Why is Sister Virginia Grumlich hanging out with actor Robert Young? The story is simple. In 1969, the Preparatory Institute of Notre Dame in Sunland, California closed. The following year, the SSND and the Eddie Cantor Charitable Foundation established what became known as Tierra del Sol, a program originally conceived to be an alternative to training in a sheltered workshop....Read more

From the Michele Levandoski, archivist at the School Sisters of Notre Dame North American Archives: Mother Caroline Friess was known for her embroidery skills. She established the Tapestry Department at the Milwaukee Motherhouse as a means to generate income to support the sisters. The department made various types of liturgical items, such as vestments, palls, chasubles and burses. The photos...Read more

From the Michele Levandoski, archivist at the School Sisters of Notre Dame North American Archives: When people hear the name, “School Sisters of Notre Dame,” they think of them as educators. However, not all SSND were teachers. There were a group of sisters known as “homemaking sisters,” whose job it was to keep the sisters living in the Motherhouses, convents,...Read more

The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) North American Archives is the repository of historical documents and artifacts for the congregation in North America. Located at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the archives include more than 2,000 linear feet of records that date back to the establishment of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in North America. Learn more...Read more

From Michele Levandoski, archivist at the School Sisters of Notre Dame North American Archives: The original story behind this spoon was that Mother Caroline Friess brought it with her from Germany when she emigrated to the United States in 1847. The issue, however, is that it was engraved with the following: “Ven. Mother M. Caroline.” When Mother Caroline came to...Read more

(Wild Quincy recently highlighted this story in a podcast and blog. To learn more about the fire and Sister Theotima, listen here and/or read the corresponding blog.) by Sister Carol Marie Wildt, SSND On December 22, 1899, 50 students at St. Francis Solanus School in Quincy, Illinois, were eagerly preparing for the Christmas program scheduled for December 26. The dress...Read more

On February 4, 2021, Sister Mary Ann Kuttner received an unexpected surprise during a virtual meeting with members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) Central Pacific and Atlantic-Midwest Provincial Councils. She was told that the councils wanted to honor the members of the Archives Task Force in creating the SSND North American Archives (NAA) in Milwaukee. The real...Read more

By Michele Levandoski, SSND Archivist The practice of women religious receiving a new name started as early as the sixth century. “The idea springs from God changing Abram’s name to Abraham to signify the covenant between them (Genesis 17:3-9). A religious name signifies the adoption of a new life; the replacement of family identity with a religious one.”[1] Naming customs...Read more

We are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Government officials have ordered people to stay at home, schools have been cancelled, millions of people have lost their jobs and wearing face masks in public is the new normal. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have died from the virus. This feels new and unfamiliar, but this is not the...Read more

The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) were required to keep chronicles at each mission site. The chronicles are a record of significant events that occurred throughout the year, such as major events at the school, church or convent, and illnesses or deaths. They can also provide amusing stories about life as a SSND. The following is a chronicle entry...Read more