The Impact of SSNDs: Rachel Ridley, IND alumna
The Sisters taught more than literature, history and other school subjects. They taught us how to be women of faith, women of courage, women of love, women of action.
Sisters' Stories
Celebrating Sister Bernice Volk and her 99th year on earth!
Sister Bernice Volk, slight in stature, is agile and active as she celebrates her 99th birthday this spring. Today Sister Bernice’s routine includes being Eucharistic minister, folding linens in the laundry room, watching the evening news and making popcorn for the Friday NDC community fun night!
Opera-Loving Students Sing the Praises of Sister Doris Kresslein
Sister Doris Kresslin knew from an early age that she needed to pursue the path of religious life. “You just feel it and know it,” she says.
National Catholic Sisters’ Week in Canada
Recognizing the prominence usually given to promoting priestly vocations, the Knights of Columbus from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Hamilton, ON. Canada, took advantage of “National Catholic Sisters Week” to honour and promote women religious as well.
Sister Alice Zachmann, SSND: Champion of Peace and Non-Violence
On March 30, 2019, Sister Alice Zachmann, SSND will be honored in Washington, DC, as one of 12 “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence.”
For the love of sisters
I loved my years at the Institute of Notre Dame in the 1960s. The sisters were smart, sophisticated and quick to figure out what was going on in the classroom and beyond.
Why I Love Azaleas
As a candidate to become a School Sister of Notre Dame, Sister Imma, at the age of 20, visited the Dachau concentration camp weekly for 11 months prior to its liberation in April 1945.
Thankful for School Sisters of Notre Dame
I attended the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore, Maryland when Sister Hildie Sutherland was still living there. Every morning she would be out front or in the store welcoming girls with a friendly smile and a “How you doin’ hon?”
Celebrating Sister Teresia Spodnik and 80 years of ministry
For 40 years, Sister Teresia ministered as a teacher in Brooklyn, Pittsburg, Baltimore City and Cambridge, Mass. As a high school teacher, she taught home economics - mainly cooking, art, music and religion.
Entrance Into Postulancy
It was October 15, 2018, around 3:00 in the afternoon, when a knock was heard at the front door of our SSND Lady of Good Counsel Formation House in Kisumu, Kenya.
Sister Margaret Giblin - Serving the Latino Community for More Than a Half-Century!
Sister Margaret Giblin spent decades in Bolivia, but now she is ministering to a Spanish-speaking audience closer to home.
A Call to Serve in Latin America
The tale of how Sister Leetta Hammack became a sister involves a tragedy, a dream, and God’s call, all of which add up to a story of hope, excitement and internationality.
Offering Support After the Tree of Life Synagogue Murders
The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018 was a terrorizing wake-up call for all. Reactions of people to this anti-Semitic attack differed in many ways.
Cooking With Sister Theodore!
Sister Theodore is well-known for the goodies she makes and can be found in the kitchen most afternoons. She happily takes requests, although often she'll just create something to return a kindness others have done for her.
Experiencing Prison Ministry
The first Mission Awareness Program (MAP) experience with Prison Ministry took place in St. Louis, Missouri October 14-17, 2018.
Clara Beall Portfolio
Sister Clara attended the Maryland Institute College of Art through the 1970s, at a time when some believed that “a degree in Fine Arts led nowhere.” Although slight in stature, Sister Clara’s nature - lively, determined and courageous - buoyed her while teaching full time, tending to community service, and pursuing her degree. “If you don’t feel well, you push a little then.” Sister Clara received a Master’s degree in Fine Arts in 1979 and has an extensive portfolio, recently digitized, of her sculptures, etchings, paintings, block prints, silk screens and jewelry to prove it.
Sister Clara talked about the wonderful experience she had as a student at the Maryland Institute, but also the difficult days. In some ways, the 1970s were a continuation of the turbulent 60s, playing out against a backdrop of opposition toward the Catholic Church. Sister Clara, dressed in what was then traditional for SSND, a black dress and veil, said she felt she was at the college campus at that time for a reason, “I think God puts you where you belong.” Many of the other art students embraced her disciplined lifestyle, appreciated her nonconformist spirit, and confided in her - she developed some deep and lasting friendships. Sister Clara said of the students, “Scrub them down and they were good kids.”
Blessed Are the Hands
Sister Clara Beall describes her art as an “accident - a stepping stone to my vocation as a teacher.”
A Radical Love
The discernment of a call to religious life is distinct from other kinds of vocational discernment and requires an openness and prayerful listening to the will of God.
Senior Sisters and Young Students Connect Across the Miles
Sisters Kenneth Marie Botta, 79, and Mary Frances Angermaier, 90, continue their teaching ministry from their home office at Villa Assumpta in Baltimore, using 21st century technology.
A Refugee and Her Family Find Hope Via Esperanza Center and SSNDs
Blanca De Le O is now happily working for the School Sisters of Notre Dame at Villa Assumpta. However, this fulfilling career has been hard earned. Much of her life has been spent seeking safety and peace.
The First SSND Missions in Saskatchewan
In the spring of this year, 1926, Mother Mary John Baptist Klein, and Mother Mary Isidore of Mankato, toured St. Joseph’s Colony in Saskatchewan, in order to study conditions in this prospective mission field.
Providing Comfort and Connection as the End Draws Near
Sister Rose Mary Dougherty, SSND, 79, decided to make companioning the dying a focus when, years ago, she found herself sitting at the bedside of a dying priest who was a friend.
The History of SSNDs in Western Maryland
Answering the need for Catholic education in Western Maryland, the School Sisters were invited by Monsignor Edward Wunder to take charge of elementary education at St. Patrick Parish in Cumberland.
Our Lady of Good Counsel’s Historic Organ
In April 1975, one of the world’s largest pipe organs moved from St. Mary’s Church in Boston to the School Sisters of Notre Dame's Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mankato, Minnesota.
