The press release below was sent out to announce the sale of our province's Notre Dame Convent in Waterdown, Ontario Canada. Throughout the sale process, our Sisters in Canada have been praying a special prayer as part of their transition process. You can find a copy of the prayer at the bottom of this page or by clicking here. Please add it to your prayer ritual as a show of support for the Sisters of NDC and those who care for, work with and love them.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSNDs) Atlantic-Midwest Province, part of an international congregation of Catholic women religious, is currently negotiating the future of several of its properties, including Notre Dame Convent (NDC) in Waterdown, Ontario.
Facilities such as NDC currently serve primarily as residences for retired or semi-retired School Sisters. However, the need for this kind of residential space has decreased over the past several years, and data shows it will continue to decrease in the future. The SSNDs are divesting of their properties to provide for retirement, assisted living and skilled care for Sisters in facilities that would better accommodate their current and future numbers. They are also committed to continuing support of their ministries while ensuring quality of care for the Sisters.
The Provincial Council of the Atlantic-Midwest Province has entered into a signed Purchase and Sale Agreement for Notre Dame Convent with LC Burlington Realty Corporation, who will operate a private high school, Laureate College, at NDC. A boarding school for girls run by the Sisters, Notre Dame Academy, previously existed on the property but was closed in 1983. Sisters who had been buried on the property were re-interred in 2019 to Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hamilton.
There will be no new structures added to the property and no site modifications that would impact the natural features on or adjacent to the property, including in terms of grading, drainage, and sediment control. The terms of the sale include retention of the existing site driveway, turning circle and parking areas. The development proposal for the property will ensure there are no adverse impacts to the features of the property that are of natural heritage value and subject to the protections of the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame currently living at NDC will continue to reside in the building until 2027, on two upper floors not occupied by the school. Access to these floors will be restricted to the Sisters, their caregivers and approved visitors. There are currently 45 SSND Sisters residing in the facility. Living arrangements for Sisters after 2027 have yet to be determined.
The first and second floors will be occupied by Laureate College’s students and staff and will include dormitory space on the second floor. There will be some shared spaces, including the dining hall, chapel, and gardens.
Once the Sisters vacate the building after 2027, the school enrollment will increase. The Montessori School currently on campus will remain, with no expansion from its current 68 students and 12 staff members.
The ownership of this property and campus will be transferred to LC Burlington Realty Corporation as of May 31, and the usage of this space will be to operate the private high school known as Laureate College.
