MUNSTER – When eighteen Albertine Sisters gathered with guests at the Carmelite Monastery for a celebration of 50 years of service in the Diocese of Gary, familiar faces and habits brought to mind the hospitable charisms of the nuns who coordinate a residential care center in Hammond.
At a Mass offered on Sept. 22, the feast of Blessed Bernardyna – born as Maria Jablonska – the co-foundress of The Congregation of Albertine Sisters Serving the Poor was honored as the model of generosity and faith that has inspired members of the Polish order.
Presider Most Rev. Robert J. McClory, Bishop of Gary, concelebrated with hosting Carmelite Fathers, also of Polish heritage, for a Sunday afternoon Mass where friends and supporters of the Albertines’ mission filled the monastery church.
“In this time of Eucharistic revival in the United States, Blessed Bernardyna is a great example for us because we’re told that she was marked with a special devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist and by extraordinary goodness to others,” Bishop McClory said in his homily. “And so today we celebrate the joyful occasion for sisters who have given witness to this founding charism. Sisters, dziękuję (thank you).”
Also from Poland, Sister Teresa Maciuszek, Mother General of The Congregation of Albertine Sisters Serving the Poor, was in attendance and participated in the Mass, which featured Polish hymns such as “Wielbimy Serce Jezusa” translated as “We Adore the Heart of Jesus.”
Affinity for Polish culture and the associated steadfastness for the Catholic faith had Bishop McClory sharing about the large number of Polish clergy, religious and laity he has worked with during his roles in the Archdiocese of Detroit and in Gary. He joked about how his circulatory system had become a hybrid of sorts, “I have an Irish heart with Polish blood.”
Albertines stepped onto the sanctuary to read from scripture and lead the responsorial psalm. As they walked to their places they passed a decorative arrangement that featured the number 50 and the Magnificat – the Blessed Mother’s prayer from Luke chapter 1 – displayed on an open book.
At the Carmelite Monastery Hall, hearty Polish entrees were served as Sister Danuta Karwacka, convent superior and delegate of the mother general, rose to deliver a speech.
She first retold a story about the time when then-Bishop of Gary Andrew G. Grutka visited the mother house in Krakow. The diocesan shepherd had traveled to Europe, looking to invite religious to serve in his diocese.
“In their conversation, mother asked him: ‘How many sisters do you want, bishop?’ He answered, ‘50.’ This was just a joke,” Sister Karwacka said as laughter filled the hall.
Though the mother general was not able to provide the founding bishop of Gary with 50 nuns, Sister Karwacka did reflect on the 50 years of the Albertine religious institute of sisters serving in the U.S. Each sister from Poland departed from her homeland to selflessly imitate the work of co-founder St. Brother Albert (Adam Chmielowski), who ministered in Kraków in the late 1800s.
Sister Karwacka remarked that for some “it seems like yesterday, but it was exactly 50 years ago, on Sept. 24, 1974, that the Albertine Sisters arrived in the United States … Among those five pioneering nuns, two remain in active service, residing in Hammond: Sister Loretta Soja and Sister Zygmunta Wojtusiak.
“Besides the blessing before their departure from Poland, the sisters also received a letter of recommendation from Cardinal of Kraków Karol Wojtyla (the future Pope John Paul II) addressed to Bishop Grutka.”
After a period of immersive English language studies at Camp Lawrence in Porter County, the sisters took residence at St. Joseph Church in downtown Hammond, which was under the pastorate of now-senior priest Father Joseph Vamos. There in the shadow of the since-closed St. Margaret Hospital, they earned certifications to work as nurses.
In 1984, Bishop Grutka solemnly blessed the newly expanded Albertine Home, where the nuns have assisted, cooked for, prayed with and provided entertaining fellowship among more than 400 residents, including more than 50 priests.
Nine Albertine nuns presently minister in Hammond: Sister Patrycja Bryniarska, Sister Hiacynta Gronka, Sister Karwacka, Sister Kate Radczuk, Sister Soja, Sister Jadwiga Szczechowicz, Sister Maksymiliana Szwajnos, Sister Wojtusiak and Sister Damiana Picket, who recently entered the novitiate.
They are responsible for the care of six priests and 24 lay people.
“The residents feel very much at home and in the atmosphere of relaxation and freedom to enjoy the blessings that God has given them in life,” Sister Karwacka said. “Today we thank Almighty God for the many graces we have received through these past 50 years of work in the U.S.A.”
Albertine Sister Kate Radczuk professed her permanent vows in 2009, but has spent less than a month residing with the Hammond Albertines. She identified the key characteristics of her fellow women religious. “The sisters are all about Jesus and fulfilling the mission, the vocation they’ve got. They serve other ones … and they see Jesus in the other ones.”
Among those honored as benefactors were Robert and Bonnie Montalbano of Munster. The longtime area residents said they were impressed by the neighborly spirit of the Albertines and sought to help them in running errands around the Calumet Region.
“This all began when I stopped by to see if they wanted our grandfather clock, but Sister Loretta said it was too big and they didn’t have room for it,” said Bonnie Montalbano. “As I was welcomed by all the sisters, I decided that I was going to continue to go there and do what I can … when you walk out of there, you’re inspired by them because of their sweetness.”
Seated nearby, Angie McCoy was present to honor the tender loving care that the Albertines provided for her mother, the late Maxine Haidos, who resided at the Hammond center from 2013-2021.
“It’s a love, they have such compassion,” said McCoy. “When my mom had cancer and was preparing to undergo surgery, they got a little juicer and they would always make sure my mom was eating and they were kind of giving her some extra nourishment.”
Some supporters of the Polish nuns have spent a lifetime modeling their charity. For one 16-year-old, assisting the sisters has been an expression of faith, initially encouraged by his grandmother Marie Pavnica of Hebron. When not in school or working out at the gym, Daniel Luick of Dyer appreciates helping in Hammond.
“I’ve been going to the Albertine Home since I was about a year and a half old. We always made treats geared toward specific holidays,” explained Luick. “It’s cool to see everyone happy … It's refreshing. I think the real connection came from how my family raised me to help other people out and the (Albertine Sisters) got to see me grow up.”
Caption: Albertine Sisters and friends (standing left to right) Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict Sister Bernarda Krajewska, Sister Teofila Gacalek and Sister Irena Cejnog and Albertines Sister Maksymiliana Szwajnos, Sister Damiana Picket, Sister Jadwiga Szczechowicz, Sister Cecylia Madon, Sister Katarzyna Radczuk, Sister Hiacynta Gronka, Sister Edyta Ksiazczak, Sister Symforoza Kicka, Sister Beniamina Sfentec, Sister Anna Koziol, Sister Joachima Domian, (sitting from left) Sister Zygmunta Wojtusiak, Sister Maria Kazimierczak (from Poland), Sister Danuta Karwacka (delegate of mother general), Sister Teresa Maciuszek (Mother General from Poland), Sister Loretta Soja and (sitting on floor) Sister Nikola Jarosinska are gathered together at a reception at the Carmelite Monastery hall in Munster on Sept. 22. The Albertines marked 50 years of hospitality and charitable service in the U.S., that started with a request from Gary’s late founding bishop the Most Rev. Andrew G. Grutka, and blessings from the order’s superiors in Poland as well as then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)