Sister Mary Jerome Roberts

We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved Sister Mary Jerome Roberts who departed this life on April 29, 2015 in the seventy-third year of her religious life

Age:  91 years, 1 month, 14 days
Resurrection Service:  Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 11 a.m. at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Church

This is the day, the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia!

(sung throughout the Easter season)

As we entered into the Easter season, we realized that Sister Mary Jerome would soon be with the Risen Lord “in Paradise.” What a blessed time to make her final journey; what a joy must now be hers as she has crossed over into the new life for which she was always preparing!

In grade school, Betty Ann Roberts was encouraged by a priest to become a Sister with the community of the Sisters of Divine Providence. She was attracted by the community’s name and was always grateful to God for leading her to this community. The ninth of fourteen children, Sister Mary Jerome was one of three girls in her family who chose religious life. One sister was an Ursuline missionary who lived and died in Thailand. The other sister was a Religious of the Cenacle who has also completed her earthly journey. The three are now together in eternal joy!

Having completed her novitiate, Sister Mary Jerome began teaching, even as she continued to study, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. For 17 years she taught in parish schools, in Illinois, in Brussels, Madison, Meppen and Venice, and in Missouri, in Bonnots Mill, California, Normandy, and Wardsville.

Sister Mary Jerome next studied nursing and for 23 years ministered as a nurse at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, before taking on new responsibilities at the hospital. For another 14 years, she served as director of volunteers and in pastoral care, writing that these years, “were the happiest, most satisfying and rewarding years of my life.”

In retirement, Sister Mary Jerome moved with her Sisters to St. Clare’s Villa in Alton, Illinois, where she served as sacristan and where she had time to deepen her contemplative prayer. Even in the years when she was fully engaged in active ministry, Sister Mary Jerome gave much attention to others, praying for their needs: poor people, single mothers and their children, those who carried heavy burdens or were suffering in any way.

With gentleness and compassion, Sister Mary Jerome always looked for ways to be of quiet service. She often brought communion to residents at the Villa, people who were sick and unable to attend the daily liturgy. She especially helped Sister Mary Thomas Jirauch and when she was no longer able to go to the main dining room at St. Clare’s, Sister Mary Jerome brought her meals to her room. In 2009, her Sisters in community presented Sister Mary Jerome with the Marie de la Roche Award. The award, named after the community’s foundress, is given to a Sister who exemplifies a “spirit of contemplation, combined with action, humility, gentleness, and simplicity.”

Living the joy of her faith and the peace of her prayer, Sister Mary Jerome always had a smile on her face. She was faithful to the God who called her and she lived every day seeking only to do God’s will. She wrote, “I have asked God to help me accept all that happens to me and others in a Christ-like manner…. I thank God for what He is doing in me, and through me, for me and for others here and in the world.”

Now, we rejoice and sing with Sister Mary Jerome, the joyous Easter song: Alleluia! This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia!

Birthday: March 15
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Sister Carleen Richards

Visitation:
Tuesday, June 9, 2015 from 2-4 p.m., Providence Heights
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 from 12-3:30 p.m., Providence Heights

Wake Service:
Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 7 p.m., Providence Heights

Mass of Christian Burial:
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 4 p.m., Mother of Divine Providence Chapel

 

We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved
Sister Carleen Richards
who departed this life on June 7, 2015
in the sixty-second year of her religious life
Age: 77 years, 8 months, 3 days

How fitting that Sister Carleen Richards completed her journey to God as we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. During her lifetime, Sr. Carleen had a special devotion to the Eucharist, both in keeping hours of adoration at her parish church, Holy Trinity in Paola, Kansas, and in helping individuals with special needs to participate more fully in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Sr. Carleen returned to Pittsburgh in February, as she came to the understanding that she needed medical help that was not available to her in Paola. During the months that she has been home with us, she became less able to take nourishment and became weaker. She passed into new life surrounded by family, friends and her Sisters in Community.

Roseabelle Richards was the second youngest of the six children born to Sarah Toberg and George Richards. She entered the Community from St. Margaret Parish in Green Tree, Pa. She was attracted to the congregation through the Sisters who taught her at St. Margaret’s, especially, Sr. Eucebia who invited her to make a retreat at the Motherhouse. The retreat led her to attend her first two years of high School at Divine Providence Villa. She entered as a high school junior and never regretted it. She also felt that her vocation was fostered by her parents who encouraged her to follow her “calling.” She once recalled that she always had a strong sense of call and that she was open to God’s lead in whom she would serve in ministry.

