Archives Feature Stories
February 22, 2022
The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) North American Archives is the repository of historical documents and artifacts for the congregation in North America.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
January 27, 2022
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
February 24, 2021
(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
February 23, 2021
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
December 15, 2020
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
June 4, 2020
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
February 28, 2020
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
February 4, 2020
By Michele Levandoski, Archivist, School Sisters of Notre Dame North American Archives Click here for a PDF version Today, the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) are known for their work with social justice issues, but that was not the case in the mid-1960s when Sister Marie LeClerc Laux became involved in the Milwaukee civil rights movement. Sister Marie LeClerc’s...Read more
December 3, 2019
Christmas is a time for family and thanksgiving, but also a time to reflect on the past. It is evident through the chronicles that the Sisters in Baltimore celebrated Christmas in different ways – those in the motherhouse attended midnight Mass while those at St. Anthony’s Orphanage had more traditional Christmas fun with the children. The following excerpts describe how...Read more
November 1, 2019
St. Francis de Sales Convent, located at 421 Daly Street in St. Paul, Minnesota, closed in November 2019, marking the end of a 135-year presence of the School Sisters of Notre Dame at the parish and school. We honor the SSND who worked there with the following photos and excerpts from the convent/school chronicles. [1884] “On August 27, 1884,...Read more