Sister Catherine Young, OSB: Board Certified Pediatrician
Benedictine Sisters

Many people, who learn that Sr. Catherine Young is a Board Certified Pediatrician, are surprised that she is also a Benedictine Sister. In fact many people have asked a similar question – “why would a woman who is a medical doctor want to be a nun?” The question about Sr. Catherine being a doctor and a nun is a chicken and egg question.

Sr. Catherine will tell you that she had a calling to be a nun. A career as a medical doctor became a reality a few years later. She joined the Community in 1969, after several years of discerning the calling to join a religious order.
Which religious order would be the most suitable was the issue. After checking out several larger communities, Sr. Catherine made the decision to join the Boerne Benedictine Community because it offered the best combination of size, spirituality and family environment.

Sr. Catherine’s initial training in the medical field was nursing. She graduated with a BSN in 1972 from the University of the Incarnate Word.

After working in the nursing field for several years, Sr. Catherine wanted to do more in the medical field and was encouraged to become a doctor. With support from the Community, she took that step and entered medical school in 1981. After residency training in pediatrics and work at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, she moved back to Texas in 1995.

Sr. Catherine/Dr. Young will also tell you she dislikes people who say “it can’t be done”. She has a passion to learn as much as possible about the essence of the Rule of Benedict and to have it permeate her life. Her educational interests are related to intensive care for children and emergency medical care. Another interest, that Sr. Catherine thinks people would be surprised to know, is that she likes to dance. Her goal is to work in an area or on a project that has a chance to make a difference in people’s lives.

Call her Sr. Catherine or Dr. Young-it’s the same person, who lives a life to seek God and to make a difference in people’s lives through her work as a doctor.