Whistleblowing Nun Sister Jane Kelly Remembered for Her Faith, Fierce Advocacy

Sister Jane Kelly, a fearless nun who became a local icon after exposing misconduct in the Catholic Church, was honored Wednesday with a memorial Mass at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church.

The Rev. Gary Lombardi, a retired priest who previously served as pastor at St. Mary during Sister Jane’s tenure, officiated the Aug. 6 service. Sister Jane died June 7 at AlmaVia of San Francisco. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.

Known for her courage and compassion, Sister Jane left a lasting mark on Mendocino County through her activism, humor and deep faith. Friends remembered her as both fierce and funny — a woman who never wavered in her commitment to justice.

“She could talk to anybody, anywhere, about anything,” said Debra Meek, who co-founded Plowshares Peace and Justice Center and dining room for the homeless with Sister Jane, Martin Bradley and Susan Crane.

Sister Jane arrived in Ukiah in the 1970s to serve as Director of Religious Education at St. Mary. Her community work quickly expanded. She built close ties with local Native American communities, served on the board of the Senior Indian Nutrition Center, and even took a seat on the Ukiah City Planning Commission, where she prioritized community needs over profit.

The idea for Plowshares was born out of a countywide anti-nuclear organization called the Coalition for Peace on Earth, and Sister Jane’s literal reading of the Beatitudes — especially Matthew 25, which urges followers to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.

“Martin got the building, Susan got the food, I got the money, and Jane ran the kitchen,” Meek said. “We all had our roles from the beginning.”

Plowshares became a place where a free noon meal was served “with no questions asked.” The name came from Isaiah 2:4 — turning swords into plowshares — a nod to the relationship between war and hunger, and to Sister Jane’s unwavering commitment to peace.

Sister Jane’s plainspoken practicality helped Plowshares thrive.

“She used to say, ‘We can ask anybody for anything. They’ll either say yes or they’ll say no,’” Meek said. She saw fundraising as an invitation for others to serve.

When some conservative churches hesitated to support Plowshares because of its peace-and-justice focus — and because meals were served without obligatory prayer — Sister Jane pushed back, saying guests shouldn’t be “held hostage by their bellies.”

“She had a total, unwavering commitment to what is right,” said Bradley, who recalled her agreeing to supply meals for a homeless shelter even when Plowshares didn’t have a kitchen.

Sister Jane became nationally known when she exposed misconduct within the Diocese of Santa Rosa. Appointed by Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann as a spiritual adviser to the Rev. Jorge Hume Salas, she soon became suspicious of his credentials.

Independent journalist Mike Geniella said Sister Jane grew alarmed when Spanish-speaking parishioners told her Hume Salas was charging fees for confirmations.

When police documented that Hume Salas had been skimming from the collection plate, Bishop Ziemann struck a secret deal with the Ukiah police chief and parish council, asking them not to pursue charges, promising the church would “take care of it.”

Sister Jane was further disturbed to learn that Hume Salas had been reassigned to a parish in Napa. She alerted church officials — unaware that Hume Salas had entered into a sexual relationship with Bishop Ziemann, who allegedly demanded sex in exchange for protection.

The scandal later exploded. Sister Jane’s role in exposing it was featured in the National Catholic Reporter and on NBC News.

“She was basically shunned by the institution of the Church,” Bradley said. “Some of the priests she was closest to wouldn’t talk to her anymore. That was very hard for her.”

Her order, the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, tried to transfer her out of Ukiah. “She said, ‘No. I’m called to be here,’” Bradley recalled.

In her final years, bedbound and living in San Francisco, Sister Jane embraced what she called a “ministry of prayer,” praying for global crises and naming those she loved.

“She taught me how the sacred and secular gospel of peace and justice could be brought together to do good things in Ukiah,” Bradley said.

“She was a cracker,” said longtime Plowshares volunteer Lloyd Gerboth. “She started this, and she saw it through.”

The photo of Sister Jane Kelly published above is from this Plowshares video: