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Dominican Sisters

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News for Families and Friends of Dominican Sisters and Associates

Grains of Wheat
Vol XXXV No 4

Winter 2007

May the LIGHT of Christmas be yours Christ be warmth of family and friends Christ be radiance as this year ends Christ be peace this happy morn Christ be joy as Jesus is born May the LIGHT of Christmas be yours Jesus bring angels about our hearth Jesus bring joy and peace to our Earth Jesus send grace from heaven above Jesus send gifts to enfold us in love May the LIGHT of Christmas be yours Christ bestow wisdom on lands afar Christ bestow shining light of a star Christ empower leaders of unsettled lands Christ empower all to extend our hands May the LIGHT of Christmas be yours Christ be our freedom, our fullness, our faith Christ be contentment, abundance, and grace Christ be presence, protector, and guide Christ be our future, the friend by our side May the LIGHT of Christmas be yours Jesus be king of our hearts we adore Jesus be bridge, our shepherd, and door Jesus be beacon, our mission, our call Jesus be savior, our strength, and our all In gratitude for your prayer and support of us and our ministries, you will be remembered in our Christmas liturgies and novena, December 16 24. Assistant-Prioress, Sr Rene Weeks OP, Councilors, Sr Amy McFrederick OP, Sr Diane Traffas OP, and Sr Betty Werner OP, and all of the Dominican Sisters, Associates, and Partner in Mission

Poem by Sr Elaine Osborne Photo by Sr Yvonne Clark

Katrina
Dominicans from New Orleans rebuild their lives post-Katrina. Great Bend Communicators help to tell the story on page 2.

Lieben Seife
Sr Imelda Schmidts Lieben Seife, or Loving Soap, raises $2,000 to $3,000 a year for the African missions. Read more on page 3.

Aging
Read how the aging Dominicans of Kansas continue to preach the Gospel of Jesus. See pages pages 4-6.

Grains of Wheat

Winter 2007

Spirituality Center Keeps its focus on recovery and hope

Telling the Story

9.

9. Finished lieben seife (loving soap) is wrapped in a fresh breathable tissue cover: Angelica has the sweetness of rose and plumeria; Lovely Lavender has local lavender botanicals and essential oil; Peaches and Cream has goat milk and a light scent of peaches; Royal Rosemary has rosemary botanicals and essential oil; Sandman has an orange and sandalwood fragrance; Satin is a non-scented soap for those who like fragrance-free soap; Summertime has the light scent of patchouly and lavender. Noel, a new brand that will only be available during the holiday season features a Christmas tree scent and essential oil.

Contributors: Dana Lear Brantley (Kentucky), Jean Mullolly (Racine), Sr Elaine Osborne OP (Great Bend), and Rebecca Peak (Great Bend)
On August 29, 2005, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet breached its levees in 20 places as a result of Hurricane Katrina leaving 80 percent of the city underwater. Through the assistance of Notre Dame, Ave Maria Press donated books to the center providing better contemporary spirituality resources than they had before the storm. Thanks to the generosity of others, the new books are stored on nine new bookcases. Even though the offices themselves have changed at the Spirituality Center, their work continues as before. But, Sr Noel said, the experience of Katrina didnt change the ministry as much as add a new dimension as people began to rebuild their lives and homes. People need someone to talk to not just about their spiritual direction, but what they experienced during the ordeal, Sr Noel said. The center provides that listening ear for those still dealing with the effects of Katrina. I didnt cry over the devastation, I cried over the experience of people, Sr Noel said as she recounted stories of those shes spoken with since returning to New Orleans in October 2005. She told the story of a former student who is now a chaplain for the New Orleans Police Department. Haunted by gruesome images of people he tried to rescue, their pleading voices played ceaselessly in his head as he struggled to sleep at night. She told him: Youll never lose those images, but you also need to keep the pictures of life and hope you made possible. Pictures like that of a week-old baby he found turning blue in its screaming mothers hand, its tiny arms hanging limp. He knew that infant was dying or already dead, but carefully he breathed into its mouth and gently as he could, pressed two fingers on its fragile chest, almost futilely urging it to come back. Finally, he saw a little arm pop up, and the child began breathing on its own. Sr Noel urged him to always remember that little arm popping up showing signs of life. Stories like this one are too numerous to count, but they must be told, Sr Noel said. People cant forget the stories of sadness because it is out of those stories that the blessings come. Just like that clay storyteller figurine, Sr Noel and the others at the Spirituality Center made it through the storm so they can continue to tell their story.

