Archived Life Today

Sister Margaret, age 98, has been interested in art her whole life. She has fashioned hand made paper, books and worked in calligraphy as well as painting. In the monastery basement there is a Chandler and Price offset press, which has seen many years of service in Sister’s projects of printing her own designs of stationery and cards.

Sister was introduced to icon writing by a close friend and went on to take classes from a Russian master. She has produced beautiful icons of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Saint John the Baptist and the Madonna with Child. The icons are fashioned on fine grain hardwood treated with gesso and painted with egg tempera and gold leaf. The shading is established by layering paint from darkest to lightest. This craft of icon writing is not an expressionist art but a painstaking technique of duplicating an earlier work, which lends itself to mental concentration and spiritual contemplation.

Each figure is assigned specific garment colors and features according to tradition; this was helpful for recognition in the days when few people could read. In some of Sister Margaret’s icons the figures hold globes, which represent the tool used by them to speak with God on our behalf, making visible the borderline between heaven and earth and creating a window into heaven for our prayers.

Sister Margaret still pursues painting and is hoping to take future classes in floral studies done in watercolor.

VISTORY

The Wheeling girls pass the flag to the Minnesota girls.

A dozen of the Convent School of the Visitation students in Mendota Heights joined 40 students from other Visitation programs throughout the country for a week of worship, service, instruction and hands-on learning. Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy in Wheeling, West Virginia hosted the ninth annual VISTORY program for girls from Visitation schools in Georgetown, Washington D.C.; Mendota Heights, Minnesota; St. Louis, Missouri; Wheeling, West Virginia; and from the Windsock Program of the Minneapolis Visitation. VISTORY, which means: Visitation In Service To Others, Responding Youth, helps to raise social awareness and instill community responsibility in all the participants. “Being a part of this week changes your perspective”, said one of the chaperones from Minnesota who taught a baby to play ‘patty-cake’ for the first time. “You see first-hand how other people live”. The girls in VISTORY range in age from those who have completed eighth grade through those about to begin their senior year of high school.

The VISTORY participants could choose from a variety of partnering organizations in the Wheeling community to do their service projects. These included programs working with the elderly, with children, with the homeless in soup kitchens, and helping with building repairs and landscape enhancement. One of the Minnesota students commented, “After this week I understand how important it is to mentor a child – one person really can make a difference.”

Each day opened with a prayer service. There were presentations and discussions on social service issues and shared reflections at nighttime to help in the processing of the day’s experiences. Icebreakers - such as karaoke, bingo, and a pizza party - were planned to facilitate the students in getting to know one another. The week was interspersed with sight-seeing tours of the Wheeling area: The Challenger Learning Center/Mission Control and Spacecraft Simulator at Wheeling Jesuit University; the Wheeling waterfront and Ohio mall; and the Oglebay mansion, gardens and zoo. There was even a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game where the VISTORY girls served as chaperons for children in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program – followed by a cookout. The last night brought the week to a close with a bonfire where everybody toasted marshmallows; and in a ceremony reminiscent of the Olympic games, the VISTORY flag was passed from the Wheeling girls to the Minnesota girls, who will be the hosts of the next year’s VISTORY week.

Nine years ago the VISTORY program was inaugurated as a one-time project to mark Mount de Chantal’s sesquicentennial in Wheeling, West Virginia, on the foothills of the Appalachians. The week was such an enthusiastic success that it has continued in each succeeding year, rotating the hosting responsibility to each of the Visitation schools/programs. The theme of this year’s VISTORY was, “Doing Small Things With Great Love”. And these small things become precious milestones in the lives of the VISTORY girls, who experience the value of serving others while building bonds of friendship and memories across America. As one Minnesota student summed it up: “I liked the Pirates ballgame, and helping others, but my favorite part of the whole week was the opportunity to meet girls from other Visitation schools. That was the best”.

Heavenly Confections

The Mendota Heights Visitation Sisters have been selling their homemade gourmet caramels since the 1950’s. It has become a time honored tradition to enjoy these little bits of heaven during the Christmas season. The Sisters continue to cook these delightful candies from the original recipe which was handed down from Sister Margaret Mary Burke’s mother and is over 100 years old. Caramels are made year round and can be purchased from the Sisters at any time. To order click here for the Caramel Order Form.

The 2006 Christmas season was the busiest yet! The Sisters and their faithful volunteers worked day and night to fill all the orders. Because of all the interest in the caramels, a contest was run for the Sisters and Convent and school employees to guess how many caramels were cooked during 2006. The number was to include all the caramels eaten, given away and sold. The guesses started at 2,200 and went up to 1,527,000. The winning guess of 36,000 was submitted by an infirmary night health care aide. The actual number of caramels cooked in 2006 was 34,560!

Life Today

Grace Centre in San Pedro, Guatemala

Visitation alumnae have founded a new effort in San Pedro, Guatemala to help transform the scene of poverty and build relationships with neighborhood families.

Sister Marie Thérèse Conaty (’46 Cardome Visitation) along with Lorilee Lambrecht Petrangelo (’84), Debbie Mesinger Grittner (’84) and daughter Amanda, and Julie Kane Pfizinger (’80) made a recent research trip to San Pedro, Guatemala on March 12, 2007. This is the fourth research trip primarily focusing on visitations to the homes and communities around San Pedro to gather information, establish relationships, and listen to the needs and hopes of the women of the area. This group of alumnae and the Visitation Sisters are working in collaboration with Padre Mario Ochoa, Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary and the medics of Sangre de Cristo. The project titled Grace Centre is accepting donations to help construct two homes for families currently living in tin shacks and to build a Visitation Centre. The Visitation Centre would provide space for school classrooms, a temporary medical clinic and multi-purpose rooms on the grounds of Our Lady of the Rosary Church.

Sister Marie Thérèse stated so eloquently, “Our dream is to help these women have a place where they can go to meet and relate to one another for caring and support, which for them is non-existent.”

Please consider helping this important effort through a tax deductible donation to

Grace Centre

1040 Douglas Road

Mendota Heights, MN 55118

No donation is too small to make a difference and help transform lives in Guatemala!

Sister Margaret Agnes Doyle Turns 100!

On February 9, 2008 Sister Margaret celebrated her 100th birthday. She has received letters of congratulations from Archbishop Harry Flynn, President and Mrs. Bush, Senator Norm Coleman and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Even a star in the constellation Aquarius has been named in her honor and she received a framed certificate from the Visitation High School students.

The Visitation Upper School kicked off her 100 year celebration on February 8th with a gathering to sing “Happy Birthday,” and celebrations continued throughout the day with Middle Scholl, Lower School, Childcare and several class visits from St. Thomas Academy students. Many gifts were presented to Sister Margaret including African violets, cards, banners, cake, an STA bear and a power point presentation of her life.

A special part of the day was a Liturgy celebrating Sisters life with the Minneapolis Visitation Sisters.

Sister Margaret joined the New York Visitation Community in 1938 and came to Minnesota to live at the Visitation Monastery in 1980. She has kept active in many of her favorite hobbies including painting, reading, icon writing, violet tending and making paper, boxes and books.

The Visitation Community and friends join in adding their best wishes on Sister Margaret’s 100 year mile stone.