>>Click here for a PDF version by Sister Carol Jean Dust, SSND Find a quiet space to sit and absorb the following experience Jesus shared with his disciples: “While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the...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 63rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be observed Sunday, April 26, 2026. 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

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

“What would the Church be without religious sisters and consecrated laywomen? The Church cannot be understood without them.” ~Pope Francis, February 2022 February 2 is the World Day for Consecrated Life, instituted in 1997 by Pope Saint John Paul II. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which is also known as Candlemas Day;...Read more

In the United States, National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) is celebrated each November, this year from November 2-8, 2025. NVAW is a time to highlight and promote vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life and renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations. Follow SSND on Instagram and Facebook for special posts throughout NVAW. There are several ways...Read more

Reprinted with permission from The Catholic Messenger: The Catholic newspaper of the Diocese of Davenport By Rachel Luppens For The Catholic Messenger (Editor’s note: Rachel Luppens, St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City’s director of community engagement, recently interviewed Sister Anna Marie Reha, SSND, and her parents, Deacon Dave and Donna Reha. The interview was originally printed in the parish newsletter....Read more

Download a PDF Vocations Anonymous: A Handbook for Adults Discerning Priesthood and Religious Life Kathleen Bryant, RSC; (2014, Rogationist Publications) 264 pgs. What Are You Looking For? Seeking the God Who Is Seeking You Joan Chittister, OSB (2019, Paulist Press) 64 pgs. Called: What happens after saying Yes to God Casey Cole, OFM (2018, Franciscan Media) 192 pages Discernment: A...Read more

Originally published by the Kirksville Daily Express here. Republished with permission.  By Jay Nies When Sister Ruth Ann Klauser was young, several older School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) gave her clear advice on how to live like they were living. She takes it all to heart now in her own season of retirement. “To live one day at a...Read more

By Chloe Gunther Originally published here by Jesuit Refugee Service. Republished with permission. Roxanne Schares heard God’s call as a young girl. With religious sisters teaching her in school and two aunts who had followed the same call, she grew up the eldest of eight children on a small farm in northeastern Iowa, keenly aware of the opportunity to become...Read more