Memories from Lake Lorelei
By Katie Drinkuth, Communications summer intern
The pontoon boat at Lake Lorelei offers Sisters a chance to relax in the summer sun.
Summertime conjures up memories of spending your days in the hot sun by the water. Taking short trips away from the business of life has always been a staple of the season. For many Sisters of Charity, summer brings to mind time spent on Lake Lorelei, where many have taken trips since the 1980s when the Congregation purchased two homes for their use.
In Brown County, Ohio, and only an hour away from the Motherhouse, Flensburg and Munster cottages are settled right on the lake and come with a boat dock equipped with a pontoon boat and kayaks for the Sisters to take out and enjoy on sunny days. Over the years, many long-lasting joyous memories have been made during trips to the cottages.
Starting over 36 years ago, Sisters Annette Marie Paveglio and Mary Fran Davisson have been blessed to have routinely stayed in the cottages on Lake Lorelei. Their great love for the location began with a card club of 13 Sisters who, every Martin Luther King Day weekend, would stay in Flensburg Cottage. S. Mary Fran says, “There were many lively card games, lots of conversation, shared meals, and liturgy together.” Every year, they would hang a big sign noting how many years of the tradition were celebrated. Because several members of the group are now living in Mother Margaret Hall nursing facility, or have passed away, the card club now meets at Mother Margaret Hall to play.
Presently, Sisters Annette and Mary Fran, along with a few more Sisters, continue to make annual trips to stay in Munster Cottage for the week of Memorial Day. According to S. Annette, the lake view from the screened-in porch of Munster is spectacular and it is a wonderful place to pray in peace. S. Mary Fran loves to see the beauty of nature at Lake Lorelei; whether that be the vibrant colors of spring, or watching the ducks and geese with their young on the lake. S. Mary Fran especially enjoys taking rides on the pontoon boat.
Sisters in Mother Margaret Hall nursing facility continue to enjoy yearly day visits to the SC cottages on Lake Lorelei.
S. Annette recalls many fond and amusing memories. Once such memory involves her and S. Mary Fran. The two were kayaking when the waves from the speedboats made it particularly difficult to get in and out of the kayaks. S. Mary Fran remarks that being short made it all the more funny as they fell into the water. In addition to their kayaking adventures, both Sisters love to ride bikes, take walks, grill, play cards, and read by the water while visiting Lake Lorelei. Simply rejuvenating in peace makes S. Mary Fran feel immensely grateful for the wonderful retreat homes.
For the last decade, a group of Sisters, Helen Therese Scasny, Anita Maroun, Mary Ann Flannery, and Shirley Dix, have stayed in Flensburg for Memorial Day weekend. Each summer, S. Shirley also takes a trip to Lake Lorelei with the Sisters who live in the Santa Maria House (Mount St. Joseph) and Associate Christine Hicks. She has made everlasting memories and laughed over many stories with her fellow Sisters. S. Shirley’s favorite activity, however, is rising early to watch the sunrise over the water.
Though Lake Lorelei is a lovely place to visit, what makes it so remarkable is the experiences the Sisters have had together for over three decades. The memories that have been made and the stories that have been shared will live on forever; God’s nature will continue to call.
(From left) Sisters Edward Rielage and Annette Paveglio enjoy floating on Lake Lorelei in the summer of 1988.
For more than 36 years, Sisters Annette Paveglio and Mary Fran Davisson have routinely stayed in the cottages on Lake Lorelei with various groups of Sisters.