Dennis Ryan leads the pastoral care, spiritual care and ethics components of the Holy Cross/Sinai Chicago system and has served on SWOPs strategy team since 2003. Dennis values relationship building and Holy Cross/Sinai Chicago desires to be a strong community partner that collaborates with many of the organizations that are a benefit to the strength and health of the community. He also sees SWOP as the key community institution to help improve both financial and health disparities for families. Dennis hopes that there is increased opportunity for families to have security and fulfillment in our communities. In his free time, Dennis enjoys swimming.
Elideth volunteered with SWOP in September 2012 as a Parent Mentor and started as a Parent Mentor Organizer in 2021 before becoming the Parent Engagement Institute Program Support Manager & SWOP Parent Mentor Program Director in 2024. Elideth supports families in the community and partner organizations on the statewide level. In her free time, she likes to do self-care in the form of running, having done 20 races and 5 marathons. She also enjoys working with plants and focusing on her personal growth via reading and schooling.
Raul represents Sinai Chicago as a liaison with community organizations, schools, churches, elected officials and other stakeholders that address health disparities in the south and southwest of Chicago and has been on SWOPs strategy team since July 13, 2021. He has known SWOP for many years and admires it for its long tradition of advocacy, social and political power, and capacity to unite the black and Latino communities in common goals. Also, the SWOP serves the area where Holy Cross Hospital, one of the entities of Sinai Chicago, is located. Raul believes that the community strengths depend on the capacity of residents, organizations, and leaders to work together, create common goals and show the power of unity to claim the rights to health, peace, education and economic development.
There are many things that he enjoys, like swimming, taking walks, reading, and listening to music, but what he enjoys most of all is spending quality time with friends and family.
Reverend Bill describes his position as the one who has the ministry of accompanying the congregation on the journey toward God and has served on SWOP's Strategy Team for more than 20 years. Before SWOP, the Catholic Cluster Project was the organization that was set up by the Archdiocese of Chicago through its Peace and Justice Department to have a presence in the neighborhood so that all residents could work together. He was the associate director of this organization that then became SWOP. Reverend Bill’s hope is that we would celebrate the diversity of our community through the building of trusting relationships among one another. In his spare time, he enjoys bike riding in the city.
As VP of External Affairs at Esperanza Health Centers, Ricardo oversees all aspects of fundraising and grant writing, marketing and communications and public policy and has been on SWOPs strategy team for two years. “SWOP has long been a terrific partner to Esperanza and its staff played an incredible role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact on the communities it serves is undisputed and led me to become more involved. "Ricardo hopes to see our neighborhoods become safer and healthier without causing them to become less affordable for those who call this community home. In his free time, Ricardo enjoys photography.
Sister Immacula is a member of the leadership team of the Congregation who is entrusted to govern the corporate matters of the Congregation, to further the mission of the Congregation, and oversee the physical and spiritual well-being of its Members, the Sisters. She has served on SWOP’s strategy team for almost 25 years
The Sisters of St. Casimir have always been part of SWOP. It has been their mission to reach out to their neighbors and to those who are in need. SWOP has helped them continue to do this in new and life-giving ways as they became actively involved in ‘cease-fire’, better and affordable housing, health needs of the community through Holy Cross Hospital, fair banking laws, etc.
Some of the Sister’s hopes and vision for the future of our community are: that there will be an end to all the violence we experience today, that the community will be a safe place for children to play outside, for people to not to live in fear, that affordable housing will be available, and commercial businesses will be successful, meeting the needs of the community.
In her free time, she enjoys rooting for the Chicago White Sox.
As part of the SSC Leadership Team, Sister Margaret works with their Sisters, helping them at various stages of their lives while providing the support and structure they need. She also works with her leadership team in planning and implementing various ways in which they, as a community, can be TOGETHER FOR A GREAT LOVE–FOR GOD, FOR ONE ANOTHER,FOR OUR WORLD. Sister Margaret is also on the board of their high school in Pennsylvania, sharing her support and expertise with the faculty and staff, connecting with the students, and bringing a little bit of Chicago/SWOP to them (the students have done service trips to Chicago in the past and SWOP was an integral part of their experience that they took home–they actually went with her to stand outside the downtown detention center as Oscar was being questioned inside one year!)
She also provides administrative and technical support to the others on her team as well as providing spiritual resources for her Sisters, employees, and others for Advent, Lent, and other occasions.Sister Margaret has served on SWOP‘s strategy team since 1996 (29 years). She states that she has lived and ministered in this community and saw the need for change to help make the community better, safer, and a good place to live and work. Since she was the President of MariaHigh School at the time, she saw this as part of her role as President. They had an excellent all girls Catholic high school and families sometimes would not choose to send their daughters here because of their perception of the neighborhood. She wanted to be part of changing that for the community and those around the community. Involvement in the beginnings of SWOP was the perfect opportunity to do this. Sister Margaret’s vision is that this neighborhood continues to grow into a vibrant and diverse community.In her free time, she likes to pray, read, draw, paint, and write.