News

Prayer for Earth Day 2023

"Compassion is not a beautiful feeling, it is not pietism; it means creating a new bond with the other. The world needs this creative and active charity, people who do not stand in front of a screen to comment, but instead, people who get their hands dirty to remove degradation and restore dignity."

Pacem in Terris 60th Anniversary and U.S. Action Alert

As School Sisters of Notre Dame committed to a more just and peaceful world, we are called to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and a stand against all forms of violence. We recognize that peace requires justice and justice requires peacemaking. We are being called to pray, speak out, advocate, educate and take decisive action.

Chicago Associates Host Lenten Retreat

Sisters and Associates gathered on March 18, 2023, for their annual Lenten Retreat. This year’s leader, Rev. Barbara Cathey, chose the theme “Prairie Fire: A Symbol of Lent.” She explained that controlled prairie fires are used for the restoration of the prairie.

Western Maryland SSNDs Honored for Their Service

Catholic Sisters Week was celebrated in a special way at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament. At halftime during the Bishop Walsh Catholic High game, they paid tribute to the Sister Kathleen Jancuk, Sister Francita Hobbs, and Sister Phyllis McNally, who have collectively taught young people in the area for over 181 years!

Refuse to Use: Give up Single-Use Plastic Bottles

The Atlantic-Midwest Province are one of twenty-three congregations of Catholic sisters of LCWR Region 8 who will observe Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14, with a challenge: do not consume beverages from single-use plastic bottles.

Celebrating Catholic Sisters Week

Catholic Sisters Week shines a light on the spirituality, mission and community building of women religious around the world. It is a chance to recognize all that Sisters are and do, with the hope that as more young women learn about Catholic Sisters, they will choose to explore religious life and even hear God’s call to it.

Voter Voice Opportunity - Proposed Asylum Rule in the USA

It is not a crime to seek asylum, it is a legally protected right. We reaffirm the inherent dignity of every person and the right of families to seek security and safety for themselves and family members at our nation’s border. Join us in urging President Biden to support a robust, fair, humane, and orderly system for those seeking safety and asylum at our nation’s doorstep.

Laudato Si Weekly Lenten Reflections 2023

Sister Kathy Schmittgens and Sister Lucille Coughlin wrote a beautiful Lenten reflection as part of the Central Pacific Province’s Laudato Si' Action Platform Implementation Team. They connect Laudato Si’ quotes with readings of the Gospel. Follow along each week with a different reflection!

Join Our Sisters in Prayer for the Earthquake Victims

Our Sisters have been praying daily for all those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria - those who lost their lives, their loved ones, and their homes; for the injured; and for the brave recuse workers who have come from around the world to help. In this time of grief, we turn to Mary, mother of the Church and of our congregation, and ask her divine intervention in bringing peace and strength to all who are suffering.

Sister Eileen Reilly - Preaching for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Preaching on Catholic Women Preach, for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sister Eileen Reilly, SSND offers a reflection on the gospel's call to "be perfect" through the lens of her ministry with people who have lost loved ones to violence and murder.

The February 2023 Solidarity Reflection

Remember the Creator’s love for every creature, for all peoples and all the Earth community … every plant, insect, animal and person. Imagine God loving us all very affectionately and tenderly, with great longing and delight. Let us feel our pulse by putting our fingers on our neck or wrist and feeling the gentle rhythm, “Gift of God. Gift of Life. Gift of God. Gift of Life.”

Photo by Lynn Greyling on Public Domain Pictures.net - Public Domain license

Holocaust Remembrance Day

"The writing of history and the act of remembering brings dignity and justice to those whom the perpetrators of the Holocaust intended to obliterate. Safeguarding the historical record, remembering the victims, challenging the distortion of history often expressed in contemporary antisemitism, are critical aspects of claiming justice after atrocity crimes." ~ United Nations

AHA Alumni Help Students Understand Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide came into sharper focus this month, as Academy of the Holy Angels alumna Talin Baghdadlian (’09) and her husband Armen Sahakyan addressed Jennifer Cucchisi’s Advanced Placement History class. They are descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, and now live and work in Armenia.

Syrian Family Aided By Connecticut SSNDs Become U.S. Citizens

Manal extends an enormous debt of gratitude to the School Sisters of Notre Dame for providing her and her family with a home. It would have been hugely difficult to do this resettlement work for a large young family led by a single widowed mother without the Sisters' support.

Welcome New Content Specialist Susan Flansburg!

In her new role, Susan will be taking responsibility for the Friday AMSSND newsletter starting January 13. She will also be interviewing Sisters for stories for our website, especially this year's Jubilarians.

Vietnamese Sisters From VA Take Perpetual Vows

Sister Theu Nguyen, FMSR and Sister Len Bui, FMSR, two Vietnamese Sisters living in community with SSNDs at Villa Assumpta in Baltimore, took their Perpetual Vows on Dec. 31, 2022, at Most Precious Blood Church in New Jersey.

Vietnamese Sisters Perpetual Vows Ceremony

Sister Maureen Clancy Advocates for Patient Rights in Illinois

For many it is a privilege to accompany a person you love through their final days. Sister Maureen Clancy of Chicago felt this way when she agreed to be the POAHC agent for a Sister with whom she had lived in community in the past.

Kaliq Hunter Simms Named Next President of Sisters Academy of Baltimore

Kaliq Hunter Simms has been named the second president of Sisters Academy of Baltimore, effective July 1, 2023. In this position, Simms will lead the school as it continues to provide an excellent education to middle school girls who live primarily in Southwest Baltimore.

AHA Juniors Are NJ Scholars Program Candidates

Georgette “Gigi” Ochs and Natalie Yoo are the Academy of the Holy Angels' candidates for the 2023 New Jersey Scholars Program. NJSP is a highly-selective, five-week summer program for rising high school seniors. AHA’s nominees will now begin the rigorous statewide application process.

Twenty-two Angel Musicians Enter Tri-M Honor Society

Chapter 2150 of the Modern Music Masters National Honor Society has accepted 22 top-flight musicians from the Academy of the Holy Angels. The Tri-M induction, which was held December 2, recognized each new member’s musical accomplishments, scholarship, character, leadership, and service to others.

Cultivation Conversations With Sisters

The North American Vocation Team invited Sisters to join them for a “Cultivation Conversation” focused on vocations, accompaniment and the life of the SSND community. Together they considered their gift/attractiveness as SSND; what accompaniment of young people might look like individually and communally at this time in light of their needs and our current realities.

Virtual Posadas - Holy Families on the Journey of Hope

Join ISN and the Kino Border Initiative from December 16-24 in a daily virtual experience of music, prayer, reflection, and action as they journey with Holy Families on the Journey of Hope.

Catholic Sisters Haiti Collaborative Recieves $1.39 Million Grant

The Catholic Sisters Haiti Collaborative for Community Empowerment received a $1.99 million grant from The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support economic and human development services to women, children, and families in rural and marginalized areas of Haiti. The School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic-Midwest Province will receive $301,814 from the grant to expand their ongoing partnership with Beyond Borders in Haiti.

Continued