A UK Vocations Boom?

A recent study indicates that last year marked a 25-year high in the number of Catholic women entering religious life in England and Wales. There has been great interest in this news, of course, and one of the best interviews I have seen on the subject came from a young woman named Theodora Hawksley. There is a great video interview with her here, as well as an article she wrote here. Both are brief but offer wonderful insight into this springtime for the Catholic Church in England and Wales!

What are your thoughts about this surprising trend? Do you think that it is possible for something similar to happen here in the US? Why or why not?

Trusting God with Your Dreams

It is very rare that I find a TV show that possesses strong values and promotes a simple lifestyle that challenges you to be open to all life’s blessings. Recently I found a show on HGTV called Fixer Upper, I was first intrigued by the southern charm and rehab skills of the couple however over the last few months I found myself humbled by the love, laughter, and simplicity of Joanna and Chip Gaines. This past week Joanna shared her personal story of listening to God in her life and I became even more impressed! As a Vocation Director we are always looking to share stories of discernment in every aspect of life. Taking time to listen and acknowledging where God is calling you can be one of the most awesome experiences of your life. Take a few minutes to watch the video, maybe Joanna's story will inspire you too.

Do you trust God with your dreams?

Meet (Some) Sisters Monday

For this week's edition of Meet-A-Sister Monday I'd like to introduce you to not one sister, but a community of them! Vocation team member Sister Mary Swanson, SSND has been working with the vocation ministers of other communities in the upper mid-west during the Year of Consecrated Life. One of these communities, the Benedictine sisters of St. Martin Monastery in Rapid City, SD recently shared with her this video about themselves. I thought that you might find it interesting to have a glimpse into their history and their present lives.

After watching the video, was there anything that jumped out at you - maybe something that you found surprising, interesting, or inspiring? What questions about religious life did it raise for you?

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.

Where is God Calling You Day 9

This week (March 8-14) Sisters in the United States will be celebrating National Catholic Sisters Week. In hopes of encouraging Vocations throughout the World the School Sisters of Notre Dame will be praying a Novena for an increase in vocations and for young women in discernment. We invite you to also spend the next 9 days praying about where God may be calling you.

“Because God first loved us, we respond in love.” May our longing for the oneness of all in God and our reaching out to be the presence of God’s love, be a source of hope to the world. We pray for a welcoming spirit that invites those who have the gifts to serve and collaborate with us."

-Vocation Ministry Team

View the Video, Because We Love God, for a short reflection on being open to the call of God in your life.

O Holy Spirit, enlighten me, 

Strengthen me, 

So that I shall understand 

And Know my divine call, 

Who I am, 

What I should be.

And what I must do,

As well as the means 

By which these ends

My be accomplished.

Amen 

 (Blessed Theresa of Jusus Gerhardinger

Foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame)

HOW IS GOD CALLING YOU?