Sister Marietta Wethington: "I loved helping children develop a prayer life of their own."
“One of the things that has impressed me the most about Sister Marietta is her personal spirituality. The delight in her eyes and the beauty in her face reflect the brilliance of God’s Spirit, which resides within her. When I am with Sister Marietta, I feel rooted in God and self-assured.”
Sister Marietta (l.) poses with Karen Siciliano of Springfield, Illinois, a participant in the contact program of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. |
Karen Siciliano of Springfield, Illinois, a participant in the contact program of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, made this statement shortly after completing the recent spiritual direction training course at Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center. Sister Marietta was a member of the team conducting the course.
Such opinions of Sister Marietta Wethington, OSU, are not uncommon. For over a half century she has made love visible as she’s ministered to the faithful from children to adults, from Florissant, Missouri, to Bowling Green, Kentucky, from Owensboro to Lake Cumberland and beyond.
Sister Marietta was born on a farm near Clementsville, Kentucky, in Casey County, the oldest of eight children (five girls and three boys) born to Frank and Odelia Wethington.
She attended a one-room public school for eight years, receiving her Catholic education in Saturday morning religious ed classes at Saint Bernard’s in Clementsville, taught by Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
She attended Saint Bernard High School for three years before coming to Mount Saint Joseph Academy for her final year of high school as an Ursuline postulant. Sister Marietta can’t remember any definitive “calling” to religious life, but, she says, “I’m sure it must have come from my mother. I’m sure because she taught me to pray, taught me who God was. She was just a wonderful example of a very devoted mother.” She also credits two of her high school teachers with having a major influence in her decision to become an Ursuline sister — Sisters Carmelita Mattingly and Jane Frances Donahue, both deceased.
Sister Marietta works regularly with Sister Suzanne Sims, director of Mission Advancement. |
After beginning college courses at Brescia — majoring in elementary education — Sister Marietta began her teaching career at Immaculate School in Owensboro as a primary teacher. “I loved that ministry,” she recalls. “I not only taught children how to read, but to love to read. That was something my mother had taught me.”
She taught first and second graders for seven years at Immaculate. “And I loved preparing the children for Communion and Reconciliation,” she recalls. “I loved helping them to develop a prayer life of their own.”
Sister Marietta’s teaching career continued at Saint Columba in Louisville for three years (first graders), Saint James in Louisville for two years (second graders), Saint Paul in Princeton for two years (first through fourth grades), and Saint Pius Tenth in Owensboro for four years (first grade).
She moved on to Saint Joseph School in Bowling Green, where she taught fifth and sixth grade language arts for two years (the only years she was out of primary teaching) and first and second grade for two years. During this time she taught reading methods to teachers at Brescia during the summer months.
Sister Marietta came home to Maple Mount in 1980 as director of activities for the senior sisters for one year and then coordinator of the motherhouse for three years. She was elected to the Mount Saint Joseph Leadership Team in 1984 and served two four-year terms. “The best part of these years was getting to know the sisters,” says Sister Marietta. “In her Prologue to the Counsels, Angela told us to have them all engraved in your heart. That’s what happened for me during my time at the motherhouse and in leadership.”
Sister Marietta and Marian Bennett are co-directors of partnerships for the Ursuline Sisters. |
In 1992 she spent a one-year sabbatical at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and then continued her ministry as a pastoral associate at Holy Spirit Church in Jamestown, Kentucky, on Lake Cumberland, in the Southern Kentucky Missions region of the Archdiocese of Louisville. She spent seven years there, becoming active in the local ministerial association, Hospice, and Habitat for Humanity. It was one of her favorite ministries. “What really stretched me there was getting to know members of the various denominations in the area and working closely with the ministerial association and the other outreach organizations,” recalls Sister Marietta. “I helped establish a food pantry there, served on the board of the food pantry, was a board member of Habitat, and was chair for the Family Nurture Committee.”
