Welcome . . . come in!
Casa Ursulina is a gathering place
for over 170 women of a low-income area
of Chillán. Above, in front of the house,
are a group of women with Sister Ruth Gehres (left) and Sister Mimi Ballard (second from right). |
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Casa Ursulina began with a dream —
a deep desire in the hearts and minds of Ursuline Sister Mary Elizabeth Ballard and seven Chilean women who worked to build a place where women could come together to work, to learn, and to find community and mutual support.
These are women who live in the Población Vicente Pérez Rosales in the city of Chillán in central Chile. It's a sprawling place that to American eyes might look like a vast government housing project, including some neighborhoods of extreme deprivation. For some 17,000 persons who live here, poverty and struggle are a daily fact of life. Many are unemployed or underemployed. The minimum wage in Chile is about $200 . . . per month.
In the mid-90s, while serving as a pastoral minister in Chillán, Sister Mary Elizabeth — "Mimi" to her family and friends — began to teach women to make crocheted pieces and other kinds of needlework which she had learned growing up. The eager women learned fast and began to teach one another. In fairs in and around Chillán, they found a market for their beautiful creations. For many of them, this was the first time they had been able to earn anything to help support their families. They were encouraged by their success and enriched by the spirit of community that was growing among them.
Megan Blandford of Owensboro, Ky., a senior at Transylvania University, is spending her summer vacation as a volunteer at Casa Ursulina. For her story, click here.
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SUMMER IN CHILE
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The first workshop was a crowded room in the home of Carola Pulgar, who from the beginning had worked with Sister Mimi. The women dreamed of a house, a center — a place with
more space for more activities for more women. By 1997, with support from Sister Mimi's home parish — St. Joseph, Bardstown — and a campaign led by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, the Ursuline congregation was able to purchase half of a duplex house in the población. Sister Mimi and the core group transformed this limited but promising space into the Dianna Ortiz Ursuline Center for Women —
Casa Ursulina.
ORIANA: WEAVING AND LOVING IT
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Oriana works on a Christmas scarf
for an order from Abbey Press
in Saint Meinrad, Indiana.
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“Fantastico!” is the word Oriana Fuentes is most likely to use to describe her love for weaving. Also fantastico is Oriana’s talent for this craft. After two months in Sister Mimi’s beginning weaving class, she is already producing beautiful scarves and shawls for sale in the United States.
Oriana is grateful for this new source of income for herself and her family. She and her two siblings live with and care for their chronically ill mother. Oriana and her older sister, Rosita, live and work at home. Her older brother, Antonio, has a job in Chillán. “We’re all single,” she says with her characteristic smile. “I guess it’s a tradition in our family.”
“My mother has a pension,” Oriana explains, “but it’s very small.” Oriana’s knitting and crocheting, which she also enjoys, have provided extra income for the family for many years. But weaving has a special attraction for her, and her eyes sparkle when she talks about it. “This is a wonderful group of women,” she says, “and I find the work relaxing and rewarding.”
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On a bright day, some members
of the weaving class enjoy warping their looms outside. From left: Sonia, Orfelinda, Oriana and Susana.
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Others in the course enjoy Oriana’s enthusiasm. “She’s always teaching and helping the rest of us,” observes Susana. Anyone who asks for help benefits from her generosity.
Born in Chillán, Oriana worked abroad for many years as an au pair, living in Germany for five years and Argentina for 20. During this time she assisted families in their homes, especially in caring for children.
A few years ago, when her mother became ill, Oriana returned to Chillán. She is particularly close to her sister, Rosita, whom she describes as “a friend and companion.”
“God and my family have always come first for me,” she says, noting that she is actively involved in her Evangelical church.
The Casa Ursulina weavers are a dedicated group. Since classes are in the afternoon, the weavers arrive early to spend their mornings perfecting their craft and making beautiful products for sale. Even on the coldest mornings, Oriana is usually the first to arrive . . . always eager to begin. Fantastico!
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In the past 11 years, Casa Ursulina and its ministries have never stopped growing. Physical expansion has included the purchase of the second half of the duplex (left side in photo above) and the replacement of attached wooden shacks with sturdy additions to the house.
From the original eight, the number of women coming to the center has increased to about 200. About 25 of these are volunteers who give their time, energy, and talents in teaching, providing daycare for those in classes, extending hospitality, and other tasks that keep the work of Casa Ursulina going.
Freeing and nurturing women and children, the primary focus of the ministries of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, is at the center of the ministry of Casa Ursulina. Now we invite you to come in, to get to know the women of Casa Ursulina, and to be amazed at the many ways in which God's love is shared among them.
You will also learn more about Chile and Chillán, and about the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, who also serve God's people in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Minnesota, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.
We welcome you to Casa Ursulina. Come visit us often! |
Scarves and prayer shawls made by the women of Casa Ursulina — like this beautiful Christmas scarf — will soon be available in the catalogs
of Abbey Press,
Saint Meinrad, Indiana.
For information
about these and
our other products
and vendors,
click here. |
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