Presentation Sisters Plan New Residences in Aberdeen and Sioux Falls
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
The Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen announce plans to build new residences in Aberdeen and Sioux Falls.
The Presentation Sisters were founded in 1886 with Aberdeen being the central location. As time went on the Sisters served in many locations with clusters in Aberdeen and Sioux Falls.
As apostolic women the Sisters say, “Where one Sister is, we all are.” As technology has advanced and the desire to age in place is more feasible, the congregation has chosen to build for this new reality in two locations for two primary reasons – to enhance community life and to forward their mission to alleviate oppression and promote human dignity as they remain committed to their life-giving ministries.
“Our mission, our community and the well-being of the Sisters are key priorities as we make this transition,” said Sister Janice Klein, President of the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen.
“One of our core values is to do nothing alone; we always seek to connect with others who can work with us in furthering the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Sister Klein said. “For that reason, we will work in partnership with Avera in developing these residences.” The Presentation Sisters are co-sponsors of Avera Health along with the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton.
In Aberdeen, Presentation Place will be constructed adjacent to Avera Mother Joseph Retirement Community in a separate building that is linked to Avera Mother Joseph Manor. In Sioux Falls, Presentation Center will be constructed south of the Walsh Family Village near the Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center campus.
Changing health needs of the Sisters, a smaller carbon footprint, and better stewardship of resources are all reasons for the new residences. “Together, the Sisters are looking ahead and looking forward to what we need to be about in the future,” Sister Klein said.
In Aberdeen, Sisters currently live at Presentation Convent on the Presentation Heights campus which includes Presentation College. “This building is an important part of our heritage, yet it was built for over 100 Sisters and we no longer have need for that much space,” Sister Klein said.
“While the number of Sisters is declining across the globe, we believe God is doing something different with religious life and a new form of religious life is emerging. There will always be men and women in religious orders – just not as many as in the past. We continue to desire a thriving and exciting community life that is close to our Mission and ministries, and we believe we will be able to do this through these new residences,” Sister Klein said.
Presentation Heights has been a residence for Sisters since 1952, and they are considering other uses for the space to benefit their Mission.
Presentation Place in Aberdeen will have 16 rooms and Presentation Center in Sioux Falls will have 20 rooms for Sisters, including guest rooms for Sisters who travel to Aberdeen or Sioux Falls respectively for meetings, appointments or events. Both sites will have group dining space, sacred space, and leadership space for offices, meetings and retreats.
In Aberdeen, staff at Avera Mother Joseph will be shared with Presentation Place, and all staff who currently serve at Presentation Heights assisting the Sisters will have the opportunity to transition to similar positions at Avera locations in Aberdeen, if they desire. The Sisters expect to retain some employees to maintain the core obligations of the congregation.
Currently, about 15 Sisters live in Sioux Falls in houses and apartments owned or leased by the Presentation Sisters, and the new residence will provide a community living environment at one location.
Assisted living and long-term care are available on the same campus in Aberdeen for Sisters who need a higher level of care. Sisters in Sioux Falls have these levels of care available to them at Avera Prince of Peace Retirement Community.
Construction is planned to begin in the summer of 2019 and will take approximately 10 to 12 months.
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For questions, please contact: Brooke Nicholson Grote 605-929-7502
The Presentation Mission is to joyfully incarnate the compassion and justice of Jesus as Nano did so that our neighbors locally and globally might live with hope.
Our mission guides our ministry and underlines our spirituality. Our focus on promoting justice and alleviating oppression helps us to determine which of the many needs of God’s people we might best be able to meet through our ministry efforts. This guidance is essential as we minister to those in need all over the world.
