by Bea Peterson
In 1963 no one imagined the impact Sister Kenan would have on St. John Francis Regis Church in Grafton, Sacred Heart Church in Berlin and the community in general. For 33 years Sister taught at Catholic Central High School in Troy. On Sundays she would come to Grafton through an outreach program to teach Sunday School. “The Sunday School was an added assignment,” said the Sister of Mercy. As the years passed, the parishioners of St. John Francis would be heard to say that priests come and go, but Sister Kenan is always here.
In 1993 Sister became Parish Life Director. The first year she commuted from Troy, and in 1994 she moved to Grafton. Sister recently reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. She still continues to volunteer at the Church that has been such a part of her life. “I sort through the mail and pay the bills,” she said, “but I don’t have the worries.” Over the years those worries and responsibilities expanded.
The old St. John Francis Regis Church was once a former ice house. It left a lot to be desired. By the 1960s, said Sister, “The roof was caving in, the floor boards were giving out, there was no running water and the Church was very crowded.” Sister has always advocated parishioner ownership of the Church. “When something needs to be done or repaired, people don’t ask, they just do it,” she said. Offer Sister an idea for a church project and she’ll quickly tell you to go ahead and do it.
When Babcock Lake parishioner Dottie Cooper died she left her property to the Church. “The money (for the property sale) was sufficient to start building a new church, but we still needed to have a capital campaign,” Sister Kenan said. With the help of the Albany Catholic Diocese and under Sister’s guidance, the parishioners worked to create an efficient, compact and attractive new church with meeting rooms, office space, kitchen and parish hall. Once built, they paid it off in six years.
In 1997 Sister became Parish Life Director for Sacred Heart Church as well. Her job, she said, was the operation of both churches making sure everything got done. Over the years she has watched St. John Francis grow from 100 to 170 families, and even more in the summer. Sacred Heart has increased from 38 to 72 families. Though both churches remain open and retain their names, they have become one parish under the name “Our Lady of the Snow.”
Sister Kenan has been an integral part of the community. She can always be seen at the giant raffle booth during Grafton’s Summer Festival.
A die hard Yankee fan, sister also enjoys the outdoors and music, especially church music. She used to enjoy biking until her knees gave out.
A retirement party will be held for Sister Kenan on Sunday, October 18, at 12:15 pm at the VFW Hall. Her older sister from West Springfield is coming to the party. Her two brothers have passed away. One of them was Father Kenan. “He took the Irish saint’s name first,” Sister said. “I took it later, and I have a nephew named Kenan.”
Sister intends to stay in Grafton, a least for a year or two. “God will tell me when it is time to go,” she said. Then she will return to the Convent of Mercy Mother House in Albany.