Five members of the Sisters of Charity, BVM joined Associates and friends at the annual Women and Water Summit.
by Kate Hendel, BVM
It was September 23, 2026, and the long-awaited annual Women and Water Indigenous International Clean Water Summit had arrived.
BVMs Ann DeNicolo, Kate Hendel, LaDonna Manternach, Colleen McGinnity, and Marguerite Murphy joined over 300 women and a few men gathered at the Abinooji Aki Cultural Healing Center in Hayward, Wis. Arriving participants were met over and over again with an enthusiastic “Boozhoo,” the Ojibwe word of greeting.
The opening ceremony for the Welcome Day remembered those who have gone before us, especially those who suffered an untimely death. Those gathered in the lodge prepared a blue ribbon with tobacco inside and then offered this gift to the Great Spirit, thereby embracing and releasing all grief while honoring the spirits of our loved ones.
The next four days would be filled with prayer, teachings, ceremonies, healing, rituals, and feasting in the lodge with the sacred fire in the center. Indigenous women and men from the Ojibwe, Oneida, Diné (Navajo), Lakota, Lenape, and Cheyenne nations were present and eager to share their rich heritage and wisdom.
Each day began with an early morning sunrise ceremony. As the sun rose those gathered called on the Great Spirit, Gichi-manidoo, to help them see the light, gain energy from the earth, and guide them in making good decisions. During the ceremony, all shared water (nibi) and sang an Ojibwe song, translated, “I love you, water; I thank you, water; I respect you, water.” The ceremony concluded with sharing fruit, usually the heart-shaped strawberry, a gift for and from the heart.
Each day unfolded with stories and teachings about the ways of our Indigenous sisters and brothers. Presentations focused on the prominence of women, the importance of water, and the centrality of fire. Here are a few examples.
Anishinaabekwe—the woman—is the doorway to life and the root of the community. Pat McCabe, of the Diné nation, emphasized that “Women are all wonderfully wrought and designed for thriving!”
Nibi—water—reflects life! Water binds us all together. It travels through time, through all life forms: two-legged, four-legged, winged ones, and those that swim and crawl. We drink from the same water as our ancestors.
Fire symbolizes power and energy in rituals, stories, and visions. Its heat and light are sources of spiritual strength.
Gathered around this fire, the Women and Water participants spent these days soaking in the medicines (teachings) and the rich tribal imagery surrounding them.
For the five BVMs who attended, the long days ended with supper at Two Spiders Lodge in Hayward with our 11 guests from the Dubuque Franciscans and Presentation Sisters, Mankato Franciscans, and Sisters of Providence from St. Mary of the Woods, Ind.
As we reflect on this “wonder-full” week, we simply say “Chi miigwech,” which is Ojibwe for “great thanks,” for the rich sharing and deepening relationships with our Indigenous sisters and all with whom we shared this week. Moreover, “miigwech” to Great Spirit, who unites all in the ceremonies and feasts we experience and blesses the water we continue to share and the many ways we care for all of creation.
Learn more about the Women and Water Indigenous International Clean Water Summit here.
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