Sister Karl Ann Homberg met the Sisters of St. Joseph as a first
grader at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Baltimore, a five-minute walk from
home. “I always thought they lived a special life. They were focused on the
children, and on helping us to grow closer to God,” she said.
Focusing on God and the children — or “the kiddos,” as she calls
them — has been the path she has taken in her own life as a Sister of St.
Joseph, and as a teacher, principal and school administrator. She’ll retire at
the end of June after 39 years in the Arlington diocese, 31 of those as
assistant superintendent in the Office of Catholic Schools.
“You are beloved in the Diocese of Arlington,” Bishop Michael F.
Burbidge told her at a recent reception in her honor. “You are someone who got
up every morning and said ‘yes’ to the mission entrusted to you. You’ve been an
example of love, and you’ve honored St. Joseph in a profound way,” he said.
Superintendent Joseph E. Vorbach said she has set an example of
“rigorous excellence” as well as gentle encouragement of educators. Her love of
children is evident, and they return her affection: Vorbach recalled watching
her read to a group who gathered on the floor around her and kept “scooching up
closer” as she read.
Sister Karl Ann, 70, entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in
Chestnut Hill, Pa., in 1970 and taught elementary and middle school for several
years before being tapped to study school administration. She became principal
of St. Philip School in Falls Church in 1982 and joined the Office of Catholic
Schools in 1990, first as assistant superintendent for elementary schools, then
as assistant superintendent for school leadership in 2014.
During an era of growth and the advent of technology, her focus
has been on accreditation, curriculum and assessment, as well as keeping
abreast of new research on how children learn. She’s also helped “keep the
emphasis on our Catholic identity, making sure schools are mission-driven in
that respect,” she said. She’s often visited schools to meet with principals
and ask children, “What’s important for me to know about your school?”
“This year in particular they have been very happy to be in
school,” she said, after having left mid-March last year not knowing when they
would return. For that she commends the “exceptional Catholic educators” she
works with, “very dedicated individuals who value their faith and want to share
that faith,” while also focusing on academic excellence.
“Would I do it all over again? Yes, I would,” she said.
After her retirement, she’ll remain in residence at St. James
Church in Falls Church with the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary (IHM), who invited her to stay with them when her convent at St. Rita
Church in Alexandria closed last summer. “I’m the only SSJ in the Virginia area
at this point,” she said.
She has four older brothers and a younger sister who all live
within a five-mile radius of their dad, who turned 96 in March and still lives
in the Baltimore home where they grew up. Her mother died in 2009.
At St. James, she’ll work part time in the library with children
in kindergarten through sixth grade, and will help out in whatever other ways
she is needed.
“Nuns never retire, they just go from one job to the next,” said
Marie Powell, one of several former superintendents who returned for the
reception. “But wherever you go, it will be a gift.”
