the monastery.
• Sister Mary Dominic, a native of Louisville, entered the monastery from St. Anthony Parish in Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1949. She made her final profession in 1954. Beginning in 1952, she taught at St. Theresa School and Mater Dei High School, both in Evansville, at Sts. Peter and Paul School in Haubstadt, and at St. Ferdinand High School, Ferdinand.
She taught and served as principal at Academy Immaculate Conception/Marian Heights Academy from 1967 to 1993, except for one year when she was a dormitory supervisor at Marymount School in Surrey, England. She has been the ar-chivist at the monastery in Ferdinand since 1995.
On May 28, Benedictine Sisters Charlene Ann Wheeless, Barbara Ann Offerman, Mary Rose Hasenour, Paulette Seng, Doris Marie Knebel, Mary Jane Kiesel and Dolores Folz will celebrate their golden anniver-sary of profession. These sisters made their first profession of monastic vows in 1961 and their final profession in 1966.
50 YEARS
• Sister Charlene Ann, a native of Evansville, entered the monastery from Sacred Heart Parish in 1959. Beginning in 1963, she taught at Holy Spirit School in Evansville, St. James School in Haubstadt, St. Matthew School in Mount Vernon, and at Mater Dei High School, Evansville.
She was principal at St. Mary School in Hun-tingburg from 1969 to 1971, director of religious education at St. Mary Parish in Hunting-burg from 1971 to 1978, in retreat ministry at Kordes Center in Ferdi-nand, worked in supportive services and then as formation director at Mount Tabor Monastery in Blue River, Ky., and was manager of printing and purchasing at the monastery from 1987 to 2001. She has been manager of the monastery gift shop since 2002.
• Sister Barbara Ann, a native of rural Vanderburgh County, entered the monastery from St. Wendel Parish in 1959. Beginning in 1963, she taught at St. Theresa, Evansville; St. Anthony School, St. Anthony; and Mater Dei High School, Evansville. She was a home health nurse for Visiting Nurse Association, Evansville; a missionary in Guatemala; a teacher at Marian Heights Academy, Ferdinand; an infirmarian at the Ferdinand monastery; a nurse in Martin County, at Family Neighborhood Health Center, Santa Claus, and for the mobile health unit of University of Evansville Gerontology; director of religious education at Holy Cross Parish, Fort Branch; worked in the monastery gift shop; and is currently director of community health services for the Sisters of St. Benedict.
• Sister Mary Rose, a native of Fort Branch, entered the monastery from Holy Cross parish in 1959. She worked in housekeeping and other supportive services for the monas-tery and monastery infirmary, and in housekeeping and other support services at St. Joseph Hospital, Huntingburg; Lark Community House in Siberia; St. Meinrad Archabbey; and at the Dove House and Owl House in Jasper.
Her current ministry is support services at the Owl House, needlework for the monastery gift shop, and volunteering at Good Samaritan Northwood Retirement Community, Jasper.
• Sister Paulette, a native of Dubois, entered the monastery from St. Raphael Parish in 1959. Beginning in 1963, she taught at St. James School in Haubstadt, at St. Thomas School in Vincennes, at Ferdinand Consoli-dated School, and Mater Dei High School, Evansville.
She served as a teacher, English department chairperson, dean of student affairs, and acting principal at Academy Immaculate Conception/Mar-ian Heights Academy for 27 years. She was communications associate for Sisters of St. Bene-dict from 2000 to 2010. Her current ministry is director of Academy Alumnae Associa-tion, monastery liaison with the Communications Department, and coordinator of monastery special events.
• Sister Doris Marie, a native of Jasper, entered the monastery from Holy Family Parish in 1959. Beginning in 1963, she taught at Christ the King School and Holy Spirit schools, both in Evansville. She was principal at Mother of Sorrows School, Tucson, Ariz., from 1973 to 1982, and principal at Holy Spirit, Evansville, from 1982 to 1996. She has been teaching at Resurrection School in Evansville since 1996.
• Sister Mary Jane, a native of Haubstadt, entered the mon-astery from Sts. Peter and Paul parish in 1959. Beginning in 1963, she taught at St. Philip School in Posey County, at Holy Spirit and Holy Rosary schools, both in Evansville, at St. Francis Xavier School in Poseyville, at Sacred Heart School in Vincennes, and at Holy Redeemer and Christ the King schools, both in Evansville.
She was a religious education teacher at St. Mary Parish, Huntingburg; a pastoral associate at St. Isidore Parish, Bristow. She was in clinical pastoral education at Deaconess Hospital, Evansville, and an aide with the Visiting Nurse Association, Evansville.
She has been minister to the sick and coordinator of Stephen Ministry Program at St. Joseph Parish, Jasper, since 1992.
• Sister Dolores, a native of rural Posey County, entered the monastery from St. Philip Par-ish in 1959. Beginning in 1963, she taught at Holy Rosary School in Evansville, at Acad-emy Immaculate Conception/
Marian Heights Academy, Ferd-inand, and at Mater Dei High School, Evansville.
She was director of formation for Sisters of St. Benedict, administrator of the monastery infirmary, Ferdinand, director of housekeeping at the monastery, and director of volunteers for Sisters of St. Benedict. She has been coordinator of central purchasing for the monastery since 2008.
Founded in 1867, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand currently number 161 and serve in areas of education, parish work, health care, retreat and spirituality work, social services, counseling and mission work in Indiana, Kentucky, Italy, and Peru.