Sister Carleen received her bachelor’s degree in education from Duquesne University and taught for 13 years in the primary grades of Catholic Schools in Pittsburgh, Ohio and West Virginia. When it came time to pursue a master’s degree, she again chose an education degree at Duquesne, but with a concentration in special education. Through the pioneer work of some of our Sisters, many of the schools which we staffed had special education classrooms. Her desire to help students with special needs started early in her teaching career when a pastor asked her to prepare a child with Down’s syndrome for his first communion. She said, “From then on I knew where my interest lay.” She entered the field of special education full time in 1969 at St. Anthony’s School for Exceptional Children. While she taught special needs children in grades K through 12, she also was coordinator of vocational programs for students ages 18 to 21, preparing them for jobs. She taught at St. Anthony’s for 14 years until it closed. Through Estelle Murphy, the last Director of St. Anthony’s, Sr. Carleen learned about Lakemary Center in Paola. It was here that she worked with the graduates of Lakemary and other individuals eligible for services from the state’s vocational rehabilitation program to get jobs. She spent 10 years at Lakemary as a job placement specialist. At Lakemary she also initiated classes for Catholic students to prepare them for the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. As she did at St. Anthony’s, she started a Scout Troop for boys, giving them the experience that was available to other boys. For her work in Scouting, Sr. Carleen received the St. George Emblem from Bishop Leonard, an award given to adult leaders in Boy Scouting Programs. She was one of two women who had received the award at that time. Her experiences at both St. Anthony’s and Lakemary gave her the incentive in 1994 to pursue job placement on a larger scale. She started her own business, Employment Plus, in which she was a private contractor for the state of Kansas to help individuals with disabilities find employment. She has been described by Estelle Murphy, with whom she has lived for 27 years, as determined when she has a cause, upbeat and always very positive. In the early 1990s, Carleen was involved in job placement on the state and national level. She worked for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and was invited to stand with President George H.W. Bush when he signed the act into law.

During her lifetime, Sr. Carleen had a sense that through the Eucharist the faithful discover true intimacy with God and with one another. She wanted those who experienced limitations of any kind to experience that communion and healing which comes through this sacrament. We rejoice with Sr. Carleen that she is now experiencing the fullness of unity and peace that are the fruit of her communion with the Lord.

Birthdate: October 4
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Sister Michele Ransil

Visitation:
Tuesday, July 28, 2015 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., Community Room at Providence Heights
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 from 12-3:30 p.m., Community Room at Providence Heights

Wake Service:
Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 7 p.m., Community Room at Providence Heights

Resurrection Service:
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 4 p.m., Mother of Divine Providence Chapel at Providence Heights

 

We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved
Sister Michele Ransil
who departed this life on July 26, 2015
in the seventieth year of her religious life
Age: 88 years, 9 months, 0 days

The Easter Season is a period of adjustment, a time to confront the empty tomb, to acknowledge the invitation to new life. It is a time to grieve what is passing, a period of letting go, a time to welcome new life. It was during this time that Sr. Michele Ransil began her final journey to God. Sr. Michele fell in April and broke her hip. Following surgery she contracted pneumonia. While she recovered there was a lingering weakness in her lungs. She once again developed pneumonia in mid-July. She knew it was her time to complete the journey she had begun. How fitting that this would occur as the Church celebrates the feast of Mary Magdalen.

Mary Louise Ransil was the eldest of the eight children of Louise Berhalter and Raymond A. Ransil. She entered the Congregation in 1945 from St. Norbert’s Parish in Overbrook. She was attracted to the Congregation through the Sisters who taught her at Divine Providence Academy. She traveled from Overbrook to East Liberty daily taking two streetcars in each direction for the four years that she attended DPA. After working for a year, her parents agreed to let her enter the convent.

Sr. Michele began her teaching career following first profession and taught in elementary and secondary schools in the Pittsburgh Diocese for 23 years. She taught at her beloved alma mater for seven years. At the core of who she was, Michele was an intellectual, a scholar. After receiving a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in English from Duquesne University, Michele pursued a Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh. It was her hope that she could be of service to the community at the newly established John J. Wright Library at La Roche College. After three years at LRC, Michele pursued a position at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and then found a home at the Alexander M. Bracken Library at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. She served at Ball State for 15 years. She held many positions at the library; her last position was Library Automation Project Coordinator and Associate Professor of Library Science. As an employee at Ball State, she had the opportunity for another degree. This last degree was a Master of Arts in Executive Development for Public Service. So it was no wonder that Michele was involved in many volunteer services. She organized the Newman-Assisi Library over a period of three years. After taking classes in architecture, she became a faithful volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. When the physical work of building became too difficult for her, she designed houses and served as secretary for the Ball State University Chapter of Habitat.

