ursuline newsletter spring 2016

N E W S | E V E N T S | C O M M U N I T Y | P E O P L E | H I S T O R Y

Spring 2016

open doors change lives

www.ursulinecentre.com

URSULINECENTRE

Amber and Megan Cordeiro in the Auditorium

Megan and Amber Cordeiro first attended an Apantaō retreat as young teens who were in need of healing after some difficult family situations. “I had a lot of hate and unforgiveness,” says Amber. “As a teen, you don’t know that what’s happening is not part of the norm. Apantaō is a pretty powerful weekend.” These retreats have been hosted at the Ursuline Centre for over thirty years. The retreat is called, “an encounter with Jesus Christ,” and features music, prayer and powerful testimonies of healed relationships. “It’s very freeing to see that, hey, this is what the Bible says, and see that God says, ‘I want to take those burdens from you,’” she says. The healing took time, but it was real, she reports. “Now we can have vacations with our dad, not just awkward phone calls.”

Their favorite room at the Ursuline is the auditorium, where the Apantaō praise and worship services take place. “There is peace at the Ursuline Centre. It is such a blessing that the Sisters chose to open up their home and invite all of us into this space,” Amber notes. “We have mutual respect and God blesses that. There is a purpose to the building; people have the space to do His Work.”

Big Sky Apantaō hosts non-denominational retreats four times a year. The next retreat dates are March 11-13 and June 10-12, 2016. For more information, visit bigskyapantao.com or call 406-453-7064.

AN INTERVIEW WITH AMBER CORDEIRO, APANTAŌ MINISTRY TE AM LE ADER


NEWS AND NOTES

WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS

We are happy to announce the newest members of the Board of Directors for the Ursuline Centre of Great Falls, Inc.

➱ Eugene McAllister

➱ Richard Moog

➱ Lori Purpura

➱ Kelly Tempel

Thank you for joining our Board!

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SCHOOL NEWSFROM THE PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR – We have eagerly conquered the first 100 days of school. It’s definitely NOT time to count down to the last day, though. There is still much to accomplish. Our classroom calendars are filled! Soon, we will host a Book Fair to support our emerging readers. This is coupled with a week dedicated to Dr. Seuss in celebration of reading. Science will take center stage as we explore live ladybugs and butterflies, throughout their life cycles, in our classrooms. I’ll just mention a few, so don’t worry-- math, arts, history and religion are in the lesson plans as well.

I am so blessed everyday to witness the academic, social, and physical growth of our students. And so very proud!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Open House: March 4, 10:30-12:30Spring Book Fair: March 14 – 18 (BOGO)Spring Break: March 21 – 28

REGISTRATION FOR 2016-17 PRE-SCHOOL AND PRE-KINDERGARTEN CL A S SES BEGIN MARCH 4! Our annual Open House for new or prospective families is Friday, March 4, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please stop by and watch our classrooms in action. You’ll be able to meet the teachers, and current parents will be on hand to answer questions. Registration packets will also be available online at www.u-centre.org, under the School Tab. Or pick up an application at the Ursuline Centre, 2300 Central Avenue. You may also call the school office at 452-8585 to schedule a personal tour of the school.

THERE’S NO STAGE FRIGHT HERE!The Ursuline Centre Preschool Christmas Programs were a huge success! Look at the smiles of our performers as the parents snap a few memories. Our classrooms practice on stage before performances so that their first experience of standing on a stage is not frightening. Students give two performances each year, one for Christmas and one at the end of the school year. Did you know? Fundraisers keep our tuition affordable for

all families. And it’s fun! Here, students are “practicing” their sales pitch to sell the World’s Finest Chocolate, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

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open doors change livesopen doors change lives

THE URSULINE CENTRE IN PICTURES

The Great Falls Camera Club had a wonderful Christmas party with a gift exchange that left everyone smiling! The Camera Club meets at the Ursuline Centre twice a month. Call Pauletta Byers at 452-8310 for more information.

GFCCHS Boarding students climb the stairs after school to begin their homework.

Development director Kristen McGuire poses in the art studio during a tour with her oldest daughter, Margaret McGuire.

Piano student Katie Diekhans poses with her teacher, Joe May. Beautiful music fills the second floor every Monday and Tuesday as Joe brings his pupils to virtuoso standards.

New board member Lori Purpura poses in her favorite room of the Ursuline Centre: Chapel.

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FE ATURES

TO A NUNBlessings on thee, sweet-faced Nun Who for us this West has wonWho for us your friends forsookTaught us things not found in booksOf our one eternal end,Of Him, Who, you did send,With a smile upon your faceTo lead the way in truth and grace.From our hearts we give you praise,Joy be yours for all your daysQueen you are, reward be yoursOne day on celestial shoresLet this world go on its wayPass you by from day to dayYou have more than it can giveLearning how to love and live;For your goal is almost wonBlessings on thee, sweet-faced Nun.

Cheery, then, dear gentle guide, Keep us ever at your sideThough the flinty sloped be steepAnd the winding waters deepLead us on the paths you trodIn the footsteps of our God.Every morn, the skies of blueShall shine on your day anew;Every eve when shadows fallThru the twilight comes your call.All too soon your work is doneWith the dying of life’s sunDo you think your work worthwhile?Joys of earth cannot beguile;Happy, that your path is foundEver on His sacred ground;Blest that you’ve ne’er wandered inQuick and treacherous sands of sin.Ah! That we could learn your wayGentle Nun, e’er close of day.

-- Florence Bolin

Mother Amata Marie McNaught, who taught music to hundreds of children, smiles in front of the fireplace in what is now the Amata Lounge, named for her by her loving family. See the picture on page 8, where her nephew Dick Bennett is the drum major of the kindergarten rhythm band in a picture from our archives.

