“Be diligent in serving the poor. Love the poor, honor them, my children, as you would honor Christ Himself.”
St. Louise de Marillac
No Greater Joy
By S. Joan Elizabeth Cook
S. Dorothy Ann Blatnica celebrated 60 years of religious life in 2024.
Sister Dorothy Ann Blatnica, a humble, generous, faith-filled woman, was the only child of John and Agnes Blatnica. They lived in Cleveland, Ohio, and she attended St. Catherine’s school in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2. When S. Dorothy Ann was 8 years old the family moved to Bedford, Ohio. S. Dorothy Ann enjoys remembering their moving day. It was pouring rain, and her mother and aunt went first in the family car with the keys to the new house. Her father and her two uncles rented a truck for the heavier items, and she squeezed into the truck with them. They arrived at the new home before her mother, who had decided to stop at the grocery store for food for lunch. The men wanted to begin moving the furniture out of the rain into the house, so they helped S. Dorothy Ann maneuver through a basement window so she could unlock the front door!
S. Dorothy Ann’s mother was eager to live near a church, so she could walk to daily Mass. Their new home was in St. Pius X parish in Bedford. On one of their first Sundays as they were walking to Mass, they met some of their new neighbors – people they had known in Cleveland!
S. Dorothy Ann attended St. Pius X School from third to eighth grade. She was taught by the Vincentian Sisters of Charity (VSCs), and immediately knew she wanted to be a teacher like them. Her father mounted a small blackboard in their basement, and S. Dorothy Ann loved to stand at that blackboard, teaching her imaginary students.
She attended Hoban Dominican High School in Cleveland, and after graduation she began her postulancy with the VSCs and attended St. John’s College in Cleveland. The following year was her Canonical Novitiate at Villa San Bernardo, after which she professed her First Vows and continued her studies at St. John’s College.
S. Dorothy Ann’s teaching ministry took her to St. Barnabas School in Northfield, Ohio, where she taught kindergarten through third grade; then to the Lumen Cordium, the VSC high school in Bedford where she taught social studies and religion, served as assistant principal, and was responsible for an expanded Chemical Abuse Reduced through Education program until 1982. She continued her own education during those years: she finished her bachelor’s degree at Marillac College, St. Louis; earned a master’s degree during several summers at Notre Dame University; and earned her M.Ed. at John Carroll University. The Lumen principal gave her a touching tribute at the end of her ministry there. She spoke from Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel, and named three characteristics of the Good Shepherd that S. Dorothy Ann embodies: gentleness and compassion, willingness to suffer without threatening in return, and the ability to discipline the lambs.
S. Dorothy Ann’s ministry took a new turn when she was appointed director of Formation for the VSC congregation. In her typical eagerness to give her best to those she served, S. Dorothy Ann began her new ministry while learning the ropes in a program for Formation directors at Walsh College. At the same time she served as an adjunct faculty member at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, a relationship that continued for the better part of 30 years.
S. Dorothy Ann began doctoral study in 1986 in the American Studies program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. During that time she continued her teaching ministry at Ursuline College; when she completed her Ph.D. she became a full-time member of the faculty, and served there until 2011.
The archives of the Diocese of Cleveland and the social realities in the 20th century assisted S. Dorothy Ann in identifying her dissertation topic. The diocesan archivist was eager for someone to unpack the notes in the files that documented the creation of African-American parishes beginning in 1922. S. Dorothy Ann interviewed members of the first two African-American parishes in the diocese, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and St. Edward. She learned of their determination to keep alive their Catholic faith and culture as they had lived it in their former parishes in Louisiana before the Great Migration. Many of those who spoke to her were among the first members of the two parishes, and they began their stories with the words, “In those days …” So S. Dorothy Ann titled her dissertation, “‘In Those Days:’ African-American Catholics in Cleveland, 1922-1961.” It was published with the title At the Altar of Their God: African-American Catholics in Cleveland 1922-1961.
S. Dorothy Ann Blatnica (second from left) served more than 20 years in the ministry of education, at a variety of levels.
S. Dorothy always Ann loved teaching, from the imaginary students in her childhood basement to all the children and adults whose lives she touched in classrooms as well as informal settings. She commented, “There’s no greater joy for me as a teacher than seeing the faces of my students when a new insight happens for them or when I expose them to new knowledge that enlarges their world.”
During those years S. Dorothy Ann’s mother developed health issues that resulted in her moving to Light of Hearts Villa, the senior living facility that was created in the former Lumen Cordium High School. S. Dorothy Ann spent much of her free time being with her mother. She reflected on their relationship, “My mother is teaching me how to embrace the final years of life when we are called to surrender to God’s unexpected ways. At an even more profound level, I have discovered the depth of what love really means.”
As the 20th century came to an end, the Sisters were aware of changing realities that impacted their lives in significant ways. They discerned with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati to merge and become one congregation of Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. And they recognized the need to repurpose their Motherhouse, Villa San Bernardo; it had become too large for their needs. Those decisions led to a new ministry for S. Dorothy Ann.
The Villa San Bernardo Project was born when Testa Companies of Cuyahoga Falls envisioned transforming the former motherhouse into affordable, independent housing for lower income seniors age 55 and older. Fifty-nine modern one to two bedroom apartments were created, and S. Dorothy Ann became the property manager. Her first task was to identify renters with the result that a diverse population of residents are grateful for this alternative to lack of housing choices, failing neighborhoods, and unsuitable living conditions. They delight in their independence and in setting up house in a clean, safe, quiet environment.
After her work with the Villa San Bernardo Project, S. Dorothy Ann served on the board of Vincentian Pathways, another project that sustains the beauty and peacefulness of the property by preserving its gardens and walking paths. These eight acres of woods and green space wrap around the west side of Villa San Bernardo and provide the apartment residents a quiet place to enjoy the outdoors.
This past August S. Dorothy Ann celebrated her 60th anniversary as a Sister of Charity. It was an occasion filled with her deep gratitude for the countless opportunities she was given to serve students, colleagues, her Sisters, Villa San Bernardo residents, and countless others too numerous to mention. And it was a blessed moment for all of us Sisters of Charity to thank God for the gift of S. Dorothy Ann among us.
Bishop
(Back row, left) S. Dorothy Ann Blatnica served an integral role in the Villa San Bernardo Project, which transformed the former Vincentian Sisters of Charity motherhouse into affordable, independent housing for lower income seniors age 55 and older in the Bedford, Ohio, area.
construction
As the project manager of the Villa San Bernardo Project, S. Dorothy Ann Blatnica has played a key role in preserving the property’s rich history.
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