Erie News Now reporter Ethan Kibbe recently joined family friend Sister Phyllis Schleicher (left) for dinner at Mount St. Benedict Monastery, his first visit to the monastery. “Sister Phyllis was the first sister I ever met,” Ethan said. “My family belonged to Sacred Heart in Genesee, PA, three hours east of Erie, just south of the New York border. We lived on a dairy farm and travelled on dirt roads. Before Sister Phyllis and Sister Mary (Hoffman, who died in 2021) came to the area, there were no sisters in the county. They were our connection to the diocese.” Sister Stephanie Schmidt, prioress is on the right.
Sister Phyllis and Sister Mary began Catholic Rural Ministries of the Diocese of Erie in 1999 and in that ministry, served the people in the parishes of rural Potter and McKean counties for 21 years before retiring in 2020 and returning to the monastery. During those years, remembered Ethan, they drove up the dirt road to his family home many times.
“We loved visiting, and always found Ethan and his twin sister, Ellen joyful, proud, and eager to share their “home schooling projects” with us. The Kibbes are a family of six, the children young when we first met them. This was rural America at its best,” said Sister Phyllis. “After I moved back to Erie, and realized Ethan was now also in Erie, I wanted to invite him to the monastery, he had not been here before, although he had heard us talk about it. I called the station, and he eagerly accepted my invitation.”
Ethan confirmed his eagerness to visit. “We set a date right away, and I enjoyed the dinner and good conversation,” he said. “I didn’t realize that Sister Phyllis had been prioress of the community. She does have a way with people, she is a good listener, hearing all voices before making a decision. I can see her as the leader of the community.” Sister Phyllis was prioress from 1990 to 1998 when she and Sister Mary were asked to begin Catholic Rural Ministries.
When asked about his reporting—he’s been at Erie News Now for nearly four years—Ethan said his favorite topics to report on are government and politics. He adheres to the role of the press as the “Fourth Estate,” those charged with both holding people in power accountable by reporting facts fairly and telling the story of the marginalized with the same fairness, honesty and respect. “I am a journalist, not an activist,” he said. “Being a journalist, approaching everyone with basic human respect and compassion as I report, is my form of community service.”
“It’s about meeting people where they are,” he said. Sister Phyllis is grateful for so many years meeting people where they were—literally—in rural parishes. Now she’s also grateful to meet Ethan at the monastery, a personal connection with a ministry she loved. “I enjoyed our visit so much, and I already look forward to his next visit,” she said.
