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Tour group from Louisville stops by Mount Saint Joseph

A tour group organized by St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville stopped by Mount Saint Joseph on the morning of June 19, 2025. The group of around 25 people pulled up in a tour bus in the circle near St. Angela Hall. Sister Michele Morek told them some of the history of the Ursuline community as they looked around near Lourdes and the Guest House. One of her anecdotes was how the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph became independent from the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. She said they call each other cousins now. Later when the group toured the Motherhouse Chapel, Sister George Mary Hagan spoke about some of the stained-glass windows, and the visitors were given copies of the “Divine Light” booklets showcasing and explaining the windows. They also made a brief trip through the Heritage Room hallway in Lourdes.

Two of the visitors were very familiar with the Mount. Mary Ford Vuncannon graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in 1955, and Chris Schwarz Beets graduated in 1970. Ford, who used to be an officer for the Alumnae Association, recalled when some of the Academy students would work at the school to help pay for their tuition. The tasks included cleaning classrooms and buildings. She also remembered how the sleeping areas were curtained off from each other, unless you were a high school senior and got a private room.

The “Bells and Beaus” tour bus trip also included a stop at the Passionists Nuns Monastery in Whitesville.

Here are some photos of the visitors.

The tour bus drops off the group from Louisville in the circle near the Lourdes Building on June 19.
The visitors listen as Sister Michele Morek explains the history of Mount Saint Joseph Academy, including how Father Paul Joseph Volk prayed over the bricks to build it. She said the bricks held up for 150 years before the building was deconstructed.
Sister Michele Morek walks down the sidewalk as two visitors take a break on a bench in front of Lourdes.
Sister Michele Morek, left, a former congregational leader, points out the piazza located beside the Motherhouse Chapel. She mentioned that the Ursuline Sisters strived to use the work of female artists, and that one artist had given them the idea for the Chapel bell tower.
Visitors from Louisville stroll across the sidewalk near the St. Ursula building.
Sister Michele Morek (white jacket) tells the group that the Guest House in the background is the oldest building on campus, and it was built by the parents of the first superior, Mother Augustine Bloemer.
Mary Ford Vuncannon, second from left, listens to Sister Michele Morek on a sidewalk near the Guest House. Vuncannon graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy 70 years ago. She was accompanied by her daughter, Ara Loftis, left.
Visitors walk toward the Chapel on a sunny day in June.
Sister Michele Morek, second from left, accompanies the tour group, including a Dominican priest, right, on their way to the Chapel in the center of campus.
Barbara Klump, left, asked if she could see Sister Karla Kaelin, right, during their visit to Mount Saint Joseph.
Barbara Klump, left, and her husband, Deacon Bill Klump, greet Sister Karla Kaelin in the Motherhouse Chapel. Sister Karla taught their children many years ago.
A few of the Louisville visitors take pictures of a stained-glass window in the Chapel.
Sister George Mary Hagan tells visitors about the beautiful stained-glass windows in the Chapel, including this one featuring Saint Angela Merici, founder of the Ursuline order.
Sister George Mary Hagan, standing next to a seated Mary Ford Vuncannon, offers to answer any questions the visitors may have.