Sister Rini Simethy is reelected as general counsellor of LMSH
by Benjamin Shane Evans | June 2, 2026
Picture: Sr. Simethy (far right) stands with her sisters after reelection to the position of general counsellor.
Sister Rini Simethy was newly reelected to a six-year term as general counsellor of the Little Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (LMSH).
The Little Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was founded in 1922 in Livorno, Italy, by Mother Clotilde Gigli. Their name embodies humility (“Little”), missionary sacrifice (“Missionaries”), and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“Our charism is based on the mystery of incarnation, which invites us to proclaim to the whole world that ‘God is love,’ and that love is particularly manifested in the heart of Jesus,” Sr. Simethy said.
Their ministries include a dedication to serving the elderly and the infirm, as well as education and formation, parish ministry, and assistance to the poor and suffering. The congregation is an international order of pontifical right, with under 50 members in Italy, India, the Philippines, and the United States.
In 2012, LMSH came to the Diocese of Des Moines after Bishop Richard Pates sought religious sisters with nursing backgrounds for the Bishop Drumm Retirement Center, leading to three sisters, including Sr. Simethy, coming to serve. LMSH have worked at Bishop Drumm as registered nurses and certified nurse assistants ever since, maintaining full-time caregiving responsibilities while providing voluntary liturgical support, assisting residents to attend Mass, and supporting the chaplain.
The congregation’s mother general, Mother Marilisa Tovo, has visited the sisters in Des Moines three times, and has seen the impact of their service firsthand.
“As I witness [the sisters’] ministry while visiting — seeing how they care for the elderly, consoling them in their suffering, distress, and solitude — I truly feel that our mission to care, to hold, and to be present during the most challenging times of a person's life is deeply needed in any society that is rejecting, or putting aside the most vulnerable,” M. Tovo said.
Sr. Simethy’s Service in Des Moines
Originally from Kerala, a state in southern India, Sr. Simethy arrived in the Diocese of Des Moines in 2012 after serving as a missionary in the Philippines and began to serve at the Bishop Drumm Retirement Center.
Initially serving as a resident assistant on a religious visa, Sr. Simethy worked as a certified nursing assistant until she took the nursing board exam and achieved her full licensure in 2013.
“Nursing is my passion,” Sr. Simethy said. “Even when I was teaching, my heart is always beating for nursing. I love being a nurse.”
For her, the call to serve in the Diocese of Des Moines is reflected in the community of residents at Bishop Drumm.
“I am so happy when my residents feel taken care of,” she said. “When they are, life is happy because of our presence. They always tell you, ‘Your presence brings joy to us, and we are so happy to see you. We are so happy that you are here.’ When we hear that appreciation, it really gives meaning to what I am supposed to do as a missionary: bring God’s love to others, to proclaim to others that God is love.”
On February 6, 2026, Sr. Simethy became a naturalized United States citizen, renouncing her Indian citizenship.
“I feel that Iowa is my home now, and I want to be a part of this great nation that I serve every day,” she said.
Sr. Simethy’s Reelection
The congregation is led by a Superior General or Mother General and a general council of four counsellors, including a Vicar General. Eighteen delegates from India, Italy, the Philippines, and the United States elect the Superior General and counsellors at a General Chapter held every six years.
Sr. Simethy was first elected to the role of general counsellor in 2019 and reelected for a second six-year term this year. In this role, she will continue to help the leadership team govern formation and apostolic missions, and counsel the mother general on major decisions.
M. Tovo described the qualities of a leader sought by the LMSH congregation as “a woman who fixes her gaze upon the Heart of Christ,” who is capable of recognizing the “beauty, dignity, and needs of others.” She also emphasized that leaders should be capable of “transcending her own desires by incarnating compassion, kindness, meekness, and simplicity in order to lead others to receive the immense love of God,” as well as be a missionary, “going wherever she is sent, moved only by the ardent desire and zeal that Christ be known and loved.”
M. Tovo described Sr. Rini as a “pioneer in the community” of the Diocese of Des Moines and that she “embodies the call to be a missionary.”
“She is a service-oriented person, full of empathy for the suffering of others,” M. Tovo said. “As a Counsellor, she is able to articulate her own views, offer critical judgments based on real facts, and stand her ground in decision-making. I wondered when she applied to become an American citizen, knowing how much she loves her country and family, but she embodies the call to be a missionary.”
Sr. Simethy said she feels that God has a purpose in her reelection as a general counsellor.
“I think maybe God has some more purpose or He wants to use me for the congregation and for the sisters, for the well-being of the congregation,” she said. “I think God wants me to do more for my congregation in guiding the congregation.”