On November 11, 1962, Typhoon Karen devastated the island of Guam. Eleven people were killed, and 95% of homes were destroyed, leaving 45,000 people, mostly Guamanians, homeless. Fifty-three School Sisters of Notre Dame, eight postulants, and ten aspirants living in four locations on the island lived through the storm and recorded their experiences in letters, chronicle entries, oral histories, and...Read more

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ on May 24, 2025, SSND sisters, associates, and partners in ministry share some of the ways that they have incorporated the lessons of Pope Francis’ encyclical into their lives.   SSND associates Donna Haley and Miriam Hankins used the occasion of their parish picnic to display a variety of items that...Read more

Sister Lucy Nigh was reminded recently of the importance of inviting others to become part of the SSND community after receiving an enthusiastic response from Andrea Stapleton to her invitation to consider becoming an SSND associate. Andrea had come to know SSND well in her role as vice president for mission and justice at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, a...Read more

by Kathleen Storms, SSND In early May 2015, I received a call from an editor of National Catholic Reporter (NCR) asking me to be a reviewer of Laudato Si’ before its official publication on May 24. I burned the midnight oil that day reading the entire text of Laudato Si’. Why was I asked to critique it? Because I was a...Read more

Each year on May 9, School Sisters of Notre Dame celebrate the feast day of our foundress, Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, who died on this day in 1879. We continue to look to Blessed Theresa as a guide for our own lives and times and pray that the charism entrusted to her might continue to find life and expression...Read more

The 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be observed Sunday, May 11, 2025. This is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The purpose of this day is to publicly fulfill the Lord’s instruction to, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). Please pray that...Read more

From “Call Stories to Help You Discern,” republished with permission from VISION Vocation Guide 2025, pp. 19-21.  The stories of how God calls people to religious life are as varied as the people in that life. Here we share Sister Limétèze’s story, unique but with some common threads. Like others, her story shows how God’s call is persistent, requires openness,...Read more

Click here for the SSND Atlantic-Midwest Province Lenten Reflections The following Lenten reflections, prepared by the SSND North American Vocation Team, are based on You Are Sent, the Constitution of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. (Print PDF) For more information, please contact sisters@ssnd.org or hermanas@ssnd.org. The Lenten season brings us the opportunity to look more carefully at our life...Read more

Sister Charlene Zeisset spoke with Libby Collins at Wisconsin’s WTMJ about the Nun Study, a research project fueled by data from the School Sisters of Notre Dame that has changed the way doctors and scientists understand Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The study has analyzed more than 30 years of aging and dementia patterns of 678 School Sisters of Notre...Read more

The SSND North American Archives is a treasure trove of documents, photographs, books, audio-visual materials, and other items that date back to the establishment of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in North America. One of the many cherished articles is the monstrance created for the 50th jubilee of Mother Caroline Friess, who led the expansion of SSND into North...Read more