It was back home again in 2000 when she became Director of Postulants and moved into the Formation House on Saint Ann Street in Owensboro. Also in 2000, she was elected to a third term on the Leadership Team and served for four years.
In 2004 she was named co-director of Ursuline Partnerships along with Marian Bennett. Both are members of the Mission Advancement Team under the direction of Sister Suzanne Sims.
Says Sister Suzanne, “Sister Marietta's own 50-plus years as an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph, and her own deep spirituality rooted in Saint Angela, are a rare combination! Her passion for ministry reflects the contemplative dimension of the Gospel of Jesus found in Saint Angela. She demonstrates this by developing prayer settings and opportunities for others, doing spiritual direction and forming others for that ministry, and giving retreats and workshops on spirituality. She is a great gift to the community, our Mission Advancement Team, and to our active partnerships in mission."
In attendance at a recent associates meeting in Louisville were, left to right, Sister Amanda Rose Mahoney, OSU, Associate Penny Burns, Sister Marietta, Associate Pauline Goebel (Sister Marietta's sister), Sister Frances Miriam Spalding, OSU, and Associate Lorraine Luken. |
Co-director Marian Bennett says Sister Marietta plays a key role in the partnerships program. “She is an invaluable part in this program. We have made great progress in the two years we have been co-directors. Her long experience in spiritual formation and direction brings an irreplaceable depth to our work with both associates and alumnae and enables both of us to maximize our efforts.” She adds that the co-directors have a good working relationship. “She is nothing short of a joy to work with. Although my involvement with the Ursuline sisters spans over 40 years, she and I had never met before we began this journey. I know now God had a hand in putting us together in this office, because we complement each other's strengths and abilities so well. She's fun to be with; she's full of patience and encouragement.”
“Working with Marian is great because we have complementary gifts,” explains Sister Marietta. “I could never begin to do what she does. She’s a lot more organized, a lot more efficient in the office, a lot better with details than I am. She’s a great co-worker. We do a lot of collaboration. It’s easy. We ignite each other’s creativity. She’s very easy to work with. She is a real gift and I am so grateful for her presence here.”
Sister Marietta places a lifetime commitment pin on associate Edna Marnell of Herferd, Texas, during ceremonies at the Mount. |
As co-director of Ursuline Partnerships, Sister Marietta is involved with the spiritual formation and enrichment of the Mount Saint Joseph associates. She provides prayer experiences and reflections that will enhance their spiritual and personal growth. “I do this in the context of the regional meetings, on the web page, where I write monthly reflections, and in our newsletter, Update,” she explains. “One of the things I love about the ministry is the opportunity it gives me to walk with the associates as they respond to their baptismal call and continue to develop their gifts and deepen their own spirituality.” She continues, “There’s something very special about being with associates in times of grief and illness. We visit the funeral home and go to funerals of associates and of their family members. When an associate is in the hospital or confined at home with a serious illness, we visit and pray with them.”
On the brighter side, she adds, “Associates have gifts to share with us, too. It’s a wonderful feeling when associates come to see that what they are doing in everyday life is ministry and that they are building the kingdom of God. The charism of Angela is being carried on by our associates. The relationship of sisters and associates is a mutual relationship. The enthusiasm and involvement of the associates always give me a boost. My own life has been enriched by the ways associates share their gifts and life experiences.”
“My ministry to the alumnae has mainly consisted in helping plan the alumnae weekends, planning and leading prayer throughout the weekend, and helping with the publication of The New Mount,” she adds.
Sister Marietta visits with Associate Wanda Gibson of Henderson. |
Sister Marietta is also director of postulants — women in the first formal stage of becoming Ursuline sisters. “As director of postulants, I live in a local community with the woman who is discerning her call,” she explains. “I help her to experience life as it is lived by the sisters on a daily basis. The postulant is a part of our prayer, meals, and all the things that make up our life together. Here she gets a realistic look at who we are as community and is given the support she needs to continue to discern her call. The discernment is mutual. The community, too, has to decide if we are a fit. It is my responsibility to facilitate these opportunities. In addition to the community aspect I also meet regularly with each woman one on one. For me it is a privilege to walk with someone in this stage of her journey.”
