Pure Love: Fifty Years of Ministry 

In a remote Appalachian town few can find on a map, Sister Kathy O’Hagan, SNDdeN built a ministry of faith, education and service that continues to shape lives generations later.  

By Tami McMann, Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications

Sister Kathy O’Hagan, SNDdeN wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of Kermit, West Virginia.  

The tiny Appalachian community near the Kentucky border has a population of under 300, with approximately one-third of residents experiencing financial hardship.

Inspired in 1975 by a pastoral letter on poverty and powerlessness in the area, Sister Kathy has made the hills of Kermit, also known as the Knob, her home and ministry for the past 50 years. 

When Sister Kathy arrived by train in the mid-’70s, she found an isolated forest with primitive roads. “I came from working at an inner-city school in Baltimore, where it was always hopping. It was a big adjustment for me,” says Sister Kathy. “They had a woodshop that was dusty, musty and broken down. The community got together and fixed it up for our classroom.”  

Decades later, Sister Kathy is nearly as well-known in the community as another famous resident of Mingo County, Edwina Pepper (1893–1988). Pepper was the benefactress and visionary who donated 460 acres to a land trust in 1976 for the purpose of nature preservation and to establish a school. They had their land; next, they needed teachers and funds to build the school. In stepped Sister Mary Margaret Pignone, SNDdeN, who had long worked in Appalachia first as a teacher, then in community development.  

“Initially, she saw an ad in a small local leaflet, The Mountain Call, asking for a teacher,” recalls Sister Margaret Shawn Scanlan, SNDdeN. “Mary Margaret and I found our way there over dirt roads and through streams to meet Ms. Pepper. We discovered that not only was there no teacher, but there was also no school!” 

Mary Margaret reached out to her network of experienced teachers and set aside a year to pursue grants and donations to build a proper school. Sister Kathy and her partner in ministry, Sister Gretchen Shaffer, CSJ, came to staff Big Laurel School, which opened in 1976 with 13 students. 

“The mission of Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is important to me,” Sister Kathy says. “St. Julie said we need to go to the poor in the most abandoned places. In the early days, this was it! This is what Julie and Françoise called us to do.” 

For a dozen years, “Kath,” as she is known, taught the younger children, and Gretchen taught upper grades. In those days, supplies were few, and the Sisters had to be resourceful.  

“Kath was an excellent teacher,” says Gretchen. “She made her own learning devices, and her students were always reading by the end of the year.” In fact, news reports from the day indicate kindergartners were reading on a first-grade level under Sister Kathy’s instruction. 

The Sisters fondly recall one kindergartner named Lionel who loved learning and earned an overnight stay with his teachers for being a good student. He was especially thrilled to take a hot bath in a bathtub and to have the undivided attention of Sister Kathy and Sister Gretchen. They chuckled when recalling one evening at the supper table, Lionel innocently asked the women, both well over 35 years old, “So what do you want to be when you grow up?”  

Now, some five decades later, the ministry has evolved to meet the needs of the Kermit community. Big Laurel School closed in 1988 when several students moved out of the area, and it was no longer financially viable to continue. The two Sisters pivoted to providing other community services, including a food pantry. Sister Kathy, motivated by her own recovery from alcoholism, began training as an addiction counselor and started offering a recovery program called FACT (Faith, Action, Commitment, Time). Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in mental health/addiction counseling. 

In its latest iteration, Big Laurel Learning Center hosts summer camps for children, adult retreats, student immersion programs and community outreach. Executive Director Grace Williams has invested more than nine years in the mission of Big Laurel. She first met Sister Kathy as a student at Wheeling Jesuit University in 2010 when she visited on an immersion trip to experience nature and gain an appreciation for God’s creation. In 2016, she returned on an assignment with Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, and today she runs the programs, coming full circle in her journey with Big Laurel. 

“Sister Kathy is a great mentor and friend to me,” says Grace. “Her wisdom and her knowledge of this property are priceless.” 

Adds Sister Gretchen, “Kathy is a people magnet. She’s attracted to people, and they are drawn to her.” 

On a recent weekend kicking off Big Laurel’s 50th year of operation, friends of the center returned to the property to reconnect with Sister Kathy, Sister Gretchen and each other. Over shared memories, laughter overflowed from every corner and demonstrated the incredible impact of the sisters and the programs they inspired. 

