Sr. Helton professes perpetual vows CHATAWA — On March 15, Sister Sandra Helton celebrated her perpetual profession as a School Sister of Notre Dame (SSND) at St. Mary of the Pines. Sister Helton professed her first vows on Aug. 17, 2002.
The ceremony incorporated Sister Helton’s African-American roots, with African instruments and fabrics, interpretive dance, her family’s laying of the hands and praying over her and the community’s singing of the “Suscipe Me” and “Magnificat.”
Born into a family of the Baptist faith tradition in New Orleans, later on in life she met Catholic nuns who inspired her with their commitment and converted to Catholicism.
Prior to entering the SSND community, Sister Helton taught on the elementary, secondary and university levels in Catholic and public schools in New Orleans and Canton.
Sister Helton joined the community as a postulant in 1998, living in the formation house and teaching in San Antonio, Texas, and then as a novice at the Interprovincial Novitiate in St. Louis, Mo.
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., and her teaching certification through Xavier University in New Orleans.
From 2002-2004, Sister Helton taught at John R. Davis Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz. Since the 2004-05 school year, she has taught at Lenore K. Hall Elementary School in Dallas, Texas. Sister Helton has 31 years as an educator, experience that she also considers part of her religious vocation.
