Dear Friends, 
My usual letter will take on a new form this time as I share with you the wonderful graces of my trip to Sulaco, Honduras, this past February and March. I spent 18 days with Sr. Joan (Juanita) Polak. She and Sr. Fatima, SSND, have built a dynamic team with all the women and men they have nurtured, making an obvious difference for so many.
 Our founders’ call and charism is to empower the poor by meeting unmet needs, especially those of women and children. Sr. Joan not only teaches the students at the Mother Teresa Academia how to create clothing and craft items, she also teaches them honesty, respect for themselves and others, and industry. She teaches them the skills to change their lives.
Sisters Joan and Fatima have organized a group of women to be leaders in the area, empowering them to bring about positive changes. Mainly they make cement blocks and build houses, hospitals, libraries, clinics, and residences for the poor of the area. These women take great pride in their special ministry and leadership skills.
During this trip I had another lesson in respect for the goods of the earth since food and water are very precious commodities. If we had leftovers at suppertime, we filled plates and distributed them to the neighbors; very often the neighbors did the same. Honduras is experiencing a drought now so conservation of water is key. Many are still learning the importance of boiling water to safeguard against diseases that often ravage the villagers.
The people raise such items as bananas, tobacco, coffee beans, papaya, sugar cane, corn, etc., sometimes still using primitive means to harvest them. Since the terrain is mountainous for the most part, this work is very difficult. But in the midst of the harshness there is a beauty. Flowering trees dot the mountainside, and neighborhoods and gardens reveal the effort to introduce numerous plants, vegetables and fruit trees. Even where buildings are partially completed the trees and flowers have already been planted. Therein lies the hope of the people for a better future.
I saw church operating as the community of God’s people caring for each other. The clergy in the area must cover wide territories which means some people see a priest once a year; but church still happens among the people – probably very much like the early church. The Sunday liturgies I attended were truly celebrations of God’s care for the people. (The country is currently planning the 500th anniversary of the first Mass in Honduras.)
Prayer took on a new dimension for me. The psalms came to life with new imagery of women and children walking along the road carrying on their heads laundry and corn just washed at the river; or the men coming from the fields bearing firewood for their families.
I have to admit that I fell in love with the people of Honduras and would love to return for service one day. There was something special in the eyes of the children, a certain joy that was very freeing. The people constantly thanked for the presence and ministry of Sr. Joan.
You, our families, friends and partners, share in Sr. Joan’s great work in Honduras. Your prayerful and financial support enable her to alleviate many needs of the poor in our world. We thank you for your partnership with us and we ask God’s blessings on you each day.
Sincerely,
Sr. Margaret Hickey, ND

SISTER DOLOROSA KREMLACEK, ND
May 14, 1924 – November 27, 2002
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and  leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same.”
On November 27th Sr. Dolorosa died after battling colon cancer for a number of years. Services were held on November 30th at the Notre Dame motherhouse chapel. She is survived by her sister, Sister Virginia Kremlacek of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 In her 77 years of life and 56 years of religious profession, Sister Dolorosa Kremlacek certainly left her gentle footprints in our lives. We Notre Dame Sisters, Sister’s many family, friends, colleagues, and students are better for Sr. Dolorosa’s presence in our lives.
 Sister Dolorosa’s gifts and talents as a teacher were obvious in her years at our elementary and secondary schools in Wahoo, Dodge, Dwight, and Omaha, Nebraska, and in Chelsea, Iowa. Her brilliant mind and love for history brought alive her teaching. Her love for travel helped her seek enriching conferences and educational opportunities. She loved to learn and had fun doing it. Every event became an adventure in itself.
In addition to her teaching duties Sr. Dolorosa served as Alumnae moderator, provincial counselor, editor, secretary, receptionist, social service worker, senior companion, pastoral minister, and translator of Czech and Slovak materials. In all these ministries she called forth the good in others and shared with them her belief in their goodness
Above all, Sister Dolorosa was a woman of deep faith and prayer, with the fruit of her prayer continually coming forward in her gentle, caring spirit. In the last 14 months of her life she experienced excruciating pain, but she remained involved with community and family, with activities, and trips to treatments. In this pain she welcomed many with energizing smiles and strong hugs, and much gratitude for all kindnesses shown her. 
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same.” We who love Sr. Dolorosa must now go forward with faith and courage leaving gentle footprints in others’ lives and hearts, making God’s love concrete in our world today.
---Sisters Joy Connealy, ND and Margaret Hickey, ND

