Wilton nuns mark 175 years for their order
Thursday, October 30, 2008
By Joan Lownds
The quiet retreat of Wilton’s Villa Notre Dame came alive Friday, with a Mass celebrated by Bishop William E. Lori of the Diocese of Bridgeport and an international dinner attended by approximately 400 guests. The events marked the 175th anniversary of the foundation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, with cuisine reflecting some of the 36 countries in which they serve.
“We go wherever the world calls us,” said Sister Kay O’Connell, 75, an assistant in communications and former administrator at the Villa Notre Dame on Belden Hill Road, as the aromas of German sauerbraten, Japanese tofu chicken stir fry and Italian gnocchi Provençal mingled in the gymnasium. Approximately 100 sisters are based at the Wilton convent, which was established in Wilton in 1957.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame have changed markedly since their order was founded in Bavaria by Blessed Mother Theresa Gerhardinger in 1833. Gone mostly are the veils and robes, and their roles have expanded beyond education to include law, health care, social work and peace and justice work, Sister O’Connell said. Although more than 3,700 sisters now serve across the world, establishing schools and teaching, they also have launched new programs such as Shalom, an international network to coordinate efforts related to peace and justice.
One of the goals of Shalom is to end the trafficking of women and girls, Sister O’Connell said.
According to the School Sisters of Notre Dame’s Web site, between 700,000 and two million women and children are trafficked across borders each year. “It is a gruesome crime,” said Sister O’Connell. The sisters have also launched other similar programs, such as the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, which features the ONE Campaign in the U.S., a coalition of anti-poverty organizers whose goal is to build the steps to fight global poverty.
“It is in tune with our mission,” said Sister O’Connell. “We work to achieve the transformative power of education and international understanding. We live in a global village and it’s pressing in on us, and we’ve got to come to terms in loving each other.”
The School Sisters of Notre Dame were founded by Blessed Mother Gerhardinger during the political and social upheaval caused by the Napoleonic Wars. Widespread poverty and illiteracy caused Blessed Mother Gerhardinger to begin her mission of education “to change hearts and transform societies,” according to the Web site.
In 1847, the School Sisters of Notre Dame came to the U.S. and were among the early founders of the American parochial school system, establishing motherhouses in Wilton, Milwaukee, Baltimore, St. Louis, Dallas and Chicago.
In recent years, the sisters received media attention for their participation in The Nun Study, which began in 1986 under the auspices of Dr. David Snowdon at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Snowdon studied 636 School Sisters of Notre Dame age 75 and older, including several in Wilton, because of their “healthy aging,” including alert and active minds.
The study linked the nuns’ longevity to “the interweaving of the sisters’ lives into a large extended family that influenced their health, brain functioning, and longevity,” and also to their spirituality.
The Wilton nuns now donate their brains for further study to Norwalk Hospital, Sister O’Connell said. She attributed the healthy aging to “being active both physically, mentally and spiritually. We walk, listen to talks and discussions all the time on current events and we live a life of prayer, with daily Mass.”
The sisters are also focused on their mission of peace and justice. One local event they try to participate in every Saturday morning is a demonstration against the Iraq war on Westport Bridge, from 10 to 11.
“Our logo has a cross to symbolize Christ, M for Mary and a circle to represent the world. The bumps on the circle are the needs and the problems of the world,” Sister O’Connell said.