Sisters' Stories - Celebrating 185 years of ministry

In honor of our Foundation Day on October 24 we are sharing stories from and/or about our amazing SSND Sisters.

We invite you to help us continue to tell the stories of our Sisters this anniversary year by sharing a memory, a note about how a SSND has touched your life, or perhaps how you or your ministry are living the SSND charism. Reflections, essays and articles by and about sisters will now be featured weekly and will continue to be highlighted on our website as they come in. Please send us your submissions to comm@amssnd.org.

I Love the Sisters!

First grade at Notre Dame Preparatory School in 1938 was so exciting! We curtseyed to the Sisters, went swimming each week, and learned to follow directions.

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Remembering Sister Caia Etzkorn

Sister Caia was responsible for opening the third mission in Canada - St. Mary’s in Kitchener, Ontario.

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A Pilgrim Remembers

From North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia we came, pilgrim travelers gathering in Rome for the beatification ceremony of our congregation's foundress.

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The School Sister of Notre Dame - Winter, 1966

The best part of the day was by common consent the community worship at Mass. Here the liturgical renewal blended with Native culture: the altar cloth was of soft leather decorated with colorful Indian beadwork and a carved crucifix representing Christ as Indian, a Warrior God.

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Sister Dolores Rauch

Growing up on the farm was a great experience for a child. There were plenty of exciting things to do, always in company of numerous playmates: brother and sisters, cousins, and neighbors. Religion was an integral part of that life.

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Sister Mary Consilia Schmidl

Mother Almeda sent a circular to the missions in late fall of 1936, asking whether any candidates or young sisters would like to go to North or South America. Here was my chance. I might be a missionary after all, although it would not be in Africa.

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Sister Mary Agnes Oberhofer

The sister superior made an application for me to the Munich motherhouse and I was trained as needlework instructor and then missioned to Pleystein, the home of Bishop Michael Wittmann.

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Mother Alemeda Schricker, General Superior, 1928- 1955

Ten years after the end of WWI, at the General Chapter in 1928, Sister Almeda Schricker was elected General Superior of SSND. It was a happy choice of a woman whose kindness encouraged many sisters to remain faithful during difficult times.