Our Sisters

White clouds dotted the  blue sky as ten eager Sisters from Villa Assumpa clamored aboard the SSND bus. Destination: the Glen Haven Farm owned by the Roderick Family. Sister Marianne’s family had all in readiness: folding aluminum tables and chairs were set up in two lines on the grass in the back of the house; one for the family members, especially the grandchildren, and one for the ten of us.

On October 14, the SisterHouse board hosted their annual fundraiser, The Grateful Gathering.  Friends and benefactors, joined the staff, board and residents of SisterHouse for delicious, creative appetizers and the simple pleasure of spending time together. 

Sister Grace became a postulant in SSND in Nigeria in 1990.  She had just received her diploma from a local Teacher Training College program.   One of the SSND Sisters she met was Sister Gabriel Roeder.  Grace was strongly influenced by Gabriel’s way of life and her commitment to her students.  She soon asked for her family’s blessing to become an SSND. 

NDMU's MBK Lobby was packed last week for the official rededication of NDMU’s Office of Service & Community Engagement. Now the Sister Sharon Slear Center for Service, Social Justice, and Community Engagement, it honors the decades of her service to Notre Dame, Baltimore, and areas in need across the world.

I began to pray from the moment I knew I was going to attend the National Black Catholic Congress. I came up with a list of the typical prayer intentions. I prayed for the organizers, the presenters, the attendees, young and not so young; I prayed for healing from the wounds of racism and an end to racism; I prayed that the Congress would be a transformative spiritual experience of love for everyone. Somehow my prayer list didn’t seem to be enough. It seemed to be lacking. Then one morning, I decided I would simply pray for love.

Sisters from The Watermark brought some cheer when they visited the Sisters at Ozanam on June 15. The Sisters were able to converse, talking about life at Ozanam and The Watermark, a special blessing was given to all the residents before the Sisters left.

Sisters Bernice Feilinger and Therese Marie Dougherty were recently surprised with an invitation to spend a weekend in Florida with a group of students they had taught at Madonna Academy in West Hollywood, FL in the 1960s.