Our SISTERS
Sister Patricia Homan
Congregational Minister
Following a career that included teaching Home Economics and serving in administration, Sister Patricia served as Congregational Minister from 2003 - 2011. Chatfield College claimed her focus for the next eight years moving between campuses and taking on many roles. She now once again serves as Congregational Minister, elected to the role in 2019. In addition to overseeing the care of the Members and keeping up with day-to-day business, she represents the Ursulines at programs and events as necessary. Additionally, she serves on the Boards of The Chatfield Edge and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Health Care.
(513) 875-2020
Sister
Pat Brockman
After 65 years of ministry that took her from teaching at Ursuline Academy to helping chronicle the life of the New Jerusalem Community, Sister Pat now resides at Mt. Notre Dame Health Center. During her first year there, she published a sold-out book of poetry about St. Angela called Angela's Promise.
She began her Ursuline connection at the age of 5 when she went to the boarding school in Brown County and continued her education at Ursuline Academy, culminating her ministry at UA as principal by taking on the daunting task of moving the school from Oak Street near downtown Cincinnati to suburban Blue Ash in 1971. Her leadership at the New Jerusalem Community morphed into prayer ministry that led to her work with people on the meaning of their dreams. She received her PhD from the Union Institute and University. Her experiences led her to provide spiritual renewal opportunities through retreats. She published a book called The Community Dream: Awakening Tribal Consciousness. At the invitation of Fr. John Quigley, OFM, Pat also spent a year in Geneva overseeing and guiding young adult interns in the Franciscan office of social justice.
Sister Lucia Castellini
Sr. Lucia Castellini celebrated her 50th Jubilee as a professed Brown County Ursuline in 2015. During those 50+ years she has been in different ministries using the gifts God has blessed her with: Elementary teacher, Ursuline Camp director, Formation/Vocation director, Co-developer and Co-director of First Step Cleaning Company, Congregational Minister, and currently Co-director of Hope Emergency Program.
Sister Francis Hogan
For many years, Sr. Fran’s ministries have taken her deeper into the heart of pain and loss. She now finds a new life in a space with promise of returning to a music ministry centered in healing and wholeness.
Following Angela into new neighborhoods with a sense of presence and listening is both challenging and complementary. This call to grace and prayer fills her days in a myriad of ways.
Sister
Mary Ann Jansen
After many years teaching, facilitating retreats, and coordinating workshops, Sister Mary stepped into retirement or “maybe retirement.” She's grateful for the time to: read, study, write, walk, while dealing with and discovering challenges from a 2014 bone marrow transplant for leukemia.
One way or another she is still involved with people. St. Angela’s inferred insight plays out: Every encounter reveals the human soul, the other’s, and one’s own.
Sister Jeanette Johnson
From full time classroom teaching, to subbing and then private tutoring, Sister Jeanette is now retired from her teaching career that she loved. She now spends valuable time ministering in various ways to our Brown County Ursulines who are living at Mount Notre Dame Health Center in Cincinnati.
Sister Phyllis Kemper
After completing her term in congregational leadership, God surprised Sister Phyllis in the opportunity to be a co-moderator at Mount Notre Dame Health Center. The moderators’ role is to foster community life for the sisters, who include not only the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, but also the Ursulines of Brown County and Poor Clare Sisters. The moderators help new resident sisters integrate into the health care community, facilitate celebrations, and provide supportive presence to sisters who are completing their journey to eternal life. She is honored to be the first non-Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in this position and very happy to be part of the health center community.
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Phyllis is a member of the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees, serving as co-chair of the Legacy/Governance Committee and the chair of the Legacy/School Culture Task Force. This service is important to her because the Ursuline Academy community needs to be well-grounded in the legacy of St. Angela and the Ursulines of Brown County for they will be keeping our legacy alive after our congregation has come to completion.
Sister Debbie Lloyd
Unlike most of the Brown County Ursulines, Sister Debbie is not from Cincinnati. She was born in Troy, New York, and grew up in Latham, about fifteen minutes north New York State's capital. She loved to study and always knew that she wanted to be a teacher but wasn't sure what to teach. She figured it out the first day she walked into her Spanish class and never changed her mind. She loved languages—Spanish, German (a little) and Portuguese (in which she minored). She received her B.A. and M.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. Planning to work on her doctorate, she transferred to the University of Kentucky, passed her comps and got hooked on ministry and never looked back. She could have written a dissertation but writing something that might interest three people in the world was not as life-giving as working in all the things that ministry involves. The area of Spanish that she loved was medieval and that has brought her to Archives. As a Novice she worked with Sr. Xavier Ladrigan and was fascinated by the history of the Brown County Ursulines. An opportunity arose for her to help Sr. Mary Paul Walsh in Archives which brings her to where she is today. After fifteen years of teaching high school Spanish, she now works in Archives learning about Angela Merici, Julia Chatfield and the rich history that informs each one of us.
Sister
Mary Virginia Macke
After years in education as a teacher, principal and tutor, Sister Mary Macke managed the Emergency Department of Dayton Catholic Social Services. She moved on to become Pastoral Administrator of St. Vincent de Paul. As a member of St. Bernard Spring Grove Village conference, home visits are made in Winton Hills, Spring Grove Village, Winton Road and Gray Road.
