Meet Kathryn Freeman Rogers, our Woman of the Week! She was nominated for her work as a nurse, her ministry as a priest's wife, and her life as an adoptive mother. We asked her to tell you about herself:
"I am an Orthodox Christian, a nurse, the mother of a very busy toddler, the wife of a priest, and the daughter of a priest. I came into the church as a convert a little over 20 years ago. I was a teenager at the time and converted along with the rest of my family. At the time, my father had been a priest in the Episcopal church for 19 years, and our church home there was certainly my 'comfort zone.' The conversion to Orthodoxy came along with the beginning of a new mission church, and my dad’s subsequent ordination to the Orthodox priesthood -- not surprisingly, it was a change in the practical aspects of my life as well as the spiritual. So, my journey into the church was unique (they all are, of course). The following few years shaped so much of my life.
"There were only a couple of people in my age group at the new mission, and I had met a handful of other Orthodox youth from the diocese, but no one lived particularly close. I longed for more Orthodox peers! A few years later, I left for college (U. of South Carolina…go Gamecocks!), and I happened to know (of) one other existing Orthodox student on campus. I had not met him, but even knowing that I would potentially have one Orthodox peer was thrilling. He also came from a small mission parish, (he was very cute—more on that later), and we worked together to slowly start a chapter of OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) on campus.
"In the setting of OCF, surrounded by peers and a local sponsoring priest, I was in a more independent position - asking a million questions (questions I didn’t even know I had), learning new prayers, additional traditions, and (frankly) choosing -- on my own -- whether to attend services. Coming into the Orthodox church was a family deal, but it wasn’t forced on me by any means. BUT, I found I did need an opportunity to let the faith became more 'my own.' And it did. Ultimately (bonus!), it also facilitated getting to know my future husband (that cute guy from earlier in the story). We have been married for nearly 16 years.
Incidentally, one of OCF’s national programs ('Real Break') allowed me the opportunity to go on a mission trip during spring break of my Freshman year to an orphanage in Guatemala. There was one child there who I particularly fell in love with, and who was very sick. He stayed in a special nursery with a group of workers, some of them nurses. After I left, I found a deep, growing desire to be a nurse. It also planted a tiny seed in my heart that opened it up to an eventual adoption. All of these things ultimately changed and shaped my life. So, I’m very grateful to have had those opportunities."
Axia!
You can learn more about Kathryn's parish here: https://www.stjohnmemphis.org/. The website includes a page of spiritual resources useful during these COVID-19 days: https://www.stjohnmemphis.org/spiritual-resources.
Our Woman of the Week is a healthcare worker, a particularly important calling during these fraught times. You see her here on a relaxed day on the pediatric wards. We asked her to tell us how she found her vocation:
"In my introductory post, I mentioned one of OCF’s national programs ('Real Break'), and that it shaped and planted seeds for several important things in my life. One of them became a deep, growing desire to be a nurse. When I chose to pursue a career in nursing, I pursued it with a strong conviction that it was not just a stable job choice (except it is, y’all), but that it was something God was calling me to do… and that He had been calling me for years.
"So. I am a nurse and find great joy in my work. Truly. I have worked in the ER, ICU, and now with children as part of a pediatric specialty clinic that treats endocrinology disorders. In my role within the clinic, most of my patients are kids with Type 1 Diabetes.
"I have grown especially passionate about caring for kids with diabetes, both in the immediate needs of the kids in my care, and in the larger scope - the current research being done, and in the emerging treatments and technologies. Although I spend the majority of my time involved in direct patient care (teaching, examining, treating symptoms), I do a lot of work 'behind the scenes.' Much of that includes 'working with' (fighting with?) insurance companies to provide or approve treatment and medications for my patients. It gets absolutely maddening sometimes. While it’s frustrating for me, I know it’s worse for the families who are waiting for help and frequently living with scarcity. There are many days when I talk to parents and they share their frustrations with me, but in the same breath express a calm faith in God that helps them live day to day, managing a very frustrating, overwhelming, expensive disease. It’s extremely humbling. The pediatric setting does come with a great bonus: I love a good high five. I’m not above an embarrassing happy dance, and I have been allowed to dress as a Disney princess at work (it was encouraged! What a job!) On a more dignified note, I’m hoping to obtain additional credentials as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) by the end of this year. Fingers crossed!
"At its heart, I think nursing allows opportunities to ease fears; comfort the sick or dying, and relieve suffering in many forms. Depending on the setting, sometimes it looks more like sprinting around like a mad person, frantically trying to preserve life, and, if you can’t, there is sometimes still an opportunity to help preserve dignity. In the Gospel of Matthew (25:40) when Christ says, “Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” My work in nursing presents me opportunities to practice that if I can, and nursing may be my own personal vocation because God knows I need concrete and obvious opportunities to do that—perhaps I wouldn’t see them if they weren’t obvious. Thank God."
We asked our Woman of the Week, Kathryn Freeman Rogers, about her morning routine:
"Adoption is a difficult decision, and can certainly be a difficult, emotional process and rollercoaster. Our journey began with some years of childlessness, which is its own difficult and emotional process (side note: please read Dr. Nicole Roccas’s book, Under The Laurel Tree [Ancient Faith Publishing] – it is a great and important read). After we made the decision to pursue adoption, our lives were filled with another kind of waiting and hoping. There were new anxieties, new kinds of heartbreaks (some really big, some small), and eventually the joy of a successful, finalized adoption - the joy of a beautiful, new little person in our family. Throughout the process, we have been blessed by an incredibly supportive community, both in our church and otherwise.
"We have learned and been reminded by others (who are far wiser than us), that it is important to remember that on the other side of our joy, there is a birth family experiencing their own type of grief, and who should be remembered, in practical ways, and through prayer. Our family prayers include them and will continue to as she grows and is more aware. We pray for them to have peace and comfort about their decision and give thanks for the strength of their love. We pray for our daughter, that we will be able to give her what she needs, learn who she is, and honor the unique gift of her presence in our lives."
Thank you, Kathryn!
