Sr. Elaine Davia, Formation Director

The beginning of her call

Sr. Elaine is one of eight children of Mary Lou and David Warren Davia. Having a dad who worked in the military, the family traveled quite a bit when the children were young, living for a time in the Philippines and Germany before settling down in Hartwood, VA.

As Sr. Elaine grew up, one thing was clear— she wanted to help people and she knew that being a nurse was a definite goal. A more obscure goal that she flirted with from time to time was becoming a sister.

Knowing of her attraction toward religious life coupled with her desire to be a nurse, a priest suggested she look into the Sisters of Bon Secours. Sr. Elaine was invited to visit us in Richmond, VA, along with members of her family, and she immediately felt comfortable here. “I went with my mom,” remembers the soft-spoken Sr. Elaine. “We both found the sisters to be very open and welcoming.”

As she continued to bond with the sisters, her family supported her search for a vocation 100%. “Traditionally in a large Irish family it’s almost expected that one of the children will choose to become a religious,” she says with a wry smile.

That trip to Richmond was the first of many. The sisters invited her whole family to a picnic, where they enjoyed good food and the chance to get to know the sisters better. “We all felt very comfortable because the sisters were so human and natural, so easy to talk with,” Sr. Elaine adds. She continued to visit the sisters once a month for a year, learning more about our lives to discover if this was the life God was calling her to live.

Growing into her new life slowly

“It was a slow process,” she says. “Just before I entered, I got cold feet. I was nervous about leaving home and just wasn’t 100% sure this was the right decision, so I told my family that I would stay for six weeks and see how it went.”

After that first six week period ended, she decided to extend her stay another six weeks and then another. As she grew more comfortable in the community and felt more strongly that this was indeed the life God was calling her to lead, Sr. Elaine remained, taking final vows in 1974. She graduated from the Bon Secours Nursing School in 1970, then going on to work in hospitals in Baltimore and Massachusetts and earning her certification as a nurse practitioner from the University of Virginia in 1973.

Her six-week stay has now grown into a 41-year commitment. “Over the years, my commitment has continually become deeper as I have come to know our sisters and our mission and worked in different ministries. These changes have helped me grow and learn new things.”

A hands-on way of helping others

Several times in her ministry with the sisters, Sr. Elaine worked in Appalachia as a nurse practitioner. She directed a Mobile Health Unit that traveled around western portions of Richmond, Virginia and also started a health center in an economically deprived area of Portsmouth, VA, offering healthcare to people in need. “I didn’t put up a tent anywhere,” she reveals, feeling called to provide nursing care where there was none and move on to the next area of need.

She moved to Maryland after establishing a clinic for low-income patients, primarily migrant farm workers, in Arcadia, Florida. Sr. Elaine is responsible for the initial formation program of new members coming into the Bon Secours Congregation. She finds the smallness in numbers and closeness of the Bon Secours community to be a blessing as she gets to know each of her fellow sisters.  She feels fortunate to live among the novices as they pursue their studies and come to understand the community charism, history and mission on a deeper level.  “I strive to use my love and knowledge of the Bon Secours community and mission to help our newest members grow in the desire to stay with this life and love it as I do,” Sr. Elaine says.

A gift of leadership

In addition to her ministry, Sr. Elaine serves the community on both the Leadership Team, headed by the order’s President, Sr. Alice Talone, and on the Vocation Formation Team in conjunction with Sr. Pat Dowling, Vocation Director. The Leadership Team of five elected members meets monthly making decisions by consensus after thoughtful consideration. “I truly love our community and serving on the Leadership Team allows me to have a greater awareness of the big picture and of the entire order. Since I have lots of ideas and can think outside the box, I feel I have something to contribute,” she states simply.