Missioners
Sister Mary Ellen Kempken
| " I love what I'm doing!" |  |
Maryknoll Sister Mary Ellen Kempken has worked for many years in various parts of Bolivia, using all her nursing skills for the most needy of people.
Sister Mary Ellen was born in Hartford, Wisconsin. Having earned her Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Marian College of Fond du Lac, she served as staff nurse in St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee before joining the Maryknoll Sisters in 1975.
After receiving her Master's degree in theological studies, Sister Mary Ellen was assigned in 1979 to Cochabamba, Bolivia, where she worked in Cristo Rey Parish with mothers' clubs and well-baby care. She also worked in the Caritas diocesan Office.
For a short time, Sister Mary Ellen helped out in an altiplano project in La Paz, Bolivia. From 1981 to 1984, she served in Saavedra, Santa Cruz, where she was the head nurse at Saavedra Hospital while at St. John the Baptist Parish.
Returning to the outlying districts of Cochabamba, Sister Mary Ellen did pastoral work in the town of Capinota. Then, she joined the Rural Pastoral Institute's River Team in Riberalta, visiting those who lived along the Beni and Madre de Dios (Mother of God) rivers in Bolivia's Amazon basin.
Later, Sister Mary Ellen became a member of the health team in the town of Riberalta itself, a role which answers the needs of so many sick children and adults.
Hearing the call to mission at home, Sister Mary Ellen returned to Maryknoll, NY where she now serves as a Mission Education Facilitator since November 14, 2011.
 | Donate |  | Join Us |  | Pray |
 | Share |
