Kathleen began asking lots of questions in college: Why the Catholic Church and not any other Christian body? Why do we…? Why don’t we…? Every question led deeper into the Catholic Faith. Ultimately, her response echoed that of Simon Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.”

While discerning the consecrated religious vocation, Kathleen began sharing her love for God and Church by teaching Catechism and facilitating adult faith formation. In 2009, she encountered the Institute of Catholic Culture (ICC) and began thirsting for more. She wanted to dive deeper, knowing full well that “one cannot truly love what one does not know.” She resumed formal studies with Christendom’s Graduate School of Theology, dual concentrating in Sacred Scripture and Systematic Theology. 

While pursuing the Faith through academics, Kathleen remained at the service of her family. This service included assisting with, and eventually taking over, the management of her father’s flock of sheep, herd of goats, and flock of chickens. “If the 5th Gospel refers to the geography of the Holy Land itself,” she says, “then I suggest that animal husbandry and the agrarian life form the 6th Gospel. Experiencing the life of a shepherd, the unique differences between sheep and goats, a hen gathering her chicks under her wings, life, death, growth, and decay; being immersed in the growth, harvest, and preservation of fruits, grains, and vegetables…I don’t claim to know much about any of it, but what I have experienced absolutely makes Scripture come alive as nothing else can. It’s more than head knowledge…it’s the sounds, the smells, the antics of animals, the time frames of events, and so much more…it’s amazing! I want so much for others to experience even just a little of what I have been privileged to experience on the farm so as to better understand the context of salvation history and the parables of Our Lord.”

Favorite quote from Scripture: “Must I choose just one?” she asks with a laugh, “Then let it be…the divine praises of Hananiah, Azariah, and Misha’el in Daniel 3:52-90: “Fire and heat, bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever. Cold and chill, bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever. Dew and rain, bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever.”

Formal Education: 

• B.S. in Animal Sciences, University of Kentucky
• M.A. in Theological Studies, The Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College