On Saturday, July 19th, we celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Sisters Jeanne and Mildred. The chapel was filled with sisters, family, and friends as our Sister Jubilarians renewed their monastic profession at the celebration of the Eucharist. The joy overflowed from chapel to the reception as they celebrated and praised "Blessed be God the Faithful One". Please join us in lifting our Golden Sisters up in prayer throughout this their jubilee year.
Sister Jeanne grew up on a farm near Tyndall, SD, second in a family of four children. She is the daughter of the late John and Louise Ranek. After graduating form Tyndall High School, Sr. Jeanne attended Mount Marty College graduating with a BA in Social Sciences. Mount Marty opened worlds both academically and spiritually and lead her to enter Sacred Heart Convent that fall. After her first profession, Sr. Jeanne taught at Mount Marty High School until its closure in 1969. This was followed by graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame where she earned both a Masters and Doctor of Philosophy degrees! Sister ministries have varied from teaching at the college and graduate levels, to consulting and facilitating for religious communities. She has also served in leadership roles for the American Benedictine Academy, Association of Benedictine Retreat Centers, and Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Since 1990, Sr. Jeanne has been engaged in serving full-time retreat ministry and directing the ecumenical Spiritual Direction Ministry Formation Program. Sr. Jeanne earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in Spiritual Direction through the Graduate Theological Foundation including a summer attending Oxford University in England. She continues as the director of our Benedictine Peace Center established in 2001 with the completion of a new wing of the monastery.
Sr. Jeanne shared, " Fifty years have passed quickly, filled with experiences and opportunities I hadn't dreamed would be mine. Whatever the years before me hold, my hope is that I will be ever more attentive and responsive to the profound and amazing gift of God's loving Presence among us. I am deeply grateful to my family, my sisters and all those whom I have been privileged to serve in a variety of ministries. With a long way to go yet, my hope is to attain what St. Benedict promises to a disciple after long years of fidelity in our monastic way of life, that is: "to run with heart enlarged on the way of God's commandments" (Rule of Benedict, Prologue: 49).
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| Sisters sub-Prioress, Mildred, Jeanne, and Prioress on the day of the Golden Jubilee celebration. |
Sister Mildred was born in Luverne, MN, the fourth child of Mildred and Walter Busch. She joined three brothers and three sisters growing up on a farm in the St. Rose of Lima parish of Garretson, SD. Parish life was an anchor of her family's faith life as her father became the first layman to lector and serve as communion minister in their church following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Sister graduated from Garretson High School and attended Mount Marty College for one year before she entered Sacred Heart Convent in 1962. Later, she received her BA in history of Mount Marty College and an MA in education from the University of Nebraska in 1981. For 33 years, sister taught at the elementary and high school levels in parish schools in both South Dakota and Nebraska. During 20 of those years, she was principal and states that her years in education have brought great joy and satisfaction for the privilege of being involved in the lives of hundreds of children and young people.
Throughout her years in religious life, Sr. Mildred was involved in community administrative areas, serving terms on the council, committees, and task forces. In 1999 she entered a new phase of ministry by serving on the task force for co-sponsorship of our Benedictine Health System with the Presentation Sisters Health System which is now known as Avera. She continued to serve the health system as a member of several Avera hospital Boards of Directors as well as System Member Chair. In 2005, she was appointed Procurator to the community. She loved those years of serving the community very directly, adding that "the learning curve was huge, but the challenge was enjoyable." Currently, sister is the Pastoral Administrative Assistant at St. Michael's Parish in Lincoln, NE. Her newest venture has been writing and sharing guided visualizations on Gospel passages, stories, and events. In closing, Sr. Mildred says, "On my jubilee, I celebrate with everlasting gratitude, my call to the monastery and thank God for His faithfulness."
Blessings
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