Sister Karen Carlson

Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
T.S. Eliot Burnt Norton

When she was in eighth grade, Karen wanted to enter the convent. Her parents said “no”. She was needed to help at home - their only girl of five children, the second oldest. In time, Karen married and had four children - three boys and a girl. The troubled marriage ended in divorce.

Her children grown, Karen was free to consider the future. Her marriage was annulled by the Church. Karen found herself in a new space. She now had time for daily Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The call to religious life reappeared. “What, God? You do have a sense of humor. I’m 50 years old!” God was persistent and Karen was led to the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary located just south of her McHenry, Illinois home. After a live-in experience during which Karen experienced deep peace, she entered the novitiate in Batavia, Illinois.

It was at Batavia that Sister Karen met her SSCM mentor, Sister Myra Dionne, who she calls “a remarkable woman”. Sister continues, “She was going blind and was planning on how to cope with it. She counted the steps to her room. She had such a determination and calmness about everything. She did not get angry with people. Sister Myra is loving and giving of herself. She taught me gratitude for everyday life. To this day, Sister Myra teaches me patience and generosity.”

Sister Karen points to the raising of her children and seeing them grow into responsible adults as her most satisfying achievement. It must be mentioned, also, that after the age of 50 Sister Karen received undergraduate and graduate degrees. Sister holds a master’s degree in social work (MSW).

The Community Resource Center of OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, Urbana, Illinois, is where economically deprived residents of Champaign-Urbana go to get care for themselves and their families. Sister Karen is the heart of the small staff. Originally begun to address the problem of “frequent flyers” (people who use the emergency room as their primary place for health care), the staff helped develop connections to alternate sites and programs where the community could access health care more easily. Recidivism at the ER declined 30% in their first year of operation.

Sister Karen is passionate about helping marginalized persons. In this aspect of her ministry, she sees the extension of the SSCM Charism where faith, self-giving and family love meld in service and care.

Sister Karen has some advice for second-career women who may be considering religious life, “If you hear a call to religious life, don’t think you are too old, or have nothing to give. You have something to give. God would not be calling you if you did not have a gift to share. Be open to it.” Sister Karen Carlson knows of what she speaks.