Karen Siciliano of Springfield, Illinois, is a participant in the contact program — an exploration time prior to postulancy — of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph and may soon become a postulant under Sister Marietta’s direction. “As a woman longing to embrace Ursuline life more deeply and more completely, I have found Sister Marietta a tremendous gift,” Karen says. “By her life, her prayer and her very being, Sister Marietta has enriched my understanding of what it means to be a daughter of Angela in our world today. As Sister Marietta and I have worked to unfold my Ursuline vocation, her witness has heightened my desire to live as an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph.
Sister Marietta holds a six-month-old Jamaican baby. The baby and his mother will be two of the seven members of the first family to move into the new construction. |
Karen participated in the spiritual direction training course recently completed at the conference and retreat center. Sister Marietta was a team member for that course. “During the spiritual direction training program, Sister Marietta prepared many of our morning and evening prayer experiences,” Karen recalls. “Quite often, Sister Marietta incorporated verses from Angela’s Rule, Counsels and Legacies into our prayers. Sister Marietta’s prayers drew all spiritual direction candidates and me more deeply into the spirituality of Saint Angela. This was a special gift for me as I long to grow closer to Angela and deepen my appreciation of the Ursuline charism.”
For a number of years the Diocese of Owensboro has been a sister diocese to the Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica, twice a year sending volunteer workers with supplies to the poor, Caribbean island community. Sister Marietta had served on the local Mandeville committee since it was originally formed, but had never had the opportunity to make one of the trips to the island. Not until this spring. From May 8-15 Sister Marietta and a group of volunteers from the Owensboro diocese traveled to Mandeville, bringing the people much needed supplies, helping them build a simple home. “It was really special to make that trip,” says Sister Marietta. “We found a lot of poverty, a lot of violence, and high crime areas. But we also saw the beauty of the people there and the beauty of the land. It was delightful to look into the eyes of the young children and see such trust.”
After returning from Jamaica, Sister Jamaica received an email from Sister Connie Ostrander, OSB, the development director for the diocese of Mandeville.It read: Dear S. Marietta: I was so happy you came to Jamaica….you have a special way about you...and I know you left your loving spirit with many. I know it takes a while after a mission trip to get ONE with yourself and all that is here again....THANK YOU for blessing us by coming to be with us.
In Christ, Connie, OSB
What did Sister Marietta take with her to Mandeville and what did she leave behind? She answers, “I took with me a sense of caring and compassion, I hope. And I brought back a desire to be much more dependent on God, a desire to be more trusting, and a lot of wonderful memories of the beautiful people I met there.”
Are the volunteers making a difference in Mandeville? “Yes, I think we are,” says Sister Marietta.
In 2005, Sister Marietta celebrated her Golden Jubilee as an Ursuline Sister. This year marks her 51st year as an Ursuline. “It’s been a rich journey,” she proudly proclaims. “It’s where I can best answer the call I believe God gave me. It’s where I believe I can become the best person I can be.”
“And I can’t image myself anyplace else.”
 
Sister Marietta talks with a Jamaican woman (left photo) as the woman washes her clothes on the front porch of the Manchester Infirmary. In the right photo, Sister Marietta lends a hand in the concrete line, helping to move concrete 50 yards from where it is mixed to the construction sight. Also working on the line are volunteer Dottie Wurth of Paducah (left) and Father Jason McClure, pastor of St. Michael parish in Sebree. |
 
Sister Marietta helps unload sand and gravel (left photo) to be used to make concrete along with Father Jason McClure, pastor of Saint Michael parish in Sebree, and volunteer Matt Monsour, coordinator of technology for the Diocese of Owensboro. In the right photo, Sister Marietta and other paint the outside of the house being constructed by the missionaries from the Owensboro diocese. The house has 350 square feet, which is a large house by Jamaican standards. It will house a family of seven. |