Bette Nelson, pictured left, brings care, skill, and presence to her role as an Associate of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
As director and business manager of Caritas Support Services in Pittsburgh, she serves at the center of community life, supporting Sisters in ways that are both practical and deeply relational.
Bette joined the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth staff in 2008, during a time when she was seeking new direction after profound personal loss. Her son, John, died in a car crash in 2006. After that loss, she stepped away from a long career in county government and began looking for work that carried deeper meaning. “I decided to retire after 28 years in finance and budget management to pursue more meaningful work,” she said. That search led her into closer relationship with the Sisters and, not long after, to the Associate program. She made her first Associate commitment in 2011.
Her education and experience prepared her well for the scope of her role. Bette studied political science and communications at the University of Pittsburgh, completed graduate work in public management, and later earned an accounting degree from Point Park University. She also served for 18 years on the finance council at St. John Vianney Parish, guiding the parish through a major consolidation process. Music has long been part of her life. She has sung in parish choirs since the early 1990s and currently serves as a cantor at St. Louise Convent Sacred Heart Chapel. Since 2012, she has also been a Penn State Extension Master Gardener, with a focus on native perennials and winter sowing.
Over the years, Bette’s responsibilities with the Sisters evolved. Since September 2020, she has served as director and business manager of Caritas Support Services. In that role, she supports Sisters living in the Greater Pittsburgh area and manages the Pittsburgh property. She coordinated on-site operations during the deconstruction of Vincentian Academy and now oversees a small staff that includes maintenance, housekeeping, and nursing support.
Her work places her in constant communication with Sisters, staff, Congregational Leadership, and congregation offices across finance, human resources, information services, and the NLBI finance office. She responds to business and property needs as they arise. “When something happens, they call me,” she said.
Day to day, the work is wide ranging. Bette manages budgets, vendors, and facilities, while also stepping into whatever role is needed. “I often say I am a jack of all trades and master of none,” she said, noting that her work can include technology support, training, telecommunications troubleshooting, and even helping prepare meals for gatherings.
What distinguishes Bette’s service is how fully she embraces the Associate relationship. She works alongside Sisters and helps nurture community life. At Caritas Place, she has supported care for creation by helping establish a raised-bed garden in the courtyard. Sisters plant tomatoes and pollinator-friendly annuals on their patios, and the garden has become a shared point of joy. She also helps organize monthly communal gatherings and summer cookouts that bring Sisters together.
Over time, relationships have grown in depth and trust. “I sometimes think they forget I am not a vowed member,” Bette said. She is intentional about creating opportunities for Associates and Sisters to spend time together and build connections.
For Bette, trust begins with listening. “You need to leave your ego at home and listen to what the sisters are telling you,” she said. That listening also helps her support change, whether related to technology, building improvements, or campus needs, always with respect for each Sister as an individual.
Some relationships have become close friendships. She works closely with Sister Marie Diane Novachek to prepare and serve meals for community gatherings. With Sister Anne Kull, she shares a love of sacred music, cantoring together on alternating weekends and holy days. Through years of collaboration, those shared ministries have deepened into lasting bonds.
Bette’s life as an Associate reflects shared work, shared presence, and mutual respect. Through her service, she helps make the Associate relationship visible, not only within the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, but also to the wider public who may be seeking their own way to live in connection with the Community.
Associates of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are lay women and men who feel called to live the charity charism in their own lives. Associates are not vowed members but commit to shared values, prayer, service, and relationship with the Community, participating in mission through their daily work, choices, and presence.