“Nothing happens by chance, but by the goodness and wisdom of God.” – St. Julie
Sister Elaine Margaret Bain, SNDdeN was born in Scotland to Thomas and Evelyn Bain. When she was two, her family relocated to Zimbabwe where she grew up with her brother and sister, John and Patricia.
While still in Zimbabwe, Sister Elaine entered the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She served as a Dominican Sister for 25 years. In 1998, when she left Zimbabwe to come to the United States, she transferred to the Benedictine Sisters of Baltimore. Finally, in 2007, she followed a call from God to become a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. “My specific call to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur was certainly a surprise to me,” she reflects. It was St. Julie BIlliart’s call to embrace and share the goodness of God that drew her to this congregation.
Sister Elaine has served in education as a high school science teacher, a principal, and a director of school counseling. She is a trained mental health professional who has worked as a psychotherapist and as the executive director of a mental health care center. In recent years, she has served her fellow Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a member of the East-West Province Leadership Team from 2019 to 2024.
“If the thought of becoming a religious woman crosses your mind, don’t let that disappear,” she imparts to those discerning a vocation. “Listen to that small voice within you and invite God to explore that thought with you. With that initial thought, God is calling, and all you have to do is listen to God’s voice.”
She is grateful for God’s faithfulness to her. “I have experienced God taking care of me through the ups and downs of religious life,” she shares. She expresses gratitude for the women who have accompanied her on her journey and for each religious who remains faithful to God. She is also “grateful for the people I have met through my ministries who have taught me much about life.”