Lieben Seife Loving Soap

1.

Communicators Sr Elaine Osborne OP (Great Bend) and Dana Lear Brantley (Kentucky) look at the photos made by Sr Noel Toomey OP (EMD), of the damage the flood waters did to the basement offices of the Spirituality Center. A picture is worth a thousand words or so they say but even pictures cannot capture the full impact of the devastation caused when Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans August 29, 2005. That was the feeling among many of the Dominican communicators who visited New Orleans during the January 2007 OPCOMNET Conference. Seeing the devastation first hand, realizing how much worse it must have been a year and a half prior, and hearing personal accounts of life before, during, and after Katrina brought to light the fact that the story isnt over even though it may have disappeared from the news. Something terrible happened to the people of New Orleans, among them members of the Dominican family. Committed to not forgetting this tragedy, communicators at the January conference compiled Hope and Faith in New Orleans a series of stories documenting the Dominicans from New Orleans as they attempt to rebuild their lives post-Katrina. The stories are moving, but each contains a message of hope and resilience. What follows is the story that was witnessed, told and photographed, in part, by the Dominican communicators from Great Bend: Sr Elaine Osborne OP and Rebecca Peak, who was the Communications Director at the time.

n the midst of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, there in the flooded basement offices of the Spirituality Center at Notre Dame Seminary, sat a small Pueblo clay storyteller figurine virtually untouched as if to proclaim that Sr Noel Toomey OP, and others at the center should continue their ministry and keep telling the story. As Dominicans, as preachers, we need to keep reverencing the story but help people focus on whats the blessing right now, said Sr Noel, a Eucharistic Missionary of St Dominic who is in her 25th year as the centers director.

The story, by now everyone knows. On August. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans causing a breach in the levees submerging 80 percent of the city in floodwaters. What is hard to see in the devastation still evident two years later is the blessing, but Sr Noel encourages everyone to seek it. The wonderful thing in all this sadness is the feeling of whats important What lasts and what drifts away thats the preaching gift through the disaster, she said. Despite losing 25 years of her classroom notes and professional resources as well as many personal items in the offices, Sr Noel doesnt look at what was lost but what was gained by the center in the storms aftermath. Weve come out very well, she said. The center was moved from the basement of a building at Notre Dame Seminary to the second floor of a building next door. This is the result of a lesson the seminary learned from the devastation a classroom with chairs and tables can be replaced much easier than offices with years of notes and personal items. What once served as a chapel now serves as teaching and office areas for the center. It is a much nicer space than before, according to Sr Noel. Flood insurance covered the actual structure of the building, but not the contents. Sr Noel and the staff at the Spirituality Center were left to rely on the generosity of others for items necessary to continue the ministry another blessing. Everything inside had to be replaced but the generosity of people brought us pretty close The Spirituality Center offices are coming back to their forto where we were before, she mer strength. Sr Noel Toomey OP (EMD), shows off the new said. shelving put in place.

e may remember our mothers and grandmothers making soap outside in a big iron kettle, reads a lieben seife pamphlet. It contained lye and lard. The finished product was harsh and drying to the skin but was wonderful in the washing machine. Now we make soap from vegetable oils that are silky, sudsy, and cleansing. Most of all, they nurture and feed our skin. This nurturing lieben seife, which means loving soap, is the fruit of Sr Imelda Schmidts 8. Freshly cut soap is set in rows in a box soap-making hobby which started in 2002 where plenty of fresh air can circulate, and while she was working at the Liebenhaus of the 6 week seasoning process can begin. Dur- Contemplation in Liebenthal, Kansas. After ing this time, the caustic nature of the lye fully much research, an approving nod from her evaporates. community, and about $500 in start up costs, Sr Imelda began to make and sell soap for the Dominican Sisters Nigerian mission in Africa. Now, five years later, Sr Imelda works full time as a therapist at the Thomas Chiropractic Center in El Dorado, Kansas, and her soap-making hobby, at $4.00 a bar, yields about $2,000 to $3,000 a year for the African missions. Not considering herself to be very good with words, making soap has become a spiritual practice for Sr Imelda and a means of self-expression. In the end, she explains, I like that 7. After 24 hours, the soap is cut. Essential people like it. oils, and boxes of wrapped soap can be seen In addition to individual bars of soap, Sr Imelda in the background. also makes gift baskets of varying prices which include soaps, sponges, and homemade bath salts. To order soap and/or gift baskets, contact Sr Imelda at 316-322-7960.

8.

Story and Photos by Rebecca Ford

1. Adding caustic lye to water produces extreme heat, reaching over 200 degrees. Before the solution is set aside to cool and dissolve, a pinch of silkworm is added to provide minerals and protein for the skin.

7.

2.

6.

4.

2. A combination of oils are mixed. Coconut oil provides lather and hardness; olive oil makes the soap rich and creamy; and palm kernel oil is used for lather and hardness.

3.

6. To hold in some of the warmth so that the soap cures slowly, a quilt is placed over the cardboard.

5.

5. The warm soap mixture is poured into molds and covered with cardboard.

4. The lye-oil mixture is stirred and then beat with a handmixer until it reaches a puddinglike consistency. Depending on the soap recipe, other ingredients are added such as goat milk, essential oils, botanicals, fragrances, and emolients which soothe and soften the skin.

3. Saponification, the essential chemical process in all soap making, occurs when lye and oil are brought together under the right conditions: both the lye solution and the oil mixture are at 100 degrees.

At 98 years, Sr Salesia Schneweis (left) and Sr Henrietta Schneweis (below) are first cousins, and the oldest members of the community. After celebrating her birthday on October 18th, Sr Salesia explains that she isnt just 98, shes going on 99! Helping her to celebrate (left to right) are Cheryl Resner RN, Barbara Millard RN, Joyce Koester RN, Sue Jaske CNA/CMA, and Sr Ann Metzen OP.

Matriarchs of the Motherhouse

AGING On the one hand: surely, not a topic for me On the other hand: eye drops needed Advil by the truck load vitamins - 50 Plus dry skin - stock in Jergens aches and pains in strange places graying And: expanded family members birth of next family generations memories galore friendships enriched and cherished greater awareness of Gods presence and workings wisdom popping up all over the place better discernment of life issues physical loss of loved ones unbelievable life experiences Desire: slower pace time, time, time quiet companionship sharing DEFINITELY, A TOPIC FOR ME.
By Sr Peggy Martin OP

Story and Photos by Rebecca Ford

or Sr Sibyllina Mueller and Sr Eleanor Unrein, retirement did not come easy. Sr Sibyllina was working full time at the Art of Learning Center in Wichita, Kansas, when she was struck with a heart attack, and then a stroke. The journey from Wichita to the motherhouse infirmary in Great Bend left her feeling that God had completely abandoned her. She dealt with the many changes day-by-day, and relied on her understanding and experience of working with the mind to help her healing process. Today, Sr Sibyllinas outlook is brighter. I love it here! she explains during a break from her sewing. I preach all day long! Whether she is sewing, or reading and playing cards with some of the other sisters, she aspires to inspire before she expires. In other words, she explains, Do all you can with what you have, where you are, and as long as you can. Sr Eleanor had already retired, or rather, recreated her energies once. After working for 37 years as an OB nursea job she lovedshe wanted to do something else before she got too old. She had gone to all of the community workshops on retirement, and then went to some more classes so that she could do another 15 years of chaplaincy work, first in Wichita and then in Garden City. Still, when she suffered her heart attack in 2001, she reflects, I wasnt prepared for retirement . . . . there were many tears and it was very heard. It wasnt until she took a part-time job in the community archives that she felt like she had something to go to: I felt like I was really doing something for the community. Despite their different experiences, Sr Sibyllina and Sr Eleanor are both adamant about the importance of staying involved and active in life as one gets older. Keep the mind going! explains Sr Sibyllina whose expertise is in mental development, dont stop thinking! To help the older sisters do just that, Sr Sibyllina enjoys playing card games with them because playing cards is a great decision-making exercise and a great stimulator. It also gives the sisters a way to let loose a little bit. Prepare to do something when you retire, adds Sr Eleanor. Dont just sit and do nothing. There is still something you can do . . . you are still good for something! While Sr Sibyllina and Sr Eleanor have healed sufficiently to leave the infirmary floor of the motherhouse, seventeen sisters still live there, some by choice, others because they still need varying degrees of temporary or permanent assistance. Their home is the avenue of saints, Sr Sibyllina

