by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
SHAWNEE — Kathleen Baldwin woke up to a nightmare late on March 30 as her house was burning down.
But Meghan Burns believes her sister’s story of survival was already in the works well before the fire began.
Baldwin, a parishioner at St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee and a nurse, grew up admiring her late aunt Kathleen, who was a firefighter.
She chose St. Florian, patron saint of firefighters, as her confirmation saint, inspired by her aunt and other men and women in the field.
She recently purchased a medal of St. Florian and prayed, “Please protect me in any fires. Please intercede for me,” said Burns.
Around a week later, her house caught on fire.
Baldwin’s cousin and roommate Margaret Baldwin, who’s also Catholic and works as a social worker, awoke abruptly that night.
“My cousin was having a dream that Jesus was telling her to go wake up Kathleen and get out of the house,” said Burns.
Margaret began yelling for her roommate to wake up before seeing flames outside her window and smoke upstairs where Baldwin was sleeping.
Thanks to her cousin, Baldwin “got out of the house, and within minutes the ceiling collapsed on her bed and flames were completely engulfing the house,” said Burns.
“People could say it could be a miracle with St. Florian,” she continued, “or they could say why did her house burn up?
“But her life was saved. We believe that our aunt interceded, and St. Florian interceded.”
Baldwin, who is a 30-year-old homeowner, lost just about everything that night. Burns, who lives five doors down, has been inspired by how her sister has handled the devastation.
“She said God is in the details, even the broken parts,” said Burns. “While she is very upset and sad she has to start over — she has no home, she has literally nothing when it comes to her house — she’s still trusting in God and his will.”
The response from the St. Joseph and wider Catholic community has been comforting.
Within a day, a GoFundMe Burns created to help her sister and cousin rebuild their lives raised $30,000. It’s now at more than $60,000.
“So many people love her,” said Burns of her sister. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that people have stepped up so much and helped out in so many different ways.
“That’s exactly what she would do.”
In the face of such a tragic situation, Burns said her sister has remained strong in her faith.
“That’s kind of her motto — to suffer beautifully,” said Burns. “While she’s [upset] that this happened, she knows that she still has to continue to trust and suffer in a way that is still going to be able to be a testament to her faith.”
To support the Baldwin cousins, visit their GoFundMe page at: gofundme.com/support-kathleen-margaret-rebuild-after-devastating-house.
