Leadership

Congregational Leader Sister Sharon Sullivan

Sister Sharon Sullivan, a native of Austin, Texas, was elected as Congregational Leader in May 2022. She was installed on July 17, 2022, as the 17th canonically elected leader of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.

Sister Sharon was raised in Houston, but her family moved to Owensboro, Ky., when she was 13. Sister Sharon has a passion to serve students with special needs, to care for the earth and to help create the next generation of women leaders through her work with the Girl Scouts. After becoming an Ursuline in 1982, she earned her doctorate in special education from Purdue University in 1993.

 

Most of her ministry has been in Daviess County, Ky. She served at Brescia College/University as director of residential life (1984-87) and professor of education and special education (1987-90, 1993-2009, 2017-present). From 1990-93, she was missioned to study and teach at Purdue University. She returned to Brescia and became chairwoman of the Social and Behavioral Studies Division (1999-2004), chairwoman of the School of Education (2004-2007) and coordinator of special education (1999-2007, 2017-present). She was academic dean and vice president for Academic Affairs (2007-2010).

From 2010-16, she served as the congregational leader for the Ursuline Sisters. She returned to Brescia in 2017 and served as a special education professor and coordinator of the special education and middle school programs until her election in 2022.

 

Assistant Congregational Leader Sister Martha Keller

Sister Martha Keller was elected as Assistant Congregational Leader in 2022. She is a native of Whitesville, Ky., and became an Ursuline Sister in 1976. She was a teacher at Immaculate Conception School, Hawesville, Ky. (1980-87), St.
Pius Tenth School, Owensboro (1987-88), St. Mary High School, Paducah, Ky. (1989-90) and Owensboro Catholic High School (1990-93).

 

She was pastoral associate at St. Romuald Parish, Hardinsburg, Ky. (1993-98), St. Sebastian Parish, Calhoun, Ky., St. Charles Parish, Livermore, Ky., and St. Anthony Parish, Browns Valley, Ky. (2000-01) and St. Francis deSales Parish, Paducah, Ky. (2008-11). She was director of faith formation at St. Joseph Parish, Bowling Green, Ky. (2001-03) and pastoral associate and director of faith formation at St. Stephen Cathedral, Owensboro (2003-08).

She has served in internal ministry at the Motherhouse in health care (1988-89) and as director of vocation ministry and the potential member contact program (1999-2000, 2006-07, 2010-14). From 2012 until her election, she has served as pastoral associate at St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm, Ky.

Councilor Sister Monica Seaton

Sister Monica Seaton was elected as a Councilor. She is a native of Owensboro, Ky., and joined the Ursuline Sisters in 2002.

Sister Monica served as a special education teacher at Daviess County High School in Owensboro (2007-10), and then at the Owensboro Treatment Center (2010-12). She was a teacher in Memphis, Tenn., at Youth Villages (2012-13) and then St. Patrick School (2013-15), before becoming assistant to the vicar of religious and director of catechesis for the Diocese of Memphis (2016).

Since 2016 she has been the director of Vocation Ministry for the Ursulines, and she will continue in that role while on the Council.

Councilor Sister Ann McGrew

Sister Ann McGrew was elected as a Councilor. She is a native of Clarkson, Ky., in Grayson County, and previously served as a Councilor from 2004-2010. She joined the Ursuline Sisters in 1965.

Sister Ann brings a wide variety of ministry experience to her role. All of her ministries were in Kentucky. She was a teacher at St. Peter of Alcantara, Stanley (1968-69), St. Denis, Louisville (1969-75) and teacher and principal at St. Brigid, Vine Grove (1975-84). She served in parish ministry as pastoral associate at St. Leo Parish, Murray, and director of the Newman House, Murray State University (1993-96), pastoral associate at St. Stephen Cathedral, Owensboro (1996-2001), pastoral associate at St. Anthony Parish, Browns Valley (2001-2002), director of RCIA at St. Martin Parish, Owensboro (2005-2006), parish minister at St. Martin and St. Elizabeth parishes, Curdsville (2007-2010) and director of religious education at St. Peter of Alcantara Parish, Stanley (2017-19).

Sister Ann served multiple roles at Brescia University in Owensboro, including supervisor of the Women’s Discernment House (2001-2005), campus minister (2002-03) and coordinator of the spiritual component of the ministry formation program (2003-2005).

She has served the Ursuline community in various roles, including director of novices (1985-92, and 2016-19), secretary to the Council (1989-92), director of formation (2004-07), director of the temporary professed (2004-09), founding member of the Spiritual Direction Training Program (2004-18) and program facilitator at the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center (2006-07). From 2010-16, she served as director of the Retreat Center.

At the time of her election in 2022, she was serving as treasurer for the Sisters at the Motherhouse, and continues that role while on the Council.

 

Learn about former congregational leaders throughout the history of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.