explains, many prayers are answered through them, and through their suffering; they are very cheerful and they never complain. It is on the infirmary floor, perhaps more than anywhere else in the motherhouse, that the dignity of the human person is made incarnate, from conception to natural death. After decades of active, fruitful, highly respectable and compassionate ministry in health care, pastoral care, domestic care, education, leadership, and more, the lives of the sisters on the infirmary floor are transformed into a powerful and resounding yes to human life, and to the dignity of their being in Christ, even when they arent able to engage in active ministry, and especially when they arent even able to speak. There has always been a societal trend of using people as objects for personal gain and advantage, only to throw them out when they become inconvenient, or can no longer serve the purpose. Inspired by the Gospel to live and preach a different way of life, the sisters who currently live on the infirmary floor committed their lives to actively serving others for no other reason than that they were people loved and valued by God. As modern pressures and technological advances accelerate disposable, self-serving trends, however, and lacking the physical means to actively minister or make a difference, the sisters who live on the infirmary floor still preach the counter cultural affirmation of life by simply livingpouring outtheir very own lives. In fact, some sisters, stripped of their ability to engage in most activity beyond living, have become some of the most authentic expressions of their mission: We Dominicans of Kansas, impelled by the Gospel of Jesus, are the Holy Preaching. The incarnation of the dignity of the human person in the Dominican sisters motherhouse infirmary wouldnt be possible, however, without the staff members who work and care for the sistersstaff members who are particularly attuned to and blessed by the sisters ministry of prayer and being, and who repeatedly say that they love being there. For Jean Kraus, activities director, it is the chance to bring the sisters what they need that gives her a sense of joy and fulfillment. Sometimes it is as simple as an ice cream social in the infirmary, or a trip to the local Dairy Queen. At other times Jean plans field trips, taking the sisters to see museums, local

churches, Christmas tree lights, or the Dominican sisters Heartland Farm and the golden ripple of ripe wheat fields just outside of town. Even with something as simple as carving pumpkins for Halloween, Joyce Koester, one of the nurses, explains, they just like to watch! Joyce, who is related to many of the sisters, says that it is the simple smile or thank you that makes her day. She also has a keen appreciation for the fact that as the sisters become older and less able to respond, they still care about family, friends and whatever else is going on. They consider each other family, and the staff to be part of that family . . . I try to bring that in by talking about whats going on in my own family. They like that. When family and friends do come to visit during the day, perhaps the sister they have come to see will be sleeping; they [the visitors] want to leave because they dont want to disturb her, but its better to visit for five minutes than to not disturb her at all, Joyce explains, it just makes their day to see you! If we know there are visitors coming, we try to help the sisters present themselves with dignity; I try to treat them as I would want to be treatedwith modesty, for example. Even though infirmary staff members are quick to say how much they love their work and the sisters they serve, they also know of the challenges on the avenue of saints. The sisters who live in the infirmary are still human, and still prone to being uncooperative about taking medications and/or understanding why they should. For other sisters, it is a challenge to know what they need, or like, or where a pain might be, especially when they are not able to respond very well. These challenges are likely to be found in most elder infirmary care environments. But something you dont see in any other place, said Joyce, is the experience of death as a joyful event--a celebration, in fact. That doesnt mean its not sad! Sisters become like family for the infirmary staff, too, and they have to take a little bit of a break when a sister dies. Still, natural death on the infirmary floor of the convent is a joyful occasion because a sister is going home to God! She has, in the words of St Paul, fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and now merits the crown awaiting her (2 Tim 4:7).

