Over the years, I was asked or offered to move into all sorts of unfamiliar ministerial situations. Having lots of physical and imaginative creative energy, I was quick to respond and act - to do anything, go anywhere. I inherited the spirit of my parents who emigrated from Germany for the adventure of America. The adventurous spirit in all the Theresa and Caroline stories helped to attract me to SSND. My life in SSND has always felt adventurous.
News
In winding up our series on community prayer practices, we share some final thoughts from Sisters Rose Mary Sanders, Barbara Paleczny, and Celeste Reinhard.
Teachers in Haiti are gaining new tools and support to strengthen math instruction, thanks to the leadership of Sister Sharon Slear, SSND, and the expertise of Lisa Pallett, Associate Professor of Elementary Mathematics Education at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
My experience of being a Pilgrim of Hope on behalf of creation started before the official start date of the Season of Creation, in mid-August, on my annual retreat on the Jersey shore. As in past years, I am so grateful for the opportunity to contemplatively walk the beach and communing with the ocean, for the horizon that lifts my gaze from my little problems into the infinite vastness of God’s love, for the sand under my feet and the breeze through my hair. How could I ever pay back creation and the God of Creation for what I am gifted with during this week?
“Mother Abbess” was the title affectionately given to Sister Alice Donnelly by our young, new SSND member, Sister Rebecca Tayag. Rebecca may have called her "Mother," but she really did have ideal motherly qualities. She was generous, gentle, and caring. She made sure we had fresh fruit to eat, to maintain physical health as well as healthy minds and spirits. She was visionary, determined, and fun.
We sisters in independent living at Marian Village near Chicago gather for community prayer in the afternoon, Monday through Thursday. We take turns leading the prayer, a week at a time. We have agreed that the leader in prayer is free to plan it.
Ordinary Time is not ordinary at all... in the Church, Ordinary Time highlights Jesus' ministry of healing and teaching and speaking the truth.
As I spent time pondering instances when I experienced a call, a sense of being asked to trust and dare, of needing to stop and consider an invitation to step out in faith. After nearly 60 years as an SSND, I have countless examples, large and small. These calls have come from a variety of sources and imply different consequences.
I had the honour of visiting Leipzig, Saskatchewan, a quaint and once active village now reduced to two major buildings. The magnificent St. Paschal Roman Catholic Church, built in 1913 by German immigrants, and the beautiful Notre Dame Convent. It was the first SSND mission in western Canada, which opened in 1927 to teach and minister to the German immigrants.
The election assembly convened to reflect on the future of the province and elect new leadership for the next four years. As they spent time in prayer and dialogue, the Spirit moved among the body of SSND Electors and called the electors to be of one heart and soul.
Join Shalom North America’s virtual prayer room for peace! Open every Friday, 10 am – 10 pm, EST.
First, Ordinary Time is called “ordinary” not because it is somehow lesser than the other liturgical seasons, but - according to church historians - simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis refers to numbers in a series. It marks a time when we are neither feasting nor fasting. (Wikipedia)
Heaven to earth: We rejoice in the stellar celebration of Jubilee on August 20, 2025 at Stella Maris in Timonium, Maryland! The stars were Sisters Margaret Marie Giblin (75-year Jubilarian), and Sisters Mary Paulette Doyas, Maria Felipe Lopez, Mary Therese Feeley, and Marie Mack, (70-year Jubilarians). These stars were not light-years away but close to us, especially as they aligned in procession to the chapel at Stella Maris and sat in wheelchairs near the sanctuary.
We in Waterdown are a very busy and involved community! We have daily, weekly, and monthly prayers, activities, and events. We continue to be an active community here in Waterdown!
As the 2025/26 school year gets underway, Notre Dame Preparatory School welcomes its first lay Head of School, Dr. Angela Allen. Dr. Allen is NDP’s tenth Head of School since the institution’s founding in 1873, succeeding Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, PhD, who served as head of school for the past 20 years.
“My family came to the United States from Cuba because my father wanted a better way of life for his family. I attended six wonderful years of schooling at Saint Francis Academy in Baltimore and loved the sisters. I desired to be a teacher, but I felt the only way to be a good teacher was to be a Sister."
Pope Francis invited all people to make a Pilgrimage of Hope during this Jubilee Year, to encounter Christ in creation and restore our relationships with God, creation, and one another. Rooted in Laudato Si’, it underscores the moral responsibility of caring for the earth, a principle of Catholic Social Teaching.
Welcome to the Season of Creation, themed “Peace With Creation” in 2025!
Enjoy the latest issue of United in Mission, published by the Office of Mission Formation. The issue harvests the fruits of rich Spring and Summer programming and makes available many valuable resources as ministries head into a new school, program, and board year. Enjoy!
We mourn the loss of innocent life taken in a devastating act of violence in Minneapolis, Minnesota during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church. As School Sisters of Notre Dame, we have had the joy of celebrating Mass with our students, fellow teachers, and their families over decades of dedication to Catholic education. We recommit ourselves to advocating for an end to the gun violence which plagues our nation. To the Annunciation Catholic School community, especially the families who have suffered loss, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul Minneapolis, and the people of the Minneapolis area, we pray for you and mourn with you.
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