In describing her calling as a Franciscan woman religious, Sister Kathleen says, “I have a passion for using my gifts in the service of the church. I want to help people to recognize God in their lives — to encourage them to believe that God loves them — to help people to know what they believe in their hearts.”
She was drawn to the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi through the witness of her teachers at St. Mary’s Academy. She was so impressed with the friendliness of the Sisters, and the joy they exuded in their interactions with the high school girls, that she decided to enter the convent. She attended Cardinal Stritch College and earned a bachelor of arts degree in early childhood education.
One of her teachers, Sister Joanne Marie Kliebhan, a special education instructor and a leader in the field of special education, had a great influence on how Sister Kathleen approached her teaching. Sister Joanne Marie believed that all children can learn if we learn how to teach them. Sister Kathleen took this to heart. Not only did it serve her well in her work with children, but also later on in her ministry with adults.
…all children can learn if we learn how to teach them. Sister Kathleen took this to heart. Not only did it serve her well in her work with children, but also later on in her ministry with adults.
Upon graduation from Cardinal Stritch College, she requested to go to St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children (now St. Coletta of Wisconsin) in Jefferson, Wis. She desired to teach where she could make a difference.
For 10 years, Sister Kathleen dedicated her life to teaching children with special needs, not only at St. Coletta in Jefferson, but also at Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy School in Palos Park, Ill. (now St. Coletta’s of Illinois) and at St. Francis Children and Activity Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
Because of her experience in early childhood, she was invited to team-teach with another teacher at Cardinal Stritch College in the associate of arts program to prepare students to work in a daycare setting. In her years of college teaching, Sister Kathleen was impressed with the students’ enthusiasm to make a difference in the world.
In 1994, she received a call from Archbishop Rembert Weakland asking if she would be interested in participating in a new program in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee where lay people would be trained to be parish directors to work in parishes that didn’t have a resident priest. After much prayer, she said yes to the invitation. After a year of preparation about what was involved in being a parish director, she was commissioned to Holy Name Parish in Wilmot, Wis.
With the support of her supervisor, Bishop Richard Sklba, and the neighboring priests who came to celebrate the sacraments, Sister Kathleen facilitated the faith life of the parish and attended to the necessary administrative tasks. She invited input from those she served in order to assess what they saw was needed for the growth of the parish. Together, they built a vibrant faith community.
After four years of being an associate director on the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Sister Kathleen went to minister as a pastoral associate at St. Joseph on the Rio Grande Parish in Albuquerque, N.M. She had felt a call to the Southwest for many years. Ministering among the Hispanic, Pueblo and Navajo people gave her a deep appreciation for the gifts of these unique cultures.
Whether it was assisting someone through the annulment process, bringing Communion to the sick, or celebrating with the Pueblo people, she sought to respond to the needs of the people with loving, compassionate care.
It was hard to leave Albuquerque when it came time for her to move back to St. Francis, Wis., because of health needs.
Today, Sister Kathleen lives with her religious Sisters in Clare Circle at St. Francis Convent. She has taken an interest in learning all she can about the native peoples in Wisconsin. She enjoys having time to read, and to crochet scarves and hats for those in need.
— by Sister Mary Kemen