Today we continue our #MeetaMissionerMonday series by introducing one of our newest missioners, Kathleen Flatoff, who is now working in Kenya.
Kathy is a parishioner at Queen of the Apostles in Tomah, WI, in the Diocese of La Crosse. In her parish she has served as a guild chairman and president of the Parish Council of Catholic Women (PCCW). She has her BSN from Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI, and her MSN from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She retired in 2012 after 28 years as registered nurse in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Before starting her nursing career, she worked as an oral surgery assistant. Previously, she served 4 years as a corpsman in the US Navy, stationed in Guam. There, she worked at the U.S. Naval Hospital Guam. She also worked at St. Joseph’s Indian School, an American Indian boarding school, in Chamberlain, South Dakota.
Kathy has been to Haiti, Tanzania and Ethiopia on short-term mission trips over the last decade. In her long career with the military and nursing, mission work never left her mind. She found the experience to be enriching and rewarding. After her retirement, she decided that now was the time and she would finally go back to mission work. A friend finally encouraged to her to take the first step and apply in September 2016.
Doing God’s work runs in the family as her sibling is a Salesian brother. She grew up with the Maryknoll Magazine in her house and often went on websites to read about the Lay Missioners. Though she had once considered joining the Peace Corps, she decided she wanted a more faith-based experience and signed up with MKLM. She also felt MKLM was a better fit for someone who’s retired as it appeals to a wider variety of ages. She believes she will do very well in Kenya as that is where she is being called. Ideally, she would love to work with orphans or in a clinic or school. However, once there, she will determine the needs and interests of the people she will be serving and go with the best fit.
Please join us in praying for Kathleen as she begins this meaningful chapter in her life. We hope that you wish her well and support her in her endeavors. Please share Kathleen’s story and Maryknoll Lay Missioner with others, especially committed Catholics who may be discerning God’s call to serve.
CLICK HERE or below to view her interview.
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