<Ministry1>

Our Community was founded on a commitment to serve the educational and health needs of the immigrants in Northeast Wisconsin. Though our roots remain in Bay Settlement and the Green Bay Diocese, that commitment has taken us beyond and back again. In 1969, a call to serve the people of Nicaragua came from the North American Capuchins. Sister Maria Drzewiecki was waiting and ready. With the blessing of the Community, she blazed a trail other Sisters would follow. During her 28 years of team ministry, in an isolated and underdeveloped region of Nicaragua, Sister Maria learned that real transformation - fuller life - takes place when good, simple people are evangelized and receive training to become leaders and evangelizers in their own communities. “During this process - we, the missionaries or ‘outsiders’ - needed to learn from the people and work with them, rather than just for them,” Sister Maria explained.

In 1973, Sister Agnes Fischer was asked to join the Sisters serving in Nicaragua. Until 2004, she ministered to the people through leadership formation of rural teachers, health promoters and parish ministers. When Sister Laura Zelten served in Nicaragua, she, too, realized that lay formation was essential to developing leadership among the people. It was a way to empower them to take important roles of ministry in their local communities.

Upon her return to WI, Sister Maria served the Community as Justice and Peace Coordinator which led her to the critical work of political and legislative advocacy. Her passion for justice, care for the Earth, and love for our immigrant brothers and sisters are not just words, but are visible in her living and serving. Currently Sister Maria ministers as a Hispanic Outreach Worker for the Green Bay Diocese as well as a teacher in the Discípulos de Cristo Program.

Sister Laura Zelten

In 1997, Sister Laura became the Hispanic Pastoral Minister at St. Gabriel’s Parish in Neenah, WI, while also pursuing studies for her Masters degree in Theology at St. Norbert College. Working closely with diocesan leaders, the need for a diocesan Hispanic program of formation became evident. “We started going to the parishes where Masses in Spanish were being provided and held a retreat for the lay leaders. One of our findings was the rapid growth of the Hispanic community in our diocese,” recalls Sister Laura. “Finishing my degree at St. Norbert’s, I chose to write a program for Lay Formation for the Hispanic Community as my thesis.” In collaboration with others, Fe y Vida, a formation program for Hispanics began, but this was just the beginning.

Sister Jane Riha describes her experience in this ministry as “called and blessed.” In 1997, in transition from service to her Sisters and hearing a call to serve the Hispanics who were arriving in the diocese, she began the study of Spanish in a language school in Cuernavaca, Mexico, while continuing her studies at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. In 1999, Sister Jane was hired by the diocese as Coordinator of Hispanic Pastoral Ministry for the Fox Valley. The ministry included training persons for leadership roles, and establishing catechetical and sacramental programs. “In this ministry area, I realized that my call to serve was indeed answered. I was blessed and enriched by a loving community of brothers and sisters. My heart and mind were transformed by walking with people of another culture.”

With Sister Laura’s original vision in mind, the diocesan Director of the Lay Formation Program, began looking for leadership to develop a diocesan centered Hispanic ministry formation program which would include classes in scripture, spirituality, liturgy, and morality similar to the well established Commissioned Ministry Program.

Sister Jane Riha

In July 2006, Sister Jane began part-time ministry with the diocese as Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry Formation working specifically to develop a program called Discípulos de Cristo. Now in its fourth year, it is a full-fledged lay formation program offered in the Spanish language.

“It is my privilege to meet personally with each participant and hear them share their spiritual journey of faith, the challenges of living as an immigrant, personal joys and sorrows,” Sister Jane shared. “The relationship with participants and teachers is the most important part of my ministry. In a sense, we have become a family. The Church is enriched by the leadership and insights of persons of diverse cultures.”

Sister Laura was already teaching in the diocesan Commissioned Ministry Formation Program when asked to also be a teacher in the Hispanic Ministry Formation Program. She shared, “For me, teaching in the Discípulos de Cristo program is to be growing with the Church and the future of the diocese. Our local population is changing, and I find it a privilege to be able to serve our Hispanic brothers and sisters. We are a universal Church and to celebrate the diversity among us is a grace and hope for the future.”

Sister Agnes Fischer

When Sister Agnes returned to Green Bay, she too, wanted to use the skills and insights she had learned as a missionary. She volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul Center as a translator and interviewer and taught a short Spanish class to employees and volunteers. With her Latin American experience, Sister Agnes was also invited to teach in the Discípulos de Cristo Program. She teaches Spirituality to the first year students.

Sister Agnes continues to spend one month of the year in Nicaragua assisting the chancery in Bluefields with her training as an archivist to preserve their faith-filled history and to keep the relationship of the Bay Settlement Sisters with the people of Nicaragua a personal one.

Serving and living with people of a different culture and language has forever impacted the hearts and lives of these Sisters. As Franciscans, they live the spirit of St. Francis in being sisters to all, especially those who are poor and marginalized. They have put their skill in language, their knowledge of religious studies and culture, and their life experiences at the service of the Hispanic community.

Sister Agnes Fischer, Sister Jane Riha, Sister Maria Drzewiecki, and Sister Laura Zelten

Thursday March 11th, 2010

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