The Valley Catholic April 24, 2018 | Page 10

10
COMMUNITY
Sisters of Mercy Elect Leaders for West Midwest Community
April 24 , 2018 | The Valley Catholic
Amid joyous celebration , five Sisters of Mercy were elected on April 7 , to lead the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas , West Midwest Community , which stretches from San Francisco , to Detroit , Mich . Elected were : Sister Susan Sanders , RSM , Omaha , Neb ., formerly of Chicago , Ill ., president ; Sister Ana María Pineda , San Jose , vice president ; Sister Maria Klosowski , RSM , Omaha , Neb ., formerly of Farmington Hills , Mich .; Sister Margaret Mary Hinz , Omaha , Neb ., formerly of Chicago , Ill ; and Sister Peg Maloney , RSM , Denver , Colo .
The election took place during the West Midwest Community ’ s Assembly held April 3-8 at the Chicago Marriott O ’ Hare hotel . The newly elected members of the West Midwest Community Leadership Team will begin their term on July 1 . They will live in Omaha , Neb ., where the Central Administrative Office for the West Midwest Community is located .
Sister Ana María Pineda , RSM
A Sister of Mercy for many decades , Sister Ana María was elected vice president . Born in El Salvador , Central
America , she migrated to the U . S . with her parents when she was two . Starting as an elementary teacher , much of her ministry has revolved around some aspect of Hispanic ministry and theology , including teaching in schools that served inner-city , underserved Hispanic / Latino families in Los Angeles and San Francisco , and working in a parish in the predominately Hispanic Mission District of San Francisco . She has spent the past 21 years at Santa Clara University in California as a tenured faculty member in the religious studies department , mentoring many Latino / a students , as well as coordinating and convening the Latino / a faculty on campus . In addition , she served as the director of the Graduate Pastoral Ministries Program at Santa Clara University between 1999-2005 .
Prior to that , she was co-director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry and Hispanic Consultant to the Diocesan Catechetical Office in the Diocese of San Jose , and faculty member and director of Hispanic Ministry Program for 10 years at Catholic Theological
Pictured are the new Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community Leadership Team . Seated , from left : Sisters Susan Sanders , RSM , president , and Ana María Pineda , vice president . Standing , from left : Sisters Margaret Mary Hinz , RSM , Maria Klosowski , RSM , and Peg Maloney , RSM .
Union in Chicago She was instrumental in promoting the earliest Hispanic Church dialogue in the national Encuentros of lay ministers and bishops . Over the years , the US Conference of
Bishops has invited her to participate in the Bishops ’ Committee for Woman and the Committee for Hispanic Ministry . With fellow Hispanic theologians she contributed early on in the newly established Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians in the United States ( ACHTUS ) and served as its President in 2000
Sister Ana María was a member of the committee that created the Hispanic Theological Initiative ( HTI ) which supports Latino / as in theological doctoral studies She is the author of Romero and Grande , Companions on the Journey , which is about the friendship between Archbishop Óscar Romero , who will be declared a saint later this year , and Jesuit Fr . Rutilio Grande , both martyrs of El Salvador . She has a B . A . in Liberal Studies from Russell College , Burlingame , M . A . in Theology , Catholic Theological Union , Chicago , Ill .; Doctorate in Ministry candidate at Jesuit School of Theology , Berkeley , and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology , Pastoral / Applied Theology , Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca , Spain .
By Sr . Mary Augustine FHIC
Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus ( Libania ) was born in a noble family on June 15 , 1843 in Lisbon . Libania was the daughter of Nuno Tomas de Mascarenhas Galvão Mexia de Moura Teles e Albuquerque and Maria da Purificação Sa Ferreira .
Orphaned at the age of fourteen , Libania entered boarding school and was later looked after by the Marchioness , a friend of her parents . Though she enjoyed the luxuries of life , the cry of those with nothing and with nobody ,

175 th Birth Anniversary of Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus

challenged her . To respond to this cry , she entered the Convent of Saint Patrick and there she exchanged her luxurious dresses for a simple habit of a religious , receiving the name Sister Maria Clara of the Child Jesus . She was professed on April 14 , 1871 . Maria Clara assumed the office of Superior of all the Sisters who had pronounced their vows with her . Thus , on May 3 , 1871 was born the Congregation of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Poor for the Love of God , which was later called the Portuguese Hospitaller Sisters and today is known as Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception .

SAN DAMIANO RETREAT

Spirituality & Conscious Aging
: Finding Purpose in Retirement with Jim Briggs , 5 / 11-12
Embodied Prayer with Steve Harms and Kaleo & Elise Ching , 5 / 12 Adult Children of Alcoholics with staff of Options Recovery Services , 5 / 25-27
The Gift of a Moment ( Silent Contemplative Retreat ) with Sr . Ishpriya , 6 / 3-8
More information or register 710 Highland Dr ., Danville 925 837 9141 Visit us at sandamiano . org & on Facebook
Mother Clara was a woman of prayer , determination , kindness , humility , mercy and compassion . She gave herself totally and courageously , to make her life a gift of love , hope and comfort to all ; especially to the sick , the elderly , the orphaned , the poor , the needy and the abandoned of society . While caring for their physical needs , she took care of their spiritual needs as well . Where there was someone in need of food , shelter , clothing , spiritual guidance , consolation or the Word of God , she reached out to them .
Her frequent exhortation , “ Let us work with love and for love ”, was a synthesis of her life . Charity was at the very core of her being . She was known as “ A Sister to the poor - A face of the tenderness and mercy of God .”
She accepted with serenity and faith all the sufferings that she faced . She would say “ Nothing happens in this world without Divine permission ” or Accept everything as coming from the hands of God .” Under the coordination , dynamism and initiative of the good Mother Clara , the Congregation was led to a rapid expansion in Portugal ,
further extending to Angola , Goa , Guinea and Cabo Verde .
On December 1 , 1899 at the age of 56 , Mother Clara died , but she continues to live in the heart of all the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters , spread throughout the following countries : Portugal , Angola , São Tome , Guinea , Italy , India , Philippines , East Timor , Indonesia , Brazil , South Africa , Mozambique , Spain , United States and Mexico . Mother Clara was beatified on May 21 , 2011 .
The Sisters first came to the U . S . in 1960 , to the the Diocese of San Jose in California , to render their services in the field of education and then spread to different Dioceses . At present the sisters are involved in pastoral Ministry , Religious education , caring for the elderly , the sick and rendering service to the developmentally disabled . In the Diocese of San Jose , the sisters are involved in Pastoral Ministry at Five Wounds Portuguese National Church .
In June the Sisters will be celebrating the 175th Birth Anniversary of their Foundress , Blessed Maria Clara . This Jubilee Celebration will be held on June 23 at 10 a . m . at Saint Joseph Parish , Los Banos , presided by the Most Rev . Armando X . Ochoa , Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno ; followed by a reception at New Bethany Auditorium , 1441 Berkeley Dr ., Los Banos . All are cordially invited .