Sister Mary Ellen Kempken
Current Ministry Location: Maryknoll Sisters Center-Maryknoll, NY
Sister Mary Ellen was born August 7th, 1952 in Hartford, WI to Helen R. (Boos) Kempken and Elmer P. Kempken. She had 1 sister and 1 brother. Sister Mary Ellen graduated from Hartford Union High School, Hartford, CT in 1970.
Sister Mary Ellen entered the Congregation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY on August 26th, 1975, following graduation from Marian College of Fond Du Lac, WI, with a B.S. in nursing in 1974. She pronounced First Vows at the Sisters Center on June 5th, 1977 and Final Vows March 10th, 1986 in Bolivia. After her entrance, Sister Mary Ellen attended classes at the Maryknoll Seminary where she studied the Scriptures, ethics and international affairs, later earning an M.A. in theological studies from the Maryknoll School of Theology in 1985.
Sister Mary Ellen’s first mission assignment was to Bolivia in 1977 where she served for over 30 years, first working with the Cristo Rey Parish Mothers Club operating a well baby program from 1978-1979, then working at the Caritas Diocesan Office where she again worked with the Mother-Child Clubs of the diocese and continued to work with two local clubs, from 1979-1980.
She then became involved with a project assisting the people of the Altiplano in La Paz in 1980 and, following a year at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in New York. Sister Mary Ellen returned to Bolivia where she served as administrator/head nurse at the Saavedra Hospital from 1981-1984. During that time, she also did pastoral work at St. John the Baptist Parish in Saavedra.
Following a Year of Reflection at the Sisters Center, Sister Mary Ellen again returned to Bolivia, and did parish work at Capinoto Parish from 1986-1991.
Then, she returned to NY, and from 1992-94, she worked in Maryknoll Mission Archives and in Mission Promotion for the Maryknoll Sisters then returned to Riberalta, Bolivia in 1995 and worked with the handicapped, as a Eucharistic minister, with Community Animators of Faith and the Rural Pastoral Institute River Team.
Sister Mary Ellen was assigned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2011 in the Communication Department and as a co-coordinator of the Centers’ community as well as choir and music director.
Sister Mary Ellen is the Mission Education Coordinator for Maryknoll Sisters. That means she gets out and about quite a lot, introducing many people to Maryknoll Sisters, whether that’s at a professional gathering of catechists in California, a national youth rally in some major city, or writing about us for mission-minded parishioners affiliated with the Just Faith organization.