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Sister Mary Carmen Johnson

Sister Mary Carmen Johnson died on March 3, 2010 at Mount Notre Dame Health Care Center. The funeral service will be held on Monday, March 8^th in Sacred Heart Chapel at 4:00 PM following a visitation between 3:00 and 4:00 PM.

Sister Mary Carmen began her teaching career at St. Vivian School in 1957. In 1960 she moved to Ursuline Academy for a year, but returned to St. Vivian’s from 1961-1963 and again from 1972 until 1989. In 1985 she wrote the following words, giving us considerable insight into her appreciation for the opportunity to be involved in parish life.

“Through the faith and example of my parents I received a great appreciation of parish community. My father was involved in Parish Council and St. Vincent DePaul work even before Vatican II. Mother attended Mass often, visited the elderly, cared for her family and shared her beautiful flowers to enhance the church’s altar. My parents seemed to know, love and serve the community well.

At St. Vivian’s Parish I live and minister in a place where I learn from others also, and where the clergy, laity and religious share responsibilities.

Leadership styles have changed drastically here, permitting lots of lay involvement. The Parish Council has developed a mission statement as a guide in spreading the Word. Spiritual renewal has become more of a reality through prayerful liturgies and adult education. At the same time, the rising cost of operating the parish has challenged all to be creative in supporting a school. In initiating a fund drive last year our pastor recognized and expressed his gratitude to all the Ursulines, past and present, for the tremendous gift we have been and are to St. Vivian’s. I am glad to be a part of this gift.

Ursulines Sisters preserve 85 acres of Farm Land

On January 29, the Ursuline Sisters of Brown County granted an Agricultural Easement to the Southern Ohio Farmland Preservation Association (SOFPA) which will ensure that 85.368 acres of agricultural property in the village of St. Martin will remain available for agriculture forever. The Ursuline Sisters have owned the property for over 160 years and the 85 acres surrounds Chatfield College and the long-time motherhouse of the Brown County Ursulines. The signing of the easement culminates a process of several years in which the sisters sought to ensure their legacy is preserved. In their Legacy Statement of March 21, 2009, they stated; "Our land is holy ground supporting efforts to experience and share the love of God in a myriad of ways…We value the agricultural potential of the land and the interdependence we share with the people in the surrounding towns and countryside and with Chatfield College. Proposed projects consistent with our mission for the betterment of the individual must also respect the land assuring its preservation and its unfolding potentials."

The agricultural easement will ensure that no residential or industrial development may occur on the land but that it will be available for a wide range of agricultural uses. The hope is that it will serve as a catalyst to keep Northern Brown County a strong agricultural area.

SOFPA was enthusiastic about joining in the effort of the sisters. SOFPA is a local non-profit corporation headquartered in Georgetown which works with land owners who wish to preserve their land from development. Under an agricultural easement, SOFPA has the legal right to insist that there will never be commercial, industrial, or residential development on the acreage involved. SOFPA now holds agricultural easements in Adams, Brown, and Clermont Counties and is also available to assist farm owners in Highland County.

Ursuilnes of Brown County According to Jerry Schwallie, SOFPA President, landowners who decide to restrict the future development of their property usually do so for two reasons. Like the Ursuline Sisters, they have a strong desire that their land remain open and available for agriculture forever. Other landowners, however, will be disposed to grant an agricultural easement because of the potential financial benefits either from the tax deduction that can come from donating to a non-profit corporation the right to insist that the land never be developed, or from cash payments that may be available through the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Landowners who want more information about easement donation may contact Patrick Hornschemeier, Attorney for SOFPA, at his office in Georgetown, for a free no-obligation informational session.

For more information call Patrick Hornschemeier 937-378-4769.

Ursuinles of Brown County Present at the signing of agricultural easement from the Ursuline Sisters of Brown County to the SOFPA were: seated: Jerry Schwallie, President of SOFPA, Sister Patricia Homan, Congregational Minister, Brown County Ursulines, Patrick Hornschemeier, Attorney for SOFPA; back row; Sister Phyllis Kemper, Sister Ruth Podesta, Sister Mary Paul Walsh, and Sister Agatha Fitzgerald.

LAND PICTURE:

Ursulines of Brown County One of the fields preserved as farmland forever by the Ursuline Sisters of Brown County. If you would like these pictures sent to you electronically, please give me a call at (937) 378-4769.