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Healing Ministry

Three Presentation Sisters came to the Aberdeen area in the late 19th century to educate the children living here. At the turn of the century, our sisters began caring for victims of diphtheria and typhoid epidemics in their homes and in their schools. In 1901 our sisters opened our first health care facility, St. Luke’s Hospital, in Aberdeen.

In heeding the Gospel call to care for the sick, our health care ministry continued to grow and we soon opened several other hospitals in the region. In 1978 we formed the Presentation Health System to combine the strengths of our individual institutions.

In September 2000 the Presentation Sisters and the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery announced that we would cosponsor a health care system called Avera Health. In this collaborative effort we strive to model effective collaboration by integrating our respective health ministries in order to strengthen our ability to serve the people of the region.

What does health care sponsorship mean?

The Presentation Sisters often refer to the employees of the Avera Health system as "our heart and hands." This is because they lay women and men are truly partners in ministry with the Presentation and Benedictine Sisters.

In September 2000, when the Presentation Sisters joined their Presentation Health System with the health system sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, each group realized that together they could provide a better system for health care in the region. Thus, Avera Health was born.

As sponsors, the Sisters bring their mission and values to Avera, and nurture those values in Avera caregivers through orientation and education programs and through retaining the authority of governance through Presentation and Benedictine Sister System Members. The Sister-sponsored hospitals and nursing homes are separately incorporated not-for-profit legal entities. The Sisters do not receive any financial benefits from their sponsored institutions or from Avera, and they do not receive free care at Avera hospitals or nursing homes.

Many sisters are active in the Avera ministry as board members, mission directors and pastoral care workers.

featured sister

Sister Olive Ewalt

Sister Olive Ewalt dedicated a majority of her adult life to nursing and caring for children and young adults. She was born in Webster, S.D., to Anton and Anastasia (Gaikowski) Ewalt as Josephine Mary and entered Presentation Convent after graduating from St. Joseph’s High School in Grenville, S.D. After graduating from
Presentation School of Nursing in Aberdeen, S.D., she attended post-graduate workshops in pediatric and surgical nursing at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Ill.
Although she served at many different Presentation Sisters’ hospitals, including (Avera) McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., Holy Rosary Hospital in Miles City,Mont., and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Mitchell, S.D., she worked and ministered at (Avera) St. Luke’s Hospital, Aberdeen, for a majority of her nursing career. During her career at (Avera) St. Luke’s, she trained nursing students and was in
charge of the nursing department during the polio epidemic of the late 1940s. She also served as their receptionist and in pastoral care for over 25 years and was a Eucharistic minister for many of the Aberdeen area nursing homes. Sister Olive always enjoyed working with people, especially children, for whom she could make life brighter and happier. During the 1950s, she served as a school nurse
and boys’ dormitory supervisor at the Presentation Children’s Home. She brightened the lives of many of the children living there, including John Schmidt, his brothers and a sister who came to the Home after their mother passed away. John still writes to Sister Olive and came to visit her last summer. Her love of bringing comfort and peace to others continued in her work with Meals on Wheels. As a
volunteer for 28 years, she delivered nourishment and
much appreciated company to individuals unable to
leave their homes. “All my years of service have been
a great blessing. Even though there were difficult and
painful times, especially those involving families and
children, I loved my work and am truly grateful to Almighty God for each day.”

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Presentation Sisters' Health Care Timeline

1901 - (Avera) St. Luke's Hospital, Aberdeen, S.D.
1906 - St. Joseph Hospital, Mitchell, S.D.
1910 – Holy Rosary Hospital, Miles City, Mont.
1911 - (Avera) McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D.
1991 - Former St. Joseph Hospital, Mitchell, joined with Methodist Hospital to create (Avera) Queen of Peace Hospital
1997 – Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System took over sponsorship of Holy Rosary Hospital, Miles City
2000 – Presentation and Benedictine Sisters join health care ministries to form Avera Health System

 

 

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Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 1500 North Second Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401-1238 | (605) 229-8317 | dmaas@presentationsisters.org