Our Story

Chapter 1: The First 10 Years (1996-2006)

            How do you tell the story of a movement?  How do you explain an organization like NACAR?  It had its beginnings in the mystery of call, the struggle of a new movement to find like-minded believers and gifted Associates and Religious who desired to share those gifts.

            In 1996, Associates and Religious had been gathering in Cincinnati with the leadership of Jacinta Doyle OSF and in Marriottsville, Maryland, called together by Rosemarie Jazinski CBS and Peter Foley.  Participants came away from these gatherings alive with the Spirit, feeling privileged to be part of a new movement of the People of God.

            During these early years, there were wonderful mentors.  For three years, the late Monika Hellwig shared her wisdom and theological groundedness about discipleship. She taught us that the Church does not exist to perpetuate itself but to further the reign of God.  She urged us to live now as though God reigned and no one else had power over us.  

            When Rosemarie Jazinski and Peter Foley moved on to new ministries, the Marriottsville meetings were in danger of being cancelled.  It was a strained time for associate communities.  Associates and Religious involved in the Associate Movement had few places to receive support from each other, hear what the growth was across North America or where the movement was stumbling.  Besides lacking a voice, there was no network; there was no way to communicate the growth, no way to experience the energy of the larger associate community.  

            Jean Sonnenberg, an Associate recently appointed director of the Bon Secours Associates and Sr. Ellen O'Connell, SC wanted to address these issues.  They came to the 1996 Conference with a plan.  Those in attendance were asked by the pair if they would support the establishment of a "permanent conference", one that would become a network for those in the North American Conference of Associates and Religious was born and Sr. Ellen and Jean were entrusted with the task to midwife this new organization as the founding co-directors.

            The network started with nineteen Religious Congregations supporting NACAR through memberships and grants.  These initial grants to help NACAR with start up expenses, these same "founding congregations" continued to support NACAR during our initial years.  By 1997, when NACAR published its first Membership Directory, the nineteen Congregations had grown to seventy-four, with member grants and contributions from sixteen Religious Congregations.

            NACAR continued to respond to the call for an Associate-Religious network.  Jean and Sr. Ellen began to take the show on the road.  From the  IHM Congregation of Monroe, Michigan and to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1998, workshops and seminars were held in New Found Land, Ottawa, Toronto, Wisconsin, New York, Maryland, California Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, Indiana, Ohio, Tampa, Los Angeles,  St Louis, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, during these times of prayer, dialog and presentation, the conversation continued.  What was God doing in our day to bring Associates and Religious together?

            In the summer of 1996, two months after NACAR was founded, Jean Sonnenberg produced the first issue of The Associate.  In the first issue, she described it as "a quarterly newsletter to share information and ideas on subjects of interest to Religious Congregations with Associate communities and Associates themselves."  The topics would focus on the major components of Associate life: spirituality, community and ministry.  This publication was intended to be a resource that any Associate and Religious could use to deepen their spirituality, explore issues related to the life of an Associate small faith community and to explore more thoroughly the call to ministry.  Subscriptions were $10.00.  Anyone who attended the Conference got the first copy free.  In a matter of months, subscriptions were up with 1000 copies of each issue printed.  Jean remained the editor-in-chief until early 2002.  At that time, board member and secretary, Cathy Schwemer, PHJC took over the duty as interim editor until a new editor, Br. Anthony Ferro, CFC took over the reins in late 2003.

            The annual international conference continued and began to be held in different geographic areas.  Local intercongregational Associate-Religious networks took on the planning of these gatherings.  By this process, those who attended the conferences experienced the differences in culture and expressions that blesses Associate communities and Religious Congregations.

            NACAR’s first "official" conference took place in 1997 at Convent Station in New Jersey.   The theme, "Strengthening the Bonds of Community" was addressed by the keynote speaker, Maria Reikelman M.M., who led the participants in looking deeply into the meaning of growing Associate community.  From the lessons of Jesus at his first gathering of disciples to a cosmic awareness of balance in the earth community, we looked and prayed over our NACAR community and asked some hard questions:

• How do we respect differences in our life styles?
• How do we welcome cultural differences and a female/male balance?
• Do we invite and encourage Associates in leadership?
• How can we supporting each other in good times and in bad?