Retirement
by Sr Frances Marie Heitz OP Retirement is a time To treasure past memories, To enjoy the happiness that retirement brings, and To anticipate future possibilities.
For most people retirement means to slow down and live life more leisurely. Theres no need to get up early in the morning, get ready and rush to get to your job, and after eight hours, do the other jobs that need to be done at home. Some couples look forward to traveling, seeing the places theyve read about and would like to see. Others especially anticipate the special times with their grandchildren. We are pilgrims on a faith journey, which each person experiences. God has made each individual for a purpose and has given each one a certain number of years to fulfill that purpose. Jesus said, I have come that you may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). While on this journey, the body often alerts the person to the reality of this onward passage. Advancing age is an adventure that weve never had before. Growing older is a matter of forward motion. One feels a great need for Gods help: the body needs more attention, illness comes more frequently, aching bones bring on discomfort, teeth need more dental care, hearing loss and failing eyesight are experienced and the mind doesnt function as quickly as it did. Aging is not convenient. The risk of falling is greater. As a child one would run and skip without thinking, whereas an older person has to think twice whether to take a step or not, whether there is a piece of furniture to hold onto for some support, which is the shortest way to some destination. It might even take courage to take a shower for fear of falling. Aging often brings with it a dislike of what is new and unfamiliar, and it finds it difficult to make adjustments not knowing what will happen next. It helps to retain or develop an adventurous mind because as the years go by, we can grow, continue to learn by reading and studying, keep active in pursuing a hobby, playing games, and keep attuned to the happenings of the times. God knows we need to be called to some things that are difficult to cope with to continue to progress. Suffering and inconveniences bring out the strengths within a person that would otherwise remain unformed. Still, as we advance in years we can look forward to retirement and gradually prepare for it with optimism and in a spirit of submission. Attitude is a very important ingredient we get out of it what we put into it. Retirement should give the retiree time for rest, relaxation and reflection, time to take a leisurely walk in nature and enjoy the wonder of Gods handiwork or just to quietly listen to the Lord.

Retired sisters Mary Lawrence Hoffman (seated) and Sr Corona Bayer, aka Santas Elves, are busy every day working in their little (and packed!) studio on various projects for a craft and bake sale that benefits the Central Kansas Association for the Visually Impaired, and for the Dominican Sisters Annual Mission Bazaar.

Do Small Things with Great Love

with a sense of humor are more tolerant of others faults and are able to take their own shortcomings with a bit of laughter. Peaceful acceptance rather than despair is also easier with a positive attitude and a sense of humor. Studies on humor indicate that it is an effective method for healing and relieving both physical and psychological pain. Laughter, joy and playfulness are healthy approaches for the well being of all persons. Still, one of the greatest challenges for me is helping our sisters accept the difficulties and losses of aging. Sisters accept limitations with more or less grace; however, resigning to dependence on others for ones care is difficult for any of us. There may be unresolved conflicts and unfinished business that surface when a sister is not busy doing work. Henry Nouwen stated, We are all blessed and broken and given and regardless of what we do; we are beloved of God. When a sister expresses to me that she was not finished with her work, I try to help her accept that God is grateful for all she has already done for others. A common question for some sisters is, Why do I have to suffer so much? Of course I do not have the answer for this question but none of us is exempt from suffering. Whether our suffering is manifested in mental anguish, physical pain or spiritual dryness, Jesus suffers with us.

Grains of Wheat

Winter 2007

Thank you, our benefactors

. . . for gifts you gave in memory of your deceased loved ones,

or in honor of your living family and friends.
Edward Grob Sr Edna Haefling OP John Hahn Jr Robert & Mayola Haley Dorothy Hand Mike Hand Raymond & Elaine Hardin Crystal Harris Sr Amadea Hauser OP George Henning LeRoy Henning Rose & Joe Henning Ramon & Victoria Hernandez Irene Hommertzheim Bernadette Jacobs William & Theresia Jansen Bertha Johnsen Frank Kaiser Kaiser Family Pete & Anna Kieffer Sr Clarissa Kinzel OP Nick & Frances Kirmer Frank N & Ellen Marie Klepper Ed Koehler Family Sr Mary Gregory Kraus OP Bruce Kreutzer Sr Marcella Landwehr OP Joan Leiker Leona Leiker Gene Linenberger Joseph P Luebbers Tony & Anna Luebbers Leonard & Lennie Maneth David Marcum Fred Mater Sr Jane Marie McCoy OP Charles McEneaney Joseph McGlinn Louis Mendoza Metzen Family Dale Meyer Martin Miller Harold & Rita Miller Harry Mills Jr Walter & Mary Mintener James C & Isabel Moran Edward & Eileen Murray Michael L Nuss Pauline Obholz John & Elsie Oborny Elizabeth Oborny Jane Ornella Sr Regina ORourke OP

