Council of Women Religious Diocese of Raleigh
Minutes of May 22 nd Meeting
A.
Lunch – Bishop Burbidge hosted a lunch for Council Members and his Executive Staff as a “Thank You” to the Sisters leaving the Diocese: Sr. Carol Loughney, IHM, Sr. Mary
Agnes Ryan, IHM, and Sr. Shirley Simpson, CSC.
B.
Opening Prayer – Sr. Mary Jean
C.
Attendance: Srs. Barbara Marie Cady, Shirley Simpson, Mary Agnes Ryan, Carol
Loughney, Mary Ann Czaja, Chris Gellings, Ruth Perl, Laura Downing, Ms. Echo Lewis,
Mary Jean Korejwo.
Excused: Srs. Theresine Gildea, Maxine Tancraitor, Msgr. Sherba
D.
Communication: Thank you note from Sr. Joanna Walsh; Chris shared word from Sr. Lois
McGillivray that she will become the Administrator of their retreat center in Santa Cruz on June 1 st ; a copy of the final Diocesan Plan has been placed in the secretary’s file and is available on the opening page of the Diocesan Website.
E.
Sister’s Overnite for September – Since we received minimal response to our first email we will send another so that we can make room and meal reservations.
F.
New IHM Sister coming to the Diocese: Sr. Helen Marie Gates, IHM will be coming to the
Diocese in August. She will minister at Our Lady of Lourdes School and live with the other IHM Sisters.
G.
Report from the meeting of the Diocesan Committee for the “Celebration of the Year of
Consecrated Life” … 2015 … chair person is Sr. Barbara Marie Cady. a.
Objectives chosen by the committee:
-to “make a grateful remembrance of the recent past”
-to “embrace the future with hope”
-to “live the present with passion”
b. Lines of Communication to explore
- NC Catholic – 10 issues – 1 page each month organized around charisms
- Website – dedicated website or page on existing site and Council Website
- Video-Intro Promo series of short stories to go with magazine stories
- Social Media
- Bulletin Announcements
c. Emerging ideas…
- opening and closing liturgies
- pray for sister/brother each day of the year
- retreats with a vocation focus
- religious communites create content of their order for all age groups
- add photos and brief biography to bookmarks of women in formation
- deanery posters of sisters current and past
- Jubilee..celebrate milestones of profession
- Letter writing campaign
- Sisters website, where you can find the sisters … speakers bureau
- pins with order logo or logo from NCCB
- Nun-run with money benefiting young women discerning

- Find videos that exist of each religious order in Diocese
- High level lecture series
- Attach a virtue to each order
- Web page dedicated to consecrated religious
- Poster with favorite/famous quotes
- Curriculum, definitions, history, local stories
- Find critical date for each order … founding, patron, etc.
- Harvest theme
- Create family tree for each congregation
- Gather photos from each congregation
- Highlight Katherine Drexel and NC connection
- Posters of women in formation
d. Liasons to the committee for congregations in our Diocese:
Below please find the sister liason for the Year of Consecrated Life.
DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM
Sr. Edna English dwnc@suddenlink.net
SISTER OF NOTRE DAME OF CHARDON, OHIO
Sr. Janet Schemmel sschemmelsnd@cghsnc.org
SISTERS OF ST. LOUIS
Sr. Teresa Marry tmssl@yahoo.com
SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE
Sr. Theresine Gildea tresmaxx@aol.com
DOMINICAN SISTERS OF PEACE and SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS OF
PHILADELPHIA
Sr. Carol Ann May camay711@nc.rr.com
IHM - SCRANTON
Sr. Betty Bullen stelizabethofhungaryraeford@yahoo.com
SISTERS OF MERCY
Sr. Anne Heath aheathmsw@gmail.com
SISTER OF THE HOLY CROSS
Sr. Judy Hallock hallockj@aol.com
CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF ST. AGNES
Sr. Mary Ann Czaja tcoutreach@tarboronc.com

SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CHESTNUT HILL
Sr. Catherine Fee sister@stthereseparish.net
DAUGHTERS OF ST. MARY OF GUADALUPE
Sr. Maria de los Angeles (Sr. Angie) samangies@yahoo.com
MADONNA HOUSE MINISTRY
Miss Echo Lewis madonnahouse@ec.rr.com
SISTERS of CHARITY - CONVENT STATION, NJ
Sr. Rosanne Caiazzo - they did not respond and never respond to our emails/contacts mtnc8@mc.net
IHM - MONROE, MICHIGAN
Sr. Chris Gellings - cgellings@aol.com
IHM - IMMACULATA, PENNSYLVANIA
Sr. Maureen Donati mdonati@oll.org
SISTERS OF ST. URSULA
Sr. Mary Alice Mooney mooneymaryalice@gmail.com
Next meeting of the Committee is Thursday, May 29 th .
H.
Jubilarians for 2015 … a.
50 years … Srs. Betty Bullen, IHM, Evelyn Craig, IHM, Mary Margaret Weber, CSC b.
60 years ..Ms. Theresa Davis,MHM, Sr. Helen Marie Gates,IHM, Sr. Ruth Perl,SND
I.
Stipend for 2014-15 … will remain the same as the past year
J.
Election results: a.
Re-elected: Srs. Mary Ann Czaja. Laura Downing, Chris Gellings, Theresine Gildea,
Ruth Perl. b.
Newly elected: Srs. Betty Bullen, IHM, Sr. Maria de los Angeles Sanchez-Abriz,
DSMG, Sr. Janet Schemmel, SND.
K.
New Treasurer: Ms. Echo Lewis, MHM has accepted the position of treasurer, replacing
Sr. Mary Agnes Ryan, IHM.
L.
Financial Report for the year: (full report available in secretary’s file) a.
Budget for 2013-14: $10,100.00. Spent: $5706.85 b.
Budget for 2014-15: $9000.00. (All asked to cut budget.)
M.
Next meeting of the Council: Thursday, August 21 st , 12 noon, Backyard Bistro.
N.
POST MEETING the following dates were confirmed on Bishop’s calendar and the calendar at Our Lady of Lourdes church and Fallon Center: a.
Sept. 27, 2014 – Sisters’ Appreciation Day and Sisters’ Overnite(26)

b.
Jan. 31, 2015 – World Day of Consecrated Life c.
Sept. 26, 2015 – Sisters’ Appreciation Day d.
Feb. 6, 2016 – World Day of Consecrated Life e.
Sept. 24, 2016 – Sisters’ Appreciation Day and Sisters’ Overnite(23)