Sr. Ettling helped empower the poor

October 1, 2014

Sr. Dorothy "Dot" Ettling, a leader and professor remembered for a legacy of promoting human dignity, died on Sept. 12 at age 74.

Sr. Ettling
Sr. Ettling

Sr. Ettling was a member of the San Antonio-based Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word for 53 years. She had worked for 20 years at the University of the Incarnate Word. Her most recent project as a professor of organizational leadership in the Dreeben School of Education there was the creation of the Center for Civic Leadership, which opened in San Antonio in 2012. The center, a partnership between the University of the Incarnate Word and Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health, promotes the common good for those in most need.

Sr. Ettling held a master's degree in social work and a doctorate in transpersonal psychology.

She held leadership positions, serving as general superior of her congregation from 1984 to 1990. She was a sponsoring member of the sisters' health care ministry, now known as CHRISTUS Health, and served on several hospital boards.

Sr. Ettling served on the CHA Board of Trustees from 1986 to 1989.

As a member of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious Board, she focused on transformations in religious life after the Second Vatican Council.

In 2001, Sr. Ettling and Sr. Neomi Hayes, CCVI, co-founded Women's Global Connection, a virtual community aimed at developing women's leadership in their local communities through education, research and cross-cultural dialogue. Women's Global Connection has grown from an interactive website to having an international and domestic presence, according to Sr. Ettling's congregation.

Sr. Ettling's funeral Mass was Sept. 15 at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word, with burial at Incarnate Word Convent Cemetery.

Copyright © 2014 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3477.

Copyright © 2014 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States

For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3490.