Caledonia Ohio History

Racine Dominicans celebrate Jubilee

RACINE — This summer, 18 Racine Dominican Sisters will celebrate special anniversaries, or Jubilee, in ministry. The Racine Dominicans have a 149-year history of serving Racine and other Wisconsin communities. They are a religious community of sisters and lay associates who live by the mission “committed to truth, compelled to justice.”

Celebrating 80 years as a Racine Dominican Sister

Sister Ione Forga was born in Rice Lake and grew up in Milwaukee. She earned a B.A. degree from St. Norbert College in DePere, and an M.A. degree from DePaul University, Chicago. For more than 50 years, Forga served as an educator and administrator in schools around Wisconsin, Michigan and New Mexico, including St. Patrick and Dominican College in Racine. She directed the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for nine years. For the past five years, she has lived at Lakeshore Manor in Racine. 

Sister Rose Ellen Mlodzik was born in Princeton and grew up in Montello. She earned a B.A. degree in education from Dominican College in Racine, and a B.L.S. degree in library science from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn. For more than 50 years, Mlodzik served as an educator and librarian in schools around Wisconsin and Michigan, including the College of Racine, St. Rose, St. Joseph, St. Catherine and St. John schools, all in Racine. In 1975, she co-founded the St. John Reading Improvement Center. Mlodzik lives at Siena Center, the Dominican motherhouse, in Racine, continuing to bring joy to others through her music.

Celebrating 70 years as a Racine Dominican Sister

Sister Clara Dischler was born in Plain. She earned a B.A. degree in education from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., and an M.A. from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D. For 50 years, Dischler taught in schools around Wisconsin, Michigan and Alaska, including Holy Name School in Racine. She taught in primary, intermediate, junior high and high school levels, and also served as principal for 17 years. Since 1991, she has lived in Racine, currently at Lakeshore Manor.

Sister Esther (John Bosco) Szambelan was born in Detroit and grew up in Center Line, Mich. She earned a B.A. degree from the University of Montreal, a B.Ed from Dominican College in Racine, and an M.ST. from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. For 50 years, Szambelan taught music in schools around Wisconsin and Michigan, including St. Rita School in Racine. In addition to teaching music, she served frequently as liturgist and organist. Until 2007, she continued to offer private music lessons. For the past 18 years, she has lived at Siena Center in Racine, and is known for her quiet, yet ever-present ways of helping sisters with whatever needs they have.

Redistricting meeting in turns into 'love fest' for Jordan

LIMA — “In what one lawmaker characterized as a ‘love-fest’ for U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, witnesses Tuesday criticized any Ohio congressional redistricting process that could be used as a bully club against a sitting congressman.

“Why you would stab a fellow Republican in the back like this — not just a Republican but a Republican that acted like one and is standing for what the party stands for, standing for the Constitution, and doing what he thinks is right and what he campaigned on?” asked Daniel Griffith, of Caledonia in Marion County.

‘We elected him to do exactly what he did,’ he said.” Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.