The following article first appeared in the August 2003 Boost-A-Month Club Newsletter.  For more information about becoming a Boost-A-Month member, call 1-800-935-0975 or contact Father Dominic Duggins.

Brother Ken Woods volunteers as an LPN two days a week at the free clinic he and parishioners of Glenmary’s Elkton, Ky., mission helped establish in 2000.

Elkton, Ky., is a quiet little town, just the kind of town that Brother Ken Woods likes. “Small towns are less hectic and people are generally friendlier,” he says. “In a small town the people and the community are a lot closer to each other.”

The opportunity to form small-town relationships has been a cornerstone of Brother Ken’s ministry since he first joined Glenmary in 1958.

Brother Ken brings a “compassionate presence” to his ministry, says Father Frank Ruff, pastor of St. Susan Church, the Glenmary mission in Elkton. “He has the ability to be with people for an extended period of time without needing to say anything. From him, they learn that they’re accepted and that they’re OK. That gift of listening is a rare quality these days.”

Brother Ken began religious life as a parish brother, working in Gate City, Va., and Sparta, N.C. He later moved on to other Glenmary missions. But those early mission experiences confirmed what he thought he knew—he was suited to the pace of life in small towns and to the one-on-one relationships that mark rural ministry.

After spending some years working as a parish brother, he made a change: He entered nursing school, and in 1985 he received his certification as a licensed practical nurse, focusing on geriatrics.

“I wanted to work with the elderly in our mission areas,” Brother Ken says. “By working with patients in a nursing home, you have an opportunity for on-going relationships with patients and with their families. That was what I was looking for when I first went into nursing school.”

After Glenmary’s mission in Sparta, N.C., was returned to the diocese in 1997, Brother Ken began scouting missions for a new assignment. On his visit to Elkton, he learned there was an opening for a charge nurse in the local nursing home. It was a perfect fit, and Brother Ken soon moved to southwestern Kentucky.

When he arrived in Elkton, there were only two doctors and no hospital in the county. Glenmary missioners always begin by assessing the greatest need and responding. That’s what Brother Ken did.

In 2000, he spearheaded efforts to begin a free clinic to serve the entire county. Brother Ken, and parishioners at St. Susan were in the thick of the planning for what would become Helping Hands Clinic.

The clinic has served over 1,000 people each year since it opened in 2000. The clients are people who, because of lack of transportation to a neighboring county for healthcare or because of a lack of health insurance, could not receive medical attention before. Many have chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, diseases often found among low-income people.

Two days a week Brother Ken offers his services at the Helping Hands Clinic. In addition to patient care, he is a founding board member. Periodically, he also represents the clinic at meetings of the state association of free health clinics.
Brother Ken also serves on advisory boards for the Diocese of Owensboro. For several years he has been a member of the Catholic Charities board and the Board for Total Catholic Education.

He has also been a part of Big Brothers/Sisters of Todd County for the past three years, serving as a big brother to Tim Moore, a student at Todd County High School.

Since Tim and Brother Ken have been brothers, the young man has become much more outgoing and talkative, Brother Ken says. “When we first started, he was very quiet; now I have a hard time getting a word in.”

Tim and Brother Ken meet once a week after school during the academic year. For their first 30 minutes together, the two work on Tim’s schoolwork, with Brother Ken helping in areas where his “little brother” has problems. In their second half-hour, Tim chooses the activity. Often he decides to draw, while explaining to Brother Ken what he’s sketching.

“He’s really faithful to Tim,” says Father Frank. “He’ll skip or reschedule other meetings so he doesn’t miss their time together.”

Brother Ken’s ministry of presence and his gift of compassionate listening are two important ways that the Good News is shared in rural Todd County. “I really enjoy rural ministry, in all its forms,” Brother Ken says. “There is such a need for people to experience God’s love. I’m just happy that I can help in some way.”

Brother Ken is presently living in Cincinnati, Ohio, ministering to the retired and infirmed members of Glenmary.

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