Sister
Ruth Podesta
Sister Ruth arrived at Ursuline Academy as a first grader and 12 years later she entered the Community in 1950. She spent 30 years teaching at both UA and our boarding school. She would later work at Chatfield College as registrar and in financial aid. After a sabbatical year in the program for women religious, Active Spirituality in the Global Community, she had an opportunity to work in Communications at the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome, Italy. This international experience led her to answer the call to Washington to work at the Center of Applied Research for the Apostolate (CARA) where she edited research papers. From there she went to the National Jesuit Social Action Office and taught in an English Language Program for foreign-language speaking adults. It was there she met Haitians who invited her to join them in their new community and parish church. This relationship led to many years of ministry among Haitian refugees at the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami, Florida and the Haitian Center in St Francis Parish, Trenton, New Jersey.
After returning to Cincinnati, she became secretary to the Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for 8 years. After retiring from that position, she became very active in her parish serving in food assistance as part of the local outreach program. Ruth also volunteered at Hope Lodge, the former Ursuline Academy that became American Cancer Society’s temporary residence for cancer patients and their companions from out of town. In 2012, she returned to Brown County to reside at Brescia. She stayed involved by volunteering at Hope Emergency Program, taught religious education in the local parish and taught French and Latin at Chatfield College. She began living at Mount Notre Dame Health Center in October 2018. Reflection on Ruth’s past relationships and many ministries alone certainly show how many people and geographic areas have been touched by the presence of Ursulines.
Sister Christine Pratt
After 30 years in Northwest Ohio working in rural and social justice ministry for the Diocese of Toledo, Christine returned to continue her ministries in new ways. She is presently serving on the Executive Committee of the Cincinnati Archdiocesan Social Action Commission. On that commission she is a member of the Care for Creation Task Force and the St. Martin Deanery Rural Life Committee. She also is a member of the Services Review Committee of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio. She accepted a position with the Catholic Social Action Office of the Archdiocese to serve as the Coordinator for the rural Eastern Region which includes Adams, Brown, Eastern Clermont, Clinton and Highland counties. Her focus in all she does is to build relationships and bring awareness of gospel justice and Catholic Social Teachings through education, service and advocacy.
Sister
Lucy Schmid
Being an Ursuline of Brown County is the way Sister Lucy lives out her relationship with God. Being a Religious Studies teacher at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati is the way she shares God's relationship with God's people. She looks at her past to understand her present and looks at her future to better live today.
Lucy was born and raised in Owensville, Ohio. Saint Louis Parish was Lucy's home-away-from-home where she was baptized, made First Confession, First Communion and was Confirmed. At the parish school, Ursuline Sisters were her Principals and some were her teachers. She loved to help her teachers after school, walk in the Parish cemetery, sing in the choir, clean and make visits to church, work at the parish festival and get to know the members of her small town faith community. Lucy graduated from McNicholas High School in 1975 and began the search for greater meaning in life. She entered the Ursulines of Brown County in 1980. The Ursulines companioned her in maturing to adulthood. The Sisters gave her the freedom, encouragement and responsibility to focus on the deepening of her interior life with Jesus so to more authentically and generously minister to and with God’s people. Many people, many events, many opportunities to give and grow, all thanks to her God and Ursuline Sisters!
Lucy has taught at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati since 1991. The students at UA are the heart of her ministry. Over the years Lucy has become a hopeful woman, realistic in her view of the world, committed to a positive attitude toward and purpose in life.
Sister Lawrence Sickman
Sr. Lawrence’s days continue to be lived by the motto and promise of Chardin: “Life is a mystery to be lived and not a problem to be solved.” Since retiring from being a principal, her focus has been working three days a week at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center (the former seminary in Norwood). It is now a retreat/conference center. This has provided challenges and a variety of experiences including (but not limited to) answering the phone, making beds and preparing rooms for retreatants. Since the Center has 24/7 perpetual adoration, there is often the opportunity for extra prayer time, subbing for adorers who can’t make their scheduled prayer time.
Time with family is always a treat and a blessing. The energy and zest for life in the younger generation is a reminder of aging! However, it is also an inspiration and reminder to appreciate and enjoy each day and each hour of that day. Entertaining and gardening have been a major part her life and is still something she treasures and enjoys. St. Angela’s call to hospitality continues to be an inspiration for her.
Sister Nancy Vollman
Sr. Nancy’s life is joy filled. Currently she ministers as a spiritual director and occasionally directed retreats. God has blessed her with lay, clergy and religious men and women who are seeking the path God has for them. She is fortunate to journey with them. These people enrich her life by actually seeing God's Spirit working in and through them. For those who are disabled she is fortunate enough to go to them, in their homes, convents or nursing homes. She has been involved in spiritual direction and retreat work for over 40 years. She considers this her greatest blessing.
Sr. Nancy now lives in a large apartment complex and this too offers her opportunities to serve by visiting the sick, shopping for them and occasionally driving them to doctor appointments. Life always offers opportunities to serve! Truly she is blessed!
