Dear Friends,
We are pleased to share with you in this Bulletin the current happenings in our Omaha province and the stewardship of our resources. A few of our stories will illustrate that we are experiencing some transitions this summer: a new leadership team, a new vocation minister and a new development director. Other stories celebrate our Jubilarians whom we have honored this year for their many years of service. One story reveals what we are doing to further our intent to help alleviate family violence.
It has been four years since the first phase of Seven Oaks of Florence opened its doors. Now with all three phases complete the residents and staff of Seven Oaks remain a lively community. Many of our sisters volunteer their services providing and receiving from significant companionship with the residents.
Our other renovation projects have been completed and now we are in the stages of clearing away the residue of construction and resettling rooms and offices. We enter this fiscal year in the beginnings of a Strategic Plan so that we will make the best use of our personnel and resources to assure a viable future for our province.
As I have served as provincial over these last three years, I have been strengthened by my sisters who serve God’s people so generously and passionately. Their fidelity to prayer and community witness to their belief and trust in God’s providence in our lives. Over these last three years I have deeply appreciated your words of encouragement and your admiration for what we have accomplished in recent years. Your notes of support, your promise of prayer and your generous donations encourage us to continue our mission with new energy and new hope.
I look forward to dual partnership as I continue this ministry of leadership for the next four years.
May God bless each of you with all good things.
Yours in Our Lady,
Sister Margaret Hickey, ND

On June 18, 2001, many relatives, friends, students and colleagues of Sister Ernestine Havlovic and Sister Joan Polak joined the Notre Dame Sisters to honor these jubilarians’ 50 years of religious profession.
Sisters Ernestine (pictured at right) and Joan (left) have more than their profession date in common. They are cousins who attended the same parish in Brainard, the same high school (Notre Dame Academy) and the same college (Duchesne). Both have dedicated 50 years to active ministry.
Sister Ernestine has been an elementary grade teacher and principal in many schools in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska and will continue teaching second grade at St. John’s in Weston next year. Over the years Sr. Ernestine has taught CCD classes, served as lector and EME to the parish and nursing homes, served on committees for our congregation and traveled to the Czech Republic to teach English to many, including our Sisters there.
Sr. Joan served as a teacher in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, as a social worker in Nebraska and as a missionary to South and Central America
Sr. Joan has served as a teacher in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, as a social worker in Nebraska, and a missionary to South and Central America. When the Archbishop of Omaha asked for volunteers from our congregation to serve at the archdiocesan sister parish in Talchuano, Chile, Sr. Joan generously responded. Since January of 1994 Sister Joan has been part of a team of sisters serving in Sulaco, Honduras where she is administrator of the Madre Teresa Academia, teaching arts and crafts to women and girls. They in turn clothe their families and earn their living with this talent.
Ernestine and Joan have served thousands of people through their lives. What is more important than where they taught or how long they have served, however, is the manner of their being and serving. They have been prayerful, passionate, joyful, creative and persistent servants.
On their day of jubilee and in the days following Sisters Joan and Ernestine, and we along with them, God’s goodness and fidelity to us, their call to religious life, and their rich and varied talents.
In a private ceremony on July 1 the following Sisters celebrated their jubilees also: 70 years: (left to right) Sister Dolores Pavlik, 60 years: Sisters Perpetua Kubicek, Virginia Kremlacek, and Immolata Skala. We congratulate these sisters for their fidelity and witness.