            Through the years, NACAR continued to be fed by the best in speakers at its international conferences.  Some of the speaker included:

• Anne Harvey SC on "Spirituality and the Associate/Religious Relationship"
• Theologian Elizabeth Dryer on "The Mysticism of Ordinary Experience"
• Catherine Harmer MMS on "Associate Ministry: Empowering the Laity"
• The prophetic Sr Joan Chittister in "Come to the Table; Come to the Feast"
• Associate Edwina Gateley in "Fan into Flame the Gifts of the Spirit Within You"
• Ronald Rolheiser OMI in "Rivers of Living Water Within You"

            In the autumn of 1997, Board of Directors was established to assist the co-directors in the growing work of NACAR.  The board would reflect the diversity and balance NACAR sought to reflect in its organization: lay and religious, female and male, geographic and congregational diversity.  
            The members of this first Board of Directors consisted of: Grace Mannion, RSM, elected as the first board president, came from Hartford, Connecticut.  Grace joined the board willingly to serve, with many years of experience with Associates and lay volunteers and served until November 2005.  Greg Davidson, an Associate from the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament community in San Antonio, TX brought a business background and humor to the board meetings.  Lynn Linebeck, an Associate of the Oldenburg Franciscans served for a short time and Jerry McCarthy, a Christian Brother became the first Financial Officer, serving for many years through thick and very thin until his retirement in 2004.  Gail De Maria CSJP joined our first board meeting as facilitator.  She soon became a very valued board member and advisor.   Because of these individuals, NACAR has become a better listener to the needs of Associates and Religious, more creative and greatly more able to grow as an organization.

Other board members over this ten-year period are:

• Board Chair & President of NACAR, INC.

Marci Madary, Affiliate, (2003-present)
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, La Cross WI

• Board Vice-Chair & Vice-President of NACAR, INC.

Barbara McMullen, CP (2003-2007)
Congregation of Divine Providence, St. Louis, MO

• Board Treasurer & CFO of NACAR, INC.

Tim O’Brien, PH.D., Passionist Partner (2004-present)
Passionist Fathers, Chicago, IL

• Board Secretary & Secretary of NACAR, INC.

Sandy Figueroa, Associate (2003-present)
Sisters of Charity, New York

• Gail De Maria, SSJ, (1999-2002)

Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Englewood, Cliff, NJ

• Claire Foley, SNDdeN, (2005 - present)

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Cincinnati, OH

• Saundra Kennedy, PH.D , Associate (2004 - present)

Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross, Kenner, LA

• Rev Terrence Moran, (2003 - 2006)

Redemptorist Fathers, Sterling, NJ

• Jan Parker, Associate (2001-2006)

Congregation of St. Agnes, Huntington, IN

• Ruby Randall, Associate, (1999 - 2002)

Oblate Sisters of Providence, Syracuse, NY

• Catherine Schwemer, PHJC, (2001 - 2003)

Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, Donaldson, IN

• Alexa Smith, CND (2000-2006)

Congregation of Norte Dame, Ottawa, Canada

• Mildred Squires, Associate, (2004 – until her death in 2005)

Congregation of Christian Brothers, Bronx, NY

The work of the board was demanding.  There was need to put some structure to the process of governing and growing the vision of NACAR.  An initial Mission and Vision statement was written, a logo was created, NACAR became an incorporated non-project 501(3) C under the Archdiocese of New York, and a website was launched.  Of all these works, the most daring, given the financial situation of the organization, was to comment significant funds to commissioning of a groundbreaking study of the Associate movement in North American entitled "Partners in Mission." 
            This decision came as NACAR gradually began to realize that the Associate Movement was larger than anyone anticipated.  People were asking questions to which there were no clear answers.

• How many Associates were there?
• Why did they come? Why did they stay?
• Who were they?

            Greatly encouraged by the 1997 Report on Associates conducted by the Canadian Religious Conference, we set about raising funds for the first definitive study of all Associates in the U.S.  
            Religious Congregations and individual Associates responded with grants and contributions amounting to $30,000 over a four-year period.  At that time, Cathy Schwemer, PHJC, was completing research on the associate movement at Washington Theological Union.  She joined Mary Bendyna, RSM (CARA), Phyllis Giroux, SC (Religious Formation Conference), and Ellen O’Connell comprised the Steering Committee that spearheaded the study.  The Steering committee then invited a group of Associates and Religious, women and men to join them as the Executive Committee to lend their names and time to hone the study's questionnaires. 
NACAR owes a great deal of gratitude to these talented men and women.  They are listed:

