Local Sister adorns national Catholic calendar

And yet, as she puts it, "Almost nobody will know who I am."

Hanging on the walls of many offices, kitchens, and dens across the country will be a large photograph of an anonymous Sister, her jet black hair contrasting a white blouse and blazer, as she carries three chalices atop a wooden tray in preparation for Mass.

Under the photo of Sister Karen will be the statement, "Support Missionary Work in America," which will headline the month of April, each day’s box denoting an event or a saint’s feast day.

The calendar is published by the Catholic Church Extension Society, which works to "sustain and extend the Catholic faith in poor and remote mission areas of the United States where diocesan resources are insufficient." The Extension Society helps with construction projects, evangelization, religious education, and promotes vocations by financially supporting their education.

A year ago, Extension Magazine highlighted the work of Sister Karen in an article that included the same photograph used in the calendar. She said she had no warning that she would be adorning the Extension calendar.

When asked how she felt about her picture hanging on walls across the country, she said with relief, "Most people aren’t going to know me.

"I was kind of taken by surprise. I thought there would be so many others that would be better suited. It was an honor."

Sister Karen grew up on a farm in Windthorst, the oldest of four boys and three girls. Although the Catholic school adjacent to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church became public in 1940, the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ continued to teach there until the school closed in 1970. With four aunts serving as Religious — three, like herself, belonging to the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, and one a Dominican – it’s easy to understand how she came to choose a life devoted to Christ.

She presently serves as a pastoral associate at St. Lawrence Church, "mostly helping with religion classes, taking care of the mail that comes in. I also do Communion services, and visit the sick."

The calendar is one of three the Extension Society publishes annually. To obtain a copy, check with local parishes, or go to catholic-extension.org/calendars/ and click on the parish calendar listing. Sister Karen is in the "Stewardship" calendar.