Getting to Know Michaelene Kasper – Our Lady of Guadalupe Society President

Michaelene was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. She is the third child of four children. She has two older sisters and one younger brother. They all still live back home in Des Moines. Her father was a building contractor.  Her mother was a special ed teacher in middle school. Michaelene and her sisters all became teachers just like their mother.

She had a humble upbringing with a lot of love in the family. All the children depended on each other, the two older sisters watched over Michaelene and her brother while her mom worked. They lived in a rural area where kids played outside. For fun they played with the neighborhood kids, rode bikes, played football, played hide and seek in the dark, caught fireflies at night, all the fun stuff kids used to do safely. In school Michaelene enjoyed all her subjects. She sang in the school choir and had roles in different plays and musicals. Even with her busy school schedule, she managed to worked part time. In the summer, she would work full-time.

When they moved to Texas Michaelene worked for a law firm as a paralegal for 15 years. She always wanted to be a teacher and decided to get her teaching degree from Texas State. She became a 4^th grade teacher. During summers, she loaded her pickup truck with children’s books and took them up and down the streets like a “Mobile Library” allowing children to borrow her books. Michaelene retired from teaching five years ago but continues to be involved in education. She currently develops curriculum materials for teachers. And did you know, Michaelene has also written over 400 children’s short stories. A very busy lady!

She married her husband Chris at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Ankeny, Iowa. Michaelene was raised Presbyterian but converted to Catholicism while still in high school. She instinctively knew it was important to be the same religion within a family. Michaelene says, God intended for them to be together so Chris could draw her to the Catholic Faith and raise their children catholic. Chris loved Texas and introduced Michaelene to our wonderful Texas life. They have four children, two biological, one adopted, and Victoria the granddaughter who they raised. They have five other grandchildren and a five year old great grandson. They are a close family and are fortunate to have all of them nearby. They lost their oldest son Chris five years ago. She says, this loss brought her even closer to God. When he was very ill, Michaelene prayed for more time with her son, and her prayers were answered. He pulled through. He lived four more years and was able to be with them and his children. A gift for them all since he had been away serving in the Army for 20 years and didn’t see each other much. Prayer is powerful. Like Michaelene says, “We just have to TRUST in God.”  

Both her dad and mom influenced Michaelene in her life. Because of her dad’s construction business and watching her mom help, she developed a love for construction work herself. She and Chris have built several of their own homes. They just completed a building to house her piano and exercise equipment. She is a “nail gun queen”. She did all the finish work inside from insulation, trim work, floors, and all final finishes. Michaelene started playing piano after they became empty nesters. She took piano lessons on a grand piano where she fell in love with the art. Her husband Chris is now her piano teacher. He has played piano his whole life, so Michaelene looks to him for guidance.

For fun, Michaelene enjoys playing piano a little every day, exercising, walking, and spending time outside in the garden.  They have a vegetable garden and chickens. They have a small house dog they named Gracie, a grace from God, she says. They also inherited an outdoor dog named Outlaw that belonged to their son. The dog was named after his unit in Iraq, “The Outlaws”.

Chris and Michaelene enjoy being at home and are not big travelers. When the kids were little, they took many road trips. They have traveled to Canada and Mexico. In Mexico, they visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She and Chris have always been involved in the church. They both have taught CCD classes. Michaelene is also a Eucharistic minister. Before covid she took communion each week to the Hospital in New Braunfels. Last year Michaelene took on the role of president for Our Lady of Guadalupe Society where she is doing a fabulous job. Come and join the Guadalupanos with Michaelene.

Michaelene shared her “Goal” to always have peace and joy in her life. She says, you can’t have peace and joy if you have bitterness. It’s not good to get attached to anything worldly, this life and things are just temporary. Everything she does is to create peace and joy and we are grateful to have her as a parishioner in our church.

Thank you, Michaelene for your commitment to the Guadalupanos Society and our church!