Kathryn Press is an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from Georgia. She professed her final vows in 2018. With a Master of Divinity and a background in religious studies, she has taught every grade from pre-K through high school. After opening a convent in Ireland, she taught in New York City for three years before returning to Ireland in September 2020 to work in evangelization and parish ministry.
Horizons - Look to the youngest saints (and soon-to-be saints) we have in our tradition for examples to imitate. They are who Jesus says is the greatest in the kingdom.
Un poderoso encuentro transformó la vida de la hermana Kathryn Press en la Conferencia de Liderazgo 2023. En su columna para la serie Una Mirada Joven: Nuevos Horizontes en la Vida Religiosa de GSR, revela cómo la presencia del Espíritu Santo la llevó a mantener la esperanza en tiempos de transición y a anunciar el evangelio con valentía. La religiosa de las Hermanas Apóstoles del Sagrado Corazón nos invita a prepararnos para el próximo Pentecostés rezando juntas ‘¡Ven, Espíritu Santo!’. ¿Cuándo tuviste tu propio encuentro con el Paráclito?
Horizons - Yes, young people leave the church, and "nones" seem to be increasing, but I've seen a counternarrative firsthand. During World Youth Day, some 1.5 million young people around me witnessed a faith that isn't dead.
Horizons - Consider revisiting a prayer that once brought you comfort or challenge when you last prayed it. Take some time to imagine Jesus saying these words to you. What additional words would deepen the meaning?
Horizons - Science and faith always have something new to teach us. God delights in us as we make such discoveries. Wonder waits around every corner. At the start of a new year, I ask: What are you wondering about?
Horizons - This piece is my gesture of gratitude in thanksgiving to God for all the gifts and graces that have come into my life because of Camp Arcadia. Many lessons and skills from there came in handy in the convent.
Horizons - At the invitation of our bishop, I had the opportunity to serve on the planning team that organized our first diocesan youth and young adult pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It was an entirely new experience!
Life isn't a Google Map. We can't always pick the fastest route or avoid highways and tolls. My spiritual journey can't be plotted out. Detours and diversions, construction and congestion are part of the deal.
Living as an American in Ireland has, I pray, made me a better Christian. At the very least, the experience has given me the space and the reason to evaluate my default positions and grow in self-knowledge, empathy, and cultural awareness.
Horizons - Throughout November the church acknowledges the men and women who lived in imitation of Jesus. Hopefully there is someone with whom you feel a kindred connection. I look at the world through the eyes of Blessed Clelia Merloni.
Having spoken with Catholics in Ireland, we knew there was a need for witness to the faith and for evangelization. We would open a convent there. It was a small way to say "thank you" to the church that had given us so much.
