News From Home

June 2026

By Sister M. Anselma

Dear Family and Friends,

One of my favorite summer experiences as a child was helping my parents sell artwork for Kathy Glasnap. Kathy, a friend of our family, was a super talented watercolor artist who painted beautiful, detailed Wisconsin landscapes. Before she had her own gallery, she would sell her artwork by setting up a pop-up tent at local art shows all around Wisconsin during the summer and fall months. Unfortunately, her health was very poor, and often she was not able to travel to the art shows herself. Instead, she had a circle of friends who would rotate weekends to sell her art, and my parents and I would take our turn two to three times a year.

I remember driving all over the Wisconsin countryside in her big, brown art van with no air conditioning, the wind blowing my hair as I watched the corn fields and rolling hills go by. Besides helping with the set-up and take-down work each day, I was pretty free to wander the art show and take it all in. I think this experience was a catalyst for my love of art. From early on, what drew me the most was not just the works of art, but the connection with the artist. While I may not have expressed it back then, I wanted to know the artist as to better appreciate the art. I formed a reverence for the fact that every work of art flowed from a unique person with particular gifts, perspective, experience, and passion. In its truest form, art is an expression of a person. That made the art so much more meaningful to me, even if it wasn’t something I would choose to hang on my bedroom wall. I would spend hours exploring this connection and getting to know the people behind the art. Many of them I would see at art show after art show and I formed a special connection with them… my “starving artist friends!”

Last Sunday was the beautiful Feast of Pentecost!! I have been reading a great book by Archbishop Luis Martinez called The Sanctifier. The first few paragraphs of the book talk about the Holy Spirit as the divine artist.

“How wonderful is the work of the artist! By efforts both ardent and gentle he can penetrate hard and shapeless materials with the light of his soul.

That is the way one may conceive the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, Artist of Souls. Is not sanctity the supreme art? God has only one ideal which… encompasses all the highest forms of beauty. This ideal is Jesus. With divine enthusiasm He comes to the soul… reproducing the eternal ideal.”

Like those starving artists from my childhood, I want to know more deeply the Artist at work in my own soul and in the souls of those around me! I may not be able to see and understand how each “carve of the wood” or “stroke of the paintbrush” contributes toward the Holy Spirit’s intention for me, but that is ok. I trust and love the One doing the work with His varied and effective tools!!

I have been spending much time with art and the Holy Spirit lately, as we work on a plethora of details for our Chapel renovation! And my love for “starving artists” has been rekindled! But more than that, I love the experience of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our Home, to bring about a representation of God’s love for His people according to the unique mission and charism He has given us! May we remain open to the “paintbrush” of the divine Artist in our lives and in our Home!

In His Merciful Heart,

Sister M. Anselma
Administrator

By Fr. Nick Muenks

Which of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity is the most humble?

What? This is a question which came to me the other day, and it’s not a bad question, even though it does not have an answer. It does not have an answer, obviously, because the Three Persons are only One God, so one can hardly imagine one of them being more of anything compared to the others. But it is still a good question, because it leads us to reflect on the humility of God.

That God would be humble may be an odd thought, since God is so great and so powerful. Yet, we know that Jesus shows us a side of God which we might otherwise not have considered. It is certainly easy to think of Jesus as humble—born in a stable, living and working in an out-of-the-way town, ministering to others, sometimes to the point of depriving himself of food and rest, and above all accepting the cross for sins committed by others. And these things were done, not by a mere man, but by the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word who was made flesh and dwelt among us. Who could be more humble than God the Son?

Well, there is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works humbly to accomplish everything that is done in the church. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the Eucharist is confected, that sins are forgiven, that bodies and souls are healed. It is through the Holy Spirit that we became Christians, being born again in Baptism as children of God. And, when we pray, it is the Holy Spirit who prays within us. Yet, the Spirit gets very little thanks for all that he does! In fact, when we do pay him attention, we tend to order him around: “Come, Holy Spirit!” we say. How often do we also say “please?” Or “thank you?” Even so, the Holy Spirit is content to continue doing everything in the church. Not only that, he even dwells in each Christian as though in a temple. On days when we do not feel that we are acceptable or presentable, even to our fellow mere mortals, the Holy Spirit is living not only with us, but within us. Who could be more self-effacing than God the Holy Spirit?

Well, there is the Father. God the Father is very much self-effacing, for when he wanted to save us, he did not come himself, but sent us his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. So humble is the Father that he made the whole universe, not because he needed a universe, but because he wanted to do good for us. Incredibly, he even made us. When a little child draws our portrait in crayon, we are pleased, but also a little chagrined, because we think, “do I really look like that?” Yet, when the Father created humanity in his own image and likeness, he used a medium—physical matter—which could not be more dissimilar to his own nature, which is pure spirit. And, to make us like himself, he gave us freedom. But, with that freedom, we have often done things which are not like our Father at all. How often might the Father say to himself, “do I really look like that?” Yet, the Father still loves us. He wishes to forgive all our sins and draw us back to himself. And this is true, even though we not only do not obey him, but even blame him for things that go wrong in our lives, or for things which other people have done to us. Jesus taught us that we must love our enemies, but he learned that from the example of his heavenly Father, who loves those who sin against him. Who could be less concerned with his own interests than God the Father?

I do not know if we often think of God as humble, self-effacing, and not seeking his own interests. But, if we say that God is love, then we are saying all this as well! Let us give thanks to God for his goodness!

Fr. Nick Muenks

Chaplain

“Stepping Toward 100” Campaign

By Sister M. Luka

It’s time for our Spring Campaign again! This year, to celebrate the 8 residents who will be over 100 years old this year, and our approaching centennial in two years, we’re raising $100,000 for the refurbishing of our Ground Floor flooring! Click here to donate to the “Stepping Toward 100” Campaign today! This campaign will last from May 13th (Feast of Our Lady of Fatima) – June 29th (Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul). 

If you’d like to recieve regular updates on the “Stepping into 100” Campaign, please reach out to me with your email, or check out the updates on our Facebook page!

Sister M. Luka

Mission Support Coordinator