This list represents gifts received from July 1 to September 30, 2007. We will list gifts given In Memory Of or In Honor Of in each issue of Grains of Wheat. Once a year we list all our donors. Please let us know if you notice any omission or incorrectly listed name.
Susan Roviaro Tracy Scelzo Frank & Lizzie Schmeidler Family Sr Imelda Schmidt OP Sr Anita Schugart OP Children of Ralph & Helen Schulte Frank & Ann Schulte Family Sr Francine Schwarzenberger OP Harold & Theresa Stark Sr Martina Stegman OP Sr Petrona Stockemer OP Sr Malachy Stockemer OP Anna Marie Stremel Sr Cecilia Ann Stremel OP Lucy Strohl Richard Strohl Family Thomas Young In Memory of July 1 September 30, 2007 Joe & Evelyn Arensdorf Robert Bailey Kenny Barta Henry & Mathilda Basgall Lillian Beck Birzer Family Sr Josephine Blazek OP Edward Blick Ben & Minnie Bock Sr Lorena Bolte OP Linda Bounds Frank & Helen Braun Earl Brown Maryann Brown Jean Brown Olson Glenn Chinn Morris Crouse Joe & Marie Debes Pauline Depenbusch Louis R Dietz Isabel Dixon Paul Dolechek Anna Dreiling Francis Ebenkamp Sam Ebenkamp Rosemary Englert Paul Feist Sr Dorothy Felder OP Paul Flax Sr Joan Forward OP Eddie Galliart Glenn Gates Leona Goodman Crestino Ortiz Pat Vann Dr William Winston Paine Juanita Vigil Mary Parks Rosalie Vigil Mozell Penelton Mark Vigil Loren Peterson Sam Von Lintel Ralph W Pfannenstiel Marie Vondracek Joe Polzin Tony & Leocadia Walt Al Prusa Joseph Weiss Rita Kay Pulliam Don Wells Marvin & Margaret Purkeypyle Ron Wells Rabenseifner Family Sr Kathleen Werner OP Meryl Raven Rudy & Irene Werth Edwin Reichuber Cliff & Helen Werth Family Sr Cunigunda Ridder OP LaDonna J White George & Loretta Robl Brenda Williams Antonio & Margarita Rocha Lawrence & Pearle Willson Philip Rodacy Jack Wilson Jim Rohlman John & Rose Wolke Anton Rohr Thelma Wood Ed L Roth Edwin Woydziak Don Roth Ben & Mary Zimmerman Braham Sappington Zink Family Margaret Sappington-Harder Melvin & Maxine Scheck Family Barbara Schiltz Linsey Schiltz Frank & Lizzie Schmeidler Family Robert Schmitt Marion J Schneider Michael A Schneider Bennie Schoenberger Sr Anthony Schreiner OP Ralph & Helen Schulte Family Viola Shenefield John Shuttic Parents & Parents-in-Law of Donna Simard Lawrence & Mary Spade Don & Dorothy Stamback Edward Stang Sr Monica Staudinger OP Sr Veronica Staudinger OP AJ & Anna Stremel The Stremel Family Brian Thielen Betty Thompson Hattie Tinkel After! Community Treasurer, Tony Tinkel Sr Judith Lindell, transforms Sr Margarita Tockert OP W.E. Tolrud Sr a Jubilee celebration leftover Ray Tougas into a festive Santa for the Shirley Turner Annual Mission Bazaar. Carl J Urban