Notre Dame Sisters Select New Leadership Team
The new leadership team of the Omaha Province of the Notre Dame Sisters began their four-year term of office on July 29.
Selected as provincial president is Sister Margaret Hickey, a native of Omaha. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Duchesne College in Omaha, Sister Margaret began her ministry in education, teaching at St. Therese Grade School, Notre Dame Academy and Roncalli Catholic High School in Omaha; St. Michael in Harlan, Iowa; and Aquinas High School in David City, Nebraska. She holds an M.A.and a certificate in Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats from Creighton University.
Through the years, she has served as Director of Formation and of the Notre Dame Service Corps, and on past administrative teams. She has been a delegate to the international assembly of the Notre Dame Sisters in the Czech Republic. She holds membership in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious on the state, regional and national levels.
Serving as councilors are Sisters Janice Ludvik, Rita Marie Ostry and Anita Rolenc. Sister Janice is the daughter of Agnes Ludvik and the late Richard Ludvik of Wahoo, Nebraska. She earned a B.S. from the College of St. Mary, a bachelor's of Sacred Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology and a Master of Divinity from Loyola in Chicago.
Sister Janice’s ministry has included elementary education at St. Michael in Harlan, Iowa, St. Ludmila in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and St. Therese in Omaha. She then served as Director of Religious Education in Cedar Rapids; Coordinator of Liturgy and education of adults at St. Patrick in Fremont, Nebraska; Associate Director of Christian Formation and Ministry for the Tucson, Arizona diocese; Coordinator of Adult Catechesis in the Phoenix, Arizona diocese; Pastoral Associate at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Kansas City, Missouri; and as a member of the Family Life Office, working directly with Family Ministers in Omaha.
Sister Rita Marie Ostry is the daughter of the late Joe and Marie Ostry of Ulysses and Wahoo, Nebraska. After earning her B.S. iin Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Sr. Rita taught elementary grades at Sts. Peter and Paul School in Howells, Nebraska, St. Adalbert and Assumption Grade Schools in Omaha, St. Mary’s Grade School in David City, Nebraska, and Red Cloud Elementary School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She has devoted 20 years of her teaching to the Native Americans through her teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Porcupine, SD where she presently serves as seventh grade teacher. She also holds a masters in counseling from UNO.
Sr. Anita Rolenc is the daughter of the late Joseph and Agnes Rolenc of Brainard, Nebraska. She earned a B.S. in Education and English from the College of St. Mary and M.A.in American History from the UNO.
Sister Anita’s places of ministry included St. Ludmila in Cedar Rapids, St. Michael in Harlan, and St. Wenceslaus in Spillville, Iowa; Assumption in Dwight, Nebraska, St. Adalbert, Assumption and Notre Dame Academy in Omaha; St. John Nepomucene in Weston, Neumann High School in Wahoo, St. Wenceslaus in Dodge, Nebraska, and Our Lady of Lourdes in Porcupine, South Dakota. At the present time Sister Anita teaches Theology and English at St. Mary’s High School in O’Neill, Nebraska, and serves as Archivist for the Notre Dame Sisters.
The Notre Dame Sisters extend their gratitude to Sister Joy Connealy for her past three years of service on the leadership team. She will continue serving as finance officer for the province.

The Notre Dame Sisters take very seriously their vocation ministry. They believe that it is the responsibility of each Sister in the Notre Dame Community to invite women to join our ranks so that our mission can continue well into the future.
From 1998 to 2001 Sister Rosalee Burke served as our vocation minister. She very capably updated materials and policies, helped to develop a web site which features our congregational mission, members and activities, and spent endless hours walking with women who are discerning a call to religious life. Thanks to her organization and vision, the office is well established and operative. On July 1, Sister Rosalee began a new ministry with the Development Office at Roncalli Catholic High School.
Named to succeed Sr. Rosalee is Sister Dorothy Rolf who will begin Vocation Ministry on August 13th.
At the end of June, Sister Dorothy completed three years of chaplaincy at Providence Hospital in Kansas City, KS, after receiving her CPE training in Indiana and Arizona. Prior to that she served as principal at St. Mary School in Bellevue and as elementary and secondary teacher and principal at many of our schools in Nebraska.
If you wish to contact Sr. Dorothy with questions about religious life or with the name of someone you would consider a good candidate for our congregation, email us or call us at (402) 455-2994.