Sister Carol
(Mary Matthew)
Kenning, SNDFebruary 13, 1935 - November 13, 2013
Sister Carol Kenning, a Sister of Notre Dame for 56 years, died peacefully in Oakland, CA on November 13, 2013.
Sr. Carol embodied the sense of mission, of going where she was needed, generously available for the sake of others. After completing her term on the Province Leadership Team, she chose to respond to the need for a teacher at inner-city Ascension School in Los Angeles. That interim position turned into nearly twenty years of service at nearby St. Columbkille School and Parish, teaching, tutoring, serving as religion coordinator, providing encouragement for both children and adults, until just a few days before she died.
Sr. Carol had previously taught high school at St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda, at Notre Dame in Salinas, at Star of the Sea in Honolulu, and at College of Notre Dame in Belmont. Teachers and students alike appreciated her kindness and self-effacing sense of humor. One of Sr. Carol's long-time friends, Dr. Mary Ellen Boyling, described her accurately as someone who had an immeasurable impact!
Carol graduated from Notre Dame High School in Watsonville before entering the Novitiate. Predeceased by her parents, Robert and Helen Kenning, Sr. Carol will be lovingly remembered by her brother, Mark (Dinny) Kenning; her sister, Mary (Roderick) McDonald, many nieces and nephews, and her community, the Sisters of Notre Dame.
A Mass celebrating Sr. Carol's life will be celebrated on Saturday, November 23, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. at Notre Dame de Namur Province Center, Belmont; interment at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 1520 Ralston Avenue, Belmont, CA 94002, or online at snddenca.org.