September is the month when many of us experience changes. Children are back to school. High school and college campuses are ablaze with new and returning students. Nature is aglow with vibrant color. The Sisters are stimulated to plan the year ahead with Chapter meeting, Community Day, and Implementing their Strategic Plan.

It was also a time of special grace for Sister Bertha Karels, age 104, to hear God call her home to heaven.

Sister Bertha spent years in classrooms, delighting in providing enriching activities for children, and then years serving as the Community sacristan. She loved the liturgy and was always in attendance. When you finished your day, stopping in to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, there was Sister Bertha praying for all the special needs.

Late on Thursday night and early on Friday morning, September 15, she was attentive and heard God's call to enter into eternal life. On Monday afternoon, all was ready and Sister Bertha was welcomed back to the monastery to be celebrated in monastic prayer and the final rites of appreciation. Pictured above are twelve nieces and nephews who came from far and wide to tell their stories of encounters with Sister and pay their last respects in stories, roses and prayer. Father Bill Kenney had the honor of celebrating her favorite sacrament, the Eucharist, and sending this faith-filled woman home to God. She will long be remembered for her clever wit and great love for storytelling.

We pray that your changes will be transformative and bring you renewed life!