On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the new Leadership Council was blessed at an afternoon Liturgy
The new IHM Sisters Leadership Council began its five-year term of office on Saturday, July 20. The transfer of leadership was formalized at a ceremony during an afternoon liturgy in the IHM Chapel. In addition to the IHM Community, the liturgy was open to the public. You can watch it here.
Members of the new team are Maxine Kollasch, IHM, President; Ann Oestreich, IHM, Vice President/Mission Councilor; Lisandra Pedraza Burgos, IHM, Mission Councilor; and Kathy Onderbeke, IHM, Mission Councilor. They were elected during the IHM General Chapter at the end of April 2024. Before the election, the nearly 100 delegates attending Chapter approved the community’s major direction for the next five years. The Chapter Direction was the culmination of many months of prayer, discernment, and discussion across the community about what the mission is asking of IHM at this time in its 179-year history.
A key role of the Leadership Council is to assist the community in expressing the Chapter Direction in all aspects of IHM life and service, rooted in faith and spirituality. Chapter Directions in previous years have led to IHM collaboration with people nationally and internationally on social justice issues such as climate change, human trafficking, AIDS, hunger and immigration. The team will also implement the new governance structure approved at the General Chapter, moving from a representative model to an assembly of the whole.
The chapter theme was Daring, Risking, Dreaming. This framework reflects the spirit of a new moment evident at Chapter and continues to spark energy for the future, setting the stage for deep transformation.
Meet the 2024-2029 Leadership Council
Sister Maxine Kollasch grew up near Whittemore, Iowa, in the Diocese of Sioux City. Before joining the IHM congregation, she was a Wm. Brown Publishing/McGraw Hill textbook editor and Corporate Communications Director at Mercy Health Services/Trinity Health. She later served as Director of Communications for the IHM Congregation. In 2006, she co-founded A Nun’s Life, an online ministry to help people discover and grow in their vocation. She served at the ministry, which is active in 175 countries, until 2021. Most recently, she has served as a consultant for organizations, including UISG Catholic Care for Children International. Sister Maxine has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Clarke University, a Master’s in Advertising from Michigan State University, and a Master’s in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union.
Sister Ann Oestreich is from Alden, New York, in the Diocese of Buffalo. She began her ministerial career teaching Spanish and French to students in K-6 and from there, she moved into junior high school administration. She served as Director of Communications for the IHM Congregation 1990-1994. Since then, she has dedicated her efforts to bringing about peace and social justice, especially in the areas of gender discrimination, economic inequity, forced migration and human trafficking. Sister Ann has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from State University College in Buffalo, a Master’s in Foreign Language Instruction – Secondary Level from the State University of New York in Buffalo, and a Master’s in Telecommunications Management from Michigan State University.
Sister Lisandra Pedraza Burgos grew up in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. Her ministerial experiences in Puerto Rico, Ghana and Mexico include parish work, education in communities, schools, early childhood education programs and higher education in private institutions and at the University of Puerto Rico. She has assumed different teaching, coaching, administration and research roles. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a Major in Special Education and a Master’s in Child Education with a Major in Preschool Education, both from the University of Puerto Rico. She holds a Doctorate in Philosophy with a Major in Integrated Teaching and Learning, with Cognates in Early Childhood Education, Multicultural Education and Qualitative Research, from The Ohio State University.
Sister Kathy Onderbeke is from Detroit, Michigan. When discerning God’s call to religious life as a collegiate, she researched several communities, which led her to join the IHM Congregation. She has ministered throughout Michigan as a K-12 educator, Director of Christian Service, Pastoral Associate, and Campus Minister in the Archdiocese of Detroit and as a Pastoral Administrator in the Saginaw Diocese. She has also served IHM in communications, as vocation director, and as the altar bread ministry director. Sister Kathy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Wayne State University, a Master’s in Religious Studies from St. John Provincial Seminary/University of Detroit, and an Associate Degree in Graphic Design from the International Academy of Design and Technology.