A religious order of sisters arrived last fall in Portsmouth bringing faith, hope and joy to the Catholic parishes and schools in the southernmost part of the diocese.
The Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a religious community of women founded in 1991 in the Philippines, have been in Scioto County since Oct. 9. They were invited to the diocese last year by Father Stash Dailey, the diocese’s vicar for religious, and former Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan.
“Bishop Brennan had been looking for a religious community that especially has a mission of preparing families for consecration to the hearts of Jesus and Mary,” said Sister Chiara, LIHM, one of three sisters assigned to Portsmouth. “Another reason was having religious in the schools.”
Sister Chiara, who was born and raised in the Philippines before her family moved to New York when she was a teenager, is joined in Portsmouth by Mother Assumpta, the superior of the Portsmouth community who is from the Philippines, and Sister Soledad, whose family moved from Mexico to Kansas when she was in high school.
“I think the unanimous comment from the three of us is that we weren’t expecting to be here last October,” Sister Chiara said. “We thought it would be later, but somehow God moved us to come. And we really felt at home right away. It really was just the right time to come.
“We’ve been so blessed to get to know the families here. For the last three months we’ve just really been meeting people and learning the history of the county and about the heartaches and needs here, which we see as opportunities that God’s calling us to grow.”
The three LIHM sisters, whose charisms include evangelization of youth and preparing families for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, have established their Portsmouth motherhouse in the former rectory at St. Mary of the Annunciation Church.
St. Mary is part of the Scioto Catholic Consortium that includes Portsmouth Holy Redeemer, West Portsmouth Holy Trinity and Wheelersburg St. Peter in Chains churches and that also supports Notre Dame elementary and high school.
Father Brian Beal has served as the pastor for the consortium since July. The parochial vicar is Father Patrick Watikha. Father David Glockner, a retired missionary priest from the area, assists at the parishes.
“As missionaries, our life is service,” Sister Chiara said. “And the first thing, of course, is prayer. We come in and adjust and see where God calls us to serve in a particular way. Father (Beal) has been great at expressing the needs here and how we can be of assistance.”
The sisters are a welcome sight in an area that has seen its share of difficulties over the past years. Economic upheaval, job losses, social issues, church closings and a declining population have impacted southern Ohio.
“I think the people are so grateful that we’re here, and we’ve just received such a warm welcome,” Sister Chiara said. “The question that we get, which really shows kind of the heartache of the people, is, ‘How long are you staying?’”
The nuns have begun working with children at Notre Dame elementary and high school. Because the school year had already started when the sisters arrived, they plan to become more involved with teaching during the 2022-23 school year.
“They’re expecting us next school year,” especially at the elementary school, Sister Chiara said. “We’re not quite sure about the high school yet because they do have two religion teachers, but the religion teachers have reached out and asked for us to perhaps visit and maybe teach a lesson or two.
“Last fall, when the school had vocations week, we did some witnessing for vocations. Then we assisted with a Eucharistic miracles exhibit, and we’ll go to Mass with the elementary students and also once in a while with the high school students.”
Outside of the schools, the LIHM sisters are becoming involved with Parish School of Religion (PSR) instruction and are trained in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd method of teaching the Catholic faith.
“I have been reaching out to the PSR and the catechism classes in the different churches,” Sister Chiara said. “We’re hoping to provide the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for the whole consortium, and so I’m working closely with some of the catechists and also hopefully extend that to the elementary and middle school if possible.”
Mother Assumpta also assists with homebound ministry, and Sister Soledad is working with Spanish-speaking families in the Portsmouth area and in Columbus, hoping to assist with the sacraments and marriage preparation and starting Bible studies and prayer groups.
The sisters in the growing 30-year-old Leaven order have established a presence in the Philippines, Australia and the United States. In the U.S., the LIHM nuns are located in Ohio, Nebraska, South Dakota and Alabama.
“We live the reparative spirit of Christ the Suffering Servant and embrace a contemplative-active life of prayer, penance and apostolate exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary,” Sister Chiara explained. “Responding to our call to be leaven of human society, we are dedicated to the education and formation of the young and the family.
“Early childhood, elementary and high school education and formation, catechetical instruction (including the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), sacramental preparation, Bible studies, retreats and house-to-house evangelization (particularly preparing families for consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary) are all part of our main apostolate.”
A typical day for the sisters starts with prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 3 a.m. They recite morning prayers and attend Mass at the parish where it is being offered each day. The middle portion of their day is spent doing chores and doing their assigned mission work in parishes and schools and with individuals in need. The nuns continue to pray throughout the day, and then they return to the motherhouse in late afternoon for dinner, evening prayers and recreation time before retiring at 9 p.m.
“Last December, Father (Beal) initiated Perpetual Adoration with the help of a good group of volunteers, and that’s just been beautiful,” Sister Chiara said. “It ties into our way of life.”