Go out into the whole world, into the poorest dwellings wherever the Lord calls us, to announce to children who are poor, the good news of God’s reign.”
Go out into the whole world, into the poorest dwellings wherever the Lord calls us, to announce to children who are poor, the good news of God’s reign.”
What is partnership for Mission?
Partnership for mission is not like a conventional business transaction. Partnership for mission is not the same as a deal struck when two parties recognize how their individual self-interests can be achieved through agreements made principally for that purpose. Rather, partnership for mission is a way of being in relationship with others which enables the mutual exchange of learning, resources, wisdom, and values, so that the interests, needs, and capacities of others can be realized more fully.
The relationship between and among partners in mission bears the distinguishing characteristics of transparency, mutuality, commitment to learning, and to achieving, through collaboration, what cannot be achieved by going-it- alone. Furthermore, through the practice of partnership, we are helped “to exercise care not to impose upon persons of other cultures our own cultural values and traditions.” (General Directory, 33c).
Journey in Faith
At the dawn of this 21st century, women religious are exploring the terrain of this new frontier called partnership for mission. We know that we are being challenged, and yes, even called through our demographics, to reconsider the traditional mission responses we have made to social and ecclesial needs such as building and staffing universities, schools, hospitals, and orphanages. We are all intuiting that we must search for new ways and new relationships through which we will continue, in our SSND foundresses words ,to “Go out into the whole world, into the poorest dwellings wherever the Lord calls us, to announce to children who are poor, the good news of God’s reign.” (Blessed Theresa).
Partnership is also a spiritual practice. It is indeed a journey in faith. It involves a willingness to explore a call, to befriend the unknown, and trust that God-is-with-us.
In 2012 the School Sisters of Notre Dame made a commitment to "direct our resources and ministries toward education that transforms and calls all to eliminate the roots causes of injustice." The Atlantic-Midwest Province responded with four concrete actions. One of them is to partner with organizations which are addressing needs in Haiti. We have partnered with the organization Beyond Borders to help the people of Haiti.
Partnerships serves a very practical need. Partnerships provide for SSND the mentorship and collaboration of an intermediary organization serving in Haiti—an organization with experience and credibility in Haiti, in order that we might learn about Haiti, learn about ourselves as partners in Haiti, as well as explore how best to “read the signs of the times, risking innovative responses to the needs….” (Constitution Prologue p. 19).
Partnership News
Sister Sharon Slear, SSND of Notre Dame of Maryland University and two colleagues, Kathleen Sipes and Cynthia Cassone, traveled to the island of Lagonav in July, 2017 to begin a teacher training initiative at the Matenwa Native Language School on the island. The purpose of this training is to...
The generous support of SSNDs and their many students, staff and friends who contributed $40,000 to the province’s Hurricane Matthew Fund has been supporting 23 Haitian families (167 women, men, and children) in rural Haiti as they continue to recover from Hurricane Matthew.
Even...
There is a song in the play Les Miserables when the lyrics “to love another person is to touch the face of God,” sear our souls with their profound and poignant truth.
