In October 2024, the American Province launched Graced Moments, where every month, a Holy Child Sister shares a “grace-filled” experience that has influenced her life. The project flows from the Society’s mission “to help others to believe that God lives and acts in them and in our world.”
We thank Kathleen (Kathy) Cordes, a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 60 years, for offering her “graced moment.”
Feel free to leave a comment for Sister Kathy at the bottom of this page. Thank you!
Click the audio player to listen to Sister Kathy read her
reflection or see the text below. Enjoy!
Recollect those who have helped or inspired us.
Sometimes even a small act of kindness on someone’s part
makes an essential difference for us.
– Sharon Salzberg
I believe that throughout life, the Lord blesses us with actions or words that change our lives – grace us.
Stephanie, a former student from Holy Child at Rosemont, is now a mother of 3 boys. She told me that she took the name “Kathleen” at Confirmation because I was someone she wanted to emulate – a role model for how to live God’s plan. She shared, “You loved your students, you delighted in us as individuals and we felt seen.”
This past October, Landry, a former student from St. Francis School in Bend, Oregon, learned that I was visiting Sister Ruth at Holy Child Center in Rosemont. Landry traveled 6 hours from Virginia with his wife and 3 children so that we could meet his family. Landry told us that he knew we cared about him and the students at St. Francis. He shared that he admired our commitment to education and thanked us for breathing new life into the school. He also admired our lifelong dedication to God, the church, and our community.
Another person who “graced” me was Rosemary McCarthy, known as Mother Mary Januarius or Mother Jan as we called her in high school. She taught me History and was a wonderful storyteller – she made history come alive and it was one of the reasons I majored in History in college.
I really didn’t know much about Rosemary until 50 years later when I was in leadership and traveled to Rosemont monthly. Rosemary told me all about herself, her family, and the students she taught.
One day, Rosemary said to me: “Kathy, every night before I go to bed, I thank the Lord for my vocation to the Society.” I said to myself: OMG! Yes, I am grateful to the Lord for my vocation, but I don’t say thank you to the Lord every day. My “Graced Moment!”
So now every morning, I begin my prayer saying the old Baltimore Catechism definition of why God made me. I repeat it again saying God made me to know, love, and serve him today, joyfully with an attitude of gratitude for my many blessings. Thank you, Lord, for my 60 years as a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for Rosemary.
“It is not presumption to have hope and joy
and confidence in God’s grace.”
-Venerable Cornelia Connelly
What in Sister Kathy’s graced moment resonated with you? Please share below.
Thank you, Kathy. A wonderful reminder of how blessed we are having such wonderful companions!
Kathy, Thank you for your graced moments. They were inspiring and uplifting and most of all a reflection of you and your presence in the life of others.
Thanks so much, Kathy, for sharing those graced moments. They are inspirations for me to think about those encounters with people who have touched my life, too
Thanks Kathy for sharing these graced visits. Your caring of these students & I’m sure there were many more, made a difference in their lives to pass on to others.
Seems you had a lot of “graced moments”—how wonderful to have had those people in your life! I enjoyed your piece very much.
God be with you always. WOW 60 years has gone by so fast. May you continue to have good health. Merry Christmas and thank you for staying in touch with all of us when Karen and Elaine got so ill. They continue to be in my prayers. Take care. Hugs and blessings.