What's Happening

August 20, 2019, Scottsdale, Arizona – Sister Elise D. García, OP, General Councilor of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, was elected President-Elect of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) August 15, 2019, during the organization’s assembly in Scottsdale, Arizona.

As President-Elect, Sister Elise will serve on the three-member leadership team for the LCWR, along with the President, Holy Cross Sister Sharlet Wagner, and Past President, Sister Jayne Helmlinger, a Sister of St. Joseph of Orange, California. Sister Elise will serve as President next year.

The LCWR is comprised of the elected leadership of Catholic Sisters, representing about 80 percent of the Sisters in the United States. Sister Elise, formerly Director of Communications for the Adrian Dominican Sisters, has served on the LCWR National Board.

Read more about the 2019 LCWR assembly in the Global Sisters Report article by Dan Stockman, and scroll down toward the end of the article for more information about Sister Elise and her election.

September 26, 2017, Washington, DC – For the second year in a row, Sister Donna Markham, OP, was recognized by The Non-Profit Times (NPT) as one of the Top 50 Power and Influence Leaders of non-profit organizations. She and the 49 other leaders were feted September 14 at the 20th Annual NPT Power and Influence Top 50 Gala at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The top 50 leaders are chosen from 300 top executives by a committee of NPT staff members, contributors, and other executives in recognition of the impact that the leaders have had on society in the past 12 months.

Sister Donna, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), was honored for her efforts to serve immigrants and refugees – a service named by CCUSA as a top priority. In its program, the NPT describes Sister Donna as a “national strategic thinker for combatting the impact of the expurgated federal budget.” 

Speaking of her efforts at CCUSA, Sister Donna said, “Our commitment to care for those who are most vulnerable resides at the core of our faith.” 

The impact of CCUSA was felt in a strong way in August when the agency, the U.S. Catholic Church’s official domestic relief agency, launched a Disaster Mobile Response Center vehicle to bring relief to victims of natural disaster. The vehicle was dispatched to San Antonio, Texas, to bring relief supplies to Houston after Hurricane Harvey. 

Sister Donna, former Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, is the first woman to head CCUSA, a national network of 164 agencies that serve people in need. Services include disaster relief, food banks and pantries, emergency shelter and a variety of housing options, educational and training opportunities for adults and children, and advocacy on behalf of those who are in need.

Feature photo at top: Sister Donna Markham, OP, poses with two other Top 50 Power and Influence Leaders, Brian Gallagher, CEO of United Way (left) and Kevin Washington, CEO of YMCA.