kabarsula Ursuline Education Foundation steps up to continue charism of longtime religious order at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington bandar SLOT INDONESIA

WILMINGTON — More than 130 years ago, the Ursuline Sisters arrived in Wilmington from New York at the invitation of Bishop Alfred Curtis to occupy a convent and boarding school at the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Harrison Street. Since then, the community has sponsored Ursuline Academy, even as the number of women religious and their direct involvement at the school has decreased.

On Oct. 21, members of the Ursuline Sisters joined the students, staff and supporters at a Mass celebrating the feast day of St. Ursula, followed by a transfer ceremony. Ursuline will now be governed by the Ursuline Education Foundation, which was founded to assist the Ursuline Sisters in developing a strategy for sustaining an Ursuline education. In 2022, the foundation received permission from the Vatican to sponsor Catholic schools.

At the Mass, Lauren Hitron, the school’s director of mission, spoke about the qualities of St. Ursula and how they “radiate” through the sisters. What she and the sisters have brought to Ursuline can be captured in one word, Hitron said. That is “serviam,” the school’s motto, which means, “I will serve.”

The Ursulines prepared their school in Wilmington for its next chapter. Everyone at the academy has role to play, Hitron said.

“Each one of us, in our own way, is called to be a steward of the Ursuline mission,” she said. “We cultivate it each time we choose to serve.”

The transfer ceremony began immediately after the Mass. Trisha Medeiros, Ursuline’s president, was the first to describe the move to the foundation as “momentous.” She led the crowd in thanking the Ursuline sisters for helping to shape generations of students.

Ursuline Sister Pat Schifini, the Eastern Area councilor for the Roman Union Ursulines, USA Region, said the original sisters who arrived in Wilmington recognized that the students in Delaware understood the Ursuline spirit. And although their direct involvement recently has been diminished, the order always assured that Ursuline Academy remained true to its Catholic identity.

The Ursuline Education Foundation will ensure that the school “continues to provide a quality Catholic education in the spirit of St. Ursula,” Sister Pat said.

She introduced members of the foundation, including John Grimes, its chairperson. He said it’s impossible to see the future, but a look at the present shows that the Ursuline Sisters have done a great job. Grimes and school leaders pledged to maintain the charism of St. Ursula and St. Angela Merici, the foundress of the Ursuline Sisters. The sisters then raised their hands for a blessing of the school leaders.

As part of the ceremony, Sister Pat lit a candle representing her religious congregation. Shortly after that, Grimes and Medeiros used that candle to light two others, one representing the foundation, the other the school.

Finally, various students presented gifts to the foundation, each of which has a special meaning at Ursuline. They included a photo of the school’s original logo, a keychain and lanyard from the house system, and a rosary. Sara Smith, the president of the student council, said each of the items connects current students to the generations that came before them.

Bishop Koenig had celebrated Mass for the gathering before the sponsorship ceremony. He later blessed new stained glass windows at the school’s chapel.