Generative Spirits: Conversations with Catholic Sisters

For our January episode, we welcome back Margaret Eigsti, Senior Program Officer for Catholic Sisters and fellow Generative Spirits podcast host. This episode will be an opportunity for review - of the year, of the episodes we released in 2022, and of taking stock of what brought us energy and what propelled the work forward. We will take time to remember our favorite moments, listen to quotes we loved, and talk about what is next for Generative Spirits.

We are grateful to have been in conversation with sisters and individuals working in sister ministries who carry the desire for a loving, just world with them. Our time as collaborators on Generative Spirits has evolved from humble beginnings and we learned the world of sister podcasting as we were doing it. We hope you enjoy!

Links:

1. To listen to all Generative Spirit podcasts, visit https://www.generativespirit.org/podcast 

Tags: #CatholicSisters#Community #Podcast #GenerativeSpirits 

For our November episode, we are joined by Angela D’Orazio, Senior Program Officer for Housing at the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. Through grants, technical assistance, convening, advocacy, and policy initiatives, Angela's work in striving to end chronic homelessness and youth homelessness has resulted in state and local collaboration to meet the needs of the unhoused community.  

Angela has worked closely on an initiative called A Place 4 Me, which brings together diverse community partners to collectively prevent and end youth homelessness, especially among youth who have aged out of the foster care system. Working closely with the program director of A Place 4 Me, Angela co-facilitated a community planning process to develop the Cuyahoga County Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness. She also works on behalf of the foundation to garner private and public investment to support implementation of the plan.

Angela has a Bachelor of Science in psychology and sociology from Kent State University and a Master of Science in social administration (MSSA) from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.

Links:

1. To learn more about Angela’s work in striving to end homelessness in Northeast Ohio, visit https://socfcleveland.org/our-work/ending-homelessness 

Tags: #CatholicSisters #Housing #Homelessness #Faith #GenerativeSpirits 

For our October episode, we are joined by Brenna Davis, Sr. Anne Victory, and Sr. Cheryl Rose to talk about the Covenant Companion Relationship, a 2-year formation process for lay people through the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in which participants take a vow of humility. We talk about how the idea came to be and what it means to live the vow of humility in our daily lives. Brenna shares about her experience as a participant and Sr. Anne and Sr. Cheryl, both members of the Sisters of Humility of Mary, discuss the origin and continued evolution of this new way of being, including the new kinds of relationships that were formed between Sisters and lay partners. 

Brenna Davis is the Director of Education for Justice and Environmental Initiatives at the Ignatian Solidarity Network. Breanna has been a participant of both the JOY: Just One Year program and the Covenant Companion Relationship through the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in which she took a vow of humility. Originally from Tennessee, Brenna graduated from Boston College in 2010 with a B.A. in theology and Spanish. After graduation, she moved to Cleveland as a Jesuit Volunteer. At the end of her JV year, Brenna began working at Saint Martin de Porres, Cleveland’s Cristo Rey High School, as a theology teacher and cross country coach. She is a certified spiritual director, Cuyahoga County Master Recycler, and is a member of NCR’s EarthBeat Advisory Panel.

Sr. Anne Victory is a member of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in Cleveland, Ohio and currently serves on their leadership team. She began her ministry in healthcare as a registered nurse at St. Joseph Hospital in Lorain. Sr. Anne served as an instructor in the practical nursing school at St. Joseph, as well as serving in  administrative roles. She has served the HM Community as the director of ministry and community life development. Sr. Anne served two terms on the HM Leadership Team from 2001 to 2009. She then joined the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking as director of education, where she served until July 2021. In 2019, she received the Bishop Amadeus Rappe Award from Ursuline College, Cleveland for her work with the Collaborative. 

Sr. Cheryl Rose is a member of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in Cleveland, Ohio. She served for 26 years as a high school educator, teaching chemistry, physics, theology, and prayer, as well as holding ministerial roles. She currently provides spiritual direction for individuals and groups, leads retreats, and is engaged in programming focused on spiritual growth and contemplation. Sr. Cheryl has co-led the year-long retreat, JOY: Just One Year, which offers women a one-year immersion in spiritual growth and formation, and she continues to provide virtual and in-person retreats during the pandemic.

Links:

1. To learn more about the Covenant Companion Relationship, contact Sr. Cheryl Rose, HM or Sr. Anne Victory, HM, visit https://www.humilityofmary.org/join-us/covenant-companions/ 

2. To learn more about the JOY: Just One Year program, a one year immersion in spiritual growth and formation for women, visit https://www.humilityofmary.org/join-us/just-one-year-joy/ 

Tags: #CatholicSisters #Humility #Community #Sistersofthehumilityofmary #GenerativeSpirits 

For our September episode, we are joined by Sr. Réjane Cytacki, SCL, Executive Director of A Nuns Life, an online ministry that welcomes people from around the world to gather to explore God’s calling in their lives. A  member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (SCL) in Leavenworth, Kansas, Sr. Réjane has previously served as the Executive Director of the Racine Dominican Eco-Justice Center and on the Core Team for Giving Voice. We discuss the unique nature of having an online ministry, our experience in sharing community with a group of sister podcasters, and how love shows up in our relationships with each other and with God. Touching on the process of podcast production from behind the scenes, Sr. Réjane brings joy and enthusiasm to Generative Spirits. She recounts the ministries that led her to her vocation and to being Executive Director of A Nuns Life.

