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SR. JOAN LOHMER and OTHER EVENTS, 2002
70 Years of Fidelity for Sr. Joan... This year's Jubilee celebration focuses solely on Sr. Joan Lohmer, a septuagenarian of faithful living of the religious life and vows. Sr. Joan is 93 years young and still presents the same welcoming and gracious attitude typical of younger days. She takes delight in the ordinary and brings enjoyment and zest to the routine of daily living at La Verna. It seems that Sr. Joan was destined to enter a Franciscan community. She was well-prepared by her parents who were Franciscan Tertiaries. She attended a Catholic grade school and went to daily Mass throughout her childhood. She and two other siblings entered religious life and offered many years of service to God. All her life Sr. Joan has been a teacher and a musician. Her call to religious life and ministry took her from her beloved Stillwater, Minnesota, to the towns of Conception, Brunswick, Chillicothe, Parkville and Savannah in Missouri. Sr. Joan would be the last one to boast of her accomplishments, such as: the mentoring of many fledgling piano and voice students, the providing of a solid music education and sacramental preparation to numerous grade school students, and her dedicated perseverance in providing organ accompaniment at Mass for various groups, particularly at the Motherhouse after her retirement. One accomplishment Sr. Joan does boast about, however, is the part she may have played in the vocations of a number of her students who became priests: Monsignor Victor Moser, Monsignor Robert Hogan, Fr. Ignatius Potts, Fr. Richard Saale and Fr. David Holloway. She recently attended the 80th birthday party of Monsignor Moser at St. Mary's Church in St. Joseph where she was delighted to announce to everyone that she was his eighth grade teacher. In these last years Sr. Joan finds many things to fill her time and make life purposeful and meaningful. She writes letters to family, friends, former students, and to a prisoner on death row. She attends Holy Hour each day. She loves to read and stays well-informed. She is committed to a routine of daily exercise. She assists wherever she can and is very interested in each sister, inquiring often about family or friends. Probably her favorite activity is "Hands and Foot," a card game which has become a "must do" before the end of the day. She plays with gusto, one minute informing the card group that she has "a terrible hand - not one face card," and the next minute going out (always to her great surprise), leaving the rest with a handful of negative points. Some claim that her success at this game is due to the angels' intervention and the stacking of the deck! We ask God to bless Sr. Joan for her 70 years of faithful witness of the vowed life. We are grateful for the gift she has been to our community and hope that as the years pass, she will continue to experience great joy, sharing her delight in the little surprises which brighten her days and ours. Sullivan Award - May 17, 2002 The award, which was presented at the Annual Meeting and Dinner on May 17, 2002, honored the community for our work in the area of social concerns and peace and justice. Picnic Held May 31, 2002 Mr. Mike Burak, administrator, and staff did an excellent job of barbecuing the hamburgers and wieners. Delicious potato salad and baked beans prepared by Sr. Raphael and kitchen staff added to the fun; and no, we won't squeal on those who took a second ice cream sandwich. YOU ARE INVITED... July 12 - Friends of LaVerna Benefit: "A Salzburg Night"
September 7 - Sr. Joan's Jubilee Reception
October 11 - LaVerna Fall Festival
We thank God for the helping hands of the Sisters featured above and all our community. |
Our
Jubilarian - Sr. Joan Lohmer
Sr. Kathleen Reichert, provincial
superior, accepted the Sullivan Award given to the Sisters of St. Francis of Savannah,
Missouri by Catholic Charities of Kansas City - St. Joseph.
