Sr. Roberta + Sr. Martha

After nearly 50 years of service to the diocese, Sr. Roberta Goebel, OSU, and Sr. Martha Owen, OSU, deserved a breather.

Sr. Roberta was leaving her long-held position as Principal of St. Anthony of Padua School. When her fellow Ursuline, Sr. Martha, heard about the Tabor Fund Grant, she felt it offered the ideal way to mark the occasion and help her friend transition to a new ministry.

The aim of the Tabor Fund, for which the Catholic Community Foundation manages the grantmaking process, is to refresh the grantees’ faith and well-being and improve their ministry. This purpose was fulfilled for Srs. Roberta and Martha, during their fiveday retreat on Gregorian Chant, “Bringing to Life the Word of God in Song,” at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana, in July 2016.

Having studied Chant as novices, both sisters were interested in learning more about it. In Chant, “the melody brings out the meaning of the words,” Sr. Martha explains. “We came away with a new reverence for the Word of God and understanding of how God talks to us.”

Sr. Roberta calls the retreat “a refresher,” which brought her “closer to Christ and His people.” IIt continues to support her in her new position: Minister to the Sick and Elderly in the St. Anthony of Padua Parish. “It changed me. The values at Meinrad’s are with me to this day: the joy, the reverence for people, the slower pace. I learned to take the time to listen. It taught me that being with people is more important than doing.”

Sr. Martha, Accreditation Coordinator at Urban Community School, speaks of the peace and renewed faith they carried home. “Getting away is a rare experience for us. We’re used to running, running, running, without a chance to think. A time to focus just on the sacred was a blessing.”