A Love Story 

Marcelle St. Germain and her husband Michael Tierney’s love story began at Big Laurel. Freshly graduated from law school in the mid-’80s, Marcelle agreed to care for the property and animals for a few weeks while both Sisters were away one summer. During her stay, a young man was finishing his master’s degree. Over dinner and thoughtful conversation, their affection grew, and the rest was history. They planted roots in West Virginia and visited Big Laurel as often as possible, including holidays. They chose Kathy and Gretchen to be their children’s godmothers — Sister Kathy is especially close to Luke, the oldest, and visits him in Denver with Michael and Marcelle. 

“It was important to us that the kids had wise, loving older women in their lives,” explains Marcelle. “Their sense of community and belonging is grounded here at Big Laurel.”  

An Unexpected Calling 

When Jacob Zondag of Detroit, Michigan, was a Notre Dame Mission Volunteer at Big Laurel in 2016, he was unsure about the future and wanted to explore his options. He thought firmly, “I do not like children and I really have no desire to work in a school as a teacher,” but God had other plans revealed through Jacob’s NDMV experience. 

Working with students in the programs while also volunteering at the local K–8 school ignited an unexpected passion for teaching and a love for the people of West Virginia. He now teaches music in Kermit and is a member of the Big Laurel Learning Center board. 

“Sister Kathy, Sister Gretchen, Big Laurel and the folks in Kermit have really shown me what true community is, should be, and can be,” he says. “Sister Kathy loves children, and the young children who visit the mountain always gravitate towards her. She loves adventures and animals — especially her free-range chickens — and these things go hand in hand with her wonderful way with children! Sister Kathy values everyone, and it is very important to her to make everyone feel included.” 

Family Ties 

Greta May and her family have deep roots on the Knob. She remembers meeting the Sisters at her grandfather’s home when they helped harvest his gardens in exchange for fresh produce. She also attended events at Big Laurel where the family-style meals and emphasis on God’s goodness made a lasting impression. 

“Sister Kathy helps whenever and wherever she can,” Greta says. “She always has words of wisdom and is so humble. She truly loves the Lord with a servant’s heart.” 

A Role Model 

The Appalachian Experience Club at Wheeling Jesuit University is what first brought Chris McPherson to Big Laurel as a college student. On a service trip known as “wood chopping,” his first introduction to Kathy was when she rolled up on her four-wheeler, picked up an axe and showed the young men how to split wood. He now has a seat on the Big Laurel Board of Directors. 

“Sister Kathy demonstrates a passion toward her life and everything she does,” Chris says. “Taking from this, I try to approach each day with that passion and desire to learn, grow and educate others.”  

Part of the Family 

Andy Abberton has a 13-year streak of returning to Big Laurel each July to serve as a mentor for the boys’ camp. He’s known Kathy since he was an 18-year-old freshman at Molloy University and calls her “one of my favorite people in the world.” 

“Mud Sally, as we call Sister Kathy, is an amazing presence,” he says. “She has such a welcoming attitude and inclusive nature. Right away, she hugs you and you become part of her family. She is a joy in my life and a large part of the reason why I and many alumni from Molloy come back year after year just to be with her and work with her.” 

Some of Andy’s favorite memories are the pranks Sister Kathy pulled on unsuspecting guests at Big Laurel. “One time, she pretended the truck broke down so she could ambush us with water balloons and water guns,” he says. “She is a character, and that willingness to have fun and play is one of the things I love about her most!” 

Fun and Faith 

The Mayos, Steve and Mary Lou, began coming to Big Laurel with students from Molloy University in New York. Steve recalls with a smile the evenings spent around the campfire, when only music and community were needed for entertainment.  

“Once Kathy dressed me up as Elvira, and she was a cowboy,” he recalls. “Somebody put the song ‘Elvira’ on a boombox, and we came out dancing and singing. We laughed until our sides hurt. 

“There’s no explanation for the multiple dimensions of Kathy’s character and personality. She’s sweet but tough, funny but serious about her mission, realistic but idealistic. I think it would be hard not to see her as pure love.” 

Fifty years seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye as Sister Kathy thinks back on her long ministry in Kermit.  

“I’ve always been fascinated with God’s goodness in creation,” she says. “To be able to serve in the mountains and have the blessing of SND and the community has been a double blessing. I’m not here by myself; I’m here in the name of all Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to spread goodness.” 

 

A shorter version of this story appears in the Winter 2025 edition of Sowing Goodness where you can also read about this year’s inspiring Jubilarians.

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