Sister Mary Kathleen Knechtges, SND(formerly Sister Mary Ambrose)March 19, 1938-November 28, 2024Professed August 16, 1959
Kathleen Ann was the fifth child born to Chauncey and Catherine (Ward) Knechtges on March 19, 1938, in Elyria, Ohio. Her older siblings—Jack, Jeanne, Ward, and Chuck—watched over her with great affection. When Kathleen was just four years old, Mrs. Knechtges died. Jeanne, the oldest daughter, and Mr. Knechtges cared for the younger children and kept the household running smoothly.
Kathleen attended Grafton Public School for 4 years, and finished grade school at St. Mary Parish School, Elyria.
In her senior year at Elyria District Catholic High, Kathleen discerned God’s call to religious life. “Under the direction of Sister Mary Owen Kleinhenz, I took the first steps in applying to the Notre Dame Congregation,” she wrote in her autobiography. “I am hoping and praying to be accepted as a postulant.” After graduation in June, Kathleen entered the novitiate on September 8, 1956. At investment, she received the name Sister Mary Ambrose.
Following two years of study at Ohio’s Notre Dame College, South Euclid, and St. John College, Cleveland, Sister Mary Kathleen taught middle school students at St. Gregory the Great School, South Euclid; St. Peter, North Ridgeville, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Cleveland. Summers and vacation time were devoted to completing her college education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John College in 1963, and a master’s in education in 1974 from John Carroll University, both in Ohio. In Virginia, she ministered at St. Ann School, Arlington, and then at Sacred Heart School, Winchester. Returning to Ohio, she taught at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Austintown; St. Gregory the Great, South Euclid; St. Mary, Chardon; and St. Margaret Mary, South Euclid. For 23 of her 27 years in the classroom, she taught eighth grade. All eighth-grade teachers know the special combination of energy and patience that is required! They must channel the students’ enthusiasm at being in the “top spot” of their elementary school, while simultaneously preparing them for high school. In a reflection about her chapel tile, Sister Mary Kathleen wrote that she saw her personal gifts and efforts as “tools for growing, fixing, and teaching…to nurture growth and wholeness in people, for fruitful ministry.”
After her teaching career, Sister Mary Kathleen accepted a ministry opportunity in pastoral work. She completed the core program for certification as a Pastoral Counselor at the Pastoral Psychology Institute at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. She was also a certified Pastoral Minister in the Diocese of Cleveland. At St. Boniface Parish, Sister Mary Kathleen was introduced to members of the West Side Ecumenical Ministries. Founded in 1966 by five inner-city ministers, this network of churches and parishes worked together to increase services and pool resources. More than 70 sites provided food and clothing, job training, childcare, and counseling. In 1992, Sister Mary Kathleen became the program coordinator for Cooperative Connections, linking eight support groups across the city. With her team leaders, she planned activities and coordinated resources during the next 12 years. In churches and local neighborhood spaces, women gathered each week to find support on their journey from abuse, addiction, and loneliness toward a life of healing and wholeness. Sister Mary Kathleen’s organizational skills and counseling expertise were matched by her immense compassion and respect. She decorated her chapel tile with inter-faith symbols, celebrating the richness of many cultures and religions.
From 2004 to 2017, Sister Mary Kathleen returned to pastoral ministry at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Geneva, and at her home parish, Immaculate Conception in Grafton, now Our Lady Queen of Peace.
When she came to the Provincial Center in 2017, she served her sisters in community in various ways. The past two years were marked by a decline in health. Whether the days were brightly-colored or dark, like the mirrored stones on her tile, she was surrounded by the stream of God’s life and love. “We receive, accept, create, and add our reflections of an oh-so-dazzling God!” she wrote. May eternal light shine upon her, in fullness of joy.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated for Sister Mary Kathleen at the Sisters of Notre Dame Center on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. It will be live-streamed here.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Sisters of Notre Dame, 13000 Auburn Rd., Chardon, OH 44024. Arrangements by DeJohn-Flynn-Mylott Funeral Home.
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