After retiring from Ball State University in 1993, Sr. Michele began collaborating with Father Mark Gruber by transcribing his retreat lectures into books. Following her work with Fr. Mark, Michele began collaborating with other Benedictines, as well as Redemptorists, Carthusians, and Dominicans. She worked as the final copy editor for the dissertations of priests from Latrobe to California. She also worked on priests’ dissertations in other countries, including England, Germany, Switzerland, India and Rome. Many of the dissertations resulted in books for which she also served as copy editor. Michele commented that she enjoyed this work because it was what she did well—and she learned so much and was inspired by the words she edited. Her last ministry was with Fr. Timothy Kruthaupf, former pastor at Holy Family Parish in Latrobe. Because she found his homilies so spiritually nourishing, she recorded and transcribed his homilies as well. She joined the ministry group at Holy Family Parish and ministered in a program they called “Meals on the Boulevard” feeding the homeless under the bridges in Pittsburgh. The program involved socializing with the homeless, as well as feeding them. She also joined the ministry group that prayed silently at an abortion clinic in East Liberty. Michele was able to continue these ministries even after she moved back to Providence Heights.

As Sr. Michele confronted her last illness at the hospital, her words to those who were attending her were “What am I supposed to do now?” It was easy to say to her, “You are done working. You can just rest now in the arms of a loving God whom you have served so well and so long. Just to be is a blessing…just to be is holy.”

Feastday: September 29
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Sister Genevieve Brandstetter

Visitation:
Friday, October 30, 2015 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., Community Room at Providence Heights

Wake Service:
Friday, October 30, 2015 at 7 p.m., Community Room at Providence Heights

Resurrection Service:
Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 4 p.m

We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved
Sister Genevieve Brandstetter
who departed this life on October 28, 2015
in the eightieth year of her religious life
Age: 95 years, 10 months, 14 days

Sister Genevieve Brandstetter suffered a stroke on October 10, 2015 and was hospitalized.  Not being assured that she could make significant gains through medication and various forms of therapy, Sr. Genevieve wanted to return to St. Joseph Center at Providence Heights and live her remaining days among her Sisters in Community.  She passed into eternity quietly surrounded by the Sisters with whom she shared life.

Genevieve Brandstetter entered the community in 1936, from St. Mary’s Parish in Ford City, PA.  She was the elder of the two children born to Joseph Brandstetter and Hubertina Breitmyer. At investment, she was given the name Sister Generosa and later returned to her baptismal name.  Throughout her life in community, Sister Genevieve, responded to the needs of the time in which she was living.  The community, recognizing her innate talent in music, educated her in the discipline of music.  Both her degrees were from Duquesne University.  She earned a B.S. in Public School Music in 1953 and a Masters in Music in 1962.

Early on, Sr. Genevieve taught music in elementary and secondary schools in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Boston.  She was also certified to supervise music and her ministry included music supervision.  Because of her unique talent and ability, she often traveled between schools in order to provide a quality music program to the students in the schools we sponsored and/or staffed.  This often included after hours and Saturdays because she gave private lessons in piano and other instruments, particularly organ, violin and clarinet.  Even when not formally involved in music education, Sr. Genevieve continued to direct choirs, produce records that preserved the choral talent of the Community in the 1960’s, and volunteer her services at churches, nursing homes and residences for senior living as requested.  For many years, Sr. Genevieve served as director of liturgical music for the Community.

In 1957 Sr. Genevieve was called to serve as Director of Postulants, a position she held for 11 years during a critical time of Church history—a time during which we were called on to embrace the Holy Week reforms and other changes that came during and immediately following Vatican Council II.  Besides mentoring women who were in the initial stage of discerning a call to religious life, she taught them how to pray, which included the changes that came with Vatican II, sacramental prayer (Eucharist and Reconciliation), communal prayer, and contemplative prayer.   To do this well, she enrolled in additional courses at Duquesne University in Theology and Spirituality.  After her term, she worked with “new” formation teams to assist in teaching the history of the Community and telling the stories of the Sisters who had preceded us.  She took groups to the cemetery and told the stories of the Sisters interred there.   She served as our link to the original six Sisters who came to the United States from Germany in 1876 and helped us to get in touch with our deep story.   She also served a five-year term as a member of the Provincial Council. 

In 1981, Sr. Genevieve began a new phase in ministry   engaging directly in social concerns. Throughout her ministerial life, she was inspired to radical Gospel life by Daniel Berrigan, SJ and Catherine de Hueck Doherty.  From 1981-93 she was a co-director (and founder) of St. Ambrose Manor, a residence for low-income senior citizens on Pittsburgh’s North Side.  On returning to the motherhouse, she was invited to be executive director of Divine Providence Foundation which housed the proceeds of the sale of Divine Providence Hospital.  In this capacity she oversaw the grants which went to public charitable works   another opportunity to continue her desire to be engaged in social ministry. 

It was fitting that the last year of Sr. Genevieve’s life was spent during the year-long celebration of consecrated life.  Certainly, her life personified remembering the past with gratitude, living the present with passion and embracing the future with hope.  When Sr. Genevieve reflected on her own life at the time of her 75th Jubilee, she said   “My life can be reduced to a simple phrase:  All is Grace.”

Feastday:  January 3
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