Salvatorian Sisters will bridge their leadership into new term

Sisters of the Divine Savior from the North American Province gathered in Milwaukee in February to elect leadership for the three-year term that begins June 24, 2018. They re-elected all three members of the current leadership team. Sister Beverly Heitke, SDS will serve her second term as Provincial Leader. Sister Nelda Hernandez, SDS and Sister Ellen Sinclair will serve as Councilors. Sister Nelda was also approved as Vicaress.

Before her election as Provincial Leader in 2015, Sr. Beverly served as co-coordinator for our sponsored institutions: Divine Savior Healthcare in Portage, Wis.; and Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus and Hadley Terrace Senior Apartments, all in Milwaukee. Sr. Beverly had previously served 12 years on the international leadership team in Rome. As a member of the Generalate, she visited sisters serving in Tanzania, the Holy Land, throughout Europe, Brazil and the Philippines. During her second term on the Generalate, she also served as directress of Salvator Mundi Hospital in Rome.

Sr. Nelda Hernandez came to the Provincial Leadership Team in 2015, after serving five years at St. John Vianney Parish in Brookfield, Wis. She ministered there as associate director of Adult & Family Ministry and Human Concerns.  Sr. Nelda says responding to the call to religious life has been a wonderful opportunity to gain experience in listening for God’s voice.

Sr. Ellen Sinclair also serves as a board member and vice president for UNANIMA International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works out of United Nations headquarters in New York. UNANIMA advocates for women and children, immigrants and refugees and the environment.  UNANIMA draws its members from Catholic women religious congregations from around the world. Internationality is part of what first drew Sr. Ellen to the Sisters of the Divine Savior. During her discernment, she also saw how collaboration with Society of the Divine Savior priests and brothers and Lay Salvatorian women and men distinguished the Salvatorian Sisters from other women religious groups.