Pray With Us

Memorial Service Programs Archives

Here you will find the prayers being prayed during Memorial Services for our Sisters who have died. Because of social distancing, these memorials cannot currently be held with large numbers of Sisters attending, but many Sisters would still like to pray the service for each Sister lost. This archive starts in May 2020.

Contemplative Response to Winter - to Lent

During Lent I typically strive/desire to embrace the message in the liturgical readings on Ash Wednesday: to pray, fast, and give alms, asking God to create a new heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit in me.  

Listen Each New Time

I find Lent a challenge. How do I keep to the good things I intend to do this year? As in all things, I pray to follow the example of Jesus who was led by the Spirit to the desert. 

The "God of No Matter Whatness"

Recently, when I heard Father Greg Boyle talk about his work with gang members in Los Angeles, he talked to them about the “God of no matter whatness.” He said, "This God dissolves the toxicity of shame and fills us with tender mercy.”

Prodigal Mercy by Sister Delia Calis

By Sister Delia Calis, SSND

Oh Son, do you not yet trust my love for you?

You are always with me and everything I have is yours.

I need you to shepherd with my heart – my love, compassion.

Lent in a “Post-Covid” World

As we approach Lent, I wonder what will come. Will we be able to celebrate together? Will we face another Covid outbreak as family and friends come to visit?  

Prayer Circle at Waterdown

We always try to provide morning prayers for our third-floor sisters as part of a holistic approach to their care.  Recently we have been assisted by Sister Mary Jeanne Davidson, SSND, who comes to the lounge every morning to lead a handful of Sisters in prayer.

Recipe for Lent: Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord

I like to bake! Whether it’s making a baked macaroni and cheese dish for my friends at Thanksgiving, or a cake to celebrate another Sister’s birthday, the process of baking fascinates me, as does the end result that emerges from simple and often unrelated items.

Saint Josephine Bakhita

February 8 is the Feast Day of Saint Josephine Bakhita. She is venerated as a modern African saint and as a statement against the brutal history of slavery.  She has been adopted as the patron saint of modern Sudan and human trafficking survivors.  

Ash Wednesday - A Time to Remember

Ash Wednesday is here again, again inviting us once more into the paschal journey. The cross traced in ashes upon my forehead is one with the cross of Jesus Christ. The Word Remember etches itself deep into my heart. By Sister Delia Calis, SSND

Invitation to Prayer and Reflection

By Sister Ethel Howley, SSND

Pope Francis published his third encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, in October, 2020, on "fraternity and social friendship." 

Prayer for Peace in the World

Immaculate Heart of Mary, help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths toward the future.

From famine and war, deliver us.

Foundation Day Prayer 2023 - Celebrating 190 years

Please join the School Sisters of Notre Dame in prayer and celebration of this year’s Foundation Day. May our prayer in communion with the entire congregation continue to root us in love, faith, and hope!