FLORENCE (WIL SON) BOLIN, CL A S S OF ‘34(Florence Bolin wrote this poem for the Mount Angela Academy yearbook, The Link, in 1934. She also generously paid for her eldest twin granddaughters, Debe Rito and Dena Bolin, to attend the Ursuline Preschool in the early 1970’s.)

Do you have stories of your Academy adventures? Contact Kristen McGuire at 452-8585. She’d be happy to help you share them!

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VISIT OUR NEW & IMPROVED WEBSITE!www.ursulinecentre.com

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO AT OUR WEBSITE NOW:

Watch a video on the Ursuline Centre

Make an online donation

Submit a request for a group reservation

Sign up for our new E-News

Look at our calendar of upcoming events

THANK YOU, BERTIE!!

Bertie Skees Sigvardt (1928-2015)Not long after the Ursuline Centre Historical Foundation purchased the Ursuline Centre, long time volunteer and board member Bertie Skees Sigvardt passed away. Her infectious joy, her signature pearls and her devotion to the color pink are missed. Retired director Harry Tholen says, “We thank her today in a special way, because her love for the Ursuline Centre inspired all of us, and reminded us why we love this place. We are particularly humbled that Bertie chose to include a bequest for the Ursuline Centre in her will.”

Bertie knew every inch of the hallways and rooms of the Ursuline Centre. She felt a deep responsibility to teach others

of its historic value to the Great Falls community. To that end, she served on the Board of Directors and spent countless hours volunteering. “My mother had a relationship with the Ursuline dating back to her early childhood. She knew it first as a school and convent, and knew many of the nuns for years and years. She celebrated her love for art, music, faith and community there for decades,” says her daughter, Kate (Sigvardt) Austin.

Bertie believed in the Ursuline legacy. She loved the raucous St. Paddy’s Day fund-raiser at the Hi-Ho, as well as sharing stories of the history of the Ursuline with visitors at the lovely Mother’s Day Brunch. “She felt the Ursuline’s role as a historic gathering place was something that needed to be preserved for years to come. This was the basis for remembering the Centre in her will,” adds Austin.

The Skees family has long been an important part of the history of Great Falls. Bertie’s parents, Jack and Bertha Skees, ran Skee’s Gas Shop downtown for over 50 years. Her brother, John Skees, was an active and generous businessman and community leader. And Bertie managed the Reilly’s Church Supplies store from 1979-1995, delivering candles, communion wine and religious art across the state.

As we remember Bertie with love, let us also consider how we might emulate her joy in daily life, her support for both art and music, and her generous sharing of time and talent with the Ursuline Centre and the larger community.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS AND L ADIES ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS!THE HOLIDAY BRE AKFA ST WA S A HUGE SUCCES S!

Your Christmas Generosity to the Ursuline Centre is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely, The Ursuline Centre Historical Foundation Board of Trustees

FRIENDS OF THE URSULINE

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LENT DEVOTION SCHEDULE• March 1-20:

• Daily Mass at 10 am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays

• No Masses on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday.

• Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 3 pm

HOLY WEEK MA S S SCHEDULE• No Daily Masses

• Easter Sunday 10 am Mass

REGUL AR MA S S SCHEDULE• Sunday Mass: 10 am

Celebrant: Fr. Dennis Homes

• No Daily Masses

• Healing Mass – Fourth Tuesday of each Month, 7 pm Celebrant: Fr. Terry Regan

OPEN FOR PRAYER, ALL DAY!In the dim morning light, a friend of the Ursuline Centre bows his head in prayer. This chapel space is open for prayer most days to anyone who seeks the peace and serenity to be found here at the Ursuline Centre. In fact, if you are completely still, and listen…you may even hear angelic voices singing.

POPE FRANCIS’ PRAYER FOR THE JUBILEE YE AR

OF MERC YLord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.

Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;

the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;

made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.

Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”You are the visible face of the invisible Father,

of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.

You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion

for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after,

loved, and forgiven by God.Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of

grace from the Lord,and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm,

may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,

and restore sight to the blind. We ask this through the intercession of

Mary, Mother of Mercy, you who live and reign with the Father

and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

CHAPEL NEWS

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2300 Central Avenue • Great Falls, Montana 59401Phone: 406.452.8585 • Fax: 406.452.8586Email: [email protected]


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DONATEMUSIC EDUCATION AT THE URSULINE CENTRE!Can you find Sr. Francis Xavier Porter, and Bertie Sigvardt and Dick Bennett in this great picture of the primary school Rhythm Band at Mount Angela Academy in 1936? See page five to remember Mother Amata McNaught, their well-loved music teacher.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:Dick Martin, President Tom Wald, Vice President Doug Wilson, Treasurer Sr. Francis Xavier Porter, OSU

THE URSULINE CENTRE

URSULINE CENTRE STAFF:Harry Tholen, Interim DirectorWende Curry, School DirectorPeggy Rowe, Assistant Director Kristen McGuire, Director of Development Marilyn Jessen, Bookkeeper Deanna Nisbet, Receptionist Georges deGiorgio, Security & ToursShad Wolf, Head ChefHugh Tyner, Maintenance

UPCOMING EVENTS(call 452-8585 for more info)

St. Patrick’s Day FundraiserAt the HiHo TavernMarch 17 – 11 am - 7 pm

Mother’s Day BrunchSunday, May 8 – 10 am - 2 pm

Road Scholar: The Wild West, Charlie Russell and the Plains IndiansJune 19 - 25

Jan Bagley Sean Donnelly Joyce Jewett Gene McAllisterRichard Moog

Bill Ramsey Joe PipinichLori PurpuraKelly Tempel

ursuline newsletter spring 2016

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