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January 25, 2019“I am committed to a life of ministry and that will not stop now”
After 22 years of service at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Sister Catherine Powers, C.N.D., retired on Dec. 21.
Sister Kay, as she is known, has spent 57 years of religious life in education. For the archdiocese, she served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools and later as Safe Environment Coordinator. A first-generation Irish Catholic, she grew up in the Bronx, New York, the youngest of four children.
“My parents were born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in the 1920s. Because they wanted a quality education for their children, it was understood I was to go the Catholic school, which was right across the street. After graduating Saint Jerome’s elementary school, I went to Saint Jean Baptiste High School on 76 th Street in Manhattan. And yes, I took the subway to school every day,” she said.
“There, I was fortunate enough to meet the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame who staffed the school. The sisters were great educators, but I was mostly attracted by their sense of commitment to their students. Besides, they were very down to earth and simply fun to be around! Upon graduation, I decided I wanted to be a part of such a dynamic religious community and so, in August 1959, I entered their novitiate in Bourbonnais, Ill.”
After a two-year novitiate, at age 19, she was sent to teach fifth, seventh and eighth grades in Saint Johnsbury, Vt. By 1969, she had taught in Saint Johnsbury, Conn., and New York City.
After receiving her degree from Fordham University, she was sent to South Holland, Ill., to be the assistant principal of a school with 1,500 students, grades 1-8. Sister Kay was principal of the junior high, which, at the time, had 400 students.
During the summers, she studied at Temple University in Philadelphia and earned a master’s degree in educational administration. Prior to coming to Oklahoma City, she was principal of inner-city schools in Manhattan and three different schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she spent 27 years.
From 1992-1996, she was a full-time member of her order’s leadership team.
“That was such an enriching experience to see the many good works being done by our sisters in inner-city parishes, rural parishes, some of the reservations in South Dakota and Arizona as well as some of the border towns in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas,” she said.
Upon leaving the leadership team in 1996, she was asked by her provincial superior to interview for the position of Director of Education/Superintendent of Schools in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
“With some reluctance, I did come for the interview and much to my great surprise, was hired by Archbishop Eusebius Beltran. I always feel it was one of the greatest “yeses” I ever said to the call of the Lord as I have been very happy in my ministry here.”
Sister Kay served as superintendent for 16 years and six years as Safe Environment Coordinator.
“In spite of some stresses as superintendent, I really loved this ministry. My favorite thing was working with and supporting principals and especially new principals to the Catholic school system. Along with that, I loved working with and training the members of our various school advisory councils. I truly believe that our schools are as strong as their leadership. If we have committed spiritual and academic leaders in our schools, we will have a strong Catholic school system,” Sister Kay said.
Former superintendent Cristiana Ritchie-Carter agreed.
“I believe Sister Kay has mentored a lot of people to leadership and so many of the principals in place now have worked with her. My first year as principal was Sister Kay’s first, so I was a baby principal and she raised me. I think about her a lot. As a leader she balances compassion with doing the right thing and doing what’s best for kids. The kids are always the priority. She has this grasp of understanding people and what they are going through and what they need. But, she is not afraid to hold people accountable to do the right thing and that’s all grounded in faith.”
Marcia Dubey, Sister Kay’s administrative assistant for 15 years, recalled her fairness.
“She dealt with a lot of difficult situations, but she did it in the fairest way she possibly could. I think the people who worked for her and with her saw that and it just made everyone more confident in what they did. She had to work with a lot of different groups, including principals, pastors and religious education directors and she was able to make us want to work together as a team and she led that team well.”
During her tenure, Sister Kay helped open All Saints Catholic School in Norman, Saint Joseph Catholic School in Enid and Good Shepherd Catholic School for autistic children at Mercy. She also helped pull Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School from the brink of closing.
“We worked with the Mercy Sisters and the board of trustees of the school and totally turned that school around. It is an enormous success story today.”
Both former co-workers agreed Sister Kay’s sense of humor helped.
“She has a great sense of humor, which, I believe, goes a long way in bringing people together,” Ritchie-Carter said.
When asked if she was finally retiring, Sister Kay said, “for this month anyway!”
She already has told Superintendent Diane Floyd to relay to principals that if they need any assistance with tutoring children or other projects, she’d be happy to help in any way she could.
“I am committed to a life of ministry and that will not stop now.”
Judy Hilovsky is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
