Living in community is central to life as a School Sister of Notre Dame. Much more than simply a sharing of space and resources, the commitment encompasses all it takes to exist as a community of one mind and one heart. Sisters are bound together by choice, pursuing a shared purpose, nurturing spiritual connection, and sustaining one another through all...Read more

When she was 17 years old, Awa came to stay at SSND Girls Hostel in Bwiam, The Gambia, to study at Fatima Senior School. It was a big step for her, having come from a small, rural village more than four hours away. The new environment took some getting used to for Awa. She was quiet and a bit unsure...Read more

Summer camp is synonymous with sunscreen and snacks, singing and swimming. But service? Cue the SSND Summer Service Week. It is not uncommon to find high school students spending a part of their summer doing volunteer work. It builds character and looks good on college applications. Add in the opportunity to play with cute kids, and all of a sudden...Read more

The School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province is among hundreds of faith leaders and organizations urging an extension of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for El Salvador before it expires in September. A TPS designation grants the U.S. government the power to shield eligible migrants from deportation if they are from countries experiencing dangerous conditions such as war, disaster, or other...Read more

SSND North America is pleased to support “See. Love. Vote,” a nonpartisan campaign focused on get-out-the-vote efforts for the 2026 U.S. elections. Led by NETWORK Advocates and faith partners across the country, the “See. Love. Vote.” campaign is inspired by “See, Judge, Act”, a framework of Catholic Social Teaching that guides how we reflect on the world around us and...Read more

School Sisters of Notre Dame participated in the August 14 Jericho Walk that took place on the final day of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ (LCWR) 70th anniversary assembly in Orlando, Florida. Rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and the tradition of nonviolent public witness, the walk invited participants to circle in silence around a central space holding the injustices...Read more

The School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic-Midwest Province and School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province joined women religious across the United States in signing the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) Declaration of Commitment. This declaration, which comes as the U.S. prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, was delivered to Congress on Thursday,...Read more

On April 15, Sister Joanne Poehlman was featured by Milwaukee’s NPR station, WUWM, in a piece about what materials can be recycled in her area. She had written in to the station’s Beats Me column with a question about recycling a particular plastic. Although she was pleased to receive an answer from the education coordinator for Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful,...Read more

While the School Sisters of Notre Dame formally committed to becoming a Laudato Si’ congregation in 2021, the sisters have been dedicated to caring for creation for much longer. As we celebrate Laudato Si’ Week, let’s look back at two SSND environmental initiatives that predated Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical. Mobilization Against Desertification (MAD) In 1984, at the age of 67...Read more

Laudato Si’ Week 2026 takes place from May 17 to 24, marking the 11th anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical on care for our common home. Centered around the theme “From Hope to Action,” the global event encourages Catholics to transition from reflection to concrete steps for protecting the environment. Although the 2015 encyclical gave special focus to care for creation, the School...Read more