Waterloo, IA
Presentation Presence from 1968-2016
The work of the Sisters of the Presentation in Waterloo, Iowa, varied with the years. Twenty-one sisters served as teachers, parish ministers and spiritual directors in the city between 1968 and 2016.
Columbus High School opened in 1959. A central Catholic high school, it replaced three parish high schools. Sixteen sisters ministered on the faculty at Columbus between 1968 and 1989, teaching in the various departments. The sisters also had representation on the school board and offered the students opportunities for spiritual growth and for service.
Sister Helen (Ignatius) Cunningham, a certified reading specialist, was recognized by the reading consultant for Area Education Agency 7 for her comprehensive Secondary Reading Skills program. The program offered developmental reading courses to students with significant reading disabilities.
Members of minority groups made up 10 percent of the student population, most of them from Southeast Asia such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Sister Helen spent many hours working with those who were learning the English language and American customs. She said her goal was to “help them feel at home and succeed; build a sense of self-worth in each student.”
“Their courage and perseverance as they struggled to understand the spoken and written word, to speak English, and hardest of all, to compose their own ideas in written English, was an amazing phenomenon to observe.” Many of these students continued to correspond with Sister Helen after they had graduated from high school, keeping her informed of their progress in their chosen fields.
The parishes of St. John and St. Nicholas in Evansdale, Iowa, began a new venture in 1971. The first team ministry situation in the Archdiocese of Dubuque included four priests and one lay man who would serve the needs of both parishes. In 1973, Sister Marlene McDonnell joined the team, serving in the religious education portion of the ministry until 1976.
From 1984-1990, Sister Barbara Rastatter ministered to the people in Blessed Sacrament Parish in Waterloo. An article in the Waterloo Evening Courier, in the fall of 1986, describes her ministry as “visiting all parishioners in nursing homes and hospitals, and those who are physically restricted to their homes and no longer can attend regular church services.” She especially loved bringing music to the nursing home residents, playing the organ each Thursday and watching the responses of those attending.
“It was a blessing to serve the people of Sacred Heart Parish in Waterloo from 1995-2001,” says Sister Louann Doering. She noted that the leadership of the pastor, staff, school and religious education personnel called forth involvement by the parishioners who were ready to volunteer their time and skills wherever these were needed. Sister Louann’s ministry at Sacred Heart involved organizing Renew groups and church volunteers. More touching were the visits to the homebound, bringing communion and hearing the residents tell of their discouragements, joys and fears.
Offering spiritual direction to individuals who requested her assistance was the ministry of Sister Jeanine Kuhn. She also served as a Hospice volunteer. Sisters Jeanine and Michelle Gallagher lived in an apartment in Waterloo, both serving as mentors for individual students at the University of Northern Iowa one day per week. Their influence extended to the residents of their apartment building where they took part in the activities there.
Presentation presence in Waterloo ended in 2016, when Sisters Jeanine and Michelle returned to Dubuque where they now offer spiritual direction, community prayer and service.
Photo: Left to right: Sisters Jeanine Kuhn and Michelle Gallagher.
