The Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, SD

“An Instrument of His Healing”

S. Debra Kolecka, a family nurse practitioner at Avera Sacred Heart Medical Clinic, Hartington, NE, ministers daily with this admonition of St. Benedict on a print in her office: “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else so that they may truly be served as Christ.” She understands this as a two-fold call to serve as if she were serving Christ and to serve as Christ would serve. “Seeing the practitioner-patient encounter as a sacred moment, “ S. Debra says, “encourages me to ask God to help me be an alert, skillful and compassionate instrument of His healing.”

S. Debra, daughter of Josephine and the late Edward Kolecka, grew up in Lake Andes, SD, where she shared her rural heritage with her three younger sisters. S. Debra attended Mount Marty College, where she received her BS degree in 1977. She entered Sacred Heart Monastery in 1979, after which she ministered as a nurse for 13 years in Benedictine sponsored facilities. To help fulfill her desire to be a family nurse practitioner, she earned her MS in nursing from South Dakota State University in 1994. Since January of 1995, S. Debra has been providing health care services in Hartington.

Upon graduation, S. Debra clearly wanted to minister in a Catholic sponsored institution. “I am grateful to be working in a Catholic facility. There I can bring a faith-based presence to each of my patients.” The Gospel values of compassion, service, and community are what S. Debra believes she brings to her ministry. “However,” she states, “those same Gospel values are, in turn, given to me by my patients.” “I come not as the only giver,” she elaborates, “but I receive inspiration and am awed by the faithfulness of the people I serve.” S. Debra believes that being an “instrument of his healing,” means forming relationships and partnerships with patients, enabling them to be as emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy as possible. During the seven years that Sister Debra has been providing health care services in Cedar County, she says she feels very privileged and humbled that people have entrusted their care and concerns to her.

A real source of spiritual strength for S. Debra has been a monthly meeting with a group of physicians in Yankton that is facilitated by Bob Voglewede, of Avera Health. “The discussions reinforce and support what I try to do,” S. Debra says. “They help me to be attentive to my own spirituality and its effect in my daily work.”

Sister Debra expands her ministry through volunteer work in the communities. She teaches workshops on various health related issues, as well as teaching on a one-to-one basis with patients. Mount Marty College, a Benedictine College sponsored by the Yankton Benedictines, is privileged to have S. Debra as a member of the Board of Trustees. She has fulfilled that role for six years, during a time of expansion and growth at the College. S. Debra also serves on the Mission Effectiveness Committee at Avera Scared Heart Hospital and on the Advisory Board of the Dakota Diabetes Center.

When asked how she maintains balance in her busy life, S. Debra responds, “I enjoy walking, golfing, and reading. The monastic life itself brings a certain balance, as it is lived every day.” “My life as a Benedictine Sister has strengthened my relationship with God and enriched my faith journey.”