• Elizabeth Dreyer, Ph.D, Lecturer and Theologian
• Suzanne Elserrer, Ignation Lay Volunteer Corp
• Elizabeth Finn, SC, Leadership Team, SC Cincinnati, OH
• Zeni Fox, PH.D, Advisor to Bishop's Committee on the Laity
• Irene Fugazy, SC, Founder of MIRA
• Donna Fyffe, Ed.D, Community Works, INC.
• Steven Hendrich, OSC, Former Executive Director, CMSM
• Judy Hillman, OSF Associate, Co-Director of Associates, Oldenburg, IN
• Francis Horn, OSA, PH.D, Professor of Canon Law, Washington Theological Union
• Samuel Jackson, PHJC Associate, Administration Team, St. Mary's Hospital, East St. Louis, IL.
• Barbara Kraemer, OSF, Director, Center for the Study of Religious Life
• Bernard Lee, SM, Researcher, Author, Loyola Institute for Ministry
• Donald Mary Lynch, RSM, Regional Leadership Team, LCWR
• Anne Marie Mack, CBS, President, Sisters of Bon Secours
• Grace Mannion, RSM, Chair, NACAR Board of Directors & President, NACAR Inc.
• John McCarthy, CFC, Director, Christian Brothers Associates
• Janet Mock, CSJ, Executive Director, Religious Formation Conference
• Mary Mollison, CSA, Past President, LCWR
• Dolores Nice, RSM Associate, Director of RSM Associates, Burlingame
• Robert Overland, PHJC Associate, Director of Mission Effectiveness
• Jan Parker, CSA Associate, Associate Director, Sisters of St. Agnes
• Rosemarie Saucelli, CSSF, Associate Director, Felician Sisters
• Jean Sonnenberg, CBS Associate, Director of Associates

            Part I of the study, delved primary into the demographics, the who, what and where of the movement.  We discovered that in 2002, we could account for 27,400 Associates in the U.S.; that 89% of Associates had a formal program of introduction to the Congregation and 96% had made a formal commitment as an Associate.  98% wanted to renew that commitment.  We verified a belief all of us had always had; that 98% were attracted to become Associates because they desired a deeper spiritual life and 92% wanted to put that spirituality into service for others. 
            Part II of the study, delved into the attitudes of Associates and Religious.  We asked them to describe themselves and their understanding of the other.  In other words, how would they describe the relationship with each other?  From the returned surveys, comparison statements were written and are found in the Executive Summary with other major findings.
            The NACAR/CARA Study, Partners in Mission: A Study of Associates and Religious in the United States has traveled everywhere to North and South America, Europe and Africa.  Its statistics have been quoted in the pages of The New York Times, The National Catholic Register and the National Catholic Reporter, the CARA Report, the Canadian Religious Conference; publications of LCWR and CMSM, the Religious Formation Conference and the International Conference of Major Superiors in Rome. The Study is currently in its third printing.
            Jean Sonnenberg and Sr. Ellen O'Connell continued to work as co-directors until Jean’s retirement in 2002.  Sr. Ellen then continued as Executive Director until the summer of 2006.  With the celebration of NACAR 10th anniversary, chapter one of the story came its end.

Chapter 2: The Second 10 Years (2006 - Present)

            The year, 2006 saw the beginning of the latest chapter in NACAR's story unfold.  With a dynamic Board of Directors, lead by Chairperson, Marci Madary, FSPA Affiliate, an extensive search took place for a new Executive Director.  At the 2006 Conference in Cincinnati, OH, Catherine Schwemer, PHJC was introduced to the members as NACAR's new Executive Director.  In her opening remarks, Cathy recalled that she was one of the participants who at the 1996 Conference responded with an excited yes to the question, "Do we want to create NACAR?"   She asked the participants of this conference, "Ten years later I ask, do we want NACAR to continue?"  Once again there was an overwhelm "yes".  With this affirmation, her work as director began.
            In the summer of 2006, NACAR's office moved from the East Coast to the Mid-West and with the introduction of NACAR's new logo, the Board of Directors and their new executive director began to evaluate work of NACAR.  Together they asked, "How has ten years of experience effected the original vision and mission of NACAR?  What steps need to be taken to lead NACAR into its second decade?"
            With the writing of a new mission and vision statement, a new and expanded web site in the works, the beginning of an electronic member's newsletter, Consulting Services, NACAR is expanding the benefits extended to its members. 
            In addition to the Board members listed earlier in this article, the following people served as members of the Board from (2006-present).

• Johanna D'Agostino, IBVM, (2006 - present)

Institute of Blessed Virgin Mary, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• LaVern Olberding, OSF, (2006 - present)

Clinton Iowa Franciscans, San Diego, CA

• Carol Gariano, Associate  (2007 - present)

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul, MN

• Kathy Allard, CSJP-A,  Associate  (2007 - present)

Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Bellevue, WA

Original document by: Ellen O'Connell, SC - Feb 2006
New additional information and editing: Catherine Schwemer. PHJC - August 2007