Melinda Adrienne Pellerin was born in Springfield, Mass. She is the oldest child born to Mary Margaret Melancon-Pellerin and Robert Pellerin, Jr. Melinda’s parents were born in Broussard, Louisiana. Sister Melinda has deep roots in southern Louisiana!

After marrying in the first Black Catholic Church, Saint Joseph’s, Mr. and Mrs. Pellerin moved to Springfield, Mass, and raised four children. Sister Melinda is the oldest.

Melinda attended Catholic elementary, high school, and the Catholic College, Annhurst College in Woodstock, Conn.  She received a BA in secondary education with a minor in history and social sciences. She went on to receive a Master’s in Educational Technology from Lesley University, and recently a Certification in Addiction Counseling.  

Before entering religious life, Sister Melinda was a secondary teacher spending most of her teaching career in the Public School System in Springfield, Mass.

Melinda was the recipient of The Distinguished High School Teacher of The Year in 1999, and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in 2004! As Teacher of The Year, Melinda represented the Commonwealth and presented on a variety of topics related to successful inner-city teaching techniques and motivational skills. She taught in the Ivory Coast and was invited to The White House as Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. A project she helped to create with a colleague, on Innovative Technology Approaches to Education is now in the Library of Congress!  The late Senator Edward Kennedy highlighted one of her programs on the floor of the Senate!

In 2019, Sister Melinda made her Final Vows with The Sisters of Saint Joseph. She is a Pastoral Minister at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Chaplin at a women’s jail, and a case manager at a local transitional sober home for men and women.

She is the Vice President of the National Black Sisters Conference.