This past month, the MSJ Mission Ambassadors program wrote letters to Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, our school’s historical foundresses.
As the current intern serving the Sisters’ Communications office, I had the opportunity to sort my peers’ letters to be metered and mailed to numerous Sisters who had agreed to receive notes of thanks and requests for advice.
While there is no telling how this program may expand, one student -- freshman Laney Carroll -- has already connected with Sister Annette Paveglio through her letter.
At this moment, MSJ is discerning the future of our university and our sponsorship. Meanwhile, the Sisters of Charity are discerning the future of their congregation as they face the reality of an aging Community, much like other vowed communities across the nation. Coming together to offer one another support and maintain a strong connection is more important now than ever.
Maria DiTullio, who spearheaded this recent retreat for Mission Ambassadors, believes, “Staying connected to the Sisters of Charity is so important because our students do not just learn about service, they experience it through real relationships and lived examples.”
When writing her letter to S. Annette, Carroll says she was drawn to her because she had ministered at various Catholic schools before retirement. As someone who hopes “to one day teach kids in a Catholic school and give them the experience I had growing up in one,” she reached out for advice.
“After emailing back and forth, we decided to meet for lunch to get to know each other better,” Carroll explains. “I hope to gain some wisdom on how to integrate my teaching and my faith in the classroom, as S. Annette did when she was a teacher.”
While Carroll is seeing a new connection with S. Annette blossom, senior Megan Thompson had the opportunity to start cultivating relationships with the Sisters of Charity from an early age. Being related to Sister Lois Jean Goettke, a current councilor for the Sisters of Charity leadership team, and attending Seton High School has allowed her to begin enacting the sisters' mission “to act justly and build loving relationships” in her life.
She began working for CURA, the food service system employed by the Sisters of Charity, in 2021. For the past five years, she has come to know the sisters by name and enjoys going above and beyond for women who appreciate the work she does. Being with them daily, Thompson says, “I feel like they've made me a better person.”
However, it was Thompson’s sophomore year that truly allowed her to intertwine the Sisters of Charity mission with her education as an MSJ student. She describes a pivotal time in her life, when she sat down with Professor Elizabeth Bookser Barkley and Sister Victoria Forde to discuss the scholarship that she had been awarded.
Since receiving the scholarship from, Thompson’s understanding of the Sisters of Charity mission has only expanded. Although Thompson is non-religious, it is their kindness and acceptance of every person that inspires her as she continues to serve the congregation as a long-time employee of CURA.
“At a time when our students are searching for meaning and direction, the sisters help them see that their education is about more than a degree,” DiTullio says. “It is about using their gifts with humility, compassion, and care for all persons, and finding a sense of belonging that goes beyond their time at the Mount.”
To learn more about the history of our foundresses and how you can connect with current Sisters of Charity, talk to members of our Mission and Belonging team, and check out the Sisters of Charity website here.