For our July episode, we are joined by Emily Liptow, a member of the Generative Spirit community who has served as technology facilitator, community member, and co-dreamer of what Generative Spirit could be today and in the future. We are able to explore what it means to be young adults in a world of Catholic Sisters, what unique connections we are able to access and have within these relationships, and what is coming next for us. We discuss our admiration for the national Nuns and Nones movement and how we heard about its impact as the church continues to change.

Links:

1. To find out more about Generative Spirit, visit https://www.generativespirit.org/ 

2. To learn more about Nuns and Nones, visit https://www.nunsandnones.org/ 

3. To learn more about and watch Rebel Hearts, visit https://www.rebelheartsfilm.com/ 

Tags:#CatholicSisters #Community #Youngadults #Nunsandnones #GenerativeSpirit #RebelHearts

For our June episode, we are joined by Richaun Bunton, Managing Director of the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood. Richaun is a member of the foundation with a long commitment to the Central Neighborhood, allowing her to understand the needs of the community and highlight the champions she works with in the neighborhood. We discuss the many roles she has held during her time at the foundation, as well as centering her work with family partners, a group of community members and friends that work together to support families in the central community in their ability to thrive. Richaun shares about how her spirituality is infused into her life and work, and how can we honor God in everything we do. In several episodes of generative spirits this season, we will feature the work of sisters by giving particular focus to their ministries, including the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. We look forward to incorporating other essential voices in this conversation in the months to come.

Links:

1. To find out more about the Cleveland Promise  Neighborhood or to provide support, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ClevelandPromiseNeighborhood/ 

2. To learn more about Richaun and her role at the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, visit https://socfcleveland.org/about-us/staff-and-board/staff/richaun-n-bunton,-lsw,-msw 

Tags: #Promise #ClevelandCentralPromise #CatholicSisters #Community

For our May episode, we are joined by Sr. Norma Raupple, an Ursuline Sister in Youngstown whose commitment to ministry has led her to the US/Mexico Border working with immigrant families. After 10 years at the border teaching English to mothers and securing grants to open a learning center and health clinic, Sr. Norma returned to Youngstown with the same spirit of service for the immigrant community. She headed a tutoring program through the Immigrant Outreach Program, a ministry of Beatitude House, gathering young adult college students and Americorps volunteers to become tutors. In 2016, the Ursuline Sisters in Youngstown were gifted a house to support their ministry, becoming a space for young adults to live in community and share in the gospel as they continued serving communities in need. We discuss the ways we can live out the call to service set out by St. Angela Merici and how to do so in community.
 
Links:
1. To learn more about the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown, visit https://www.theursulines.org/ 
2. To offer support, volunteer, or offer support to immigrant families , visit Beatitude House at https://www.beatitudehouse.com/contact-us/
3. You can read a “Sister Story” about Sr. Norma Raupple on the Foundations website here: https://socfcleveland.org/stories/february-2018/sister-story-sr-norma-raupple,-osu 

For our April episode, we are joined by Sr. Susan Zion, an Ursuline Sister of Cleveland and founder of Ursuline Piazza, a non-profit located at St. Augustine Manor on the Near West Side that addresses the needs of individuals living with HIV. We explore the history of Ursuline Piazza since its inception in 2007 and the many hats Sr. Susan wears as Executive Director. Known for helping HIV positive individuals who have gaps in care, Ursuline Piazza has offered a number of programs like Individual Counseling, Client Assistance, Peer Up, and Club 95, a group focused on building community, receiving and offering support, and encouraging a 95% adherence rate to medication. Ursuline Piazza partners with individuals living with HIV to better navigate medical care, housing, and social services. It serves as an extra safety net to help keep individuals linked to care.

Links:
1. To learn more about Ursuline Piazza and support their work, visit https://ursulinepiazza.org/

2. To read the 2021 Buckeye Flame article written about Sr. Susan Zion and her ministry with Ursuline Piazza, visit https://thebuckeyeflame.com/2021/08/27/ursuline-piazza/ 

In our second installment of Short Features, shorter clips from our full length episodes that surround one topic, Sr. Claire McGowan, OP shares about the power and necessity of falling in love with the Natural World.

To listen to the full episode, find "Season 3, Episode 2:  Creating Sustainable Futures with Sr. Claire McGowan, OP", released March 9th everywhere you get your podcasts and on generativespirit.org/podcast.

Our March episode will feature Sr. Claire McGowan, OP, a Dominican Sister of Peace and former Executive Director of New Pioneers, a community non-profit organization founded in Washington County, Kentucky to promote sustainable thinking and sustainable development in this rural community of 12,000.

Living in Bardstown, Kentucky, Sr. Claire talks about her work in ministry with New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future and how clarifying our relationship with the Natural World is necessary as we inch closer and closer to irreversible damage to our home and ourselves. We discuss Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment published in 2014, and a section of a book by Thick Nhat Hanh, titled Love Letter to Earth published in 2013 - both companion pieces in this continued thinking.

In future episodes of Generative Spirits, we will continue to highlight the work of sisters by giving particular focus to their ministries, including the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. We look forward to incorporating other essential voices to this conversation in the months to come.

Links:
1. To learn more about New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future and to support their work, please visit https://newpioneersfsf.org/

2. Read about Sr. Claire’s work with New Pioneers in an article titled Sister Claire’s Green Habit, written for Kentucky Living in 2011: https://www.kentuckyliving.com/archives/no-title-2712

3. Read Ten Love Letters to Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh here: https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/ten-love-letters-to-the-earth/

4. To read Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home written by Pope Francis, the first encyclical to focus on the environment, visit https://www.usccb.org/offices/general-secretariat/laudato-si-care-our-common-home

5. “We will not save what we do not love” - Adrienne Rich