Sister Sandra DeNardis, formerly Sister Mary Jonathan, entered religious life in 1953 from St. Walburga parish in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood. She cites her mother’s prayerfulness as one of the influences that led her to becoming a Sister. Her blood sister, Sister Roseann DeNardis, is also a Sister of Divine Providence, having entered the Community several years before her. Sister Sandra earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from Duquesne University and a master of science degree in biology from Villanova University. She began her ministry as an elementary teacher at St. Joseph’s in Braddock. She taught at a number of elementary schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh including St. Sylvester (Brentwood), St. Norbert (Overbrook), and St. Mary’s (Sharpsburg) before moving to secondary education at St. Mary’s in McKees Rocks, Pa. Sister Sandra taught biology at Canevin High School in Pittsburgh’s South Hills from 1962-68 and again from 1970-75. She taught math, biology, chemistry and physics at St. Basil’s High School in Carrick from 1968-70.
In 1975, Sister Sandra began her relationship with La Roche College when she began teaching biological sciences there. In 1979, when it became apparent that the College’s nursing program was to expand, Sister Sandra took a break from teaching to earn a doctor of arts degree in biological sciences from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Upon successful completion of her coursework and dissertation (Title: Studies in Cell Physiology) in 1982, she returned to La Roche and until 1990 was the chair of the natural sciences department, and an associate professor of biology. She left La Roche to accept a position at Wheeling Jesuit, where she was an associate professor (with tenure) of anatomy, physiology, and cardiopulmonary physiology. Of her time at La Roche, Sister Sandra states, “My time at La Roche has been filled with so many opportunities not only to see God’s Providence in the faces and lives of my students, but to bring God’s message to students as well as those with whom I have worked as faculty or on the Board.
Sister Sandra was elected to leadership within her Community in 1995 and returned to Pittsburgh. While serving as a Councillor, her keen interest in history led her to begin working in the Community Archives. After her term in leadership ended in 2001, Sister Sandra devoted herself to the Archives and also worked part-time as Volunteer Coordinator for Providence Connections, Inc. She was instrumental in the smooth integration of the Community’s Kingston, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico archival information into one location in Pittsburgh.
Upon learning that she was to be named this year’s La Roche University Woman of Providence, Sister Sandra said, “I believe that a Woman of Providence is one who has entered into the spirit of Bishop Ketteler and Marie de la Roche, and who tries to bring the joy of learning and a commitment to justice into the lives of her students.”