Sister Kathleen Flood — on her 70th Jubilee
PARENTS: Michael Joseph and Kathryn Agnes Kavey Flood
HOMETOWN: El Paso, Texas
RECEIVED INTO CONGREGATION: March 19, 1945
EDUCATION:
St. Mary Hospital School of Nursing, Manhattan, Kan.; Mount Angel College, Mount Angel, Ore. (bachelor’s degree in gerontology); El Paso Wellness Center (certificate in massage therapy)
MISSIONS:
1946-1959 St. Mary Hospital, Manhattan, Kan.
1959-1963 St. Joseph Hospital, Concordia; surgical supervisor
1964-1970 Seneca (Kan.) Hospital, administrator
1972-1973 Medaille Center, Salina; administrator
1975-1980 Medical office of Dr. Wendell Nickell, Salina; physician assistant
1982-1990 R.E. Thomason General Hospital (now University Medical Center), El Paso; supervised emergency rooms and later a surgical clinic
1991-2008 Centro Mujeres, El Paso, volunteer; also oversaw the congregation’s guest house in El Paso and attended to the needs of everyone who stayed there
2009-today Retired from active ministry and currently living at Mount Joseph Senior Village, Concordia
I feel it was a gift to come to the congregation and know great acceptance from everyone. I was happy when I learned I was going into nursing since many people in my family were in the medical field.
Through the years, being able to care for people — body, mind and spirit — was a call and a gift. Many of our sisters in the medical field helped me so much, as did the doctors and other nurses and staff. I thank God for all those I worked with through the years.
Nursing itself was a big challenge for it was in the days when help was needed in another of our hospitals, we were given word to pack and go, without informing anyone, not even the sisters of the new assignment.
So when I went to Seneca, no one was expecting me. My office had been converted to a doctor’s dressing room and I was told I would not be sitting behind a desk but to just “put on your apron and help your sisters.”
Even my bedroom was not ready for me, but a farmer came after work to paint and make it liveable.
As the administrator I worked all areas and all shifts, as a doctor would order, “Get Sister Kathleen up; she should be helping you.”
Congratulations on your 70th jubilee– you don’t know me — I graduated with my BSN i nursing in 1968 from Marymount. But I am sure as administrator of Seneca hospital you supervised care of lots of my Stallbaumer, Dick, Hasenkamp and Haverkamp & Oberding relatives. We always felt confident that they would get the best available when they went there. I was a classmate of Millie Bokern who worked at your hospital after graduating in 1968. Again thank you for your great service to my family of relatives and cousins.
I am interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities in El Paso, TX and about your Associates’
Program. I have been a widow for 7 years. I am a registered nurse of nearly 21 years; my specialty area is Emergency Nursing.
I moved to El Paso in early October of 2014 from Indiana much to live near my parents and both of my sisters During the last couple of years living in Indiana I came to know the Benedictine Sisters in Covington – very enjoying the time I spent with them and was interested in becoming an oblate.
Unfortunately the distance from my home to their monastery was several hours of driving, so I was only able to visit for a weekend about every 3 or 4 months. I came upon an article on the internet recently about one of your sisters who has recently come to El Paso to work among immigrants. That article peaked my interest and I then found the website for your order.
Please tell me more about the work your order does in El Paso, Thank you.