by Barbara Millard RN Motherhouse Infirmary Supervisor

t was my heroine, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who once said do small things with great love. This is how I hope the infirmary staff and I respond to our sisters in the infirmary. We all need unconditional love and validation no matter what period of life we are journeying through. Mother Teresa is a perfect example of how we strive to love as Jesus would love. We try to emulate a small portion of her unconditional love that she showered upon those who received her services. The infirmary staff recognize that our sisters in the infirmary are still in the process of growing with their individual circumstances of life. We aim to serve and assist the unique needs of the sisters by nurturing a positive environment of community and family connections where they can reminisce, have fun, and live productive and satisfying lives. It is a joy and delight to witness how our elder sisters remain active, interested, and involved in the community life of the Dominican Sisters. Maintaining close relationships with sisters and family members, participating in decisions, and knowing that their current ministry of prayer is important, are all vital for helping the sisters to not feel isolated from the rest of the community. There also may come a time when our sisters are not able to participate in community prayers and activities. That is when we realize even more that just to be is a blessing. Because we try to foster a community and family environment, the Dominican motherhouse is like a second home for many of the infirmary staff; we consider the sisters as part of our extended family. The sisters are always interested in the lives of the employees and pray for our individual needs. It is a joy to see the sparkle in the sisters eyes and smiles when a staff member brings a child to visit them. For anyone who comes to visit, the opportunity to listen as the sisters reminisce about their past experiences is a blessing. For staff members, a favorite activity is to listen to a group of sisters share about their ministries as teachers, housekeepers, nurses, missionaries and whatever other profession they were involved with in previous years. Moreover, reminiscence may assist in nurturing the spirit, as reflection and life review helps to integrate past, present and future. Reminiscing and reflecting on the past must be accompanied by a good dose of humor, no matter what stage of life a person is in, and it is particularly valuable as we experience the aging process. My observation is that sisters

The ultimate privilege is being present with a sister as she is going to her eternal home with Jesus. The infirmary staff strives to assist in facilitating a comfortable and joyful transition from this worldly home to the next. We honor the sisters wishes with their end of life decisions and treat them with respect and dignity. As the Infirmary Supervisor, it is a distinct honor and privilege to journey with the Dominican sisters as they encounter a variety of challenges in their golden years. Our infirmary staff attempt to provide safe and compassionate care. We value and respect all of our sisters as individuals. We are grateful for the chance to minister to the sisters physical and psychosocial needs, and for the opportunity to participate in some of their spiritual and prayer life. And we appreciate the opportunity to love and be loved by all those that we encounter in our ministry here with the sisters.

Before . . . ?!
In Honor of July 1 September 30, 2007 Dorothy Albers Sr Myra Arney OP Dominican Associates Everett & Sena Basgall Family Sr Frances Biernacki OP Robert Brenner President George W Bush Derrol & JaNeva Dvorak Mary Rose Engel OP Sr Louise Hageman OP Eva Hauser HCS Team Members Judy Heimerman Sr Frances Marie Heitz OP Sr Urban Hitschmann OP Ed Hommertzheim Sr Teresita Huse OP Albert & Marlene Jansen Lori Keller Arthur Kinsella OP Fr Pascal Klein Martin Klitzke Sr Judith Lindell OP Andy Luebbers Fr Stuart Meltzer Pat Meyer Sr Alvina Miller OP Verna Montoya Pauline Ohl Sr Elaine Osborne OP Luella E Paine

Dominican Associate Phyllis Minet

Top left: During a recent ice cream social, Barbara Millard asks Sr Virginia Burgardt about her preference for ice cream. Top right: Ann Schmitt serves dinner for Sr Amata Pantel. Above: Janelle Scothorn, Lois Stafford and Tara Hazlett stand next to one of the infirmary bulletin boards they decorated for this fall.

September 2, 1914 - September 2, 2007

Phyllis will probably be most remembered for her generosity, both spiritually and financially. She read to and prayed aloud with her blind husband. Daily they said the Rosary together, shared the liturgical readings and discussed Share the Faith. Both before and after her husbands death she was very active in parish life. She taught CCD, and was a member of Altar Society, Legion of Mary and Renew, and a founding member of the Daughters of Isabella of Dodge City. She always did committee work for the elderly and shut-ins, worked for and with the poor with food and money, meals, transportation, and regular visits. She even attended a workshop on helps for visiting the sick. She also belonged to the Ford County Historical Society. As an active associate before her last illness and weakness, she helped organize the associate group in Dodge City, studied and prayed with the associates, and participated in their telephone tree of prayer. Especially precious to her were the times the associates gathered before the exposed Blessed Sacrament to pray the Rosary aloud in church on First Fridays. She loved to

By Sr Elaine Osborne OP

December 8 to February 2, 2008

Pray the Rosary
Let us all join our hearts in prayer for peace in our troubled world. Send your petitions to be united with others at our Rosary Shrine. We sisters offer the Eucharistic Liturgy each week at our motherhouse for all our benefactors and for our Rosary Shrine clients.

Rosary Novena

Praying for you always. . .

