Sister M. Kateri Hawley, FSGM, has been named provincial vicar of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George. The appointment, which is for six years, was made Sept. 1 by Mother M. Regina Pacis, FSGM, provincial superior.

In her new ministry, Sister M. Kateri is responsible for assisting the provincial superior and visiting the nearly 200 members of her community who live in 18 convents in the United States. She said the province stretches from the East Coast as far west as Nebraska, and from Wisconsin to Oklahoma.

“I think it’s wonderful that I will be able to see what is happening with our Sisters and the works they do and the wonderful ministries they’re involved in as they bring Christ’s merciful love to each place they serve,” Sister M. Kateri told The Catholic Post from her office at the motherhouse in Alton. “That’s our charism — making visible the merciful love of Christ.”

Born in Peoria, Sister M. Kateri is the daughter of William and Margaret Hawley of Chillicothe. Raised with three sisters and two brothers, she attended St. Edward’s School and Illinois Valley Central High School. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George on Sept. 8, 1982.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a secondary teaching certificate from the University of Illinois at Springfield, as well as a master’s degree in religious studies from the Notre Dame Institute in Alexandria, Va., and a master’s degree in education with principal certification from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J.

Sister M. Kateri was a high school science teacher from 1988 until 2004, when she was named principal at Sacred Heart School in South Amboy, N.J. She also served as director of Camp Maria, a summer vocation program for girls, from 1996 to 2001.

Among her awards is the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal — given in recognition for service to the church and to the pope — which she received in 2006.