"Giving Survivors the Tools to Thrive" - GSV Alumni Celebrate Sr. Anne Kelley, RGS
- justlovegsv
- Sep 16
- 6 min read
On January 31, 2025, Sr. Anne Kelley, RGS, passed on to eternal life. We join three program alumni in reflecting on her legacy, service, and lasting impact on the Good Shepherd Volunteers community. Excerpts of Sr. Anne Kelley's biography are borrowed from her Celebration of Life story, published by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
Born in Los Angeles, California, on August 29, 1947, Anne Kelley radiated a spirit of adventure, conviction, and a deep concern for those in need from an early age—qualities that would define her life’s mission.
At 18 years old, she answered the call to serve, entering the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Los Angeles. Sr. Anne began her ministry as a nurse, earning her degree from DePaul Hospital School of Nursing in 1976. Her passion for social work and empowerment led her beyond medicine—she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Saint Louis University in 1981 and later continued her lifelong commitment to learning with a sabbatical at Milton University in Dublin, Ireland, in 1994.
In 1996, Sr. Anne became Director and CEO of Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles, where, for 19 years, she transformed a modest refuge into a nationally recognized model for healing and empowerment. She built a community where survivors of domestic violence could reclaim their lives with dignity and strength, and ensured that every mother and child who walked through the doors found a path to independence. She believed in the power of education, opportunity, and faith to break the cycle of abuse and worked tirelessly to give survivors the tools to thrive.
The Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles is a transitional domestic violence shelter that provides a safe, nurturing environment where mothers and their children can heal, reawaken their confidence, and learn the skills necessary to ensure a peaceful and healthy future free of violence. While participating in the shelter program, mothers are welcome to engage in ESL, GED, and parenting classes, as well as art therapy and domestic violence therapy groups. While mothers embark on their healing journey, they are assigned a case manager to walk alongside them as they seek employment, navigate resources, work through court cases, ultimately striving to find a sustainable housing option to secure a positive future for their family. Meanwhile, their children enroll at an on-site school which provides a supportive educational environment. The shelter is committed to implementing a client-centered and trauma-informed model in which each participant is recognized as the expert of their own life.
Under Sr. Anne Kelley's leadership, the Shelter became one of Good Shepherd Volunteers' signature placement sites. Here, GSVs served in many different roles: some focused on forming strong relationships with the mothers, while others focused more closely on working with their children. Engaging with the mothers included assisting with shelter life and GED class participation. Children at the Shelter’s school range from preschool to 5th grade, and the GSV assisted with a variety of classroom needs, including preparing the learning environment, setting up interest centers and planning lesson materials and supplies.
After she passed on to eternal life on January 31, 2025, many GSV alumni who served in Los Angeles expressed their condolences and appreciation for the lasting impact Sr. Anne Kelley had on their lives and work. We are grateful to all who responded, and especially to three members of the 2002-2003 cohort who gave us permission to share their stories:
"I’ve been asked to reflect on how Sr. Anne and my experience with GSV has influenced my life, my family and my work. Twenty three years after GSV and the Sisters became a part of my life, it’s difficult to sort out what parts haven’t been influenced; At this point it all seems completely intertwined. What I do know is that two specific things stand out when I think of Sr. Anne. The first is the way that she loved. Most of the people I had ever known, including most of the Sisters, love gently and peacefully. Sr. Anne loved fiercely. This took me a long time to understand, but I began to see it in her interactions with the mothers, her protective nature, her matter-of-fact statements, and her unwillingness to stop at anything to fulfill the needs of others. The second was a story that was shared at her memorial service. Sr. Anne suffered quite a bit in silence in her final months. She was offered hospice care but she refused and chose to go home instead, citing that she still had work to do. I heard this story at a particularly timely moment. As a special education teacher I was feeling increasingly hopeless. I work within a system that isn’t designed for students with trauma, students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, or who struggle with their mental health or significant disabilities. I felt like I was spinning my wheels, going to work every day to fight unwinnable battles, and was threatening to throw in the towel and quit this work for something easier. When I heard Sr. Anne’s refusal to enter hospice care I felt shame at how easily I was ready to give up. She had spent nearly her entire life fighting battles that would seem unwinnable to anyone else and was still willing to put aside her own pain to continue on as long as her body would let her. This woman was funny, fierce and unstoppable. The picture of her that now hangs by my desk serves as a reminder that I can be the same."
"I've thought of Sr Anne often in the decades since my time as a GSV in LA. What resonates most for me is the way she saw people not only for who they were, but who they could become. Anyone fortunate enough to cross her path was instantly sized-up, their needs assessed and met, and their unique gifts inventoried to see where they could fit into our community at Good Shepherd Shelter. It took a lot of people to make that place work, and Sr Anne's job was to know every other job that needed doing, and who were the right people to do them. She gently nudged me outside my comfort zone too many times to count and saw potential in me years before I had the vocabulary to name it myself. I think she did that for everyone.
Sr Anne was especially gifted at building and maintaining relationships. I am still in awe of the generosity she inspired in people. We were blessed to have many members of our Los Angeles community who were moved to offer whatever they could to help our clients, and Sr Anne knew the value in appreciating each contribution. She took time to educate community members on the work being done at the Shelter, letting them know exactly how their donation of money or time would directly impact our families.
Sr Anne understood that when you have a big job to do, you need to honor each person who shows up to help. She taught me to keep an eye on the whole forest while paying special attention to each tree, and to keep from getting stuck in the weeds. She loved to celebrate the good. This is maybe the most valuable lesson I've learned from Sr Anne: Look for the light in people and the whole world gets a little brighter."
"Sr. Anne was a force. She brought people together with fervor to serve others. I am grateful to say that she was one of my first mentors. She instilled in me the importance of community, social justice, compassion and embodied zeal everyday. Whether it was running a Handcrafting for Justice sale, coordinating a volunteer group, building connections with donors, or her playfulness— she was zealous for life. Her passion for Handcrafting Justice was infectious. She taught me to be persuasive and how to bring people together for the good of those we served.
Sr. Anne built a community that sustained Good Shepherd Shelter by bringing together a diverse group of donors to assist the families and Sisters. She understood the ways that individuals wanted to help others and how their unique gifts and talents could enhance and help those at the Shelter. Sr. Anne also loved adventure and playing. I will always remember our outings with the moms and how much she loved driving the Tacoma.
The time that I spent at the Shelter taught me the importance of community and connection. I was able to take these lessons with me through graduate school and into my professional and personal life. And, most importantly, they live on in my relationship with my community members from my time at the Shelter.
Sr. Anne, thank you so much for all you gave to us, to all the families at the shelter, to all of the volunteers that you inspired and mobilized and thank you for helping to guide all of the GSVs that were lucky enough to have learned from you."
Good Shepherd Volunteers expresses condolences to the family and friends of Sr. Anne Kelley, RGS. May she rest in peace.
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