Coming into the prioress position, Sister Kevin knew there were big changes on the horizon for her religious community, but she didn’t know the enormity of those changes until she was well into her first term.
“I knew we were doing a major refocus of our mission, of our missionary activity,” she said. “We had already begun to work with a facilitator.”
Sister Kevin said she had an idea about how the events in her term as prioress would work out. But, she added, the renovation of the monastery was never on her radar. Nor was the task of relocating all 30 sisters to an apartment building during the construction or moving them back when it was complete.
“I’m glad I didn’t know,” she said. “I don’t think I’d have had the courage to go forward with it. It was absolutely a huge project.”
Throughout both of her terms, Sister Kevin said she closely followed the mantra: “One day at a time.” She also acknowledges that none of the challenges were a one-person task.
“I didn’t do it all by myself,” Sister Kevin said. “It takes the work of all of us, and the cooperation of the whole community. We sat down, discerned our goals, our vision, our mission, and where we wanted to go and how we wanted to do that.”
A strong faith in God and a trust in His plan for the monastery also helped Sister Kevin lead the community during its time of change.
“We have great faith in God,” she said.
Sister Kevin said she will leave her role as prioress pleased with the remodeled monastery and spirituality center that the sisters have created. She looks forward to relinquishing the responsibility — and her cell phone — as the new prioress, Sister Pia Portmann from Switzerland, takes the reins.
For the next year, she will be on sabbatical, where she will rest, pray and reassess her goals. She plans to stay with a group of Benedictine sisters in Lacey, Wash., which is also near her brother’s home. She also plans to spend time in South Dakota with her mother.
Leaving Northeast Nebraska for a year, however, comes with a sense of regret. A lover of animals, Sister Kevin will leave her role on the board of the Northeast Nebraska Humane Society before the group’s plans to build an animal shelter come to fruition.
“I’d love to be here for that, but nobody’s indispensable,” she said. “There are great people on the board, and they’re carrying it forward.”