Ever since the Rosary Shrine was founded in the 1930s, our motherhouse has been a powerhouse of prayer. Our sisters consistently remember you, your families, and your special needs in prayer. We pray for you whether we know your special needs or not, and we always enjoy the letters from you which tell us of your special needs. Your prayer requests are posted on our prayer board and remembered at the Rosary Shrine.

ssociate Phyllis Minet was a professed Dominican Tertiary from April 1959 and a Great Bend Dominican Associate from October 1985. She was a convert from a long line of Methodists and the only girl in her family. She had 12 years of public education for both grade school and high school. She was married to David; they had four married children, 16 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren. She was married 45 years before her husbands death. She Associate said of herself that Phyllis Minet she was a homemaker for fifty years, working always to make my marriage happy and sharing and pleasant.

send cards to community members on happy or grief occasions, spiritual bouquets and cards to sisters and associates, and to come to Great Bend for communal gatherings. Financially, Phyllis was a generous donor to associate projects and to our Community. She contributed to the Rosary Shrine, the Nigerian mission especially through the bazaar and to social justice projects. She also shared financial resources with the Diocese of Dodge City, and was a major donor for the wall of Patrons of Religious Communities Working in the Diocese displayed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Phyllis loved to read, visit, dance, and work outdoors. She said becoming an associate was important to her because she wanted to become closer to God and to have association and help from others who wished the same, and to thank God for the gift of faith. There were so many ways Phyllis was generous in her calling as wife, mother, parishioner, and Dominican Associate of our Community. She gave of herself and her talents in service and can now rest in the assurance of Eternal Peace.

Is God Calling You to be a Dominican Sister of Great Bend?

In the busy world of everyday life there are many choices. The call to ones vocation, however, comes not from the outside, but rather from within ones heart. It is the Baptismal call that is more than a career. It is a life choice, an answer to God: Whom shall I send? I will go, send me. For more information, contact Sr Teri Wall OP Vocation Minister 3805 W Walsh Pl Denver CO 80219 303-922-2997 teriop@msn.com Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Great Bend KS Permit #39

Grains of Wheat
Dominican Sisters
3600 Broadway Great Bend KS 67530-3692

Address Service Requested

Grains of Wheat

is published quarterly by the Dominican Sisters and Associates of Great Bend, Kansas.
Editor: Rebecca Ford, Communications Director Consultant and Contributing Writer: Sr Elaine Osborne OP Contributing Writers: Sr Peggy Martin OP, Sr Frances Marie Heitz OP, Barbara Millard RN, Rebecca Peak, Dana Lear Brantley, and Jean Mullolly Printing by The Spearville News Please use the enclosed envelope for address changes, names to be added to the mailing list, and/or your prayer requests for the Rosary Shrine, as well as for your financial contribution for our ministries. Thank you!

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Impelled by the Gospel of Jesus Are the Holy Preaching

The Farm community encouraged visitors to submit names for the new cria; her name was to begin with D for the fourth year of the herd (those born in the previous three years have names beginning with A, B, or C, respectively). It wasnt long before Dinah was chosen as the babys name. Other attractions on National Alpaca Day at the Farm included the cookies for the visitors made in the Farms solar oven and products for sale made from alpaca yarn. Visitors could tour the straw bale buildings on the Farm complex and watch the spinning of yarn from alpaca fleece. But most of all, the Farm and the visitors will remember this National Alpaca Day because of Dinahs serendipitous arrival.

We Dominicans of Kansas

was doubly special because on September 28th the newest alpaca was born! Happily the little cria was a female of 15.6 pounds, healthy, and alert. She was born during the night when no one was in attendance, but that did not dampen the exuberance of the Farms welcoming of her the next morning! National Alpaca Day in Kansas was a windy, dust-blowing day, but it seemed not to bother the 150-200 visitors who came to the Farm. Members of the Farm community proudly showed off the new one-day-old baby who was surprisingly steady on her spindly legs. The little brown baby was seemingly not frightened or nervous as she followed her mother Trissie around, nursed, sat By Sr Elaine Osborne OP down for a rest, or got up to let visitors touch her eartland Farm was one of many loca- soft fleece. Other alpacas in the herd, which now tions state- and nationwide to host an numbers 13, were also eager to visit the people open house for National Alpaca Day on especially the ones with food pellets in their September 29th. For our Heartland Farm the day hands!

National Alpaca Day at Heartland Farm