This year five Notre Dame Sisters are celebrating a combined 280 years of professed religious life. Sr. Bernardine Mazanec celebrates 70 years; Sr. Germaine Drapal celebrates 60 years; Sr. Dominic Coufal celebrates 50 years, Sr. Phyllis Ann Hayek celebrates 50 years and Sr. Mary Beth Kubesh celebrates 50 years.
 Sr. Bernardine has given more than 56 years to teaching. She taught in Catholic schools in Clarkson, Dodge, Howells, Prague, Omaha, and Wahoo, Nebraska. She has also taught in schools in Iowa. Sister received her Bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Because of her talent in the area of science, she earned grants to study at universities in Nevada, Minnesota, Ohio and Tennessee. Sister continues to be involved in prayer ministry and community service at the Notre Dame Motherhouse in Omaha.
 Sr. Germaine received a B.A. from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Sister taught in Catholic elementary schools for 50 years in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Working for the Literacy Council of Omaha, Sister has tutored children and adults in reading. Presently, she is actively involved in community service and prayer ministry at the Notre Dame Motherhouse in Omaha. 
During the course of the 50 years of her consecrated life, Sr. Dominic served in Nebraska parishes in Brainard, Dodge, Dwight, Prague and Omaha. For the past 30 years, she has served at the Notre Dame Motherhouse through her community service and prayer ministry. 
Sr. Phyllis Ann received a B.A. from Duchesne College and an M.S. in Education from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Sister has been an elementary teacher and/or principal in schools in Cedar Rapids, IA, Chelsea, IA, Harlan, IA, Spillville, IA, Wahoo, NE and Omaha, NE. She served six years as treasurer of the Notre Dame Sisters. Sister Phyllis Ann also served as Provincial President of the Notre Dame Community for six years. After completing training in housing development in 1997, she becamse manager of Seven Oaks of Florence, a housing development for the elderly sponsored by the Notre Dame Sisters in Omaha.
 Sr. Mary Beth received a B.A. in Education from the College of St. Mary’s in Omaha, NE and a masters in Home Economics from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, NE. Sister was an elementary teacher in Catholic schools in Iowa and Nebraska for eleven years. She taught high school for fourteen years at schools in Nebraska. For fourteen years she served as maintenance and landscaping supervisor at the Notre Dame Motherhouse. During these years, she received horticulture training at the Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. Sister participates in Garden Club activities in the city of Omaha and is also active in Master Gardening programs in Douglas County.
 On June 23, 2002 at a private Community Sunday liturgy, Sr. Bernardine Mazanec, Sr. Germaine Drapal and Sr. Dominic Coufal were honored and celebrated their years of religious profession at the Notre Dame Motherhouse.
One June 30, 2002, Sr. Phyllis Ann Hayek and Sr. Mary Beth Kubesh hosted community, family and friends at the Notre Dame Motherhouse to celebrate their 50 years of professed religious life. A reception honoring the jubilarians followed the 2:00 p.m. liturgy. Msgr. Stanley J. Hayek, brother of Sr. Phyllis Ann Hayek, presided.

2002 Development Dinner

Nadine Carson is a resident of Seven Oaks of Florence, senior housing sponsored by the Notre Dame Sisters. Nadine is often able to participate in the lunch program that is provided at Seven Oaks of Florence with the cooperation of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging and through a subsidy from the Notre Dame Sisters. The lunch not only offers residents an opportunity to socialize with other residents, but also more tangible benefits as well. The nutritious meals help Nadine stretch her food budget. She points out that persons with health concerns often must spend extra grocery money on more expensive foods that are appropriate to a health condition. Having a limited food budget can mean cutting corners by preparing cheaper foods such as soup in large quantities, thus leading to lack of variety in the diet. Persons with health concerns or disabilities such as restricted mobility or vision impairment may also find it more difficult to cook for themselves. The Seven Oaks lunch, which is offered Monday – Friday, gives residents a chance to enjoy varied menus professionally prepared, often including health-conscious choices such as sugar-free desserts. Nadine likes to participate in the lunch program when her special dietary needs allow, since at 84 years of age she relates that it takes a bit longer to prepare a meal for herself.

The people and businesses who participated in the 2002 Notre Dame Development Dinner helped to raise funds that allow the Sisters to pay for a part-time lunch manager so that the food that is made available by ENOA can be presented in an attractive, healthy way to the residents of Seven Oaks of Florence. In addition to raising money for this and many other of the Sisters’ ministries, those who attended the Dinner enjoyed the evening. Since 1994 the Development Dinner has helped fund the ongoing ministries of the Notre Dame Sisters and provided an enjoyable evening for friends of the Sisters. The Sisters are grateful to many volunteers, including residents of Seven Oaks of Florence, for their gifts of time and talent and their commitment to supporting the work of the Sisters.

Photos courtesy of Goodrich & Goodrich  ©2002