Join us in Prayer on Tuesday!

Pope Francis has instituted in the Catholic Church the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation,” which will be celebrated on September 1 beginning this year. The day offers individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which has been entrusted to our care and to implore God's help for the protection of creation as well as pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live. We invite you to join us in prayer on this day, using the prayer service prepared by the SSND Shalom team for North America. (Shalom is the term we use to describe our SSND international network for justice, peace, and integrity of creation.) To download the pdf with the prayer service, please click here: www.ssnd.org/sites/default/files/files/Shalom/care_of_creation_prayer090115.pdf 

Sisters show up in the most interesting places!

Did you know that a sister was recognized by President Obama at the announcement of his clean power plan? LCWR executive director Sister Joan Marie Steadman, CSC was present for the occasion because of the help she provided in getting sisters across the country to push for solutions to climate change. You can read more about the event and Sister Joan Marie's involvement here on the LCWR page. Neat!

Pope Francis: "Go, do not be afraid, and serve"

As the weather begins to get warmer and the school year comes to an end many young adults are looking for summer volunteer opportunities. As a young adult myself I find service opportunities as a way to live out my faith and help those most in need. One of my favorite service opportunities was when I took a group of young adults to Ocean Springs, MS to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Over the course of the week the temperatures soared to over 100 degrees but we keep working. We painted homes, built a shed, and met individuals who would be moving into the new homes. It was an incredible reward to see my hard work and determination impact the lives of others.

One of my favorite quotes from Blessed Theresa Gerhardinger, Foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame is:

United and content with little,

We go out into the whole world,

Into the tiniest villages

Wherever God calls us

….to bring the good news

Of God’s reign.

This quote is so fitting as we look for those service opportunities. Don't be afraid to use your time, talent, and treasure to not only help those in need but to share the good news.

What are some of your service experiences?

SSND Delegation at UNCSW: Taking it Home

From left: Sister Eileen Reilly, SSND UN-NGO representative; Sister Kathy Jager, teacher at Institute of Notre Dame (IND); Micayla Wilson, IND student; Caitlyn Lowry, student at Notre Dame High School (NDHS); Corey Fletcher, IND student; Mariajose Ortiz, NDHS student; Linda Pham, NDHS student; Sandy Montgomery, NDHS staff; Allison Moser, NDHS student; and Anthony Smith, NDHS teacher.

Motivated to do more

The high school students and teachers with the delegation from the School Sisters of Notre Dame have finished their week at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women inspired and motivated to take the messages and calls to action they heard home to their schools and communities.

All have committed to building on the momentum from their experiences. Their plans call for holding meetings with their classmates,incorporating new perspectives into their curriculum, collecting library books for a school in Africa and becoming moire involved in local and national campaigns for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Next week, the SSND delegation will include students and faculty from Notre Dame of Maryland University, who will attend sessions addressing current challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the  Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was adopted 20 years ago by 189 member states meeting in China for the Fourth World Conference of Women. The Beijing Platform provides a roadmap for the achievement of gender equality, guiding the global struggle against constraints and obstacles to the empowerment of women around the world.

TBT: The Selma Effect

For this week's edition of Throwback Thursday we'd like to share an article published earlier this week on Global Sisters Report. Sr. Margaret Ellen Traxler, SSND, was one of the Catholic sisters who marched from Selma 50 years ago - an experience which led her to become more deeply involved in that movement. This excellent article explains how sisters wound up at the famous march, why their presence became important, and what the impact of Selma has been on sisters across the country in the decades since. Well worth a read!