Our final Sister who we honor for her jubilee of religious life in 2026 is Sister Martha Keller, a native of Whitesville, Ky., who is celebrating 50 years.

Sister Martha is a joyful, compassionate person who models her spirituality to all those she meets. She loves serving the needs in parishes and in her Ursuline community.

She graduated from Brescia College in 1980 with a degree in elementary education, and earned a master’s in pastoral studies from Boston College in 1992.

All of her ministries have been in Kentucky. She was a teacher at Immaculate Conception School, Hawesville, and principal her last year, (1980-87). She was a teacher at St. Pius Tenth School, Owensboro (1987-88), St. Mary High School, Paducah (1989-90) and Owensboro Catholic High School (1990-93). She was pastoral associate at St. Romuald Parish, Hardinsburg (1993-98), at three parishes simultaneously — St. Sebastian Parish, Calhoun, St. Charles Parish, Livermore, and St. Anthony Parish, Browns Valley (2000-01) — and at St. Francis de Sales Parish, Paducah (2008-11), and at St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm (2012-22). She was director of faith formation and pastoral associate at St. Joseph Parish, Bowling Green (2001-03) and at St. Stephen Cathedral, Owensboro (2003-08).

Sister Martha has served in internal ministry at the Motherhouse in health care (1988-89), and as director of vocation ministry and the contact program (1999-2000, 2006-07, 2010-16). Since 2022, she has served as the elected assistant congregational leader of the Ursuline Sisters, with her term ending in July. She is discerning her next ministry.

Congratulations Sister Martha!