Kathleen Brenda Maguire

Kathleen “Ki Ki” was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on April 14, 1940. Upon her graduation from St. Patrick’s High School in 1958, she entered the order of the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart in Baltimore where she took the name, Sister Christen. She held a B.A. in Social Science/Theology with a minor in Psychology from Notre Dame of Maryland and an MA in Religious Education from Boston College.

Following her convent training, Kathleen worked in the mountains of West Virginia in Belle, a town of 800 people at the time. When asked what she did there, she replied, “Whatever they needed.” She treasured this experience but moved on to the inner-city of Philadelphia and her beloved Boston to carry on her work. From there, Kathleen moved to Bisbee, AZ working with a parish of Mexican Americans. She established Catholic instruction in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in eight missions.

At the Vatican Council in 1963, the Catholic Church offered new choices of service for religious and lay people. Kathleen explained her departure from the order. “I left the order then to serve the Church in a different way. I believed I could get closer to people and give them a role model of the Church in the world as a lay teacher.”

She moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1978 and served with distinction as the Catholic Religious Education Director at Fort Ord, California from 1978-1993. During that time she received numerous commendations such as Sustained Superior Performance certificates, the Army Achievement Medal for outstanding service to the Fort Ord Military Chaplaincy and The Civilian of the Year Award in 1987. Kathleen distinguished herself by establishing and maintaining the highest quality religious education program in the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) at Fort Ord. In 1987, record numbers enrolled in all programs that she offered. She continually inspired young people to be involved in caring for others. Kathleen coordinated and presented a most successful drug and alcohol workshop for teenagers. The response was astounding and one of the outcomes was the initiation of a parent support group. Numerous teens took advantage of Kathleen’s drug rehabilitation programs, the direct result of her hands-on concern for them. Numerous successful special needs programs were coordinated by Kathleen.

Numerous programs were offered to the greater Monterey Peninsula. Constant invitations by the Diocese of Monterey to give workshops and talks attested to Kathleen’s profound ability and professionalism in presenting current moral issues. Her many presentations included “Ministry to the Military” and “The Formation of Christian Conscience” both given at the Presidio of Monterey. She spoke to a large group on the Catholic Bishops Pastoral, entitled “The Challenge of Peace”. The responses to all her endeavors were always more invitations to be a guest speaker. She was well known by Fort Ord and the Monterey Peninsula churches and social agencies for her compassion and enthusiasm in her care for people. When asked what she enjoyed most about her work with the military community, she esponded, “Working with new people at Ord. The challenge of the constantly changing Army community. I also enjoy the ecumenical contacts of working day by day with Kathy (the Director of Protestant Religious Education at the time) and the Protestants on base. I was from an Irish Ghetto and hardly knew any Protestants.”

During Kathleen’s forty-year career in education from 1962-2003, she also taught grades one through twelve. Her first experience as a member of the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart was as a part time teacher in religious education programs, grades one through twelve, Catechist training for adults, and counseling in Baltimore, Md. She furthered her career at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Detroit, MI and at Brockton High School in Brockton, MA teaching Sociology, Anthropology, and History of Western Civilization. This was followed by her service at Fort Ord. She culminated her career at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California from 1993-2003 as the Religion Teacher for grades one through eight. During her time at Santa Catalina, she not only taught her students in religious studies, but also parents in sacramental preparation. She brought to the classroom her deep love of Christ. She was dearly loved, admired, and respected as a member of the faculty and of the community.

A fanatic Red Sox’s fan, she proudly wore one of her many Red Sox caps wherever she went. If she wasn’t in front of the television watching her team, she depended on her phone’s pings to keep her informed of the score.

Although transplanted to the west coast forty-three years ago, her eastern roots never left her. Easily identifiable by her strong Bostonian accent, there was no need to ask from where she hailed. But if you did, she was happy and proud to tell you. She was witty, creative, razor-sharp clever, joyful, an engaged conversationalist, and an exceptional listener. There wasn’t anyone with whom she wouldn’t strike up a conversation. Kathleen’s compassion for others reached deeply into her family, her colleagues, her friends, and to those whom she didn’t know but for whom she prayed. No one was out of her reach. Her deep faith was shared in many ways. A true educator whose toolbox was overflowing. One of her smiles could touch a heart in need. A colleague and friend of Kathleen’s expressed that “The world will be a duller place without her feisty spirit, but our hearts will always have her; she brought a light to the world that will remain with us even though she is gone.”

Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, James E. Maguire and Eleanor (Mooney) Maguire, by her sister, Anne Coughlan, and by her long-time domestic partner, Carol McSorley. She is survived by her sisters, Margaret Maguire and Mary Good and by her brother, James Maguire. She is also survived by her nephews, nieces, and great-nieces. Kathleen leaves behind her beloved Golden Retriever, Mooney, and her Blue Point Siamese, Annie.

In lieu of flowers, Kathleen wishes are that donations be made to Boston Children’s Hospital and The SPCA of Monterey. Please visit www.thepaulmortuary.com to sign Kathleen’s guest book and leave messages for her family.