Sisters say goodbye to the “Gossip Tree” at Maple Mount

The “Gossip Tree,” a maple tree in the center of the Motherhouse campus that has provided a gathering place for Ursuline Sisters and hundreds of students for likely 100 years, is nearing its final days.

The Gossip Tree in front of the Guest House on May 23, 2018.

The tree, which has defied the ages and sometimes gravity, was a staple for students at the former Mount Saint Joseph Academy to sit and talk. Many of those students became Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, and the sisters on campus have never known a time when the Gossip Tree wasn’t there to greet them between the chapel and Guest House.

The ravages of time have finally caught up with the tree. Last year, a brace was built to support a fragile limb that runs parallel to the ground. Now much of the tree is dying, so before it falls, the community will have it taken down professionally. The date of removal is not yet set.

A brace was built in 2017 to support this branch that has defied gravity for years.

On May 23, 2018, the sisters gathered in the chapel for a “Letting Go” service. Sister Ruth Gehres read “The Legacy of the Gossip Tree,” written by Madelyn Denniston Keach, a 1960 graduate of the Academy. It includes the following line:

“I can hear girls chattering, laughing, sisters’ rosaries rattling, chapel bell ringing, silence beckoning, wisdom blooming, prayers ascending!”

Sister George Mary Hagan then read from the Gospel of John, 20:11-18, Mary Magdalene’s vision of the risen Jesus, who tells her, “Stop holding onto me.” The sisters were then asked to reflect on allowing God to use their disappointment and sadness.

“It is pointless for us to sit back and feel sorry for our loss,” the reflection said. “We must remember and reflect on our memories and joys this gorgeous maple tree has brought us over these many years.”

The sisters were encouraged to light a small candle, then place it floating into a bowl of water as a way of letting go. When all were finished, they sang “For Everything There Is A Time.”

Here are photos from the service.

Sister Amelia Stenger, congregational leader, lights her candle. Sister Amelia came to the Mount as a student in 1963.
Sister Pam Mueller places her lighted candle in the bowl of water. This year, Sister Pam celebrates 50 years since she graduated from the Academy.
Sister Mary Celine Weidenbenner lights her candle as Sister Amelia looks on. Sister Mary Celine came to the Mount as a student in 1958.
Sister Marietta Wethington lights her candle. She came to the Mount to enter the community in 1954.
The sisters began to line up to light their candle and put it in the bowl. From right are Sisters Rose Jean Powers, Paul Marie Greenwell, Michael Ann Monaghan, Sheila Anne Smith, Nancy Murphy and Kathleen Dueber.
Sister Marie Montgomery lights her candle as Sister Nancy Murphy waits. Sister Marie came to the Mount as a Junior College student and joined the community in 1943.
Sister Mary Gerald Payne places her candle in the water as Sister Luisa Bickett and Sister Rose Karen Johnson wait. Sister Mary Gerald joined as a postulant in 1952.
Sister Emerentia Wiesner receives assistance from Sister Amelia Stenger, right, and Sister Mary Irene Cecil to light her candle. Sister Emerentia has been an Ursuline Sister for 76 years, coming to the Mount from Paola, Kan., in 2009.
Sister Ann Patrice Cecil lights her candle as Sister Ruth Gehres and Sister George Mary Hagan wait. Sister Ruth and Sister George Mary did readings during the service.
Sister Clarita Browning, left, gets assistance lighting her candle from Sister Mary Irene Cecil and Sister Amelia Stenger. Sister Clarita came to the Academy in 1943 and is celebrating 70 years as a sister this year.
Sister Melissa Tipmore lights her candle as Sister Catherine Marie Lauterwasser and Sister Cecelia Joseph Olinger wait their turn.
Sister Mary Matthias Ward prepares to light her candle as Sister Francis Louise Johnson waits. Sister Mary Matthias came to the Mount in 1953.
Each sister received a card with this depiction of the Gossip Tree. It was drawn in 2017 by Marianne Stremsterfer, an artist who is a member of St. Joseph Parish in Springfield, Ill., where Sister Mary Ellen Backes serves. The artist accompanied Sister Mary Ellen to Maple Mount in July 2017 and sat down to sketch the tree.
The inside of the card features “The Legacy of the Gossip Tree,” written by Madelyn Denniston Keach, Academy class of 1960.
Sister Marie Montgomery, left, and Sister Lois Lindle sing the closing song, “For Everything There Is A Time.”
Sister Catherine Barber, right, and Sister Francis Louise Johnson sing the closing song.
Sister Mary Henning played the piano throughout the service.
As the sisters departed the service, they left behind their lighted candles floating in two bowls of water in memory of the Gossip Tree.

Comments

  1. Susan Scott

    I will miss the tree the next time I am at the Mt. I am so glad the sisters had a goodbye service for it. If there was time and a talent available, it would be nice to have a little piece of polished wood from the tree as a keepsake. It will be a good memory anyway.

  2. Stephanie Warren

    This tree has been nurtured over all these years by many Ursulines, Academy students, visitors and families and in turn we have been nurtured by it. It holds our stories and we give thanks for it!

  3. Sr. Michele Morek

    I’m sad, but glad that the life and significance of this tree was honored. Maybe it will inspire us to protest the destruction of the tropical forests…

  4. Sr. Betsy Moyer

    The tree has been a source of comfort, laughter, reflection, and support. It has nurtured many relationships throughout the years. It will always hold a special memory in my heart. It served us so well! Good-bye faithful friend!

  5. Senaida R. Hall

    Thank you for sharing the story of the “Gossip Tree.” It’s a lovely story. And now you must say good-bye to your wonderful tree. You’ll do it with a smile on your faces and love in your hearts.

    I also enjoyed viewing all the pictures. I didn’t find Sister CJ, but I’ll call her and she’ll tell me what picture to look at.

  6. Rosemary Keough

    Thanks for this lovely remembrance of our “old friend”! I was in the midst of my own transference and unaware of the ceremony. Thanks for ALL the wonderful pictures and descriptions!

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