Other Collaborative Efforts

Emerging Convergence: Avera Health

The Aberdeen Presentation Sisters have been collaborating with the Benedictine Sisters for over 10 years in their co-sponsorship of Avera Health. Three years ago they were pleased to welcome to this ministry the talents of Sister Elena Hoya (Dubuque) as vice president of mission at Avera Sacred Heart. Last year they welcomed Fargo Presentation Sister Sharon Altendorf as vice president of mission at Avera Marshall.

According to Sister Mary Jaeger (Aberdeen), "The sisters we work with from other PBVM communities bring their rich experiences from ministries in their base communities. They bring a variety of ideas from their diverse experiences and we give them the opportunity to learn how mission is lived out in healthcare. Active collaborative such as this draws our PBVM communities closer together as we share and work together." 

Mission representatives at each facility are entrusted with making sure the mission and values of Catholic health care are understood, lived and inclusive. This is a dynamic process. Though each individual is responsible for the integration of mission in her or his respective Avera facility, the mission ministry for the entire Avera Health system is continued through the Mission Services Committee of Avera.

Sister Mary Thomas (Aberdeen) explains, “We work collaboratively as a Mission Services Committee addressing areas of mission leadership development for various levels of leaders within the health system. Our goal is to empower lay leaders to assume more ownership of the mission and charge them with passing on this legacy to new leaders.”

The committee includes:

Michael Stebbins, Senior VP of Avera Mission Central Office
Sister Joan Reichelt, Senior VP of Avera Culture Central Office – Aberdeen PBVM
Sister Mary Thomas, Senior VP of Mission, Avera McKennan – Aberdeen PBVM
Sister Roxanne Seifert, VP of Mission, Avera Queen of Peace – Aberdeen PBVM
Sister Elena Hoye, VP of Mission, Avera Sacred Heart – Dubuque PBVM
Liz Guiliani, VP of Mission, Avera St. Luke’s
Sister Sharon Altendorf, VP of Mission. Avera Marshall – Fargo PBVM
Sister Mary Jaeger, Director of Mission, Avera St. Anthony’s – Aberdeen PBVM
Sister Patrick Leonard, Director of Mission  - Aberdeen PBVM
Phyllis Ehler, Director of Mission, Avera St. Benedict’s

In addition to collaboration with other Presentation communities, Avera Health has many opportunities for collaboration with other Catholic Health Systems as Avera continues to adapt to health care reforms and other initiatives to decrease costs and improve quality of care.

Sister Sharon Altendorf (Fargo) shares, “Our Aberdeen Sisters and Fargo Sisters were once one congregation so we have not lost that connection. Since my experience in representing our Sisters as the NGO representative at the UN, I have felt we are one international congregation.”

For Sister Elena Hoya (Dubuque), the continued collaboration carries on the spirit of the foundress. “My participation in this health care ministry is a clear sign of the global integration of Nano’s dream to ‘spend yourselves for the poor,’” she says.

Sister Mary Thomas concludes, “I enjoy the common foundation we share and value how our ministry flows naturally from a common source: Nano and Christ. There is a unique bond between us that unites us irrespective of our particular foundation.”

Emerging Convergence Archives:

Sister Mary Sullivan

Sister Carmen Hernandez

Discernment of Additional Collaborative Ministry

At the June 2011 Conference of Presentation Sisters Leadership Meeting the foundation was laid for exploration of an additional collaborative ministry of the Conference. Several leaders are assessing interest and feasibility of a collaborative ministry centered on eco-spirituality. Look for more information as the exploration continues in the coming year!