When
Kathy entered the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, she considered it a
true blessing that her parents and brothers and sisters were very supportive
of her decision.
While
on retreat in 1967 prior to taking final vows, Sister Kathy thought
about her future. "I was walking in the grass on our campus, watching
my feet, and thought, 'I wonder if these feet will ever walk on Latin
American soil.' The community had started a mission in Peru in 1964,
and I began to think about whether I would go there."
The
following year, the Ursuline Sisters asked for volunteers to go to Peru.
"I signed the paper, thinking that it probably meant 10 years from
now." A few weeks later, she was asked to be ready to go to Peru
the following month.
After
arriving in Peru in 1968, she studied intensive Spanish and participated
in orientation classes in Boliva. Returning to Peru, she taught English
for three years in a school for children of Peruvian naval officers.
She was drawn to visiting the barrio (a poor area) near Lima and eventually
went to work among the people there.
More
recently, Sister Kathy has been serving in northern Peru. She lives
with Ursuline Sisters Lee Kirchner and Ana Barbarán in the little
town of Cajamarca in San Miguel. She and some of the Peruvian women
visit the jail, bringing food and offering Bible study. She coordinates
family catechesis and preparation for first communion and confirmation
in the surrounding small communities. (San Miguel has 46 towns.) She
accompanies the young women who are part of the Company of Angela and
Ursuline Associates who live in the area.
When
Sister Kathy first went to Peru, she went to teach, to do something.
Now she sees herself "being with and accompanying others."
She has learned to listen, watch and observe and is herself the learner.
When
asked what gives her strength to carry on in the face of the world's
struggles, Sister Kathy responds without hesitation: "Remaining
faithful to community and personal prayer."
