SSND Mission and Heritage

Our Mission is to proclaim the good news as School Sisters of Notre Dame, directing our entire lives toward that oneness for which Jesus Christ was sent. As He was sent to show the Father’s love to the world, we are sent to make Christ visible by our very being, by sharing our love, faith, and hope.”

-YOU ARE SENT, CONSTITUTION OF THE SCHOOL SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME

The School Sisters of Notre Dame are members of an international congregation of women religious which was founded in Bavaria in 1833. The first sisters arrived in North America in 1847. School Sisters of Notre Dame, now living and ministering on five continents, have their Generalate in Rome, Italy, and continue to “share in Christ’s mission to proclaim the good news of God’s reign.”

Delve deeper into our history on the wonderfull Sturdy Roots Website

Department of Ministry Services Statement of Purpose

To support the Atlantic-Midwest Province and its sponsored and co-sponsored ministries in ensuring that ministry

  1. reflects the values and commitments of SSND;
  2. maintains Catholic identity;
  3. aspires to high standards in service, administration, and management;
  4. creates pathways for sustainability in the future.

In particular, support happens by:

  1. Implementing and evolving lay leader ministry formation and board development in sponsored and co-sponsored ministries, province departments and continuum of care centers;
  2. Developing resources and offering consultation in support of a) above;
  3. Strengthening the relationship building and unity among SSND, ministries and people served;
  4. Supporting selected province initiatives and programs, and
  5. Supporting governance relationship with the sponsored ministries to align governance to current needs

Ministry Formation News

For the first time since the inception of the sessions in 2014, lay campus ministers were included, to strengthen the relationship between their ministry leadership and the SSND component on campus. Other participants hold a leadership role in a province department, in healthcare administration for...
Five times over the past 10 years, the Atlantic-Midwest Province has offered a three-day retreat, Claiming the Fire Within, to make the SSND founding and evolving stories available to lay staff and sisters serving at SSND sponsored and co-sponsored ministries.
Retreat participants

Malvern Retreat Center in Pennsylvania was the site of the fifth biennial Ministry Formation Retreat, held in June. Titled “Claiming the Fire Within,” 20 participants, men and women across the province and associated with SSND sponsored...